Ok, I'm still continuning my search for a 944, and I've manged to find *3* locally. First car:
1988 944 (2.5L)
104K
BRAND NEW (as in, 0 mile) clutch, dealer installed. The dealer bought it with a blown clutch with the intent of selling it. I talked to the ower. Says it's in great condition, and he's going to do whatever might need to be done to get anything else squared away. So far, the clutch is the only known issue. He's asking about 5.5K
Doesn't sound like it'd be too bad, I figured since it's past 100K most of the real expensive stuff has been done. The brand new clutch is also a big plus. Also, price seems about right. I haven't gotten to see it yet, but I am going to some time this week.
Second car:
1989 944 (2.7L)
74K
Apparently real nice, and 74K original miles. Unfortunately, this is all the info I have. My dad is in contact with the owner. Any ideas on price range? Any different pit falls from earlier model years?
Third car:
1987 951
124K
Again, a nice example of a 951. Clean inside and out, runs strong, shifts strong. They want (same dealer as the 88) 8K for it.
Same reasoning as #1, all the major stuff has been taken care of. However, I'm a bit leary of a 124K Turbo engine, especially a performance engine. We all know these cars have seen their share of spirited driving. Is there any problems with a higher mileage 951? Is he asking too much? What kind of service records should I be looking for from the engine? I'm assuming a 951 engine requires a little more mechanic love than the NA engine.
The 944 will be my daily, including (unfortunately) serving winter duty. My dad's not so sure about 100k+ miles, and I too have some reservations. However, since I work and go to school full time, I'm looking at under 1K/miles per month average over a span of, say, 5 years (assuming I keep it through college). Does a 951 require a substanial amount more maintence than the NA? I'd LOVE a 951 but I also don't want to be strecting each paycheck to pay for some new repair.
Which 944 would you guys recommend, and why? Insurance isn't much different, so really it's down to the individual car.
Thanks a lot, and apologies for the long post.
edit: Or I could get a truck and a snowmobile...
Oh, decisions...