1991 Porsche 944 Turbo 2.5 turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Currently the best car on offer for £10,000 (2004)

Faults:

Sunroof has leaked.

All brake pads have required replacing.

Front wishbones needed replacing.

General Comments:

Built like a tank, the 944 turbo is a genuine bargain. You do not need to bomb around everywhere to put a smile on your face... just feeling sorry for the poor schmucks in their brand new Mondeo's and 3-series etc is enough.

When you DO put your foot down however, the smile can only get bigger, just plain awesome. Motorways are just eaten up in extreme comfort, and with good damping even inner city driving is more than acceptable.

Good looking enough to get admiring attention from those that know and discrete enough not to get the attention of the criminal fraternity.

Late last year I took my wife, my 2 year old daughter AND my mother in law from Bournemouth to Manchester in it... for a wedding!! (imagine the luggage for 3 women and a wedding!) with NO complaints, you want a practical sports car with class? you've found it.

Costs...well...ermmm mpg is running at 22...not good, but then it's insured for 6000 miles a year at £640 (32 years old, 6 points, diabetic wife, one accident in previous car, off road parking...) so you can easily budget for fuel. Regular maintenance is running at £1500 a year.

Any other negatives? the turbo lag can be embarrassing at times, being slow at low revs in any gear, but you soon learn and there's nothing like a bit of boost when it does come on line!

Best decision I ever made was to get one.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th May, 2004

26th Feb 2005, 08:45

I live in NY manhattan and Montauk and drive a new Porsche 997. I need a car for when I'm in the UK on business and to see the folks. Hiring cars is awful for me a I love driving and it's so expensive. So my brother is trying to get me to buy his 944 turbo with 98000 miles on it. I liked your comments about your car and found them very amusing.

Julian.

In reply to 26th Feb 2005, 08:45

30th May 2011, 14:04

Hi, out there, I see you were thinking of buying that 944 with 98,000 miles; I am looking at a used cream puff 944 Turbo owned by a local careful person, we think.

How did that turn out? Did you buy your brother's car? Was it pretty trouble free for your Euro adventure? People seem to love driving them!

I get a hint of maintenance and repair costs being kind of high! I had a 924 many years back and loved it, but it started going down hill after about 85K.

Thanks in advance,

PHILBIE in Sebastopol, CA.

1991 Porsche 944 S2 3.0 from North America

Summary:

A sleeper of a bargain in a sports car package.

Faults:

I've only had it for 3,000 miles so far, and everything has been perfect.

General Comments:

A stunningly beautiful car, I still love to just stand near it and simply gaze. My model is a black Cabriolet, and the lines are irresistibly sensuous. At any angle, she emotes beauty, passion and grace. I had previously been in love with 928S's, but after speaking with a mechanic about the costly adventure in up-keeping one, turned to the 944. I am absolutely satisfied in my choice. I even prefer the Cabriolet over the Boxster, I've discovered.

The handling in this vehicle is outrageous. I took her up into the Malibu mountains overlooking Los Angeles, and she simply blew my mind. It just seems impossible to go wrong in this beauty. I've driven quite a few performance cars in my life, and nothing comes close to the handling of an S2 (probably all 944s?). Even sliding is enjoyable, and not as scary as I imagined it to be in the beginning. There are no surprises in the handling; she behaves intuitively and seems to mold with the driver to become one unit flowing through time and space.

I really can't believe I'm actually happier now than when I bought it. I had been expecting my obsession to fade, but instead I grow to appreciate her more as time passes.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th November, 2003

26th Mar 2008, 12:42

Your assessment pretty much mirrors my own sentiments. I bought my '91 944 S2 Cabriolet in 2004, and still love to just step back and admire the styling.

Unfortunately the former owners were not too kind, and it has taken me about three years to save the necessary funds for a major mechanical overhaul, in which I expect to basically double my investment in the vehicle. Still, it's cheaper than a new/late-model Boxster. And unlike the Boxster, at 6'3" tall I can actually sit in the 944 comfortably.

16th May 2008, 20:38

Why does this entry have a frowning face when it all seems positive?

1991 Porsche 944 S2 3.0 Liter from North America

Summary:

A sleek and powerful car, what one expects of Porsche

Faults:

Clutch rebuilt at 79,000.

Rear window electric motor apparatus replaced at 71,000.

General Comments:

True performance sports car. One feels like being part of the car once seated, the steering is precise, the brake system is one of the best out there, the weight to power balance is excellent and few cars can match it. Exterior is still aggressive and beautiful compared to newer cars. Interior spare yet lacks want for any further amenities.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th September, 2003