Parting out 944's - is there money in it?

[MBAtarga]

I'm curious - since it seems there are ample 944's on Craiglist locally and they are relatively cheap - is there money in parting out the rougher examples? I've got some space in my detached workshop for dismantling at least 1 car, as well as room for shelving/pallet racks to hold larger assemblies/body panels.

It seems for just a few $k, I could pick up a car for cheap but I don't know if the market for used parts is strong enough to move them relatively quick - or if I'd be sitting on the majority of the parts for a year or more.

[biosurfer1]

I would think there is market, however is the headache worth it? I would say be prepared for 100's of inquiries asking for specific parts, condition, etc. that will probably not turn into a sale.

If you are talking about you personally taking parts off and listing them on ebay, CL, here, etc. I think there are enough higher $$$ parts that could make it worth it, it's what to do with all the leftover parts/carcass after all those parts are gone.

[Flynt]

Absolutely not, especially in this market. I guess the question is - what is your time worth, and how much do you enjoy dealing with cheapasses?

(slightly cynical response as I'm personally contemplating parting a '74 2 liter 914 or lighting it on fire and pushing it down the street)

[ADDvanced]

944 owners have no money. Not worth it.

[QueWhy]

If they have sport seats and Fuchs wheels it is.

[Sebscst]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

944 owners have no money. Not worth it.

Ha! That’s the funniest thing I read today. Btw I do ok.

[LakeCleElum]

Only if you can prove they are "well setup".........I say no: Consider all the flakes and the hassle of packing/shipping.

[Unobtanium-inc]

You could do some quick math and scan the forums to see when people have parted them out, see what items everyone wants and what they sell for. My guess would be about 20% of the car sell quickly, another 20-30% sells a little slower, then you would be stuck with the rest. Also, buying crap examples is not always the way to go, good parts come from good cars. I've seen cheap "parts cars" where every part you pull off has some blem on it, leaving you with little to actually sell.

---Adam

[Sunroof]

Hey Mark. I owned a 1985.5 944 for 12 years, managed to sell it with 365K miles on it for $1500 to Reggie Cummings. That was about 18 years ago! I have a bunch of 944 parts on hand and have tried to sell them on the 944 site here, but no takers. The 944 market took a beating when kids who bought them fairly cheaply thought they could go to Pep Boys and have them repaired. The cost of Porsche parts was a wake up call, let alone labor costs at Porsche shops. So many got dumped on the market for very low prices and still remain. I think if I were to get into dismantling a car for parts I would forego the 944 because so many are still out there ending up to be "barn finds" decades from now. Now if you come across a 356 or long hood 911, that's another story. Save the space and the labor. You would do better off with dismantling a Triumph TR-3 or MGA. My 2-cents on that.

Bob
73.5T

[juanbenae]

the spec944 nasa class is quite popular so if the motor & tranny are in decent working condition they might be worth something.

[Nukar sales]

944,s are pretty much worthless the last ones I had at my business l gave away to get them off the parking lot also I had two 928,s on a Saturday a young Hispanic lad offered t buy one of the two from me I told him he couldn,t buy them but he could have them only if they were gone by, days end, one of the best deals I had made in a while.

[PD41]

The rear arms and brakes are pretty cool.

[fastfredracing]

Originally Posted by QueWhy

If they have sport seats and Fuchs wheels it is.

This....
We did it for a few years, bought every $1-2k 944 we could get our hands on within a 500 mile area. This was 10 years ago .
It was a ton of work for not a lot of money, and I was always stuck with shells of 944's sitting around my property that I had to dispose of .
I used to spend countless hours listing every little minute part .
Door handles always brought decent money. and we sold tons of switches, relays and little trim, and electrical parts.
For the most part, glass, and body parts ended up in the dumpster or scrap yard. We sold an occasional door or fender, but that was rare .
There is a guy on fb still doing it . Seems like he does alright.

[Racerbvd]

There are tons out there, I have done it, but as others have said, unless it has sports seats, Fuchs and or a LSD, not much $$$$ since many 944 people all have the same stuff, later door handles are always popular, but that because they break. Really depends on your location, and if you have a local market, cause big stuff (like engine out of an 88) cost too ship. And as others have , I too still have a ton of 944 parts on hand.

