Saturday afternoon action in maybe the cheapest running 944 ever. I took the top off and put the windows down to hopefully get the most engine note while driving. Did the guy thing with my buddy and stopped at some dealerships. 
Holly Molly Lexus had some heavy weights!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/1e_Q5ccCcm0
https://youtu.be/1e_Q5ccCcm0
Smiles for miles in the 944 
Was that the Lexus dealer here in Ann Arbor?
In reply to paranoid_android74:
Yeah man right off Jackson rd. I was totally surprised. The dealership wasn't even open. Jeff the GM saw us pull up in the ratty 944 and invited us in. We talked for an hour. First time someone from sales knew more about a car than I did. One of the best experiences I've had at a dealership and I didn't buy a car
I'm looking forward to taking the roof off my 924S when I finally get it on the road. That thing is HUGE. I have to say, I was pretty psyched when I got the car ($1k on CL) and it still had the OEM vinyl Porsche bag that the sunroof goes into when off the car 
I didn't know the roofs came off of those?
The sunroof panel lifts out, while its quite large and Porsche described it as a "targa" in some literature, it isn't quite the entire roof.
It's pretty nice on decent days, even if the powered one is a bit fiddly to deal with sometimes.
I worry about birds sometimes. what's also nice is the angle of the roof. You don't get a lot of disturbance even at high speeds. I leave it out for days at a time and it has a nice leather cover so you can still put things in the huge luggage area. The 944 has the largest trunk of my 3 vehicles, I can put my daughter's BMW i8 power wheel in it and head to the park. Can't do that in my CLS, or Honda civic hybrid!
jr10cross wrote: I worry about birds sometimes.
years of leaving my sunroofs open for days and convertibles that never saw the top up, I only ever once had a bird leave it's mark on the interior of any of my cars. That particular bugger managed to get it on the INSIDE of the windshield of my Fiat 124, which has a rather well raked screen. Must have been a dive bombing bird.
Now on my Disco, I once had a bird get trapped inside it at work. Came out to find a very confused and scared sparrow who came in through one of the sunroofs and could not figure out how to get back out. Thankfully I park in a garage, so the poor thing did not dehydrate and get baked in the sun.
You guys are really making me want a 944
In reply to mad_machine:
Hahaha that's awesome. Freedom took on a new meaning for the little guy. Join the club my man. I love driving underrated cars
In reply to mad_machine:
Go drive some before you get serious.
They are kindof like a Miata where you either enjoy them or you don't.
As a former Fiat Spider driver, you may or may not enjoy them.
In reply to Stefan:
Can you give me more detail? It's really good to get other prospectives, especially from a Fiat Spider owner. I'm always on the lookout for being bias. Lol
I have a love/hate relationship with my 924 as I pushed it too far towards a race car solution. IT terribly light and very, very communicative. The 2.0L motor needs boost or more compression, but the MegaSquirt conversion is pretty much required since the CIS used on these are prone to problems and leads to many being bought and sold on the cheap. The 2.0L suffers from a lack of replacement internal parts, so ultimately an Audi 5-cylinder swap or even a 1.8 or VR6 swap would make more sense down the road if a rebuild is needed.
The 944 Turbo I had was fun when it ran, but it was too highly modified for the street and too fragile/expensive to make a race car. It was comfy and I enjoyed the room/features. Boost is always fun and the stock seats/ergonomics are pretty nice, even for such an old car.
The chassis of the 924/944 is a bit old, so they have their quirks/limits, their amazing balance tends to override most of those at the limit (MK1 Rabbit strut based front suspension and Super Beetle style trailing arm rears). Much of it can be improved or worked around with proper selection of parts, tires and fine tuning.
Parts availability is great for the 944/951 and you can practically build them anyway you want, however, the parts pricing is a bit high compared to BMWs just due to the vast difference in production numbers.
I'm not a huge fan of the 2.5L motor in the 944. Its not terribly exciting to drive and they are a bit complex for what they are. They are pretty robust though and can take a hell of a beating and are known to last upwards of 300K with just regular maintenance and rod bearing changes after 100K or every race season.
In reply to Stefan:
Awesome details.I really can't disagree with you anywhere, I think you're spot on. The motor really doesn't sing, but I do enjoy everything over 4k rpms; it gets more interesting at least. I wouldn't track a 944 turbo either, I'd just live with being slow and buy an NA. Lol. You've kind of got me feeling like I need to drive a 924 2.0, if it's more exciting! I like the idea of a non-interference engine. thanks bro!
A properly tuned 924, is similar to a MK1 Rabbit, so if you like those, then you'll likely enjoy a 924.
Due to the slightly more unrefined feel to the car (solid mounted manual steering, less sound deadening, simpler dash, etc.) they tend to be a bit more a "driver's" car. So basically, grab one by the scruff of the neck and rag on it a bit. Evey bit of a "slow car fast" situation.
They do need a 4-wheel disc brake conversion, stiffer suspension, wider tires and more compression in the motor to really come alive a bit. The US versions made around 95-110hp while the Euro spec made 125hp, which is a huge difference in a 2300lb "sportscar" so at the least plan on some 944 suspension swaps.
When I drove my 924S home from buying it ($1k on CL) it was shot to hell, suspension all blown, bushings total garbage. Shifter so out of adjustment I could hardly even get it into 1st or 2nd without smashing the lever into the surround. It was 95 degrees out in DC rush hour traffic so I was sweating my ass off. Sunroof motor wasn't hooked up so I couldn't remove the roof. Radio didn't work. About the only thing that seemed ok on the car was the engine (this being the 2.5).
And with all that, I still thought it was a blast to drive home, if not sketchy as hell, lol...
Took this a few minutes ago. Again it speaks to the versitily of the 944. "Babe we can't get rid of the 944. What about our daughter?" Lol
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