Buying a Porsche 944

[bacu12]

Hello I'm new to the forum, I had a couple of questions about buying a Porsche 944. I'm 17 and I'd like to know what I need to look out for when buying? But also how much maintenance would there be to drive it daily? and by daily I mean 50 miles most. Any advice would be appreciated

[fiily]

Originally Posted by bacu12

Hello I'm new to the forum, I had a couple of questions about buying a Porsche 944. I'm 17 and I'd like to know what I need to look out for when buying? But also how much maintenance would there be to drive it daily? and by daily I mean 50 miles most. Any advice would be appreciated

As any 25+ year old car goes, I would recommend replacing all the gaskets, fuel lines, rubber hoses(cooling/vacuum lines).

If you have no information about maintenance, and you buy one, I would immediately replace the timing belt, balance belt, waterpump, front of engine oil seals, races on the the balance shafts, mylar aka "onion seals", oil pump gear & oil seal, a/c & p/s pump belt.

Check the clutch, if it has not been replaced, the rubber clutch on 944's will literally fall apart and cost you $800-1200 doing it yourself, $16-2000 at an independent shop.

Check the normal susp. stuff., shocks/struts, ball joints, inner/outer tie rods.

Power steering unit's leak on these guys without a doubt, power steering lines leak and damage your swaybar bushings, and steering rack bushings.

Electrical gremlins, sometimes DME (brain) go bad from having 25+ year old tech and solder joints cracking due to age/vibration/getting wet from being in the passenger footwell.

THe DME can also get damaged from rusted out battery trays leaking water onto the DME in the footwell. The battery trays can be fixed by patching and sealing the tray, but if it is completely rotted out, you might need to weld a new one into place.

My opinion, buy a honda/toyota/subie for a daily driver and save until you find a nice porsche later on, otherwise, you'll be spending more time under the car than in it, and broke.

Again, without any maint. records, your asking for a serious investment of time and cash to get the car up to daily driving standards, and even then, it's still a 25+ year old car with 25+ years old electrical wires, connections, and components that will drive the ordinary driver mad when trying to troubleshoot issues.

Bottom line = No such thing as a cheap porsche.

[John_AZ]

...Agree ^ and unless you take a mechanic along with you to check the car, you MUST pay for a PPI--Pre Purchase Inspection at a local Porsche shop----$175+-.

If you just take the word from the seller that is trying to sell a 944 you will absolutely end up paying too much now and forever later on repairs.

J_AZ

[Sehrgut]

John and fiily are oh so correct! Have your possible new treasure inspected first. Ask the seller if it is O.K. to have a certified mechanic or hopefully a good diagnostic center look at it first. $100-200 now can save thousands of dollars and a lot of heartache later. Oh yeah, and don't ever seem to be in a rush to purchase even if the seller drops the price to "take it now". Good luck in your endeavor and hopefully we will get to say - Welcome to the family......

[mytrplseven]

In most cases, expect to pay at least the purchase price again for repairs on important stuff. Also, check the date code on the tires. Even though the tread may look ok, tires over 6 years old will have issues with cracks appearing between the tread and sidewalls. Expect to pay another $500 to $1000 just to replace the tires. This applies to all used cars, not just 944's.

[buddyv]

I just bought a 924S this week.

I suggest that you take the advice of these guys..... my car was owned by a Porsche mechanic. The mechanicals were as good as I could expect from a car of this age. But I paid more than I expected for complete service records, and all of the scheduled maintenance up to date.

It will be worth every penny. When neglected, these cars can be expensive.... and not much fun.

But taken good care of? They are a treat to drive.

Choose wisely...... do NOT fall in love with a car without having a professional look it over.

Good luck!