Pelican Parts Forums - Undeserving owners? I think so.

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While I haven't seen them in person, there are a ton of 944s out there on CL up and down the Eastern Seaboard. I do a daily crazedlist.org for Porsche under $8K and while the random beat to hell SC pops up and of course early 928 horror stories, it appears (and I know I'm just looking at bad pics on CL) that there are a lot of GOOD 86+ cars out there for $5K.

I know this will get me in trouble, but I do shake my head when I see 83 944s for $7K. Who in their right mind would pay $7K for an 83-85 944?

Go to crazedlist.org and do a multi-state search. You can even save the search parameters.

While some might not believe me, my three waterpumpers ('87 951, '87 924s, '77 924) all are very solid reliable cars. All were bought cheap and all three ended up getting repainted, but all three have their original engines and transmissions. Two of them survived my teen daughters and while the 924's are worth nothing, I would not hesitate to drive either on a long cross country trip. I had to do some extensive repairs on all three when purchased, but after that, they have been remarkably fairly trouble free.

Two are sitting in my shop with expired plates, but I intend to keep them forever.... Who knows, maybe 20 yrs from now they will be worth something again.

I agree with Tim - properly sorted, a 944 is an excellent and very reliable car. However, getting one "properly sorted" might be quite an ordeal, given how many are owned by teenage stooges and poseurs looking to go pimpin' in a "Porch".

Last year, I bought an '87 944S to turn it into a race car.

It has instead morphed into my daily driver. Comfortable, great visability, lotsa cargo room (I've hauled all kinds of stuff back there), fun to drive and almost 30 mpg. What's not to like?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh R (Post 4402870)

I don't think I'd even consider buying a Pcar from someone who owned it when they were under 30.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile (Post 4403435)

Excellent advice. I'd expand that to read "I don't think I'd even consider buying ANY car (or motorcycle) from someone who owned it when they were under 30."

Hey damn it! I'm 28 and I can assure you of one thing: both Porsches I have owned left my ownership in much better condition than they were when I purchased them. Both were purchased from older PCA members, and both had some, ahem, deferred maintenance.:rolleyes:

Part of my car ADD stems from getting bored with a car when it's "done". Done typically includes replacing all the fluids with synthetics, replacing every filter, detailing the hell out of it, and replacing or repairing everything that is out of order. Repairs can range from the engine coolant temp. sensor that was making my 951 idle rough to a full suspension rebuild. That's why I always easily sell them for more than I paid. Damn young-uns.:D Don't paint with too broad a brush, I was 23 when I had the 911 and 25 when I had the 951.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile (Post 4403435)

Excellent advice. I'd expand that to read "I don't think I'd even consider buying ANY car (or motorcycle) from someone who owned it when they were under 30."

I would take offense to that if after seeing my cars, and service records/parts receipts you'd still say that. ;) I'm 31 in March.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dantilla (Post 4403671)

Thats another reason. Those coupes can lug more junk around than my c36 sedan, the friggin' seats don't fold. I used to live in Philly during the week, then on weekends come back to my house in MD. My trips home had the seat backs down and crap piled up to the rear glass. Jon Beasly who own Budds Creek mx track and MIR drag strip used to have a 951 as a yard car around 1992. He'd have shovels, hay bails, lawn mowers, what have you hangin' out the back. Used to give him the ole' stink eye way back then for that.

Sorry Matt. I was gonna' buy your AMG and all but now... Naaaaaaaaah. ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile (Post 4403794)

Sorry Matt. I was gonna' buy your AMG and all but now... Naaaaaaaaah. ;)

Shouldn't you be buying a minivan?:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by poorsche930 (Post 4402329)

Hey everyone, I just need to get this off my chest.

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED, to the water cooled front engine market? I've owned a few over the years and am possibly looking for a CLEAN 944/951/968 (any one of the 3) once again for D.D. duties split between that and my C36.

BUT, it seems like EVERY front engine Porsche out there has been bought and SEVERELY neglected by a retard. Instead of maintenance or service, it got red dash vents and a B.S."filter intake"! These cars are cheap to buy, not so cheap to maintain. Thats why the guy that was going to get that Cavalier Z24 or Honda civic si, seems to buy and destroy these wonderful cars. They see a "porsch" for the same $ as a Nissan sentra and treat them like one. Not understanding that the car is old and needs a lot of upkeep. Hoses,vacuum lines, various sensors, power steering lines, bearings,engine oil seals, etc etc. The same cars will be bought, never maintained, then sold with "very fast" in the selling description. These owners (sad but there are some on PP) should have satisfaction that they own a better than average car. There's nothing worse than seeing a riced out, beat, Porsche.

I'm going to stop now before I get really P!$$^d off. Am I just being a jerk or do some of you see what I'm talking about?

They are doing you a favor. you should be grateful ;)

Seriously, it is not logical to pour a large amount of money into maintaining a vehicle that isn't worth that much.
If someone buys a car for $4k, they probably aren't going to be willing to spend $2k maintaining it and fixing it up if that investment will not increase the car's re-sale value.

Enthusuasts may not share that opinion but the majority of people do. That's why they buy a car and run it into the ground. It just isn't worth fixing.

A perfect example is the 928. A very nice and very expensive car when new, but the values dropped like a rock because they are so expensive to maintain and repair. They weren't worth spending lots of money on to most people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by poorsche930 (Post 4402879)

...looking for something way closer to my local. I dont want to fly or drive somewhere just to go look at something.

Just curious... so are you saying that if you liked a car well enough from photos and talking or emailing the owner, you wouldn't consider having it checked out by a local Porsche mechanic (and possibly a Pelican member if there was one nearby) as step two of the process, then going to drive it if the expert/independent evaluation was favorable?

Odds are you aren't going to find your perfect car locally. Even if you live in NYC or LA, the odds of the EXACT version of a low-volume car being available to you nearby is slim. If you make some compromises, you might get something close.

Honestly, figure out what you want then set out to find the best example possible, regardless of location. You might even find a good enough deal to offset your plane ticket.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heel n Toe (Post 4405368)

That would be a viable option. One that I would be MOST appreciative of. Right now I'm just starting my search. I'm looking at local cars first because I haven't locked in a 944/51/68 as the "one". Looking at other types of cars too. Audi,BMW,Mercedes. By March I think I'll be making the decision.