The Value Proposition- Porsche 968

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         From its beginning, Porsche has occupied a unique niche in the automotive world: Cars that are high performance, engaging to drive, and reliable enough to use every day. Porsche continues to be the benchmark for brands which hope to compete in that same venn diagram overlap, and there’s a reason for that- they’re really, really good at it. 

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        While Porsche has managed to convince us like perhaps no other brand that even SUVs and electric cars can offer white knuckle thrills, the purest Porsche experience is still behind the wheel of one of their proper sports cars. And while the prices of many Porsches have skyrocketed (Want to see a car nerd get really excitable? Ask them which Porsches they should have bought in 2010) it’s still possible to get the full-on Porsche experience for less than your average used econobox. 

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It’s nearly impossible to discuss Porsche models without the “It’s not a real Porsche unless it’s a 911” crowd chiming in, but we’re not even going to entertain that trope, as it’s one of the dumbest goddamn arguments in all of the car world, a world which happens to be known for dumb arguments. Sure, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but people should also respect facts, and the fact is that that opinion is garbage and wildly incorrect. It’s a moot point here anyways, as practically all 911 variants have strayed from the divine light of being an approachable toy for the everyman. Or woman. The everythey.

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Most people will tell you that the best bang for the buck in the Porsche world today is the first gen 986 Boxster S. And those people are correct. We’ve owned those, we’ve loved those, and the people that tell you they’re hairdressers’ cars or can’t get past the shape of the headlights will get judged just as harshly as the “but it’s not a 911” crowd when the purge comes.

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Prior to the 986, the entry level ticket to the kingdom of Porschedom was often seen as the 944. And like the Boxster, it’s a car a lot of people ragged on, because a lot of people are morons and subject to group think. However, we’ll be the first to admit that the 944 wasn’t perfect. Actually, we’ll be the second to admit it. The first to admit the 944 wasn’t perfect was Porsche, and we know this because eventually they made a perfect 944, and they called it the 968.

The 968 was introduced in 1991 as the final iteration of a platform that had first debuted 15 years earlier as the 924. It was different than “typical” Porsches (read: the 911) in many ways. Firstly, the engine was just four cylinders, not six. Also, that engine was in front, not the rear. Which meant that the transmission was behind the engine- way in the back, over the rear axle, which ushered in what would become, along with the 928, known as Porsche’s “Transaxle Era.” 

The reason the 924 differed so much from the standard Porsche formula was that it wasn’t actually meant to be a Porsche- well, not completely. What became the 924 was initially a collaboration between Porsche and VW/Audi. The plan was that the car was to be designed by Porsche but powered by a VW engine and marketed as an Audi model. While that idea was eventually scrapped, early 924s did feature a VW built engine and was partially assembled by Audi, before the engine was replaced by a Porsche built 4-cylinder in the much more popular 944.

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Porsche eventually moved full production of the 944 in-house for what was internally discussed as the “944S3” but upon realizing that more than 80% of the parts in the final design were unique to this car, they decided to release it as a whole new model: the 968. The silhouette had clear cues as being an evolution of the 944, but the “pop out” rather than “pop up” headlights were borrowed from the beloved 928, and the front featured an integrated bumper which would lend itself to the lines of the eventual 993 era 911.

Under the hood was a 3.0 liter engine pumping out a very respectable 237 hp and 225 lb/ft torque in a car that weighed just about 3000 pounds. The engine was mated to either a 4-speed Tiptronic or a six-speed manual transmission, making it one of the first Porsches to give you the option of rowing more than five gears. The current Boxster/Cayman platform may be lauded for its “near perfect” 30-40-30 mid-engine weight distribution, but the front engine, transaxle nature of the 968 gave it an almost 50/50 front to rear weight balance allowing for similarly enjoyable handling characteristics. Build quality was excellent, and the cabin gave you everything you needed without being too busy- A steering wheel, a few pedals and a shifter, easily readable tach and speedo, a still ample by today’s standards a/c and stereo, all wrapped in tasteful leather.  

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The 968 would eventually give way to the Boxster platform, a car that would be credited with helping save Porsche financially, but there is something to be said about a car like the 968 that was made when Porsche was actually losing money, when stubbornly holding to their original roots, they were willing to produce cars they were proud of no matter what it cost them. 

        As prices on a well kept Boxster S continue to rise and the market for the 968 has stayed relatively stagnant, a compelling argument can be made for choosing the latter instead. Firstly, you’ll be much less likely to see another one at your local track day, car meet, or parking lot- less than 13,000 986s were ever made, vs almost 165,000 of the first gen Boxsters, making every encounter with the 968 an event on its own. Its looks, while somewhat quirky, are undoubtedly handsome, and harken to a mid-late ‘90s style of Porsches we consider one of the brand’s golden eras. It’s got all the comfort and trunk space you need for a weekend getaway, is dependable and easily fixable enough to be a daily driver, and is an exceedingly fun car to drive, particularly when equipped with that 6-speed manual. 

Considering all of this, a decent 968 is still remarkably attainable. We’re partial to the convertible version- you’re not going to be the fastest car on the road anyways, so you might as well enjoy the extra wind-in-your-hair sensations. With recent manual transmission, drop top examples from our US auction partners BringATrailer fetching in the low $20k range and our EU partners Collecting Cars selling RHD versions for as little as £10k, the Porsche 968 gets our vote for one of the best sports car values around.

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This is the first article of our 'Value Proposition' series - stay tuned for the next one!
Thank you & kind regards from Colombo & Co.