What could it be worth [944 content]

[Kings911]

Hi guys!

I have a chance to buy a 944 and let me start out by saying I want a 944 that I can restore with my 10 year old son so I am not looking for a gem or a turn key car.

Car in question

1984 944 5spd maroon on grey.

Paint on the car is awful but the body is perfect.

Interior smells is a bit dirty but appears to be all there.

Now the fun stuff. The car has been parked for about 5 years. It over heated so was brought into the shop [it still ran and drove after it over heated]. The head was pulled off of it and the guy no longer wanted to put any money into it so he gave it to the shop for whatever he owed the shop for the work that was already done.

Long story short. Car has been sitting for 5 years with the head in the trunk [engine sealed so no critters could get in].

I get parts at cost, I have access to a ton of used parts but what could the car be worth?

[sausagehacker]

Depends on options, really. Fuchs? Sport seats? LSD? maybe $500 -> $1500

[Kings911]

Originally Posted by sausagehacker

Depends on options, really. Fuchs? Sport seats? LSD? maybe $500 -> $1500

It originally came with fuchs but has phone dials. I dont think it has sport seats and no clue about lsd. Will something in the vin tell me that.

[mytrplseven]

Personally, I'd pass and find one in better basic condition. Even with discounted parts you're looking at 3 to 4 grand to get it roadable and much more to make it a "proud" car. You can still get one in mechanically acceptable condition with a good interior and paint for around 3 to 4 grand. They're more fun to have if you can drive them while you work on them as opposed to a garage queen.

[Litesonic]

agree with my777 on this...

Almost any 944 you pick up is going to need something, which will lead to something else while you are in there. Even if everything is operating normally, things break, or if you are like me... you might have a bout of "modify-itis" in which case you will look for things to improve.

Always best to start with the cleanest example you can find, and ideally one that you can drive home. That way you bond with it while it was a driver... and you can reference that memory while you put parts of it back together.

[Pauld_94S2]

Legal issue (based on your statements): Did the owner transfer title to the shop?

Yes: Then you should buy the car for as little as possible. Shop doesn't seem to have any need or use for the car, they just need to recover their labor costs, but no storage since shop has title. So based on that it just is a value decision if the car is worth it for you, based on comments above.

No: Getting title to register and drive the car may be difficult, if not impossible. Walk away.

[Rasta Monsta]

Originally Posted by Pauld_94S2

No: Getting title to register and drive the car may be difficult, if not impossible. Walk away.

Mechanics' liens (at least in Oregon) are very simple to execute and routinely done. Don't lose a good deal over this issue.

[GostRidr]

Hey Kings,

Looking forward to following your journey be it this one or the next. In case you aren't aware, our online bible, er, shop manual is here:

Clark's Garage Home Page

if you go to the shop manual choice on the left, and then the misc choice in center bottom you will find a section titled "option codes". You can check the sticker in the very back of the car under the rug (if it is still there) for hidden gold through the options that came with the car. That is the easiest way to at least learn what the car was born with.

As for value, if I understand you and it has been there for years, their only value would have been to part it out and they didn't. I can't imagine offering more than $500 to tow it away and dig in...

good luck!

[Kings911]

Thanks for all the responses!

The title isn't an issue.

I was thinking in the 3-500 range as well even then I know it isn't a great deal, hell this car for free might not even be a great deal unless I was to part it out and try to make a few bucks.

I know at MINIMUM I need to spend a few hundred on tires and that much more to get the head back on just to see where I am at and even then I have bad paint and interior.

Here is the thing though and a little bit of history on me. I am a through and through VW guy I have had about 20 of them all watercooled. A VW rabbit was my first car, and I have had them with motor swaps and an original Callaway Rabbit GTI. One time I blew a T belt on a solid body diesel and I parted it out and till this day it kills me when I see how few rabbits are out there knowing I took apart a fairly slid car.

I know I can't overpay for this car but it kills me to think it might get parted out and even though it is ratty its still a solid car.

Then there is the part where I get to do the whole resto with my 10 year old son.

Here is the biggest down side. I can do all the mechanics, I can get the parts cheap but there is no real way I can get around the bad paint. That part is going to be expensive no matter what. Like I can buy another running car for what a paint job alone costs.

