944 questions

[cashflyer]

Well, I looked at a couple of 944 cars today. I was very underimpressed with them both and will probably not buy either but I do want to pass along the details and ask opinions.

Car 1: $3500
1986 944
Very faded red paint.
Torn seats, worn carpet, dirty interior.
Pass door creased, front valence facia busted.
Aftermarket wheels. (Probably the nicest looking thing about the car)

Car 2: $3900
1983 944
Faded black paint.
Interior completely trashed.
Minor body dings.
Crappy sunroof gasket.
Cookie cutters.


Question: Neither of these would break the bank, but is this kind of crap what to expect for $3500 - $4k?

Question: What are the known trouble points of the 944 .... what should I be looking for that will cost me big $$ after the purchase?


Maybe I'll keep looking for something nicer.

[nota]

milage?
how did they run/drive?
belt age?
clutch age?
other records?

both sound like 1500 to 2000 cars if everything else is good

944 values
944S2 or turboS 10,000 to 15,000 unless super low mile
944 turbo 6000 to 10000 as the turbo S limits the value
944S 6000 to 8000 as it is not a turbo or a S2
944 post 85 1/2 7000 to 4000 for a normal but good car
early 944 is very limited by the later cars values 1500 to 4000

thats for a good looking up to date records car with no problems
old cam belts minus a 1000
bad clutch minus 2000 bad gears the same, mostly labor
head gasket leaks
oil cooler seal leaks
bad paint minus a bunch paint ain't cheap!!!
seats and carpets can be replaced eazyer then the rest of the inside bits
all most all have dash cracks
rust is rare

[natey]

For 3.5 - 4k, you should be able to find a better car than either of those. It seems to me like the 944 market has been weak lately, and for that price, you should be able to find a car with decent paint, an OK interior (a few splits in the seats and some dash cracks), and records showing at least some of the maintainence is up to date.

The biggest maintainence items to look for are the timing belt (~$500+, $1k with waterpump replacement), and the clutch (~$1500+). Most people here suggest changing the timing belt every 30k miles or 2-3 years, because if the belt breaks it'll bend the valves, which will cost $1500+ to fix.

Also look for oil leaks (hard to change the oil pan gasket), and mixed oil / water (oil cooler seals). Water leaks in the passenger compartment are also common, they can be a lot of work to track down. Electrical issues also occur, often due to corroded grounds and hack-job aftermarket stereos and alarms.

I suggest you keep looking for something nicer, especially if you want a daily driver.

[GothingNC]

Originally posted by nota
rust is rare

Not any more.

Parts supplier out my neck neck of the woods is starting to see quite a few rust issues with neglected 944's.

[cashflyer]

What "nota" said is pretty much what I had been thinking for values. Plus, I see nicer stuff on eBay for about the same money.

Neither of these cars have any maintenance records, nor do they look like anyone even cared about maintenance. Something I heard once before, and I suspect here, is that the 924/944 series is an inexpensive PORSCHE... meaning somebody buys it for the name/pride/prestige, and then finds out they cannot afford to keep it up properly. Then dumps it on the market once it is diagnosed with something they can't afford to fix.

Thanks for your input, guys.

I'll keep looking!

[nota]

Originally posted by GothingNC
Not any more.

Parts supplier out my neck neck of the woods is starting to see quite a few rust issues with neglected 944's.

well nothing like 914's or early 911's