Where are all the 944's ?

[Jonjeffryes]

Well I know where one is...it's sat in my garage glowing with a brand new MOT....but where are all the others?

in my daily grind I spend a lot of time charging around the country mainly using a mix of motorways and A roads. I drive around 50,000 miles per year and get to see a fair few classics on the road......this week so far the tally includes a 70's V8 Aston on the M25 along with a clutch of mature Jags...an even a Jenson Interceptor standing above the moderns.


And then there are always Porsche's - 911's modern and classic everywhere, even the odd 928 for those with deep pockets or a brace of 924's for those with leaner bank balances-----but for months now, not a single 944!

At one time these were everywhere, especially in London and around the M25....but now they seem to have all but disappeared

[Martin Evans]

At one time these were everywhere, especially in London and around the M25....but now they seem to have all but disappeared

Maybe here is your answer. They have been thrashed to death by people who probably couldn't afford them. I'm no expert on Porsche but my impression is that the 911 is the one that's worth the money, even though the 924, 944, 968 and 928 handled better. I think there is a new breed of classic car buyer out there, for whom image is everything. Some of the vehicles, that now command high prices, defy belief. In some cases, they were nothing special when they were new but they would have been admired by certain types (For example boy racers), who perhaps now are trying to relive their youth or fulfill the dreams of their youth.

My experience of MK1 VW Sciroccos showed this (Much overlooked car in my view, esp the GLi and Storm models), where the market values were low but the cost of spares (Not always easy to find) was relatively high and they ended up being scrapped. I suspect that as time goes by, cars become more complex and more difficult for the home mechanic to restore or even maintain. A very simple example of this is the dashboard of the aforementioned Scirocco and an MGB. The VW item was moulded plastic and it was prone to damage from the Sun. They were no longer available (We did obtain a brand new one; I think it was the last one left ) and not easy to repair. Even if an MGB one (Steel) had rusted, repair would be possible.

[Willy Eckerslyke]

I pass one every day. It's been rotting in the same place for the last two or three years. At least I assume it's a 944 as it looks like one and has a '944' registration.

[OneCarefulOwner]

I looked at getting a 944 a while back and even 8 years ago they were blatantly divisible into two categories - pre-loved and pre-disastered. The prices fetched by the good ones put them firmly out of the hands of all but the collectors, while the prices of the bad ones dropped them into the bangernomics supercar sector, meaning they get bought for peanuts, thrashed until they died, then broken or scrapped as the repairs are too expensive to justify.

[rich.]

probably hiding in garages as no one can afford to run them?
i know a chap who had a nice modern 911 but it spent most of the year in the garage, next to the unvented tumble dryer. when he had it seviced the following spring £8000 bill to repair it..

[mahone]

Painful subject for me at present - I've run one for 15 years as a daily drive - took it off the road in Feb to sort out various things: but last thing I really need is another project, so I'm trying to make my mind up what to do with it. As earlier posts said - economically it's not really worth sorting, since I could get a perfectly decent one with a full MOT for £1500. Even the minters don't seem to get more than 3-4k unless it's turbo or a cab. Crazy really as they are totally useable, great fun and a lot more economical than you'd expect.

[jimmyybob]

All in the scrap yards after being smashed up due to a 'track day' conversion.

[rich.]

ill have a lookie on autotrader..

[Jonjeffryes]

At one time these were everywhere, especially in London and around the M25....but now they seem to have all but disappeared

Maybe here is your answer. They have been thrashed to death by people who probably couldn't afford them. I'm no expert on Porsche but my impression is that the 911 is the one that's worth the money, even though the 924, 944, 968 and 928 handled better. I think there is a new breed of classic car buyer out there, for whom image is everything. Some of the vehicles, that now command high prices, defy belief. In some cases, they were nothing special when they were new but they would have been admired by certain types (For example boy racers), who perhaps now are trying to relive their youth or fulfill the dreams of their youth.

I think you are absolutely right Martin. I suspect this is the normal life cycle of most cars and premium brands are not excluded.....in fact they are probably more susceptible due to the higher running costs. I looked at and rejected many cars before buying my 944 many years ago.

It was cosseted and had been part of a small collection for the previous ten years, covering less than a 500 miles in that time. Despite the good condition visual condition, it still cost over £6000 to bring it mechanically back to as new condition - sitting immobile for years had killed suspension, brakes, rubbers, tyres...in fact everything that could compress/ dry out had done. After all of the expenditure the car is still only worth £4000 at best, but that's not the point as any classic car enthusiast knows all too well.

...and mk1 Scirocco's are fabulous (very similar to an early 944 in many aspects) I had a Gti back in the late eighties and loved every drive...one I let get away!

[Jonjeffryes]

All in the scrap yards after being smashed up due to a 'track day' conversion.

survival of the fittest I guess...I suppose it's just a little better than ending their days on the banger racing tracks