OHHHH decisions

[JonA]

Buy this one for short money while looking for a better one. You can resell it if necessary or part it out for stuff you need and to keep others going. Also, there has been a lot of chatter about these cars finally increasing in value and so you may not go underwater if you paint car #1.

Jon

[bpu699]

You can buy a running 944 for $2000. Start with that, then work on it with your son.

A non running 944 in poor shape is a throwaway car.

You will be upside down before you know it.

[djnolan]

Originally Posted by Kings911

I know I can't overpay for this car but it kills me to think it might get parted out and even though it is ratty its still a solid car.

Having owned a few 80's cars I can tell you the only ones still on the road and driven regularly are Porsches because of how solid they were built. No GM, Ford, Honda, etc. can match the solidness. However owners interested in keeping a 30 year old car running are relatively few, and the supply of 944's is relatively large...

Rules 1 and 2 for buying a used 944 are to look 1st for a fresh water pump and timing belt, and 2nd a solid clutch.

[dgcantrell]

On top of all the comments above, I will say this. If you're looking at this from a profit-loss standpoint, you'll never make a profit from it. If you're looking at it like I do, since I'm not in the business of buying and selling these things, and you can do a majority of the work yourself, if I wanted a particular flavor 942/944 and came across a great deal on a complete car that needed some work, I'd get it and not look back. You're NEVER going to make big dollars on these cars but you get the enjoyment of owning, fixing, and driving some of the best handling cars ever made..

[Kings911]

I have said this about several cars that I have owned, but I really have no intention of trying to make any sort of profit on this car. The 944 has ALWAYS been my favorite Porsche.

The plan is to build it, pass it onto my son and if at any time it it goes up in value cool, if it doesn't I don't care.

However maybe I buy 2. This one and stash it and another one to work on now thats running and if they do appreciate 10 years from now maybe the ratty one will actually be worth something

[dgcantrell]

Now you're talking... LOL I have 2 944's. My 87 944NA that I've had for 24 years.. The 88 944S I got last year for $700. I had a 76 914 2.0 all original, ran like a top but needed paint. Sold it about 2 weeks before I got my current job about 4 years ago. I kick myself in the ass for selling it. Had I known I was going to be offered the job, I would have kept it. And, finally, I have an 84 928S that I've been slowly working on. I drove it for a while until some bastard sugared the gas and killed the fuel pump and injectors. I replaced all that and parked it. I had gotten an all black interior (the car is black) to replace the taupe colored one that was all ratty from sitting in the sun but haven't finished it..... It sitting inside my Dad's old shop that I use for storage collecting dust. I do go up and fire it up for a few minutes every so often though... Someday they may be worth some money... I don't really care though. I just like'em...

[Arizona_928]

Under 500$ with steel scrap at 50$ a ton.... I would offer a touch over scrap and go from there. Cough 300$.... You can lose allot of money on that car to be honest....

[Kings911]

He also has an 87 944s body has some minor dings in it and he rear wheel arches a tiny bi of rust which I have never actually seen before in these cars.

Going to try and get more info on that car today.

I really want to jump on something soon so I can have as much nice weather to restore it as possible.

[fiily]

Originally Posted by Kings911

He also has an 87 944s body has some minor dings in it and he rear wheel arches a tiny bi of rust which I have never actually seen before in these cars.

Going to try and get more info on that car today.

I really want to jump on something soon so I can have as much nice weather to restore it as possible.

A little rust around means this car has rust issues. Check inside of the rear wheel well by pulling the left/right sides of the hatch carpet up and look down at the seam where the wheel arch meets the rear floor pan, I bet you can poke holes through it.

Depending on price and since its a 944S, rip the 16v engine out and sell it, or build the engine up and get a better body.

[Kings911]

On the "S" the passenger rocker panel is toast if i push on it from the wheel well toward the door its REAL crunchy I could probably push my hand through it if I wanted to.

The motor and trans from the S will drop right into the 84 though I am guess? Wiring pretty straight forward? And is it worth the work?

[fiily]

You never gave us prices on either car, that will determine if either car is worth it in my book.