1989-1990 Porsche 944 S2
Average asking price*: $14,900
Collector status: Buy and drive
porsche944s2

As an evolution of the Porsche 924, which itself was initially developed by Porsche for Volkswagen, the Porsche 944 was tremendously popular with both press and public. Yet it was never accepted as a true Porsche by enthusiasts, especially brand-loyal ones. The water-cooled, front-engine layout simply did not seem to fit in with Dr. Porsche’s vision, or what this set assumed it to be. With continuous improvements and variants that tried—and on paper succeeded—to establish the 944 as the new generation, Porsche increased engine size and offered turbo variants that were equal to the 911’s performance while offering better manners when pushed to the limit. The result was a sports car that was quick, handled well, maintained some creature comforts and was relatively affordable. Today, when air-cooled, front-engine Porsches like the Panamera and Cayenne or more of the norm for Porsche, the 944 is gaining some of the dignity it never had when it was new. Values of limited-production Turbo S and S2 Turbos can easily approach the $20,000 mark.

In its midlife, between 1989 and 1991, there was the 944 S2. With what was the pinnacle of engine development for the normally-aspirated 944, the 16-valve 3.0-litre motor (which would go on to power its successor, the 968) put out an impressive 208 hp (just 9 shy of the series 1 951 Turbo model) which propelled the car to 60 in 6 seconds (only 3/10 off the 911’s time). In addition, the S2 was available with the new M030 suspension package with beefier springs and sway bars and well as adjustable Koni shocks. This gave the 944 track-like handling but kept it civilized enough for everyday driving.

Prices for 944 S2s have spiked in the last 18 months. Where once it was common to find an excellent S2 for well under $10,000, that is now the ante. Guideline cars are now comfortably in the low teens, with excellent examples fetching close to the $15,000 parameter. These cars invited being driven hard and many were, so some patience is required to find a pampered one, but its appreciation and joy of ownership will pay dividends.