1989 Porsche 944 S2

Description

Say what you want about water-cooled, front-engine Porsches, but the 944 was one of the best-handling sports cars in a generation. The final iteration, with a tractable, naturally-aspirated engine was the 944 S2, and this low-mileage, 2-owner example provides one heck of a driving experience for pennies on the dollar. We challenge you to find more sports car performance for less money anywhere else, especially from an import with a legendary marque like Porsche.

With only 43,706 original miles, this extremely clean Alpine White coupe proves two things: one, the 944's styling was timeless, and two, Porsche built some incredibly entertaining hardware. There's a reason the 944 is still wildly popular with club racers-they're very user-friendly, look incredibly slick, and they just don't break no matter what you throw at them. And for one like this to survive completely unmodified for more than 20 years is simply remarkable. The paint shows you what you got from one of the world's most careful and efficient car makers, and even after all these years, it still has great depth and an awesome shine that you'll be pleased to own. There are a few signs of use, of course, and the front end has some of the minor road rash you'd expect from a sports car that loves to be driven, but you simply don't see many 24-year-old cars that look this good. Porsche build quality is legendary, and particularly on slick-top coupes like this, there's an ingot-like solidity to the body that other automakers are still striving to match decades later. And like most Porsches, the two lucky owners of this 944 S2 clearly treated it like something special.

Nobody does driving environments quite like Porsche. From the moment you climb in and note that the tachometer is the primary gauge, you know you're in no ordinary sports car. This 944 S2 also offered plenty of luxury, with handsome burgundy leather buckets and a ton of standard comfort/convenience features including power windows and locks, A/C, power seats, cruise control, dual airbags, and a tilt steering wheel. Climate controls are typical Porsche (i.e. virtually indecipherable), but the rest of the controls are easy to use and the 944 still offers what might be the finest manual shifter ever created. It's all in great shape, from the remarkably clean dash, the unblemished door panels, to the plush carpets and matching floormats that insulate the cabin below. A Sony AM/FM/CD stereo is the lone modification in a car built during the height of the stereo cassette player, and it works with a period-perfect Blaupunkt equalizer unit just below it, for when you want to get your favorite 'Clash' song dialed-in just right. There's also a back seat area, but it's best reserved for underdeveloped children or your briefcase, and it too is in great shape, just like the rest of the sporty cabin. The trunk isn't all that spacious, but it is nicely finished with matching burgundy carpets that show no signs of fading.

The 944 S2 featured what was the largest modern four-cylinder engine, a 3.0L brute that made 208 horsepower without the need for turbochargers and their associated complexity (and poor dependability). In practice, it turns out that these engines are virtually indestructible and deliver the performance that bested the Turbo model from just a few years earlier. Canted at an angle to allow a low hood line, it offers great low-end torque that's surprising for a high-winding four cylinder, and is perfectly happy to trundle around at low revs yet rips to redline in every gear. Thanks to a timing belt adjustment, replacement engine mounts, and a host of other maintenance services completed in the not-too-distant past, this S2 is running and driving like a dream. And that's only punctuated by the car's greatest attribute: a quick-shift 5-speed manual transaxle gearbox. The suspension is tenacious yet supple enough to drive every day, and Porsche's binders are legendary. There's no evidence of abuse in this car's past, and if it has ever been raced, you wouldn't know it because these cars are ultra-tough. The wheels are handsome 7-spoke alloys that are original to the car and wear slightly staggered 205/55/16 front and 225/50/16 rear Goodyear radials with plenty of grip.

The biggest bargain in sports cars? One drive will convince you that the 944 S2 was one of Porsche's best ideas. Call today!