non running 951...walk away?

[tmsautoart]

87 has been sitting for a while(i have been looking at it sit in the same spot for a year) and owner says it won't start now. Actually he said it wont do anything. He put a new battery in the car and still...nothing. He says he was told it was probably a relay? I did see the window was down about half an inch. Is the DME under the seat? could it have been exposed to the elements? When I first saw the car it was being driven. I'm not very familiar w/ 951s. What would be a price to offer the guy? Body is decent, has some dings.

[nynor]

hard to say. do you have pictures? parts for these cars are relatively easy to sell if you just want to part it out. the dme is in the passenger footwell.

[Loquat15]

relays are under the hood in the relay box, cant miss it ;-)

Sounds like something simple went wrong in that case. Do any of the electronics inside the car turn on? Like... radio, gauges, lights?

[tmsautoart]

talked to the guy and said I might stop by this weekend to take a look. I believe he said "nothing" happened when he turned the key over. I have the feeling that moisture or water getting in the floors has something to do w/ it.

[Loquat15]

Oh, while you're down there... look up to where the clutch master cylinder mates to the firewall... this is from the inside... for some reason both 944s that I've owned have had leaks there. Easy fix... but a mess.

You might be on to something with the water though, a friends 951 (944 turbo) rusted through where the battery sits... each time he'd wash his car he was getting water on both his KLR unit and his DME (two electronic components you need). Just pull back the carpet on the passenger side up top and you'll find a wooden panel, unscrew it and you'll see the two units. It should be obvious if there is water damage.

[tmsautoart]

thanks for the info....Would be nice to get a steal. I'll keep you posted.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Could be an easy fix, could be a train wreck. In any case, it sounds like the P.O. is a douchebag/cheapass for letting it sit like that in the first place. My gut instinct tells me to walk away, since if the guy is too lazy/cheap to bother to fix the car, much less roll the window up or not let the thing rot in his yard for months on end, you're bound to uncover a lot more frustrating and head-scratching (and expensive!) issues later on.

There's nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche.

[Loquat15]

I guess the main question should be... How much is he asking for it?

I'd take one for cheap that wasn't running... maybe use it as a track car or god knows what.

[tmsautoart]

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile
Could be an easy fix, could be a train wreck. In any case, it sounds like the P.O. is a douchebag/cheapass for letting it sit like that in the first place. My gut instinct tells me to walk away, since if the guy is too lazy/cheap to bother to fix the car, much less roll the window up or not let the thing rot in his yard for months on end, you're bound to uncover a lot more frustrating and head-scratching (and expensive!) issues later on.

There's nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche.

I never use the word "cheap" when talking Porsches (I do own a 911SC) In his defense, he is in the military and was gone for several months at a time the last couple years. I dont think he intended on letting it sit..as for the window being down slightly...ya, that bothers me..

[tmsautoart]

Not sure on the asking price. He's not advertising it anywhere. I just stuck a piece of paper on his door one day and all of a sudden he called me. I'm trying not to sound TOO interested. I'm sure hes not "giving" it away, but who knows....

[Loquat15]

Sounds like either navy or marines...

If you want a project car, that seems to be it... probrably isnt too bad but then again, if the owner hasnt gotten it to run yet... who knows how he's kept it in the past, ya know?

it's hard to judge how much a car is worth when it's not running.

[diverdan]

Could be a fair deal. He's coming to you and has probably lost all interest in the car. He was probably discouraged by quotes from expensive shops to get it going. Your sweat and knowledge to repair it are your aces. Right now he probably knows he has a tough to move quantity. Might be dirt cheap.

Good luck.

Diverdan

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Two words people: "Car covers". Cheap, simple, a good investment. I usually have one on ALL my vehicles at all times unless I know I'm going out again later or are exceptionally lazy (maybe once a month). Rest of the time, I put 'em on. Takes all of 30 seconds. It's cheap protection from the sun, bird *****, tree sap, opportunistic vandals and thieves, etc. Just a thought for all-o'ya'.

[nize]

a non-running car is pretty much worthless.

[Loquat15]

im sure they have some value... its got rims, right? Its just the cost to fix can be a huge headache and maybe a few times the price you paid for it to fix.

[myskyon]

well if you all ready have a 951 then it would make a great parts car or long term project. or it may even be somthing so simple and to the alarm box got wet and wont let the car start. (had that happen to me).

[onehot951]

just for grins, i know this thread is probably dead, my 2 cents

when my throwout bearing failed, my car sat for a year, i started it up and let it warm up to make sure nothing would seize for the first 2 or 3 months but after that it pretty much sat and got rained on. after a year i had it towed to my porsche shop and spent almost 5,000 getting the clutch done, and alot of suspension work replaced and the belts. mechanic used to work for porsche in the 60's and he went ahead an checked it out before starting it. it turned over the first time. Then again some cars are fast an no one knows why. from a corny movie "they make 10,000 cars the same way, and one or two of them turn out to be something special" I would fix it