New Guy - 1986 Porsche 944 from the original owner

[jwolfe]

On a whim I purchased my first Porsche -1986 Alpine White 944 NA from the original owner. Condition is really solid and a lot of the maintenance must-do's were taken care of prior to purchase (timing belt/clutch/water pump/alternator)
It says 93k but the mileage & trip odometer recently stopped so it might have a little more and I'll need to get new gears. Aside from that, the interior is almost flawless; no dash cracks, no stains, no seat rips - It's actually quite wild ha. The exterior looks pristine from 15 feet away, up close it has its expected blemishes. The owner of the car was an older women who bought it new, she recently passed away and her nephew was the one who sold it to me after making the repairs. This will be my "DD" although it'll only be driven 2-3 times a week. I live in center city Philly and will be forced to street park it for now

I already have a long list of things I want to do..
So far I've changed the oil and filter, drained trans fluid, plugged a small exhaust leak, replaced hood and trunk struts, and replaced the headlights to LED.

For now here are a couple pics!

[mytrplseven]

Very nice car. I hope Philly doesn't hurt it. I love these cars and even a parking lot ding breaks my heart. Have fun.

[Dmitry at Pelican Parts]

Congrats on the new ride! Wonderful gift for the New Year.

[jcommin]

Very nice - congrats!

[djnolan]

Hi beautiful car. I have one the same color except for a burgundy interior. I recommend conditioning those leather seats with Lexol if it is going to be kept outside, old leather doesn't tolerate eratic sun or temp conditions. Condition the dash as well. Also replacing rear hatch struts on these cars is a no-no as it can cause the hatch frame and glass to separate from added stress, did you save the old ones?

[thom4782]

Lots of opinions on what product to use when conditioning the dash. My choice is 303 aircraft protectant. Others recommend Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner. Still others recommend other products.

Question: what kit did you use for the headlight upgrade?

[996AE]

Welcome to the Porsche world

Great driver.

Nice to see 944s being driven.

Enjoy.

[jwolfe]

Originally Posted by mytrplseven

Very nice car. I hope Philly doesn't hurt it. I love these cars and even a parking lot ding breaks my heart. Have fun.

Thank you. as someone who lived in Virginia the last time I owned any cars, you don’t know how much I miss my own driveway. So much comfort in knowing it’s left alone. I’m thankful the stock bumpers have those protective rubber bars in the bumpers though.

[jwolfe]

Originally Posted by thom4782

Lots of opinions on what product to use when conditioning the dash. My choice is 303 aircraft protectant. Others recommend Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner. Still others recommend other products.

Question: what kit did you use for the headlight upgrade?

I’ve heard to use 303 as well. I have meguiars conditioner on there for now but next go around I’ll probably switch to 303.

This is the headlight kit. Fits perfectly and plugs right in. They needed re adjusting though to aim perfectly lol

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01B376YOE/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

[DannoXYZ]

Pretty cool!

Please post some night-time beamshot photos from those lights!

[jwolfe]

I've owned the car for over a month now and have had zero issues. It's been a blast to drive and only have positive things to say. I have a faint smell of burning that I can only assume is from oil? (I have a small leak) but feel like I should check it out to be safe.

I've been acquiring parts as I don't own a garage and its very cold this time a year, but I'll have access to a friends garage in a matter of weeks which will be my first opportunity to get some things done. First major task is all new front/rear suspension. I plan to lower the car 1.5 inches and add spacers for the front and rear. As for the exterior I've purchased a rear turbo valance that just needs some paint and rear windshield wiper delete.

Today I took out my gauge cluster as my odometer has been broken since purchase and my lights were very dim. Sure enough the gear was a mess, and an old sticker had fallen in front of my mileage so I couldn't tell it was stuck until a few days into ownership. Lastly, my check engine light didn't have a bulb installed. I was a bit worried maybe the previous owner took it out on purpose to hide something? If not, I'm not sure why it wasn't there... After reinstalling everything the light doesn't come on but I've yet to drive it. Fingers crossed no new issues decide to pop up now

[jwolfe]

After doing some research it appears that the 86 944 didn’t have a check engine light? Can someone confirm that? It would make sense as I didn’t expect the previous owner to take the gauge cluster out.