86 944

[Andre]

I am looking to buy a 944 right now. I'm still in high school so my budget is really tight, as in i have $5,500 in the bank but will have more soon. Parents are offering give me an extra 3,000 or so.
My question is: If i get say an '86 944 with about 70k on it, and decent records, not perfect record but not bad ones. The timing belts have been changed about 30k ago and clutch has NOT been rebuilt yet, how much will i spend in the first year i have it??

Am I just better off getting like an early 90s eclipse or something, would it be more reliable and not as costly in the maintainance department??(eclipse is parents' suggestion)

[1.2gees]

Yes you could get an eclipse, and likely it'd be more reliable.

To make my point, I'll tell you exactly what I did...

My parents had gotten me a Prelude Si, a few months before I got my permit. That car was nice, I drove it really hard. Had modifications here and there, like a cat back, sway bars, tires, etc. Keep in mind ALL the expenses were paid by my parents, from gas to insurance, to detailing, WHATEVER.

I drove a friends (piece of crap) early 85 944, and I had to get one, I just did. Talked to my parents about it, their answer was (after chuckling for a little) no way. But being the fair people they are, they firmly stated, I'd have to buy the thing, and I'd have to pay insurance on it. Well, I got myself a job, saved the money, and bought a 944! Did pay insurance on it for a while, and about all the other expenses.

I've been auto-xing it for a while, and even though I lost my license, I think my parents finally like the idea of their son owning a Porsche. Infact, my mom was interested in a 996 Cab for herself, might still happen, we'll see about that.

They've been teasing me with the idea of a Boxter S for a few months now, but I'm gonna go for a 968, I think. I've got 8$-9k saved in the bank (hard to do when you try to keep a 944 running), and am looking at another job at $12 an hour, close to my school.

ANYWAY, the thing is, a 944's totally worth the cash you put into it, but only IF you realize the joy of driving/owning one. If not, it's just a waste of money. You must decide that part.

PS: Early 944s are cheaper in a lot of aspects to keep up, but finding one in good shape may be a little hard.
Ahmet

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It's all the driver...

[thamlin000]

That 86 944 will need its belts and clutch changed in the next 30k miles. That's about $2000 in maintainance.

Look at as many 944s as you can....even ones out of your price range. You'll get a better perspective of the good, well-maintained 944s and the beaters. Buy one with a replaced clutch and belts changed. Be sure to take it to a Porsche mechanic to be inspected before you buy. It'll cost you $100, but it could save you thousands of dollars in the long run (no joke).

Don't spend all of your money on the initial purchase, make sure you always have extra money in the bank in case of repair/maintainance.

Good luck and keep us informed.

[thamlin000]

BTW, early Eclipses have horrible reliability ratings. You'd be better off with a 240 SX, Prelude or Integra, should you go that route. Don't rule out a 90-91 RX-7.

Still, the right 944 makes a fun and fairly reliable daily driver that you can take to the track on weekends. Plus there is support and info available for these cars; Porsche Club America and these message boards.

[Andre]

My brother has a 240sx. Its nice and all and i thought of getting one for a while but i'm not sure, i REALLY want a 944.

OK so.....$2000 in the next 30K, not that bad, is that plus regular maintainance?

So what do you guys suggest?

[Obin Robinson]

Andre,

you can afford a non-turbo 944 no problem. if you can afford an eclipse, you can afford a 944 and a half.

do you have anything against the 924? that car is the most affordable thing i've ever owned. more reliable and cheaper to maintain than my POS bottom-of-the-barrel Nissan Sentra.

good luck!

obin

[Andre]

hahaha no offence to any 924 owners, but i dont like the 924 and itd be REALLY old if i got a 924. I just want a 86-87 944 but i am worried about driving it for a month then having it sit in the garage for 2 years becuase i cant afford to fix it. I can probably find one for about 5,500 and the money i earn this summer i will keep for maintainance

[Andre]

hahaha no offence to any 924 owners, but i dont like the 924 and itd be REALLY old if i got a 924. I just want a 86-87 944 but i am worried about driving it for a month then having it sit in the garage for 2 years becuase i cant afford to fix it. I can probably find one for about 5,500 and the money i earn this summer i will keep for maintainance

[p0r2chby]

Andre

the maintenance challenge with any 944 is within the first year of use. The 86 you are mentioning may be a good value for you and will be much more car than any eclipse.

