worth the $$$$

[Hawkney911]

looking at getting another toy wanted some 944 guys opinions

984/85 Porsche 944

147666 miles
Blaupunkt cassette AM/FM radio
Air
Moon roof
Power windows
Power locks
5 Speed
Factory alloy wheels
Rear Spoiler
Porsche floor mats
New tires
Car cover
Burgundy exterior
Black leather interior
Recent new battery
Factory security alarm

worth the 4500 asking price?

from what i know its a friends dads i saw it at his house earlier this year at a party and told him if he ever want to sell it let me know
it hasn't been run in over 5 years PO was his brother
body and interior seem to be in great shape

any feedback would b great

[Hawkney911]

[KY944S]

I would change the T-belt right off the bat!!! Then go from there.

[944 Ecology]

Looks good from here.

[Dantilla]

Looks great, but there's not enough information. I wouldn't consider it until after it was given a thorough pre purchase inspection by someone who knows 944s well.

Timing belt for sure. You don't know what other expensive invoices lay ahead on a car that has sat unused for a long time.

Hopefully, a good mechanic will give it a relatively clean bill of health, and you enjoy the car for a long time.

A good PPI is the best $200 you will ever spend when buying a Porsche.

[67l60]

its allot of work, to bring a sleeping car to life

rubber hoses get dry rotted
old dead fuel issue needs to be drained and flushed
oil change and priming the oil system a must and pray all the oil seals will hold up
expect the fuel pump to be shot the rubber pieces inside last about 90 days when not running
brake and clutch wear surfaces will be iffy not to mention caliper seals and calipers might be froze

letting a car sit un ran for 5 years is a quick way to spend a fortune

the kkb is like 4700 for a flawless 944

id be looking around 2800 to 3 k leaving you room to wake it up right and still not be 10k into a 5 k car

butt it is a nice looking car

[pozican]

Car looks beautiful!

Honestly, it is tough to guess because of it sitting for so long.

Don't start it until you change timing/balance belt, coolant, and oil just to be sure!

[Hawkney911]

i know from are 911 that sitting cars can b problems especialy with porsches

i will try to go this weekend when im back from school for a closer look

so my list of things to check for as of now are........

-rust
-dryrot
-timing belt
.....feel free to add to the list

the car was well taken care of b4 the owner stored it so im hoping for the best......i dont mind having a few projects and so far i think 4500 is a pretty fair price i might c if he will budge a little

because i know him im sure he woundnt mind me taking a closer look and mabye attempting to start it after a run thru and some fluid changes

my brother (who is graduating in may) and i are looking for a fun project this summer b4 he heads back into the real world so an engine rebuild wouldnt be a deal breaker but i am looking for a good base to start from

[Rrrockhound]

I paid $4500 for a 944 with half as many miles and no issues (other than needing an A/C charge and other really small stuff). And it had 20 years of service records. So I think you should keep looking, or get at least $1000 off that price. And most of the things you list as features (sunroof, spoiler, power windows, etc.) are found on all 944s, so they don't count as pluses.

Check for rust under the battery.

[pozican]

O -- well honestly, the 944's are galvanized, so rust doesn't happen very often, and that and dryrot I thought I only heard of in the early 911s and the 914s.

Here, are the strange problems I have been having.

Check the turnbuckles on the bottom of the nose of the car that tension the powersteering and Alternator / AC belt.
Mine have been breaking.

Check the bolt that holds the AC compressor and the alternator on (Serpentine belt goes around the crank, the AC compressor, and the alternator)

There IS a clutch inspection hole, but I'm not exactly sure where it is.

Check for water in the oil, although I guess if it's been sitting for so long it could just be condensation...

[Hawkney911]

thanks for the tips

[earlr85944]

for that amount of cash I would expect everything working including AC. anything not working would have to be subtracted from the asking price or repaired first. Get a PPI as noted above.
Its also a catch 22, cant really drive it with old belts etc, cant really pay 4G's for a car you didnt drive first.....

But then cars are like women sometimes if it feels right, who cares if she cant cook.

[SoCal Driver]

Originally posted by pozican
O -- well honestly, the 944's are galvanized, so rust doesn't happen very often, ...

Yes rust in a 20 plus year old galvanized 944 does happen. Wet passenger floorboard is a hole under the battery. Seen rust behind the fenders next to the doors. The door frame right above the handle cracks and then there is rust.

Something about battery sweat and rain and a clogged drain in the battery area.

Remember; Rust Never Sleeps!

[Tidybuoy]

I just purchased a 944 that had been stored for 6 years. Although it had low mileage, it was recommended that I replace the timing and balance shaft belts. This was recommended by almost everyone on this board as well as the Porsche mechanic.

I ended up having the belts changed by the shop since this is an area that I am not an expert at. I did all of the other work which included: oil change, flushed radiator & changed all hoses, flushed the braking system, plugs, cap, rotor, and new plug wires. Drained and re-filled transmission and trans-axle, drained the fuel tank and replaced the fuel filter.

The mechanic shot some ATF transmission fluid into each cylinder which helps to oil the cylinders and free any stuck rings. He also turned the engine by hand, at first, which he told me that rings can sometimes get stuck to the cylinder walls and break when cranking the engine for the first time.

After everything was done and the car was running, I discovered that the A/C had leaked all of it's coolant so I had to get that fixed. I also developed a fuel leak and had to replace the small fuel line that comes out of the bottom of the tank. The car was also idling a little bit rough and was hard to start so I ended up replacing the fuel pressure regulator, damper, fuel pump check valve, and all vacuum lines.

After all that, the car runs perfect but this was at a cost of about $2k to do everything listed above. My car only had 17k miles on it but even with very low mileage, things made of rubber deteriorated.

Keep this in mind when making an offer on this car. It looks really good in the photo (as did mine) but it most likely will not be a turn-key situation and you may need to invest some bucks to get things perfect.

Vern

[callmethewander]

all true, and the price seems a bit high for that kind of mileage, but if the body and paint are in perfect condition it might be worth it.

[Tidybuoy]

Personally, I think that if you like the car and you want it - get it.

If your trying to get the best deal around, then you need to shop around and negotiate a little. I'm only letting you know what I had to spend on my car to get it perfect so that you know what could be involved. You may not have to do as much work as I did (in fact, I probably didn't need to do everything) but you should know that if you can't do it your self, it could add up quickly - especially the timing belt, as this requires special tools to tension it properly.

[Razorback1980]

You can find a car that has been driven on weekends for that price and you won't have to go through the pain of replacing all the rubber. With that said, it's really a personal choice whether the car is worth that to you. I think if I really liked the car and the PPI came back decent, I would make him pay for belts change for that price.

[Hawkney911]

thanks for all the tips guys i set some time up 2marro to go take a look ill bring back some more photos i talked with his daughter (friend) and she said he does drive it sometimes so it hasnt been the dreaded 5 years downtime so im hoping things might not be as bad as first expected but it is alot of miles a pretty high price so ill have to see what my dad says and overall how the car looks on closer inspection and questoning

thanks again guys

[rickkellogg]

I purchased an 83 that sat for nine years. Wasn't running and biggest problem I found (in the beginning) was that the gas in the tank turned to shellac. I had to pull the tank and have it refurbished. The problem stopped at the fuel filter where no air could get to the fuel. It's pretty easy to get to the hose on the bottom of the tank and remove it to see if gas comes out or a substance that looks like black tar.

Looks like a great car!