Zak's 1987 Porsche 944
"My 1987 944 NA--it's my first car and I love it. I bought the car in late October of last year from a man in the Atlanta area where I live at age 15. Growing up with a car guy father, my childhood memories are filled with riding in great cars such as an Aston Martin DB5, a BMW 2002, and many others so it is no surprise that I would end up with a great car, like a Porsche, for my first car. The 944, being such an affordable car, was the only way i would have gotten a Porsche. The particular one I found was in fantastic exterior condition, had 127,000 miles and fine mechanical condition, but came with NO maintenance history. That all contributed to the super low $2,600 price. After finding the car on Craigslist I took a look at it and drove it, and within the same day I went and withdrew the money that I had worked so had to make that summer.
Since I have had the car I have made great improvements to it. Given the lack of history, we had all the belts replaced, just to be sure. We also replaced the ignition coils, spark plugs and distributor cap which made it run quite smoothly. To fix a coolant leak we replaced the expansion tank. Then just for fun, and to replace the quite worn stock one, we replaced the steering wheel with a MOMO competition. After that we replaced the coolant sensor to improve the cold running issues. Then came the biggest hassle we encountered with the car. One rainy afternoon I walked out and tried to start up. The starter turned, but it never fired. After some parking lot diagnosis we decided on the fuel pump, $200 later and it did not work. We turned to the internet with its abundant knowledge and turned to the DME relay, and sure enough, it cranked right up. The most recent thing was a torn CV joint boot that with the help of some friends for the specialized bits, was a breeze. Though it has been plenty of work, that was to be expected with the lack of documentation, but it has been a fun experience.
If you ask a kid at my high school to pick out the coolest car in the parking lot, some would say it's a tuned up Nissan 240. Another might tell you it's that 1968 Mustang, or the Chevy truck with the lift kit. But if you ask me, it would be MY 1987 Porsche 944.
Posted 7/23/2010