10k: 1993 Porsche 968 Vert
Porsche designed its first front engine sports coupe in the mid 70s – fully expecting the rear engined 911 to fade into the sunset. Fortunately, the 911 and its snap-oversteer-into-a-tree handling soldiered on and fought off the onslaught of front engined Porsches, but not before 380,000 front engine coupes (924, 928, 944 & 968) were built from 1976 to 1995. This 1993 Porsche 968 convertible is offered for $9999 in Scranton, PA via craigslist.
The Porsche 968 was the final iteration in the lineage of the 924 and 944. Like Secretariat bred from the line of heffers, the lineage includes the 1976 Porsche 924 that made 95 horsepower and shared an engine with the Audi 100 & AMC Gremlin. More mule than thoroughbred, the 924 lived for many years – even sharing a stable with is Porsche engined foal – the 944 – from 1982-1988. The 944 was sent to the glue factory before the birth of the 968 in 1992 – and it can probably be said with confidence that the 968 is the best of the front engined Poroughbreds. Speaking of ‘factories,’ the 968 was the first of the 924/944 line to be built in a Porsche factory – the previous breeds being built at an Audi plant under contract from Porsche AG.
The 968 is powered by a 3.0 liter DOHC inline 4 cylinder engine making 236 horsepower and 225 ft-lbs of torque, noted for its enormous cylinders (it was the second largest 4 cylinder engine in a production engine from any manufacturer at that time). But don’t think the 968 engine belongs in a John Deere – its actually a nice oversquare design that revvs freely to its redline with a sweet grunty exhaust note. The engine is mated to a 6 speed manual transaxle with available limited slip differential.
We’ve always been fans of the shape of the 968 – especially in convertible form and this white one looks great with the Porsche turbo twist wheels or the stock chrome wheels (at first glance it looked like the owner had one set on the driver side and another on passenger, but apparently the car is offered with both sets of wheels). Inside the 968 you will find a simple dash with clear gauges (always orange needles and black faces with white numbers).
We like the 968 because they are cheap today – cheap like a 3 legged racehorse. Pick one up now before people figure out that they are fantastic handling machines with decent reliability.
Does this pony belong in your stable or in a Jack in the Box burger?
See another front engined, manual transaxle equipped car in wedding white? email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com
968 badge is in the wrong place. Suspect repsray, and according to the ad it needs a top and the paint isn't great.
I'm a fan of these cars, but the biggest problem with the 968 is that you can get a lower-mileage Boxster for the same or less money and is arguably a better car … not to mention once the pile of receipts starts to add up and the novelty of owning a Porsche wears off it would be 10x easier to resell.
CDN_Stig nailed it. Hard to justify any high-mileage 968 convertible with needs at this price. Unless you are utterly smitten with the warped 928-like looks, or absolutely need to use that tiny back seat for something, the mid-engine Boxster is a better choice (for a lot of reasons). Then again, I wouldn't try to put anything human in the rear seat of a 968 cabrio for very long. Not pleasant.
~ when did 120.000 become high miles on a Porsche? i really like the styling but i feel as if growing out of the lowly 924-944 shape holds them down. more attractive to me than any Boxster i've seen to date and setting aside the mechanicals, more appealing than a 928. although they can be expensive if regular maintenance is deferred, my Porsche experiences rank them more reliable than most cars.
120K miles might not be considered that high on a classic aircooled 911, but the 924/944/968 don't have that kind of reputation. They also don't hold their value like a classic aircooled 911. Maybe it's not fair to directly compare a purpose-built mid-engine roadster (Boxster) to a cabriolet (968) evolved from the bones of a 2-door hatchback (924), but I'd readily choose a Boxster over a 968 Cabriolet also.
~ i'll allow your opinion is valid. just not a fan of Boxsters. then again, i can take or leave the 911. i think they are a fine car, whether it is a good investment means little or nothing to me. i respect my friends who own and worship them. but the 'values' have far outstripped my need to own another. it's easy (for me) to think of dozens of 'adventures in ownership' i would rather experience.