All thing need to consider when buying a 944/924

[Raybrig_nsxxx]

hey all im a first time poster on pelican but a long time lover for porsches' ever since i got hooked on NFS porsche unleashed a few years ago.

Now that im 16 and have the money enough to buy a porsche, i have narrowed it down to a 944 or 924S or 931. Since they seem to be the cheapest and most fuel efficent.

here are some examples from local ads

(CND funds)

1980 924 turbo $4200 "looks hot, runs great no rust 100000+ kms"

1984 PORSCHE 944. 2 Door Coupe. 5 Speed Standard Transmission. Brown Leather Interior. 2.5 Liter Gasoline Engine rebuilt with full documentation. 4 Cylinders. 184,000 miles. $4,000.00. obo

1984 PORSCHE 944. GOOD condition need minor body work. need to be aircared. new timing belt new water pump,. comes with deck and 2 alpine speakers .pwr win. pwr sunroof. 2.5 L 4cylinder 5 speed. short shift. $3,000.00. negot

how much would air care cost typically?


So what i ask of you guys is a few questions:

1. what maintence would i need to perform; how offten and how much $$$ would it take?

2. insurance, how much would you say it would cost (ball park range) for me? (ps i live in vancouver bc)

3. are there any cheap upgrades for them that result in a hp increase? (big or small)

4. what would be the ideal compression psi reading for a 944 and 924 turbo + 924S

5. are there and bugs with the 944/924S/931?

thats all that i can think of right now, please post more if you know anything else i should consider.

thanks

ps i have read all pelican articles and topics

[Dave L]

You need to triple your budget, $8000 for the car, $4000 for maintnenance.

for the 1980 924turbo I would forget it, you get a turbo and the potential problems that go with them but none of the performance.

1984 944, lots of miles but if it was well taken care of it could be okay

1984 944, if it needs body work forget it. body work by far is the most expensive thing you can do to a car. For "air Care" I am assuming this is for smog, it could be anything, bad plugs, cat, poor maintenance.


Please keep in mind that you are buying an old sports car, the fact that its made by Porsche is not going to help. The purchase price is simply the price of admission, even a very well maintained car will need work at some point, probably much sooner than you expect. Budget at least a couple of thousand per year for routine maintenance and the odd minor problems that creep up. If a timing belt breaks, the clutch needs to be done, or the tranny needs to be done budget a couple thousand for that as well.

At 16 you should consider an old honda, Toyota or Mazda, seriously. You want to have fun with your first car not spend it being paranoid afraid of any potential problem.

[Tervuren]

I found out about the 944 from NFS 2000 as well. (I grew up in the woods, very little contact with what was out there in the automotive world, intenret changed that.) I started saving at 14, had enough to buy one mid 16, but didn't actualy do it until I was 18.

Engine performance modifications wise, your best bet would be a '82 924 Turbo, turn up the boost, and spend a lot of time on making a good intercooler setup. Going to cost money, its the oldest of the choices, and will have all the turbo parts to fail. Very potentialy expensive. The 944 Turbo was built after all the learning on the 931's, they where still trying to find what worked on the 931's.

Not knowing parts cost and availibilty in Canada, I can't comment that well. I know they charge a lot on import taxes, so parts are going to be artificialy higher then in the US. I've spent $250 as of last June and $300 the year prior. Timing belt is going to happen in the next two weeks, so this years figure is going to go up a bit. I also plan on reworking the suspension to be a bit crisper either this or next year.

A budget of $1,000 a year on maintenance alone is something I would plan on. Not knowing costs in Canada, the $2,000 figure above might be more reasonable.

