Sixteen Candles, starring Molly Ringwald and Michael Schoeffling, was released in 1984. It has a 7.2 rating on IMDB, which means it’s liked but not well-liked, especially when you take into account it was written and directed by the legendary John Hughes. And really that’s all I have to say about the movie. A chick-flick that predates me by almost a decade is not really the thing to call for my attention. In fact, the only reason I even know about the movie is because of the Porsche 944.
You see, the Porsche 944 has always been one of my favorite cars. Ever since I read an article about it in Car & Driver as a little kid, I longed for the day that I would be able to buy one. The styling wasn’t from outer space, like on a Countach, so it meant that it was from Earth and there was a chance that I could buy one when I was an adult. It had pop-up headlights! It was a Porsche! It didn’t look like any other Porsche! (I didn’t find out about the 924 or the 968 until I found old Top Gear episodes on YouTube) it was amazing! It was sensational! It was…never available in Honduras, presumably because no one would buy it.
To this day, I’ve never been within reach of one, so maybe that’s the reason I still like them so much. That forbidden fruit aspect, the yuppiemobile that had its time and now the only things that separating us are a bunch of countries and a not inconsequential amount of money. One day while discussing it with a group of friends, I found a lovely red mint example on eBay to share with them. One replied, “Oh, the Jake Ryan special”. One confused look later, she explained the plot of the movie and told me one of the main characters drove a 944.
And here it is. Isn’t it just the perfect car for an alleged 16-year-old? The sort of thing Ferris Bueller would weasel out from his parents on one of his privileged, boredom-induced escapades. canadiancatgreen posted both the silver and the junked 944 on the Cohort, reminding me that it has been a long time since I’ve checked eBay for a 944…hmm….it isn’t red, but it could work. The yuppies have moved to blacked-out SUVs anyway.
The actual car lives up to the dreams. Wonderful handling, sufficient power (to the sane, anyway), decent reliability, comfortable and practical. I had a 924S (944 motor, less butch body) for four years and loved it. Traded it in on a Pontiac Solstice, and within a year realized I’d made a mistake. Only drawback is a combination of parts are as expensive as for a 911, and the resale value is minimal And you occasionally put up with some idiot bleating “That’s not a real Porsche.” Hint: They don’t know what they’re talking about.
The Solstice went earlier this year. I’m looking for another 924/944 now.
Where are you located, Syke? Here in SoCal I see rust-free examples for dirt cheap on Craigslist fairly often.
Distributors like Pelican Parts are a great source for German automotive components at less than insane prices.
Oh, I have no doubt. Richmond, VA area for me. And I really should get thru the wedding and putting the house on the market first. Probably get serious looking around late this summer.
924 had an audi engine
While “Sixteen Candles” is primarily about a girl and her crush, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a chick flick. I’m a big fan of John Hughes’ flims, and although it’s no Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller, I’d say it’s one of his better ones.
I usually focus more on the Baker family’s M-body LeBaron Town & Country wagon.
Yes, sixteen candles is definitely not a chick flick.
I’ve had a thing for these cars since they were new. The 924 was a good start but the series hit their stride with the 944 especially with the later highoutput four. The pinnacle of course is the 944 turbo, great looks and great performance. I like the practicality mixed in with the sportiness. The hatchback and the rear seats which if not usable for people gives you more room for stuff. Contemporay roadtests reported good handling and speed with good fuel mileage. My favorite combination. There have been two things that have prevented me from taking the plunge. First, I can’t get used to the low steering wheel which always rubs against my legs and second, I was afraid that replacement parts would be prohibitively expensive. I ended up getting a 280z 2+2 which was similar in concept and was extremely comfortable. I look forward to hearing about other readers experiences.
First off, unless you’re a damned good wrench, you find yourself an independent European shop that has experience with these. I’ve got a local one and annual maintenance costs were reasonable. Very reasonable.
Yeah, the parts aren’t cheap. It’s a Porsche. You want cheap parts, buy a Mustang. That said, I found my car (1987, bought at 116k, sold at 130k) to be very reliable, I was able to figure on one repair/replacement session a year.
Its so bloody practical, it almost shouldn’t be called a sports car. It’s the best grocery getter I’ve ever owned for a combination of being able to put lots of groceries under that hatch, and get them in an out easily. A strap on bicycle rack fit easily on the back.
I normally ran it with the back seat down. If I put you in the back seat, you could take that as proof that I hated you.
I rode in the back seat of a 924 Turbo, for a fast lap around Sears Point with 3 others in the car. It was fun, and it never occurred to me that the driver hated me.
