In the John Hughes comedy Sixteen Candles, awkward redhead Molly Ringwald lusted after Jake Ryan because of his smoldering good looks and hunky quarterback build. Those of us who were dragged to the movie by our girlfriends found the only thing lust-worthy on-screen was Jake's Porsche 944. Well, while some of us are able to achieve Jake's hunkiness, most of us will have to settle for just being able to afford his car.

Here we have a smoke gray '87 with less than 15K on the ticker, and for only $12,000. The S (for Super, thanks for asking) brings a 16-valve head to the marque, boosting output of the 2.5 litre four to 187 bhp. Like the preceding 924, the 944 carries its transmission in the back- transaxle style, providing for better weight distribution. The close ratio 5 speed has a slick short-throw shifter with a proper fat nubbie for all your gear-rowing pleasure. The rest of the interior - including the new-in-'85 dash - looks factory fresh, although the style is definitely Reagan-era, when ergonomics meant lots of tiny buttons for both you and your passenger.

The exterior has aged better than we'd like to think Jake Ryan did, and while the 924 was deemed by many to be too pretty to be a Porsche, the flared fenders, rubber duck spoiler and deep front apron of the redo butched up the design, while the single-piece hatch and pop-up lights, which were the best features of the platform, were kept intact. The relatively small wheels look disproportionate today, but that's more due to the DUB effect of so many modern sportsters.

So, for less than the cost of a Toyota Yaris you can join the ranks of the Jake Ryans of the world. That twelve grand-firm asking price is low enough that you can afford plenty of popped-collar polos, and a pair of Wayfarers to complete the illusion. But, is your bank account hunky enough for this 944? And would arriving in it help you sweep your Molly Ringwald off her feet? Or, would you still be Michael Anthony Hall with a roll of Certs in your pocket?

You decide!

San Francisco Treat Craigslist or go here, if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

Porsche definitely got into the 80s thing with the sell-the-brand-name backlit PORSCHE lettering on the back of the 944.


The 944 is a beautifully engineered car, with near-perfect front/rear weight distribution and lots of shiny aluminum stuff... but just try to work on one! No, don't! You can buy a pretty clean 944 for peanuts (the '87 944S listed for $28,250 new, a few hundred bucks cheaper than the '87 Buick GNX), but the bill to replace a timing belt or clutch pushes the cost of ownership orders of magnitude higher.


This example seems to drive every day and looks decent in spite of paint fried by the California sun. Now I need to find a 924, of course, so we can look at some Porsche Malaisitude.