I first discovered 944s reading "Road & Track" during study hall in high school in the early 1980s. I loved the way all the Porsches looked then, but decided some day I'd own a 944. That someday came almost 20 years later in October of 2001 when I bought my 1986 Guards Red 944.
After owning a 944 for 9 years, I passed it on to a friend of mine who was ready to tackle some work I knew it needed. It was the car I wanted in high school and was a lot of fun for the time I had it. Driving a 24-year-old car does come with a degree of stress though because you're always wondering what's going to break next. So it's on to a new home and I'm enjoying my V70 R, but the whole family has good memories of the time we had with a little red Porsche. I learned a little bit about cars too. Some of the things we fixed are linked at the bottom of this page.
One day I was driving to work in the 944. I was heading down highway 41 going about 75mph with the sunroof off. I was listening to Van Halen's greatest hits, which I keep in the 944 along with a pair of Wayfarers as my 80s time capsule. I was enjoying the ride immensely and thought to myself, "If my 17-year-old self could see my 40-year-old self right now he'd think everything turned out just fine!" It certainly has for numerous reasons far beyond owning a 944, but I'm not sure 17-year-old Eric would "get" all the other stuff!
Here it is sitting in the driveway on a beautiful morning. "There she sits, buddy, just gleamin' in the sun..." |
The 4 cylinder power plant. You ought to hear it though. It has a great sound and you won't believe it's a 4-banger. |
My kids love it too. |
See? |
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I'm not much of a mechanic, but I make an effort. Here I'm trying to wrest the oilpan drainplug loose. Dang gorillas at the shop!
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My 944 sitting with a relative at Porsche Park, located just outside turn 1 at Road America near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The local PCA just re-did Porsche Park in May 2004. Come check it out! |
I have learned much about these cars from the wonderful forums of Rennlist. If you have any interest in these cars, you owe it to yourself to check it out. I even wrote up a fix for turn signals. If you have a 944, see if any of this helps.
- Fixing the Door Lock Operating Rod
- Fixing Turn Signals that Won't Reset
- 1985+ 944 Parts Catalog at Porsche.com
- Clark's 944 Garage - Great workshop manual for 944s, Thanks Clark!
- Instructions for Iceshark's Wiring Kit - Written by Andre Ruest
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This page was last updated 10/5/2010 (44!)
