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Two Garage Survivor: 44K Mile 1987 Porsche 944

For years, the Porsche 924 and 944 were the cheapest P-cars you could buy, often times selling for less than some cheap front-wheel drive Japanese coupe, but collectors didn’t take much notice. Then, the 911 gets hot, and most average Joes are priced out of the air-cooled market. Suddenly, the front-engined, water-cooled Porsches looks tastier than they ever have before. That said, you can still find an affordable example, even one in survivor-grade condition like this low-mileage 944 listed here on craigslist with just 44,000 original miles for a very reasonable $12,500 – but those days are quickly passing.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Jay L. for the find. I suspect this 944 will be gone by the weekend, as the asking price is simply too good to be true. The 944 is said to have lived in just two garages from new: that of the current owner, and of the first caretaker, a personal friend of the seller. The 944 remains in completely stock condition, never modified for track days or otherwise enhanced to keep up with its more powerful turbocharged sibling. This 944 is an unaltered example, and the seller claims the paint is in 10/10 condition, along with the interior. It’s rare to see a seller that confident in the condition of their vehicle, but with under 50,000 miles, it’s certainly possible that the 944 presents that well.

This picture of the interior is what really got me, as the details – from the stitching on the steering wheel to the leather boot on the gear shift – is just impossible to fake on a more tired example. This is what the 944 would have looked like when it was new, and it’s truly a testament to the owners that they’ve been able to keep this one looking so good. The seller notes that everything works, from the Blaunpunkt stereo to the heat and A/C to the power windows and sunroof. The carpets and seats show no signs of excess wear and tear, the dash isn’t cracked. The gauges are crystal clear, too. Overall, this is the kind of car that presents exactly as the seller promised in the description.

The engine bay is in time-warp condition as well, and the seller has included an astonishingly long list of preventative maintenance performed while the 944 has been in his care; it seems likely that his friend took pride in the 944 but perhaps delayed some of the inevitable upkeep as be began driving it less. Some of the highlights include a new timing belt, new clutch (this is a huge job), new clutch slave and clutch master cylinders, DME relay, A/C recharge, and more. The list fortunately doesn’t seem to indicate any major neglect took place; it’s more a matter of the time was right for this work to be performed, even on a low mileage car such as this. Mark my words: if it’s as good as promised, it will be gone by Monday.

Comments

  1. Avatar alphasud Member

    I haven’t seen one this nice for quite some time. These drive really nice and it looks like the guy took car of all the common issues. Remember these are not fast by today’s standards. A Turbo is a night and day difference with the better brakes and the nice shot of torque under boost. I agree this won’t last long and someone will have a nice cruiser. Don’t be inclined to buy a 944S the 2.5 in a 16V is a real dog unless you flog it. And the engine reliability is more sketchy.

    Like 0
    • Avatar CJinSD

      The 944S2 and 968 are both very nice drivers, and almost certainly better as classics than anything turbocharged.

      Like 1
  2. Avatar William

    Always thought these were a beautiful car. Too rich for my blood, but still, a great piece of art and engineering.

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Rich

    This seems too good to be true. But I have seen stranger things before, Craigslist is sort of the Wild West though. Not withstanding that, perhaps this is truly a rare time when the seller is asking what seems to be a more than reasonable price. There are still some folks who are willing to share their stuff without excessive greed or rationalizations concerning the value of the vehicles offered. May God bless those folks. Wish we could find out the real story on this one. Anyone able to go and see it? Thanks in advance.

    Like 1
  4. Avatar Mike

    My dad went the 924 & 944Turbo route. The 911 was just a little out of his price range. Both have been garaged since day one. Too bad there isn’t enough interest in these models for the prices to go up. Weird to see 944s covered in moss in people’s backyards around here. They wanted the sporty car, but got in way over their head with the maintenance costs.

    Like 1
  5. Avatar Miguel

    I think Watch JR Go got a better deal and I don’t think I would pay 5 digits for a car so hard to work on.

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Stuart Rogers

    I just posted a 1987 924S on Craigslist Raleigh. Not quite as printing as this, but im only asking $2000.

    Like 0
    • Avatar alphasud Member

      Why not list this on BarnFinds classified? Otherwise you are abusing the platform.

      Like 3
  7. Avatar fran

    Coming for a town that has a reputation for being crooked, NOPE!

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Jasper

    I’ve got one of these in the condition every writing warns you about. Not a straight panel on it. Miles are so high everything’s been done at least once or twice. After I install the Koni cut a struts this week and fix the weepy fuel filler neck sleeves, I’ll trust it to get me just about anywhere and back.

    Everybody’s gonna go all nuts since the last Panorama did a feature on 944s.

    Like 1

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