Monday 7 May 2012

Somewhere between Refresh, and Restoration

About a year ago, solstice to be exact, I bought a 86 Porsche 944 NA. Unfortunately I only drove it 100km. The car did run, but all the maintenance that had been neglected over the years, needed to be caught up with. This made it a so called "project car". The very high prices of labour, and parts, (not to mention scarce expertise, and parts availability), are making these vehicles, harder to find, especially in good shape. It's almost a good thing, since it means they are relatively chap to buy initially, and you can think of the maintenance costs as a payment plan. Luckily I do all my own work, so that cuts the price of owning a Porsche, in half. I also don't trust mechanics... The more corners they cut, the more more they make. It's not their vehicle, what do they care. The phrase "Good enough." does not fill me with confidence.

A bit of info on the car:
Galvanized body,
Sapphire metallic colour (silvery blue) with an all black interior.
Engine:  2.5L SOHC Inline 4(slant)     Hydraulic lifters, and (coolant to oil) oil cooler.
Various aluminum components:
-sun roof
-front and rear bumper
-engine bay cross member
-radiator
-oil pan, block, head
-suspension components like control arms and spindles
Electrically powered:
-driver's seat
-windows
-mirrors
-trunk release
-sun roof
-door locks
(quite advanced for a 25 year old car)
Even front and rear weight distribution, (front engine and rear transaxle)
It only seats two... the two seats that are in back are more of a joke. Small children, or cats may fit back there.
Very limited trunk space due to massive 80L plastic fuel tank, and location of transmission.
Radio antenna integrated in windshield


Definitely a nice car, but 25 years takes a toll on electrics (grounds corrode), plastics and rubber (harden and crack).
163 thousand 944 vehicles were made during its 9 year production from 82-91. Out of that number, 50 thousand were Turbo or the DOHC S or S2. For a Porsche, these are pretty high production numbers. That's why it's less collectible than the famous 911.