Seems like everyone has the mentality that the 944 was like Porsche's "Nissan Sentra" and I always hear the term "Poor man's wannabe Porsche".....What the heck is the deal, I thought these cars were a huge success for Porsche in the 80s, infact, I heard they saved Porsche from going under. I don't understand why the 944 is the red headed step child of the Porsche family. Can someone shed some light?

 

Actually, I believe that distinction is held by the 924...it was a disaster. Many people see the 944 as a reminder of that episode in Porsche history. The 944 was the car Porsche should've built instead of the 924, which as we all know was built by Audi with a VW powerplant, during a time when Audi was experiencing some quality control issues. A lot of people believed that Porsche's first forays into liquid cooled engines was nothing less than sacrilege. The funny thing is, the 924 was a relatively competent car...it just wasn't up to Porsche standards in the opinion of most people.

 

It also has to do with the fact its front engined, thats why they are a less expensive car, not because they are any worse than a 911 but because they are not considered a true porsche amongst enthusiasts. I would be thankfull for this as it means you can pick up a 944/928/968 for very little. I guess thats why they are called a poor mans porsche.