I bought a 944!

[btsave]

well, I happened upon a '83 944 on eBay today an, despite all reason, bought it!
now I'm not certain if I did the correct thing...
paid $3650, 108k miles, appears all original & owner says it has no rust...
was this an acceptable deal? or should I tell my wife I paid $1k for it so I don't sleep on the couch tonight....
thanks!

[TCMdocs944]

Hey florida! Whats up!

From now on get used to downplaying anything you spend on the car to the wife. Use a $2 or 3 to 1 ratio.

If all appears to be in order that may be a really good deal.

Search the site about "new owner" and "timing belts" and


Welcome to the board!


BTW - what area of fl you in?

[btsave]

west palm beach area

PO said timing belt replaced 3k miles ago..

only issue seems to be oil leak on valve cover & front bushings deteriorated.

some oxidation on paint...

[TCMdocs944]

Awww Man. Another east coaster.

You have a couple of great Pelican guys over there. AFJuvat and FLA944.

Valve cover leak is an easy, easy fix.
Some of the front bushings are a one hour job though still a pita. Others, well, we won't talk about.

[..P]

congrats, and two items: you "must" take care of the timing belt now unless you have "proof positive" of the miles on the belt, and replace all the critical electrical relays on your schedule. Do that and enjoy. Don't do that, and you're stranded somewhere, sometime, without warning.

regards, P

[btsave]

are those DIY items?

also, was the price paid high, average, low?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Congrats - welcome to the wonderful world of 944s!

If you go strictly by book value, you got totally hosed - KBB lists the value as around $2,000, so you paid about 50% too much. However, IMO that doesn't always tell the whole story and if enough people start paying above book value listed it'll start putting upward pressure on the values, helping them to re-appreciate (which I believe they're just starting to do). So you did all the 944 guys out there a favor.

Personally, I would expect to have the following done in relatively short order, given your description - timing (cam) belt, balance shaft belts, rollers, front seals, water pump (total job about $900-$1,000) and if you need bushings & a valve cover seal done as well, I'm sure that'll run at least another $500. . . So about $4,500 for a car with a book value of $2,000? I don't want to rain on your parade, but it sounds like you should've done some research before you paid that much.

On the other hand, you have a fine automobile - take care of it, don't skimp on the maintenance, and enjoy it! These cars are expensive ladies, but beautiful ones!

[btsave]

Ouch!@
Now I feel really stupid, you're correct, I did no research at all! Infact originally I was looking at 911's and saw this... I was taken by the condition and that it has 4 seats... we still have a 9 yr old at home and my 71 MGB, 73 Midget only seat 2! Granted, we also have a '65 Mini Cooper, 2003 Mini cooper S & a Chrysler Pacifica 2004/.... but this looked like a bargain!

If I have the opportunity to reneg., should I? or is the car indeed worth more than the market is ready to support at this time?

[Tishabet]

Dob't freak about the price you paid, he's talking KBB as in Kelly Blue Book. Those numbers are what you're insurance company will pay you for a total, or what the dealer might consider as a trade-in. In other words, WAY lower than market.
Assuming the car you bought is in good mechanical condition, has never been wrecked, and the PO has a reciept for that timing belt, you got a good deal.

[btsave]

Thnk you!

I feel better now... I don't mind spending money on a car, as long as it's not a "fool's errand" to start with!

I suppose bringing it to my local Porsche dealer would be the same as adopting a drug addict?
Any Florida 944 owners in South FL recommend a local shop?

Thanks!

[Z-man]

btsave: just a quick note: the PO said there's no rust on the car: well, there shouldn't be: all 944's have galvanized bodies: rust is not an issue with them!

Congrats on the purchase, and welcome to the club! The 944 is an excellent car to play with!

-Z-man.

PS: I like your other toys as well!

[SoCal Driver]

Expect to get another three maybe four years out of the kid in the back "seats". Especially if it's a boy. Girls tend to fit back there a bit longer.

IIRC the back "seats" were added to get the car out of the sports car classification for fuel economy reasons.

[CJFusco]

btsave,
welcome to the board. I am sure you will grow to love the 944.

West Palm, eh? My mother has a place down there (condo in a very geriatric area). Last time I was down there, I insisted on stopping at the Auto Toy Store... still one of the most automotive dealerships I have ever seen!

[btsave]

Auto Toy is a very interesting place indeed!

Next time you're here, stop in at "Ragtops" in West Palm Beach... neat place with a wide selection of antiques and classics...

my mechanic does a great deal of work for them... no Porsche's though..

[btsave]

BRISTOL, CT? huh?

the 944's coming from Norwalk, CT!

how far away are you? it's a silver/gold '83, blk leather interior... maybe you've seen it?

[CJFusco]

norwalk is a little ways off... maybe fifty miles? I know that isn't a lot in Florida terms, but I live in CT don't forget... the distance between the MA line and NYC is about the same as the distance from Miami to the bottom of the keys

944s are pretty common up here - hell, all Porsches are, just like in FLA. Actually there's a statistic that over 75% of Porsches were delivered to a combination of California, Florida, and New England (read that in... damn where did I read that?) The chances that I've seen that car are pretty slim, but who knows?

[TorqueTube]

The 9-year old will be a tad bit cramped in the back -- mine is. When the wife's not along, we scoot the front seat ALL the way back and he rides shotgun. You don't have to worry about it tho because no airbags in your 1984 944.

It takes some nuts to buy a car on e-Bay without looking at it first, but it's less risk if you aren't spending big $$$.

KBB and Edmunds are way off when it comes to 944s, IMHO.

Yeah, get the receipt for the timing belt. Age or mileage dictates a replacement.

My 944 was first adopted in SoCal, so that fits the pattern!

[btsave]

yeah... is does take b***s... but this is the 4th car I've purchased in 2 years, all without a hitch... even sold several others and had no problem.. in a way it's more objective than seeing a car in person and becoming emotionally involved... plus, you have the seller's comments in writting explaining the car so you have something to use if necessary. When buying in person, you get into a "he said" "she said" issue.

[btsave]

Thought this was interesting,,, auction results from Barrettjackson.com:
4 1986 PORSCHE 944S 2 DOOR HATCHBACK SOLD 4,644
2004-BJCCA
• 172 1983 PORSCHE 944 COUPE SOLD 4,644
2002-BJCCA
• 10 1988 PORSCHE 944 COUPE SOLD 4,104
2001-BJCCA

Interesting how the newer S sold for same as the other and the '88 sold for less than either!

b

[Z-man]

BTW, there was no US-Spec 944S produced in 1986. (Not sure if there were any ROW 944S's in '86 either!)

The 944S was made only during the 1987-1988 MY.

Oh, and many regard the 944S as the least desireable of the 944 series, due to it's perceived complex head (16 valve head) and relatively little horsepower gain over the 8-valve n/a powerplant.

-Z-man.