1983 944 Present & Future Value

[Jay H]

All,

Any help on a general purchasing range for the following car would be helpful.

1983 944

100,000 miles

Guards Red over Black - Repainted to a very high level with nearly zero overspray and no rubber trim paint damage. One door dent from door opening too far (assumption based on pics).

Interior in very intact shape save for very worn shifter knob and pedals. No dash cracks. Carpet appears nice, driver's side bolster is heavily worn.

A/C works

Timing belt changed 20,000 miles ago, though over 5 years ago. Water pump done years ago (unknown as to exact time frame or mileage). New brakes within the last 5,000 miles.

Needs tires and would suspect entire suspension is tired. No records on clutch or much other maintenance other than above mentioned receipt for timing belt. Battery area looks clean. Motor is clean on top. Weaping oil from rear transmission area. Tray under motor hides unknown hidden treasures. Rust on fasteners, muffler and suspension as one would expect for an old car that's been probably sitting in a damp garage for most of its recent life. Body appears rust free from pics.

Definitely not an abused car, though she's showing her age. A loved vehicle at one point in time, but maybe has sat quite a bit lately.

East Coast car.

Asking $8,000.

Is there any appreciation happening with these early '44's?

[cvlcporsche]

Curent value $1500, future value $1500.. appreciation potential, non-existent. Buy one if you like them but don't delude yourself they will ever be worth $$. Too many made and too expensive to maintain and for most purists they will always view them as less than. I personally love them and many others do as well, they are just not worth anything. Sad but true. I would keep looking, you can find an AMAZING example for $8k.

[m962b]

I paid $2000 for mine with 66,000 miles with same exact description.

He was asking. $4500, but after I figured the $2500 for front seals water pump thermostat, brake fluid flush, oil change, timing belt, etc, I figured $2000 was all I could give him. At a retailarket that car sells for 4,000-$5,000 if sorted. Mine had every single record ever. All keys, car cover, new tires, everything else.

Don't neglect the maintenance issues. Mine had 10,000 miles and hadn't been done in 10 years. When it was replaced, it was a thread away from breaking. That of course is catastrophic.

All of that said, the car is a pure joy. I don't regret for a second anything I have put into it. They handle great, look pretty good in my opinion, and are good on gas (try to find pure gas).

Hope that helps.

[m962b]

Also heck out porschecidal maniac and r7 racing.

Jason Gonzales is the guys name. He sells great 944s and knows a ton about them.

[m962b]

And finally, like mentioned already, they won't appreciate noticeably probably ever.

But great cars nonetheless.

[Jay H]

Outstanding feedback. Thank you for taking time to reply!

[Nick Triesch]

Road and Track in a used car classic article called them "rolling obsolescence" . Both the 928 and 944 cost way more than they are worth to fix. I love them also. In 1985 I really wanted a guards red 944!!!!!! Just like a lot of people.

[NYNick]

Geez guys, tough love for the 944s.
Great entry level car. Drive great too.
911s being where they are price wise, what's a boy to do?

[COLB]

Originally Posted by Nick Triesch

Road and Track in a used car classic article called them "rolling obsolescence" . Both the 928 and 944 cost way more than they are worth to fix. I love them also. In 1985 I really wanted a guards red 944!!!!!! Just like a lot of people.

Are there any 1980s era cars of any make/model under $10k that don't cost more to fix than they are worth?

These are about the same boat as BMW E30s -- great, inexpensive cars that have low buy-ins & require a lot of DIY that will not be returned in appreciation -- but are fun as hell.

[Nick Triesch]

Most 1980's cars were crushed long ago! The 944 was a wonderful car. But many motors were toast when a timing belt broke. That always bothered me. I remember Road and Track did a world wide test to what was the best handling car in the world. It was done about 1985. The 944 came in first place. Amazing.

[Jay H]

A follow up:

I was able to test drive the car and review records. Records revealed a nice, typical service history for an old car. Water pump and timing belt replacement receipts were missing, though from hand written notes it appears that the timing belt was done 20,000 miles ago. In 1998. Again, a very nice car cosmetically.

Some history on me...I've had various air and water cooled 911's for 20 years and have maybe 100,000 miles of seat time in 911's from a 1966 to a 2006. I currently own a beloved '84 911. I miss my '06 997 quite a bit.

