This is not going to be one of my better write-ups, so those of you expecting a long detailed review may be disappointed. But I really can't write a whole lot about this car, as I had only limited exposure to it, and actually drove it only once or twice....under less-than-typical Porsche-aggressive driving conditions. But a friend (and co-worker) of mine, who passed away a few years ago from cancer, owned a white Porsche 944 for a while, and I thought I'd at least write a few paragraphs about it....he also briefly had a black 944 that had belonged to his brother. This co-worker, BTW, was the same one I mentioned in my earlier write-up of the silver 1989 Honda CRX Si...he had bought that old CRX, with close to 200,000 miles on it, from my other friend (and co-worker), who had originally bought it (used), from a dealership. He was quite mechanically-oriented, could do many of his own repairs and service, and generally went to the dealership only to get the parts he needed. In fact, that's why he finally got rid of those 944s....he got tired of dealing with the classically-arrogant Porsche parts-departments. Back then, much more so than today, Porsche dealerships, and, in some cases, BMW and Mercedes, wrote the book on being snooty. I had some less-than-totally-courteous encounters with them myself while test-driving some of their products, although one rare M-B salesperson was one of the nicest and most courteous sales-reps I ever encountered anywhere. Still remember him today.


I don't remember exactly when either the white or black 944 he had was built, but the 944 itself was in production from 1982 to 1991. Although most Porsches, like VWs, had a long history of rear-engines and air-cooling, the 944, 924 (in production from 1976 to 1988), and the larger, more powerful, and more expensive 928 (from 1978 to 1995) all used a front-engine/rear-drive and liquid-cooled design. Today, of course, all Porsches, whether front, mid, or rear-engined, use liquid cooling, since it was just too difficult to meet emissions-standards with air-cooling.

944s came in both coupe and convertible form......both of his were coupes. They used a choice of four different in-line fours....N/A 2.5L, 2.5L turbo, N/A 2.7L, and N/A 3.0L. Somewhat of a embarrassment for me, as I usually have photographic memory of most of the vehicles in my past, I don't recall the engines his 944s actually had. Two transmissions were offered.....a 3-speed automatic and a five-speed manual (his had the stick). It was officially a front/mid-engined design, where the engine, for packaging and center-of-gravity reasons, was located as far back, close to and under the firewall, as possible.

As I said earlier, rode around in it several times, but only actually drove it once or twice....the day my friend moved from his late father's house in Arlington, VA (D.C. suburbs) to a house in Falls Church, VA, several miles away and just a couple of blocks from where my brother lived. We were using what little a car like a 944 could actually carry (not much, even with a hatchback) to help move things that day. The biggest problem moving was my friend's two large tropical birds......a large colorful parrot and a white Australian Cockatoo, both about the same size, which he kept in cages. I don't remember why he said he couldn't move the Cockatoo in the cage, but, for some reason, he asked me to drive the white 944 while he sat in the passenger's seat, with the bird in his lap, holding that large beak closed with his hands. I was super-careful, during the trip, to drive as gently as I could, to avoid riling the bird, who was not used to riding in vehicles....that beak could do some real damage if he ever started snapping. That gave me a very rough idea of what the car felt like, though I obviously could not give it anywhere near what I would consider even a normal test-drive.....I didn't want my friend to lose a couple of fingers. I think, if my memory is correct, I got a little better sample of how it drove on the way back to his old house to pick up more things.....typically-responsive Porsche handling without the classic rear-engine Porsche oversteer, a reasonable amount of power, somewhat stiff but not overly-firm ride comfort, and a fair amount of road/wind noise.

And, as Always, Happy-Car-Memories.

MM

 

Thanks for this.

In the 80s, the 928 was always my favorite Porsche. I didn't really love the 944 back then, but I've really come to appreciate it after the fact.

 

Yes, no doubt the 928 was a more impressive car, but it also cost more. Of course, with perhaps the old 914 excepted, there was probably no such thing as a cheap Porsche.

 

Same here loved the 928 at 1st sight, 1st Porshe I cared about. Looked at a few but all had too many electrical issues. Once I win the lottery I will buy the best 928 GTS available.