Porsche 944 Cabriolet 1989-
  • Economy

    Value

    5 out of 5 5.0

    I handed over £13K for my almost like new example, someone paid £46K in 1992. Admittedly, that was a lot for a four cylinder car, but it is a very high quality product. You can get a decent coupe for £5k, absolute bargain.

    Costs

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Classic car insurance for 5k miles is £350. Mpg is around 25+, much more on a run. Servicing by specialist is surprisingly cheap.

  • On the road

    Driving

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Yes, it is good, but there is a price to pay for having the drop head over the coupe, as the car loses a little sharpness and quite a lot of refinement. Whatever, I always feel great behind the wheel.

    Performance

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Actually kind of strange. Very long throttle travel means great docility under normal driving (can even feel a bit sluggish), but push the pedal another foot into the foot well and it's off like a rocket. A workmate I took for a spin actually screamed.

  • Living with it

    Reliability

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Excellent for this sort of car, but have had a few little things including a strange spluttering which seemed to cure itself. Turbo behaved strangley on one occasion aswell.

    Image

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Looks more impressive than the Coupe, have had some strange remarks which I atribute to jealousy. Other 944 owners wave at you, which is nice.

    Comfort

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Ride is excellent on smooth surfaces, but poor elsewhere. Wind noise bad due to soft-top. Worse thing though is nowhere to put your elbows. Engine refinement superb, but produces uninspiring noise. Good spec including air con, and I love the seats.

  • Security and Service

    Security

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Factory fit immobiliser is adequate only. You can't lock the car if the windows are open. On a hot day last summer, I wanted to leave the car open and then the system went into safe mode. Took half an hour studying the manual to sort out.

    Service

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Did not use a franchised dealer, find a good specialist.

  • Problems and Ownership

    Problems

    Engine

    Good, but some puzzling experiences.

    Other

    Like a lot of modern classic Porches, my car has awful Boxster wheels fitted by prior owner. Will be rectified when funds allow.

    Ownership

    Did you buy the car new?

    Used

    Would you buy the same model again?

    Yes

    Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?

    Yes