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I have mixed feelings every time I see a low mileage car. I’m always impressed that someone could resist the desire to drive a car they clearly loved very much. If they’re in good condition, I marvel over the amount of care necessary to sustain quality interior and exterior for, in this case, 32 years. But I also get a little confused; if it’s a high dollar exotic or special edition car being kept as a collectable, I guess I understand. But randomly will appear normal examples of slightly less than ordinary cars with nearly no miles accrued. Why? Why did the owner of this Porsche 944 buy it and then drive it only 500 miles a year? If the 944 is generally an unappreciated car, this is one of the lesser appreciated in the 944 run; an early car with stamped suspension and the same dash found in the 924, it’s one of the 5,500-odd reported imported for the 1983 model year to the U.S.. It’s not the first model year, nor is it a special edition. But the low mileage survivor is presented in pretty impressive condition, and that makes it quite special today:
It may sound strange, but this is – I believe – the first non-S, non-Cup 1988 944 Turbo we’ve written up on this blog. While that may not sound outrageous, the 944 Turbo is a staple of these pages and considering the thousands of cars we’ve written up – virtually with every production year covered – it’s a bit strange to me. But as with 1987, 1988 was a year of change for the 944 Turbo; while the standard model carried over the ABS and airbag changes from the previous model, there were no major changes (the DME chip was changed from 24 to 28 pin; that’s about it). However, the big change was the half year introduction of the “S” model; standard M030 suspension and upgraded power were the highlights. While the power increase wasn’t huge at only 30, the limited run status, additional power, cool Silver Rose colors and upgraded suspension mean that it’s the model that we often concentrate on. Of course, that means we overlook the standard Turbo, and that’s a shame – because like the ’86 and ’87 cars, they were still great performance values and offered significant forced induction street credentials. It was, after all, a Porsche Turbo you were cruising in; select Guards Red from the color pallet and you’d have completed the Yuppie dream coupe recipe:
Such is the value of the 944 Turbo, it has become almost a cliche on these pages. I suppose that I could go back and count the number of phenomenal 944s that have rolled across my computer, but I’d say that it’s on par with the amount of overpriced, over-hyped E30 M3s and 911s. It seems that we keep saying the same thing, too – “values are certain to rise”, “finding another in this condition will be hard” and the like. Turbocharged performance with a classic Porsche kick, stunning through corners, capable of high-speed long distance rides with ease and even semi-practical as a daily driver, the 944 is arguable the Jackest of all-trades from classic Porsches. From an aesthetic perspective, there were very few changes to the U.S. bound Turbo models; outwardly, all that changed over the run were the wheels and a few special colors. While that hides some updates like ABS and more power under the skin, early and late Turbos have a decidedly different flare. While I enjoy the performance and look of the later “S” specification cars with the forged Club Sport wheels, there’s always something about a clean Fuchs equipped 1986 model. 1987s wouldn’t have the Fuchs option anymore as ABS meant the offset of the wheels was different. It’s one of the very few applications of black wheels that somehow is just perfect:
As frequent readers will be well aware, I typically write about the 911 and as such I write about a lot of pretty high-priced machines. In the 911 world value is very much a relative term and many buyers can be quickly priced out. Thus, when I dip my toes into the value side of the Porsche pool I am constantly amazed at the amount of car you can get. Porsche’s fleet of front-engined rear-drive sport coupes, ranging from the 4-cylinder 924 to the V8-powered 928, can provide some of the best values in the marque while also delivering plenty of exciting driving in an elegant design. Here we’ll look at a very low mileage Black 1984 Porsche 944, located in New Jersey. Having borrowed much of its styling from the 924 Carrera GT, the 944 effectively was the more muscular version of Porsche’s entry-level 924 retaining much of the basic shape along with a 4-cylinder engine, though in this case that engine would be a Porsche designed 2.5 liter inline-4. The result was an excellently well-balanced car that was both more refined and more powerful than its less muscular sibling. It should be no surprise then that these enjoyed quite a bit of popularity in their day.
