HomePick of the DayPick of the Day: 1987 Porsche 944 in preserved driver condition

Pick of the Day: 1987 Porsche 944 in preserved driver condition

The ‘transaxle’ model is a still-affordable example from the German sports car brand

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What is so special about Porsche sports cars? Well, they combine tremendous build quality, sound engineering and are always fun to drive, which has made Porsches among the most desirable cars in the world, either on the classic market or as new cars.

That popularity has meant that many classic models have become less and less affordable.  There are still a few accessible classic Porsches, though, and one of those is a car that might be one of the best cars they built in the 1980s, the Porsche 944.

The 944 was introduced in 1982 as a replacement for the 924, the first of Porsches front-engine, water-cooled sports models known as transaxle cars because of their rear-mounted transmissions to enhance weight balance.  The 924 had great handling but lacked in acceleration and top speed.

Porsche took exterior styling cues from the racing 924 Carrera GT and applied those to the 924 body along with a completely new Porsche-designed 2.5 liter inline-4-cylinder engine, which was basically half the V8 engine from the Porsche 928. The 944 was an immediate hit with both journalists and customers, and Porsche would sell 163,192 of them during a 10-year production run.

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The Pick of the Day is a 1987 Porsche 944 coupe, part of the second-generation introduced in the middle of 1985 that featured an upgraded more-modern interior as well as an improved suspension.

This Porsche is largely original, according to the Morgantown, Pennsylvania, dealer advertising the coupe on ClassicCars.com. The factory paint is rare Malvern Red, while the original Linen interior looks very intact. From the photos with the ad, the paint and interior appear to be in perfect condition with no visible flaws. An added bonus is that the dash has no cracks due to age. Total mileage on this 944 is 111,000 miles, the seller says.

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The seller notes that the undercarriage is in good shape with only slight surface rust. These cars were zinc galvanized from the factory and rust on an original-paint car is rarely if ever an issue.

I love the 944 as a model and feel it is one of the best GT cars that Porsche has ever built. I like the cars so much I actually bought one and drove it from Connecticut to Monterey, California, a few years back.

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These Porsches are usually excellent deals as collector cars, and this preserved example in a rare color and an asking price of $13,500 offers a lot of Porsche excellence for the money.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Andy Reid
Andy Reid
Andy Reid's first car, purchased at age 15, was a 1968 Fiat 124 coupe. His second, obtained by spending his college savings fund, was a 1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2. Since then, he has owned more than 150 cars—none of them normal or reasonable—as well as numerous classic motorcycles and scooters. A veteran of film, television, advertising and helping to launch a few Internet-based companies, Reid was a columnist for Classic Motorsports magazine for 12 years and has written for several other publications. He is considered an expert in European sports and luxury cars and is a respected concours judge. He lives in Canton, Connecticut.

5 COMMENTS

  1. had two of them and liked them BUT shift linkage broke, outside mirror just fell off, timing belt broke, steering wheel cover had to be re stitched, A/C failed and steering wheel shimmy that was common. ‘

    ‘not enough power. BUT i did go out and buy a NEW STYLE BOXSTER which was fine.

  2. I have an1983 Porsche 944 with 18000 actual miles. It does not have power steering and I am wondering how it would cost to have that put on the car.

    Please help if you can.

    Thank you.

    • Hey Desmond I honestly might not do that. Many people love the non power steering 944 cars and you might find you are doing yourself a disservice in doing so. The way to do it would be to get a power steering rack and the pumps and brackets, and pulleys from a 944 that had power steering and instal it. It sounds simple but may be more complicated and expensive that it sounds.

  3. I own a 1987 924s the trimmed version of a 944. Have owned it 6 years now. I replaced the Interior with a new custom dash, which I love. Repainted it Gold per the original paint code. This car runs and runs. I may not drive it for a month or more, it starts right up. Has 80,000 miles. When I replaced the clutch the date code was 1987! Most of the parts I have replaced were original to the car! I won’t sell this. Its my keeper next to my 1973 914 and a 1967 Fiat 850 Coupe! Love my European cars!

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