I believe our very own Jeff Glucker once said that everyone should own at least one car that is older than themselves. I decided that this was the best time in my life to get a 944 then, as I would probably never be able to get one for a good price when I felt like buying a second car. The car is a 1985.1 car, with the 2.5 Liter inline four. It has 110 thousand miles, and starts (Almost) every time. Also, it is my only car. That’s right, I decided that when my dear S2o00 was taken from me thanks to an accident with a city bus, that I should get the one 80’s Porsche that I have always thought was cool. To me, the 944 is the grandfather of the Toyobaru twins. Except I believe that the 944 drives and looks far much better than the modern examples.
But, and there always is a but with these older cars, it has issues. The AC doesn’t work, and warm air constantly pours through the vents, so much so, that when Patrick George of Jalopnik drove it, he asked if I had left the heater on. This is becoming a major problem now that the Texas summer is upon me, turning a simple drive into a blistering oven thanks to the giant windows and black interior. That and I had to replace the fuel pump as soon as I bought it, and it still smells of gasoline all the time, especially after a fill up, but hey, it adds character.
The car has soul, and character, and lets you know everything it is doing through the front axle. It is involving, and gets the most positive attention of anything I have ever driven. Old car guys love it, new car guys love it, because it is the perfect blend between a “Real Classic” and a modern sports car. I see myself driving this car for a long time, and keeping it mostly stock. Or at least, stockish. I want to slap a really good pair of tires on it, and new brakes. But I have yet to figure out the name for the car. Nothing I have thought of fits the character of the car, nor really represents who it is. Cars are something that are so personal, yet they are something that can also be shared. I have offered my 944 up to all of my journalist buddies, because I want more people to experience what Porsche did with this car. They made something very special, and anyone who can share in with the experience of taking this car by the scruff of the neck is lucky to be so. I sure think I’m lucky.
Project Car SOTU: My Porsche 944
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12 responses to “Project Car SOTU: My Porsche 944”
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I like this day. Makes me feel normal.
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“…one car that is older than themselves…a 1985.”
I’m not sure about liking it. Makes me feel old.-
And yet, you also have observed that rule.
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http://www.washington.edu/news/archive/images/20091015_pid52704_aid52703_harrell33_w400.jpg
To a high confidence level, yes.-
I love those.
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“…one car that is older than themselves…a 1985.”
That’s true for me, expect mines a 1990, so instead of feeling old, I feel a bit like the baby of the Hooniverse family.
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I traded my 944 for a 911 of the same year, and I started missing my 944 on the drive home. Not that the 911 is a bad car – it’s just different. I wish I could own both. I named mine “Heidi” and I still keep a picture of her on my desk at work.
I bet your heater control valve is stuck. -
Kudos to the daily driver! Mine is grounded, new brake lines NLA: I bought a flaring tool today…
Gas fumes while parked: sensor gasket, filler lines. Gas fumes in turns : top of the tank cracked. Gas fumes at high speeds: actually exhaust fumes sucked in through the defective auxiliary gasket under the spoiler.
Make sure to stay in touch with the community, they are awesome at 944online.com. I’m Zundfolge there. -
I had an ’88 Tercel in college with broken heater controls. The switch was broken, so I had to pop the hood to turn the heat on and off. I would just leave it on through the winter and off in the summer. Not sure how the 944 is setup, but you might be able to turn it off closer to the heater core with some fiddling.
As for the A/C, my current solution is to just not have any windows. (Has its downsides, mostly when friends don’t share my aversion to comfort. 😉-
A/C is overrated. Except on days when it’s 101 degrees here in the desert. Where I live. (Why do I live in the desert?)
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Early 85 and earlier cars are the ones to have, IMHO.
I had an 83 that I loved dearly. I unfortunately had to get rid of it when I moved from Ohio to Nevada, because it wasn’t worth the cost of shipping it.
I had a similar issue with mine when I bought it, the heat was stuck on. Turns out, the cable had actually separated from the little knob on the inside of the module. Easy peasy. -
I loved my 944S but it didn’t age gracefully. Paint got dull, thread bare interior, AC never worked.
But it was a kick ass track car. I’d hang with M3s well above my pay grade. Even when the trans ate it, I sourced another for $300 (non-lsd tho). Took all winter to get it installed because I’m lazy.
I wish it would have degraded at the rate of my Ranger.
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