Back Again and Still Impossibly Clean: 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo with 283,475 Miles

Edit 9/30/2017 – A little over a year later, the 5th owner of this high-mileage 944 Turbo has placed it up for sale with a $15,000 ‘Buy It Now’ after adding only about 20 miles to the odometer. The auction is also no reserve and the starting price is exactly what the seller paid in 2016. The seller even gave us props! – Ed

It’s easy to become obsessed with low mileage, absolutely pristine museum pieces. Walk up to one at a show and it’s like stepping into the DeLorean with Doc Brown, because apparently wherever that owner’s car is going they don’t need roads. On the other end of the spectrum are cars that have accrued countless miles; an old, torn pair of jeans that has more stories behind it than threads in its behind. Occasionally, though, a car pops up that is a testament to careful enthusiast ownership while still having been used for its original intent and purposes. Wearing mileage as a badge of honor rather than, as many do, acting like it is a death sentence, they are impressive cars without consideration of mileage but moreso when one does. Generally these high mileage heros turn up as Audis or Mercedes-Benz products that have rolled odometers into the stratosphere. More than occasionally we’ll come across an E28 BMW nearing a quarter million. Porsches, however, usually don’t see those types of numbers – especially highly prized turbocharged models. But though today’s 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo is pushing 300,000 miles, it looks like it has only seen a fraction of that number:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo on eBay

Year: 1989
Model: 944 Turbo
Engine: 2.5 liter turbocharged inline-4
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 283,475 mi
Price: $15,000 Buy It Now

New Description
Clean and original 944 Turbo. I’m the 5th owner. The original owner was a female who purchased the car from Porsche Annapolis and sold it within a year. The next owner was a Porsche club member who owned it till the mid 2000’s. The next owner was a Porsche club member as well who owned it for almost 10 years. These previous two owners commuted a lot in the highway and account for the majority of the mileage. The 4th owner whom sold it to me owned the car for a year and did some renovations and service, he refinished the wheels, replaced the tires with Toys T1R’s, replaced the fluids including the A/C, replaced the shifter with a new boot with a “Rennbay turbo” script cap. The armrest lid is leather wrapped. But service was done a few years back along with other work. All receipts were passed on to me. The paint, despite the years remains highly reflective. The finish of the hood, at close range, does reveal aging as seen on the picture with the emblem + scratches due to the extensive road usage. The right latch on the hatchback needs some work, it will latch, but you need to press down on this side whereas the left side has no problem and latches instantly when closing. The leather is in grate shape with exception of a small section on the passenger seat where the thread let go (See picture). Bear in mind that this is not a tear therefore the leather is not damaged. This is a solid coupe, so no hassle with seals and leaks on a sunroof. The turbo pulls very strong and the shift is tight. Everything works on this car. All the switches, all the knobs, all the lights. The seats have adjustments for both driver and passenger and have lumbar support which is a nice feature to add. There is a connection for you to hook up your I-Pod and link to the stereo.

I purchased the car in the summer of 2016 with intentions of keeping it long term. I saw a review of the listing in German Cars for Sale Blog, which is a good source for initial insight, and I did not hesitate to jump into it. Unfortunately I’ve only had a chance to run it 2 times in the last 2 years I owned it. I probably ran it less than 60 miles. I presently work overseas and my assignment was extended. I am a Porsche nut and just love the look off these cars since I was a teenager. I also own an 86 911which I just can’t let go, but this 944 will have to because it makes no sense for me to keep two given the light use. The car is presently in El Paso, Texas sitting in my parent’s garage (another reason to let it go since its keeping up additional space for them). 90% of the add description is essentially the description of the last seller since I just haven’t done anything to it. My parents start the car and I keep a continuous charge on the battery. I’m in no hurry to sell the car so I’m not going to give it away either. The car has an extensive maintenance track record. This car is not a museum queen, but is a nice and fun daily driver. A touch up on the front paint would definitely improve the look, but despite its age it doesn’t seem outdated and the look just continues to appeal in relation to other newer cars. This is not a car for a teenager nor a college student unless you are mechanically inclined and have access to a shop. You need to realize that these cars will demand care and you need to be able to fork up the bill especially when it gets time to replace the timing belt. The successful bidder will need to make arrangements to collect the vehicle after payment is 100% settled; my parents will not oversee any payment matters except allow for either you or your transport service to collect the vehicle. When I purchased the 944 I had it collected and transported to me in an enclosed truck. Depending on where you are this service could run you up to $1200 if you are somewhere in a northern state. Good luck.

Old Description
This is a very clean and original 944 turbo. I am the fourth owner the car was purchased from Porsche of Annapolis by a lady who sold it within a year. The next owner was a Porsche club member who owned it till the mid 2000′. The next owner was a porsche club member aswell who owned it for alomost ten years before selling it to me last fall. I refinished the wheels and replaced the tires with Toyo T1R’s. The fluids have been replaced and the A/C recharged recently aswell. Has a rebuilt shifter and new boot with rennbay Turbo script cap. The armrest lid is also leather wrapped. The car drives great and feels really tight. The belt service was done a few years ago along with alot of other work at that time (Have Reciepts). As anyone into 944′ knows that 89 cars are the ones going up in price very quickly. Ive owned lots of Porsches and planned on keeping this one for a long time, but I have a chance to get another Porsche and this one would need to go. This is a nice honest car that is the best color combo and drives great. I drive 80 miles to work and the previous two owners commuted long distances hence the miles. Books,Reciepts,Keys all there

Any questions you can call or text me @ 240.357.6820

What grabbed my eye immediately was the high reflectivity on the Club Sport wheels signature to the ’88/’89 Turbos. It is pretty typical for the anodized finish to dull, and usually even low mileage, often cleaned wheels can look tired today. It was worth a click, and it’s then that I saw the exceptionally high mileage. However, outside of some disclosed cracking of paint on what appears to be the roof and yellowing of the plastics under the hood, were you to tell me this car had only 100,000 miles I’d believe it. The black paint is highly reflective, the leather doesn’t appear overly warn, and the general look of the car is one much fresher than the odometer would indicate. Maintenance is apparently documented but I’d probably want to know the status of the clutch at this point; outside of that, it appears to be a pretty clean example with a good history that’s at least worth considering. The mileage will keep the price in check and this will certainly never be one of those museum pieces, but my guess is that if you turned up at a show you’d have just as many people shocked when they learned this car had traveled a distance equivalent to going to the moon and making it a quarter of the way back home again. Too hard to conceptualize? How about 11 complete circumnavigations of the Earth’s equator? If you’d like to complete the 12th, bidding is currently around $12,000 on the no reserve auction with a few days to go.

-Carter