9k: The Porsche of the '90s is Alive in Portland: 1994 Porsche 968

Porsche's 914, 928, 924, and 944 coincidentally followed a tidy naming convention wherein the last digit corresponded with its cylinder count. Stuttgart then introduced the 968 as if to say We're Porsche and our models don't need numerical significance. We're above significance. The 968 got marks for good handling behavior but was nonetheless expelled from Porsche Academy with its delinquent classmate, the 928. Today, it's a cheap entry into the marque with better civility and more power* than its 924/944 forefathers. Find this 1994 Porsche 968 Coupe in Portland, OR for $8,900 via craigslist or AutoTrader. (*Okay, the 944 Turbo S had with 7 more horsepower, but did it have a 6-speed like this 968? No. And nobody likes a nitpicker.)

By the mid-90s, the front-engined four-cylinder combo clearly wasn't Porsche's new direction, but rather an entry level offering (for entry-level rich people). It handled beautifully. It looked like a stubby 928, in a good way. The four-banger displaced the magic number of liters, good for 240 horsepower and 225 ft-lbs of torque. The latter figure may still hold the record for naturally aspirated four-cylinders.

Electronics and glass are pricey maintenance items for the 968, and this one has it all in good working order. The whole car is a testimony to what 186,000 miles should look like under proper care. The buyer gets service records back to 1997 and peace of mind by buying from a Porsche Club of America member. Maybe that makes up for the pitiful shots of the black non-leather interior and instrument cluster one gauge short of the traditional Porsche five-hole.

Some 968s have had $9k of Porsche maintenance alone. This isn't one of them. It also isn't the gorgeous Cabriolet, or the lighter and more valuable Club $port. Wearing Club Sport wheels, though, it's already half of the true Club Sport experience. The other half is replacing all the seats with a single 5-gallon bucket to get down to 2,900 lbs.

See a cleaner Porsche for the money? Email us at tips@dailyturismo.com

PhiLOL still drives a slow car and assumes the prevalence of cheap 968s is attributed to its wrong number of gauges. Yep, that's the sole reason.