Great-looking cars, especially the turbo with its flared fenders (“951” to those who like to throw model numbers around) and great handling as well from what I’ve heard. I haven’t ever had the privilege to drive one. I do wonder what the prices on these are going to do in the future–up up and away like an older 911, or a relative bargain like the 928? Though, as much as I love the 928, anyone buying a used one probably needs to have 3x the purchase price set aside for upkeep and repair…
I know of at least 3 different folks who had a 944 in college, as the prices for a non-turbo example dropped into sub $5k territory for a little while there if you were willing to put up with things like a ratty interior or oxidized paint. One ended up with a Chevy LT1 swap after the original I4 broke. The V8 fits, but cooling generally required some extra breathing slots.
In my area, you can buy a decent one for $3500, and if someone’s asking $6000 it better be concours mint. Service records are a must, as it costs $2000 to have the local garage replace the timing belt, and that is an interference engine.
I just passed on a ratty one (it ran, but plan on repainting and replacing the seats) the owner was asking $1800. The market for these is lousy because they cost like a Porsche to maintain, but they don’t have collectibility, so once they start to go downhill the DPO starts deferring all sorts of maintenance.
I’d really love to have a 928, but the running costs do worry me a bit.
just out of curiosity I went looking at 944 prices on bay area CL. Lots of 80K mile 944s for around $3500 as noted. That’s some serious depreciation for 80K miles of driving pleasure. But some in much worse shape could be had for $1000. And some are in junkyards. This is beginning to look like a good adventure for someone with the skills to do their own repairs with salvaged parts.
My son & nephew got a ride around Mosport in a 944 last year. It was time for the classic car parade lap and when the cars were lining up to go I had them walk down the line with a cardboard sign that said “Ride Please”
“Are you sure this will work Uncle Doug?”
“Guaranteed to work for kids, wouldn’t work for me, now go..”
They didn’t walk by 5 cars before getting offered a ride.
Brilliant!
The best ideas often use the simplest approach.
+1. Sounds like a scene from a John Hughes film.
Good to hear, I bet they got a thrill out of it too.
My brother an 85.5 in high school back in the early 90’s. The only reason he could afford it was because the car had been rode hard and put up wet, even by then. In those days parts could usually be obtained at a dealer. I always said I would never own one due to the price of parts and the complexity of the car. Well, 21 years later I picked up an 84. I was looking for some sort of 80’s rwd sports car, and the reason I chose a Porsche is due to the availability of parts, including cosmetic parts.
An 85.5 or later 924S or 944 is one of the cars on my “would like to have someday” list. As long as I learn how to do most of the work myself, which with my VW experience would most likely work out. Parts can be a lot more affordable these days, with the internet. I for sure would learn how to do the T-Belt on one of these cars. Never drove one, but sold a lot of expensive (dealership) parts for them over the years. They have great balance with the rear transaxle and front engine design.
I am a fan of all these weird Porsches, the 944, 924, 928, and especially the 916. I have never driven any of them, and except for the 916, which I understand was originally supposed to be a VW, I don’t see the Porsche connection. Porsches where supposed to be rear engined cars. I have driven an early ’70s 911. It was a rustbucket (even had a hole rusted through the front drivers floor, which had been patched with a big square flat piece of sheet metal welded over it. It was set up for autocrossing, and I found it a blast to drive. I learned very quickly that if pushed to far, it would bite you hard. Almost crashed it a couple of times. There is definitely a learning curve to one of those.
But the 924, 944, and 928 were conventional front engined RWD cars, and I have to assume they handled that way. I have seen them for sale at reasonable prices, but not in the best of condition. And I’m pretty sure parts are going to cost an absolute fortune for anything with the Porsche name on it. You can now even find used Boxters for $10000. That’s Miata territory. But anyone who buys a Boxter for the name is going to pay dearly at the parts counter.
A Porsche 928 was featured in the 1983 Tom Cruise movie ‘Risky Business’ It fell off a pier into a lake in one scene of the movie……In one scene when Tom’s character driving the 928 outruns another car, Tom’s character remarks ‘Porsche…there is no substitute’…..
“Who’s the U-Boat commander?”
I agree with you, Brendan… Sixteen Candles is definitely NOT a chick flick, it is a funny, humorous coming-of-age film.
Now, Pretty In Pink would be more along the lines of a chick flick.
All of those movies, like the Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, License to Drive were all cool flicks… and with the exception of Breakfast Club … A cool classic automobile was a character(inanimate, of course) in each film.
The late John Hughes.He practically invented this genre, but my favorite Hughes is “Uncle Buck” with John Candy. Possibly Candy`s best role.
+1
Loved Buck’s 2-door Mercury Marquis
I have had my 1982 Porsche 944 since 1996. My late Grandpa gave it to me as a birthday present when I turned 24. He drove it before me and it was his all-time favorite car, even though he had owned a 356 Carrera 2 in the 1960s.