You are going to need a clutch, perhaps not now but once you begin to thrash the car, it will go quick. Save some bucks for a "spring" type clutch. Other than the clutch, you will probably need to go thru the fluids and the brakes. Because of the age of the car, expect the rotors to be thin. Save yourself some $$$'s by staying with stock brake parts till you get a better budget an year or two down the line.

The next area to watch out for is the water pump and again, the belts. If you do a pump, do the belts, it all has to come apart for the pump so do it at the same time.

clutch $1,200 to $1,400
pump w/belts, $800.
misc fluids, oil, filters etc $400 (oil, coolant, rear diff, brake etc.)

est.. 2 to 2.5K in maintenance for first year

the 944 is a reliable car if you stay on top of the maintanance and do not thrash it much. If you start to play, you get to pay (tires, brakes, etc) -> I'd go for the 944

(good grades, no tickets, an alarm etc all help to lower the insurance)
((86n/a some records, 70K miles 3.5 to 5K max value))

[CJFusco]

Andre,
I bought an 83 944 with 40,000 miles on it 2 years ago, and I still haven't spent more than $1000 on maintainence - and the most costly maintainence cost is the clutch that isn't installed yet but figured into my $1000 maintainence cost. Since the one you are looking for will have circa 70K on the clock, a clutch job will probably already have been performed. Go for it, the 944 is a great car. I have driven all 3 of the different body styles of the Eclipse (I would be hard pressed to remember the exact models) and none of them compare to the visceral thrill of driving a 944.

[Andre]

thanks for all the help guys.

Basically the only things to worry about is clutch and pump/belts. Rest of the little stuff i can do myself cheeply right?(i know nothing about cars but again...brother is good mechanic)

[TheStig]

Ahmet I will be first to get the 968 =) heheh. You can have the tiptronic one...just kiddin

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The only good ricebox is the one I'm about to cook..

[85944na]

you said the belts were done in the last 30k right? that means its about time again so figure timing belts for sure. At around 70k i doubt the clutch has been done so more$$$ (mine went at 100k) other things to think about:
motor mounts: (bad ones cause ANNOYING vibrations) i'd guess 400-500$
oil cooler seals; cost??? These are the problems i had in the first year owning my early 85, however, after these and a few other things (brakes, cv joint, etc.) My car has been problem free for about a year. SO to be safe i'd say allow 3,000$ for the first year, and after that you should be ok for a while. And i agree to look around for a while and find a really nice one, my car is in excellent shape and came with tons of records its worth the wait i looked at some rough ones, and my friend recently bought one, it broke 2 days after he got it, the owner told him the timing belts were done 15k ago, but they broke and he bent valves...even after being fixed it wasnt a very nice car. he sold it a couple weeks later. Anyway good luck and buy a nice one

[Andre]

Yea, one thing i have is time. I dont need a car right now for necesity, i just really want one so i am planning to look for one until i find a good one.

So if anything pops up around the boston area, please let me know.

[Andre]

Also a clutch is "suggested" to be changed at 50,000, but i guess thats in worse case scenario. Still i wouldn't let it ride till 100,000. I am going to go look at some cars next week hopefully and i'll take my digital camera along. I'll take some pictures of the engine and anything suspicious i see, maybe you guys can help me determine the shape of the car.

[p0r2chby]

Andre... where are you located...

........

ok guy's lets work up a check this list for viewing potential cars. anyone have the first time buyers list from ?

[Andre]

I am in Natick, MA. Its about 20 miles outside of Boston.