[Razorback1980]

Here is a web site to read if you are considering one of these cars.

http://www.connactivity.com/~kgross/FAQ/944faq05.html

OK, now on to the cars. As already mentioned, maintenance on an old car is required. Don't want to scare you, but Porsche parts are not cheap but more importantly, they aren't readily available. That's the part that hurts. If something breaks, count on your car being down for at least a week while you wait for parts. The other really big factor in that equation is whether you are capable of fixing your own car. Some young folks like yourself were/are in auto shop but for me, my dad owned a garage so I knew quite a bit about repairing cars when I bought my first one...but I'm still glad it wasn't a Porsche. If you can fix your own car, then you stand a better chance of being able to afford one of these cars, but don't forget to factor in that when something does break, you are going to be walking for about a week. I never recommend one of these cars as primary transportation for just that reason. If you are not capable of fixing your own car, then please do yourself and the car a favor...don't even consider one. They are very fun cars and I really hope you have one someday, but the Honda is going to have parts cheaper and right there in your home town so you can get your wheels back pretty quick and with the Honda, you can afford a newer car so hopefully it won't break as often. If you do decide to go with one of these, make sure you get one that has been maintained very well. That's the key to any good car owning experience.

Good luck to you and I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

[AaronM]

Budget at lest $2,000 for repairs after buying the car, regardless of advertised condition. Insurance for me on my 944 N/A back in Ohio was about $1,600/year (US) and I was 21 at the time.

If you're stretching yourself to buy the car to the point where you have to worry about insurance, don't buy it.

The 931 is a fun little car, but it's a maintenance nightmare from everything I've read. Stay away from it unless you're ready to spend a fair bit of money on care each year.

The biggest problem with the 944/924 series is that by now many have already passed through the hands of one generation of 16-18 year olds who haven't been able to afford proper maintenance or who have made some very stupid modifications trying to get "performance" (on the trip recently to Salmon Arm, we met a local kid with an early 944 N/A who had JB-Welded his fuel rail "to plug up the nitrous holes", the car was mechanically as rough as they come if they're still drive-able and he was thinking he'd get $8,000 CDN). It's difficult to find an un-molested example anymore.

As far as power mods, nope. Nothing cheap that makes any appreciable amount of power.

[Blondie]

*mumble mumble* Timing belt..and *mumble* water pump..and..*incoherently mumbles some more 'fun' maintainence*

[anotherblack944]

Hmm,

"NFS.., 16.., upgrades.., how much?.." = You really don't want and CAN'T AFFORD ONE!

Sorry, right now I'm picturing a backwards baseball cap..

No offense but, you'd be better off to start looking in the H's

[Eldorado]

if you want a cheap running car, a ~20-25 year old german sports car is not for you..

Cost of Ownership - Year 1

there is a good thread for you to read...

one last tip - dont rely on this as your only car. It will break down and leave you high and dry (or sometimes even wet)...

after that, they're fun cars.. and if you can afford it, then it's a great car to own and learn on...

[liljon's924S]

Hey Raybrig, So you want to buy a 944/924. Well your not the only kid here. I am 17 goingon 18 years old and have a '87 924S. I love my car and have fun doing various things to it, but there are down sides to these cars. Twenty year old Porsches take ALOT of time and money that most kids these days don't have. I have been working two jobs for the past two years to pay for the car($4,500) and the upkeep($3,500). Things in these cars will work one day and the next day the car will let you sit, and if its your daily driver that means you might not be going anywhere that day. If this car has taught me any lessons it would be that you must work very hard for things you love and enjoy. Sorry but I'm with the others, DON'T get one, they aren't for kids!


P.S. Just some advise, don't talk about cheap horsepower upgrades around here, they're words of the devil!

-Johnny-

[Tervuren]

Originally posted by anotherblack944
Hmm,

"NFS.., 16.., upgrades.., how much?.." = You really don't want

Hrm...I came to that conclusion at 16. I'd saved up enough while still 16(but 17 coming on) to buy a white 968 Coupe, 50K miles. I went with a no - but it didn't change the fact that the front engined Porsches is what I wanted for a first car. I stuck half of my money away to save for a house, and waited. Eventualy, at 18, it was time, the right car, right price, and I was ready for it.

[scottmandue]

1980 924 turbo $4200 "looks hot, runs great no rust 100000+ kms"

Run away... run away!

I have no personal experience wit the 924 turbo but there are a few horror stories out there.

I would recommend the nicest 944 you can find in your budget, little fixes get real expensive, real fast.