Hey I'm kinda new here andI had a few quick questions about the 944. I have been thinking about buying one and have just been doing some research.

First off, anyone know which year was the 944's best? Also if anyone knows the best year for the Turbo S version that would be great as well.

I have seen few posts on here saying that the 944 is pretty expensive to maintain. What's a rough estimate of cost per year for maintence alone?

 

Figure $1000 a year in parts (not labor) to keep it on the road

Turbo S K26/8 was only available in 88. In 89, it went back to being called just the turbo again (though it was the same as the S), as the k26/6 non-S version was discontinued for 1989.

For the NA models, I prefer the early cars 83-85, as they are a bit lighter and tend to be a bit cheaper to maintain. The 944S was introduced for 1987 and 1988 and had a 2.5L 16V DOHC engine. The 944S2 was introduced in 1989 with a 3.0L 16v DOHC engine with the turbo body style. The 8V 944NA was still made from 86 through 89, with 89 being a 2.7L engine.

In general the non turbo versions tend to be cheaper to maintain, and are a bit easier to work on due to less "things" in the way.