Everything on the '44 made noise...mostly the wrong noises. Brakes were very spongy, clutch finally caught at 9.8/10th of the pedal travel... She weaved, bobbed, shuttered at 40 mph - the fastest I dared go as she shook and complained on her 1994 Bridgestones. Most electricals worked, though electric fan and wiper motors squealed under protest of being used. The motor ran well enough but the transmission howled a bit until under load. I maybe put 3 miles on the car before returning it while wondering when that 1998 timing belt would snap on me. I dared not rev the car much...

I profusely thanked the owner and left quietly. I felt bad. This was someone's pride and joy... Its apparent that the car just has not been run enough over the past 10 years or so. The car did not feel like a Porsche.

Someone will pick up this cosmetically nice car based on her looks and just run it until something terminal happens...

Thanks to all for the advice!

[m962b]

Any..ah..chance you want to get rid of the 84 911? In trade for good advice on that 944 I gave you?!!

You know where to find me!

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by Jay H

Everything on the '44 made noise...mostly the wrong noises. Brakes were very spongy, clutch finally caught at 9.8/10th of the pedal travel... She weaved, bobbed, shuttered at 40 mph - the fastest I dared go as she shook and complained on her 1994 Bridgestones.

Sorry to hear it. I have always liked 944s too. I rode in one that had less than 1000 miles on it when I was in college, and the owner was SO proud of it. It seemed like a very nice car to me.

Good luck in your search, and report back when you find one.

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by SilberUrS6

I have always liked 944s too.

My brother has a 1986 951 - it hauls a surprising amount of ass!

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930

My brother has a 1986 951 - it hauls a surprising amount of ass!

Turbocharged anything makes me smile. A 951 would really make my garage complete(er).

[cajun]

I hate to say this, mostly because I once owned and loved a '83 Euro 944 w/o sunroof, but those cars are now track *****es... and unfortunately for them, with the price of older boxsters dropping even lower, the number of 944s on the track are beginning to dwindle.

Buy it if you like it, but you can get a REALLY nice one for less than 5gs...

[TheSt|G]

I've always had a soft spot for the 944, but I don't think I could actually pull the trigger on one. It is simply worse than an E36 M3 in all aspect except weight.

Originally Posted by COLB

Are there any 1980s era cars of any make/model under $10k that don't cost more to fix than they are worth?

These are about the same boat as BMW E30s -- great, inexpensive cars that have low buy-ins & require a lot of DIY that will not be returned in appreciation -- but are fun as hell.

E30s have gone through the roof in terms of appreciation.

[Jay H]

Originally Posted by cajun

...with the price of older boxsters dropping even lower, the number of 944s on the track are beginning to dwindle.

Very true. It appears that high mileage (over 100,000 miles) Boxsters are priced at or below $8,000 to $9,000 for asking prices. If I wish to gamble on the motor, I could see myself piloting a Boxster again for the same price as the 944 mentioned in my first post. Maintenance will be expensive...along with the Tick Tick Boom time clock running on the IMS bearing...but for nearly a 2 decade newer car with more performance (yet a bit less soul than the 944), it may make more sense for me to gamble on an early Boxster (since I thoroughly enjoyed my '02 Boxster awhile back). Time for a new thread...

Originally Posted by cajun

Buy it if you like it, but you can get a REALLY nice one for less than 5gs...

I agree that it seems you can find a decent enough 944 in the $5,000 to $9,000 price range without the massive restoration on mechanicals that is needed on the '44 I was looking at earlier in the month (the subject of this thread).

Again, I appreciate all the comments, conversations and feedback!

[COLB]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

I've always had a soft spot for the 944, but I don't think I could actually pull the trigger on one. It is simply worse than an E36 M3 in all aspect except weight.



E30s have gone through the roof in terms of appreciation.

Only the M3s have "gone through the roof".

A regular E30 has appreciated some, but they are generally in the $4-8k range, and those at the top end have probably had $8k+ invested to get them there.

I've never run a regression analysis, but a thumbnail comparison suggests the cost curves on E30s and 944s are pretty similar.

[CountD]

Originally Posted by COLB

A regular E30 has appreciated some, but they are generally in the $4-8k range, and those at the top end have probably had $8k+ invested to get them there.

I've never run a regression analysis, but a thumbnail comparison suggests the cost curves on E30s and 944s are pretty similar.

I still have my '93 E36 325i. Five-speed, 232,000 miles. Does not burn any oil, does not leak any oil, still gets 28 mpg on the highway and it runs. I take it to No. Cal at least twice a year. Unbelievable car, still sounds good, never let me down. Probably helps it is driven in warm weather everyday though...sold my E30 to get it. Not as solid, but still a good car.