How much does a Decent condition Turbo cost now?

[seaboltman]

Whats goin on guys? It's been a long while since I've posted here. I used to have a few 944s back about 3 years ago. I was wonder how much a decent (read: Im willing to do work) turbo is going for now a days. I seem to remember 3 years ago they were in the 7k or so range.

I'd Be looking for one to remove/rebuild the engine and upgrade turbo/other mods.

Thanks for the help

[911paige]

Hi i just read a post from a guy in colorado that just picked one up for a unheard off 3000.00 i almost fell on the ground but it does need a little work ..... i thought i got a good deal for 4500.00 115,000 miles one owner but the car had a little fender bender.... i bought all the parts and i'm ready to put her back together i think if you take your time you can find a decent 951 from 3000. to 5000 these days ...good luck with your search ..... check out my project....

[bearone2]

a decent one for $3-5k? and you figure it'll be running too?

we have different concepts of a decent 951.

87951
95sl320 dd

[jmj996]

I looked for quite a while. I did not include eBay in my search, as I live in central/northern California and have quite a selection available in the region. I got mine for $6700 in good running condition with 137k miles, at least good enough that I could drive two hours home with no problem and it looked really nice. Paint and interior were very nice, and everything worked but the rear wiper. There were some minor oil leaks, but nothing that left any drops on the garage floor. The clutch felt great and based on mileage had more than 50% of life left. A few non-stock extras were included, such as performance chips, front spoiler lip, a 924t hood, a manual boost controller, 17" twist 986/996 wheels, narrow band air/fuel gauge, aftermarket stereo. Lots of maintenance had been done to it in the recent past, including new lower engine seals, resealed oil cooler/exchanger, PS pump, new updated bypass valve, ANSA exhaust, but it still needed some $$ items to be replaced to make it run and handle the way it should. Even the head gasket went out within three months (included track use though) as it was very old and badly corroded to the point that the fire ring just let go under the stress of track use. Here is a list of what I've replaced in the last four months to make it suitable for daily driver and track use (my last time out, I finally had a GREAT day with no mechanical issues whatsoever):
Brakes: front rotors, front & rear pads, new stainless steel braided brake lines, new ATE super blue fluid. Badly needs the e-brake shoes too, just haven't done them yet.
Engine: Head gasket job, venturi delete hoses (all of my hoses under the intake were in terrible condition, some just snapped trying to pull them out), all vacuum lines, fuel pressure regulator, fuel damper, cap for the coolant reservoir, rubber mounting blocks for the idle control valve.
Suspension: New struts, shocks, and springs all around (retained torsion bars for now, but added helper springs), new front bearings, new driver's side tie rod assembly
Other things I did for track use: Bigger front sway bar, brake cooling kit, Lindsey caster blocks and a-arm bushings, short-shift kit. I also had to replace the starter because the housing broke when it backfired while trying to turn the car over after the head gasket blew.
To-Do List: There are quite a few things that are probably on their last leg, including some wiring harnesses that are starting to feel pretty brittle, a few CV joint boots, the rear brake shoes, . I will also be changing the ball joints when I can figure out how to remove the retaining clip

Probably a few other minor things I'm not remembering, but anyway, this has been my experience beginning with my purchase in late July. Other than the head gasket replacement, none of the work has been very painful except when the radiator drain plug broke off inside the radiator and I had to remove it just to get the broken plug out. These are known to crack off easily. If in doubt about the condition of the radiator drain plug, always have a new drain plug ready before you go to drain the radiator. Else don't use the plug, just detach the lower hose to drain it out.

[mikepellegrini]

I've seen 951's go for quite a bit less - in the low $2000 range, but when one of those comes up, you have to be there Johnny on the Spot with cash in hand to get it.

I lost out on several really good ones - the best was a Turbo S Silver Rose that went for $1,800! The only thing wrong with it was that it wouldn't boost (big deal!). There was another one that went for the same price - the guy had dumped nearly $20K in it but finally had enough and sold it. It had massive oil leaks from the pan gasket, but otherwise was a good car (with a larger turbo and a bunch of other mods).

It's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

But yeah, a more typical price is $5-6 K for a fixer.

[seaboltman]

well truth be told, im not concerned with if it has issues or not, as long as they are power train related or something like a gasket. The engine will be ripped out and rebuilt, turbo will be replaced, trans most likely rebuilt. So if it has a boost issue, or a leaky oil pan gasket... hell im happy makes it cheaper for me. But realistically i could find one around 4-5k and settle in to hash out any problems and rebuild it?