Let me first introduce you to my Porsche on car domain at http://www.cardomain.com/ride/825282/1 , isn't she beautiful?. Anyways, on with the review:

Handling
Is this the best handling car ever? I don't know for sure, I have not driven every car ever. I do know that it is the best handling car I have ever driven or been in. You should drive one for yourself and decide.

maintenance
When I was looking at getting a 944, my first concern was maintenance costs. However, the real issues are preventative maintenance and replacing the belts and pump every 30-60k miles. If you take care of your 944, it will more than take care of you : )

You will have to replace things every once in a while... it is an old car. Parts are not going to kill you, but labor might. Before you buy a Porsche, make sure you find a Porsche mechanic you can trust. Also, you can probably do a lot of the work yourself. There are a lot of discussion forums and manuals posted. One good one is http://clarks-garage.com .

Cost
The good thing is, these cars keep their value well and probably even mature. Take care of it, don't put excessive miles on it, and if you ever want to sell your 944 (why? to buy a 944 Turbo, of course) you can probably get at least what you paid for it.

Speed
The 944 is fast car, but not the fastest in the straight-aways. "Fictional" example: I was going 100 MPH next to a late model 'Vette. The 'Vette driver waived at me and took off at about 135. I settled on slowing down at 115.

I have heard stories about 944 Turbos staying or beating just about anything where turns are involved though.

Head-Turner
The lines, contours, and styling of the 944 are incredible for an 80's car. They rival most of the sports cars since then too. Women have thought that my car was new as a 99. That is always good when you drive a Porsche : ) It does really need a 968 spoiler though.

Gas-Mileage
The '88 has a 20 gallon tank. I get well over 400 miles to the tank. Better than my last car... and good enough for me.

Bottom Line
If you are going to buy a 944, do yourself a favor: find one with lower mileage, at least recent maintenance history, and with some of the mods you will want to do anyway already done. You will pay more, maybe even twice as much, but it will be worth it. And for God's sake, "LIVE THE DREAM!"

Amount Paid (US$): 6-8000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1988
Model and Options: 944 NA w/ all options