[Hippo]

If anyone knows where to get late-model signal light lens screws, please let me know!


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[Unobtanium-inc]

The problem with cars like the 924, 944, and for a long time the 914 is that the cars off the road far out number the cars on the road, so there is a ready supply of parts. Take that and the fact that all the same stuff breaks so your $1200 craigslist find is not going to give up a good driver's seat, shift boot, or any of the other wearable parts people are going to call you looking for. It's fascinating to think of buying Porsches for cheap and filling a yard, but with 944's the money is hard wrung.

---Adam

[thamlin000]

As a long time 944 owner, most 944s I see on the road these days are pretty nice cars. 10-15 years ago, most 944s that I saw were beaters. There are still plenty of trailer park beaters out there for sale on Craigslist but most are off the road now and the good ones remain.

[DWBOX2000]

Don't really see dumpy ones. All the ones I have seen have been really nice stock cars or heavily modified. They are beautiful cars IMO.

I imagine the hassle isn't worth the return. I think the Market just isn't there unfortunately.

[OK-944]

I'm now on my third 944 - the first having been an '84 which, at over 300k miles, had been raced, wrecked, welded back together - and my son and I took it over and had a blast rebuilding it. Sold this and almost broke even.

Moved on to an '85.5, rebuild this and drove it for ten enjoyable years - car never left me stranded and I had a blast. Swore I'd take that car to my grave - but then sold it to help facilitate another father/son bonding experience. Could have realized a profit but the purchaser is a friend (also a great garage mechanic) and I wanted to step up to the plate and make it possible for him. Car is located in our village and it still broke my heart a little every time I saw it, so I started looking for another almost as soon as I sold it.

Now I've just acquired an '87...basically in great condition save for needing motor mounts and water pump/rollers, as well as ODO gear - which I've just been diving into recently. Other than this, absolutely everything works. Furthermore, the two owners before me are adults who generally kept up with everything, and I have service records back to day one. Previous owner wanted 8.5K for this car, which he could have easily realized, but more than anything wanted it to go to someone who would treat it with respect...so sold it to me for 5.5K.

While I do have some sense that the market for these cars (even a base level NA if kept stock and in good condition) has been climbing recently, there does not seem to be any real consistency in this with the exception of cars which are truly in concourse condition - which is exceedingly rare for a 944.

At the end of the day, although from my perspective the prospect of owning a car that, at worst, will not lose any value if I take care of it going forward, I honestly could care less about considering this car an "investment," aside from the priceless experience which it provides for me personally. At my current age of 64, my sense is that I'll enjoy this car for ten years (give or take) then pass it along to my son.

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by OK-944

I'm now on my third 944 - the first having been an '84 which, at over 300k miles, had been raced, wrecked, welded back together - and my son and I took it over and had a blast rebuilding it. Sold this and almost broke even.

Moved on to an '85.5, rebuild this and drove it for ten enjoyable years - car never left me stranded and I had a blast. Swore I'd take that car to my grave - but then sold it to help facilitate another father/son bonding experience. Could have realized a profit but the purchaser is a friend (also a great garage mechanic) and I wanted to step up to the plate and make it possible for him. Car is located in our village and it still broke my heart a little every time I saw it, so I started looking for another almost as soon as I sold it.

Now I've just acquired an '87...basically in great condition save for needing motor mounts and water pump/rollers, as well as ODO gear - which I've just been diving into recently. Other than this, absolutely everything works. Furthermore, the two owners before me are adults who generally kept up with everything, and I have service records back to day one. Previous owner wanted 8.5K for this car, which he could have easily realized, but more than anything wanted it to go to someone who would treat it with respect...so sold it to me for 5.5K.

While I do have some sense that the market for these cars (even a base level NA if kept stock and in good condition) has been climbing recently, there does not seem to be any real consistency in this with the exception of cars which are truly in concourse condition - which is exceedingly rare for a 944.

At the end of the day, although from my perspective the prospect of owning a car that, at worst, will not lose any value if I take care of it going forward, I honestly could care less about considering this car an "investment," aside from the priceless experience which it provides for me personally. At my current age of 64, my sense is that I'll enjoy this car for ten years (give or take) then pass it along to my son.

Great story, great attitude. For me, this is what Porsches (and classic cars) are all about.