Lemme set the stage with tracks from Just Say Yes, the 1987 Sire Records sampler:
- Depeche Mode – Never Let Me Down Again (Split Mix)
- Echo & the Bunnymen – Lips Like Sugar
- The Smiths – Work is a Four-Letter Word
- Replacements – Can’t Hardly Wait
- The Ramones – I Wanna Live
You feel me? Okay, with that in mind:
I got a 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo.
This… is a 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo from Cars & Bids. Guards Red, pop-up headlights, phone dial wheels, Blaupunkt stereo. It just screams 1980s to me, like a great car to take to Radwood. It’s also kinda practical: the hatchback shape and rear seats means I can use it for shopping runs.
It’s only got about 20,000 miles – about 600 per year – and it’s been well cared for and stored, so the interior is ridiculously pristine:
It drives beautifully, doesn’t rattle or squeak at all. Feels like I stepped into a time machine, went back 34 years, and bought it off the showroom floor. I’d forgotten how good it feels to close a light 1980s car door and get that crisp mechanical noise. I’d also forgotten what it’s like to unlock doors with a key, hahaha!
It’s gloriously analog: I shift my own gears and the manual steering is so communicative. In a mid-80s comparison review, Car and Driver Magazine named it the best-handling imported car, and I can see why. I have a distinct nightmarish memory of trying to park a car without power-assisted steering, but when I took this one through a parking garage recently, I was delighted by how easy it was.
This car isn’t about straight-line speeds. The previous owner (super nice guy) upgraded the engine management chip from 217hp to 252, but I would still get smoked by a modern minivan in a stoplight race. A lot of folks modify their 944s and take them track racing, but that’s definitely not my plan for this one. The previous owner even felt guilty about putting miles on it – rightfully so – but this thing’s crying out for a road trip.
This was my first car purchase from Cars & Bids, and the experience was fantastic. After the auction closed, they reached out repeatedly to make sure the process went smoothly. It was so good that it got me thinking, so…
My 911 is up for auction on Cars & Bids.
Helmut is up on the auction block. I loved that car, loved the electronics upgrades, and owning a 911 Targa had been a lifelong dream. However, the COVID lockdowns and my 9 months in Iceland meant I never really had the chance to enjoy it. I only racked up 8,000 miles in 3 years.
It doesn’t make sense for me to keep this nice of a car sitting around in the garage. I’d rather let it go to someone else who will have the chance to make more memories with it. Plus, with the new car shortage, it just makes financial sense: there just aren’t a lot of 2018-2020 Targas available right now, and they’re all going for about the same price that they cost new a couple years ago. And heaven forbid you want a new one – my local Porsche dealer is asking $249,995 for a 2021 Targa, and it’s got 2,000 miles on it!
I’m taking a little bit of a leap of faith. The auction is no reserve, meaning whoever has the high bid at the end of the auction owns it, period. A lot of sellers set reserve prices on their auctions, and if the price doesn’t meet the hidden reserve, the high bidder doesn’t actually take the car home. I chose a no-reserve auction because it’s more exciting, and I trust the market. The car displays pretty well, and I think there will be a lot of interest in it.
Wanna buy it? Check it out on Cars & Bids.
6 Comments. Leave new
Great choice, will be a great car that does what you command without any confirmations. Hope it servs you like your Sql servera do😀
HA! Thanks!
I like 944s but when I was a kid, the 928 was the car I lusted after. Something about those headlights appealed to me…
I lusted after all of them, heh. And the lineup was so different at the time, all wildly different ways to approach the 2-door sports car.
Today, the 928 has styling that’s hard to pin down: could be 70s Countach era, could be 80s, could be 90s. That simple side view is really something. You can still score them in the $30K range, too!
I like all the Porche that don’t come in a “Porche shape”, they are very undervalued.
I had an Opel GT from 1969 but I ended up selling it after 1 year because it wasn’t really comfy.
Is this 944 comfortable? Do you have air conditioning?
Yes, it’s very comfortable, and yes, it definitely has air conditioning. A 1988 Porsche 944 is quite a bit different from a 1969 Opel GT, heh.