It took me to my final exams to university for becoming a lawyer.
It took me to my first date with the beautiful lady that became my wife.
It took me to the hospital when our twins were born.
We needed a family car, but my wife wanted us to keep it, so it went into storage for 12 years. We got it back on the road 2 years ago, after we had put quite some money into it.
It has covered 267.000 kilometers, still first engine and transmission.
Nowadays it takes me to meetings with clients and court sessions in style and my kids love it, so it probably will remain in the family to be enjoyed by the next generation.
It is still fun to drive and very reliable, here in Germany parts are readily available and I have found a great mechanic who takes care of my “family heirloom”.
There are a lot of memories that connect me with this car and a lot of memories yet to be made.
My daughter has had one for over 13 years now. The summer cruiser. Red. 1983. Will never part with it. Bought it with her own money upon graduating hah skoo.
– Proud Dad!
I remember when these were the common Porsches, the days before the panamera and cayenne debased the brand. Shame when 944s show up in yards like this, but it’s representative of the times we live in. True sports cars are thrown away and dull mommy mobiles prevail.
I’m in two minds about the 924/944/968. It’s certainly a capable driver from all reports but not as aesthetically pleasing as a 356, 911 or 928. A bit like the 914/6 it seems to be the sort of Porsche where you get the Porscheness without the maximum Porschenicity. I take Syke’s word as to its user-friendliness.
I wonder if the bodyshell of the basketcase in the first photo could be used for a V8 conversion…
That pic looks like someone took a 944 and street rodded it, rather than a daily driver setup. Not my cup of tea, but nor is it my car… 🙂
As a young man starting out in the world in the 1980’s, these were the “gold standard” sports cars, but like so many at that time I had champagne (oder sekt?) tastes and a beer budget. Hence the 5.0L Mercury Capri RSs I owned at the time.
As evidenced by the website links below, I’ve thought about the SBC swap into 944 more than once, but something always seems to interrupt my plans. These sites show some really nice converted cars in their gallery sections.
http://www.944transformations.com/
What I like about these guys is that they promote the Buick 3800 V6 as an inexpensive swap for the Porsche turbo motor. They also have the standard LT (old series) and LS swaps, too.
http://www.renegadehybrids.com/
These guys swap SBCs into EVERYTHING! 911s, 944s, 968s, you name it.
Not that I have the financial wherewithal to do anything like this, but great fun to dream about…
not from 16 candles, but David+ David “Welcome to the Boomtown” Song opens with– Miss Christina drives a 944, satisfaction oozes from her pores… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97wvwuHUMCw never seen this music video till tonight, but the song is the First thing that comes to mind when I hear 944
Wow, Joseph, that V8 944 is so sacrilege… The Porsche elitists would faint if they saw that. Lol
It looks like something Gas Monkey would build. Now how’s about a few donuts…
I am definitely a John Hughes fan, and living in the Northern Chicago suburbs, you can just feel the zeitgeist he so effectively captured. The 944 was well cast in Sixteen Candles. As proof that everything old is new again, one of my daughter’s high school classmates has a red 944. It’s in good shape, and is the perfect car for a budding car enthusiast–low cost to buy, better to drive than almost anything on the market today. And the funny thing is, the kids today don’t have the negative associations with the “cheap” Porsches–to them he just drives a “classic” Porsche and is waaaaaaay cool. And one additional entertaining bit relative to the movie, the boy’s name is Ryan…
I own a 1984 944 with 27,000 original miles. I love it. There is still something about its looks that thrills me. After the muscle car era was over, the 944 was the first car that rang my chimes. Unloved by Porschefiles, I think the 944 will become more favored by muscle car collectors over time.
I owned an ’85 series I car, bought when 3 years old/40K miles, owned for 22 years and 250K miles. I did all of the maintenance/repair (3 clutches, reuilt transaxle) and it was still in decent enough shape to sell for $2,900. I did several PCA Driver’s School events and really learned to drive it. Great fun on the track. The body was all galvanized steel so you don’t often see rust on these. If you can do your own wrenching these can be affordable. If not, the value of the car vs. repairs just doesn’t make economic sense.
My wife’s favorite movie and a huge part of my life. I own one now 🙂 Where is the original car located? Does anyone have the vin? Ive reaches out to the producers via Facebook with no success.
A true soulmate, I would also kill for the original:)
Hi Clint, believe it or not i have access to buy the original car right now. I wonder how much someone would pay for this nostalgic car? The owner is wanting to trade with me on a vehicle that i own. Any idea of where i can get an idea of the value?
Thanks,
David
David,
We are interested in the car if still available. My # is 410-430-8860. Please contact me when you have a moment.
Thank you,
Randy