1986 D Reg 944 Lux for sale... unfortunately!

[rpjg_1975]

Well after only 4 months of ownership I have found myself in the situation that my 944 has to go. My circumstances have changed and i'm afraid it is no longer a suitable car to run. I have to admit it is a shame as I have enjoyed my driving experiences since I bought her.

She is a 1986 944 Lux in Alpine White. 108,000 miles. Mot's till February and taxed till end of October. Have done various things since I bought her including change of wheels, replace roof lining, mini service including front belts. I have a steering shaft waiting to be fitted which will come with her. I have also just done the front brakes and discs.

Unsure of what exactly she is worth, although they seem to be going for very varied prices depending where you look, so would be grateful of any assistance in this matter.

Overall bodywork isn't too bad. Bit of rust on the passenger side sill and a few badly touched up stone chips on the drivers side front wing. Really looks a treat when she is cleaned up as you can hopefully see from the pics. The wheels need a bit of cleaning up as the laquer is flaking on the rims where the valve caps are but I can't see it being too much of a bind to do.

If anyone is interested then just email me or pm me through the forum. She will probably be going on fleebay either tonight or thursday nite depending on if I get everything sorted out today.

Cheers

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Prices are all over the place, especially for Luxes as there a loads around. There's a guy on Pistonheads looking for a cheap one at the moment and there are plenty of rusty heaps with oil in the water on the market, but as usual not many good ones.

I'd suggest watching Pistonheads to see which cars sell, although you won't know how much they were knocked down by. E-bay you can see the final winning price easily, and again watch similar cars and see what they sell at.

Things like location count as well, who wants to travel to the ends of the country when there's likely to be one available more locally? Don't know where you are though.

 

[rpjg_1975]

I have noticed that they do seem to be all over the place. Some you look at and think.... no way the'll get that!!!

I'm in Richmond, North Yorks but I know what you mean, furthest i've gone to pick up a car is about 80 miles

 

[iputthebootin]

What is to be done to the car still that is urgent and when were the belts/tensioners last done. Are all the electrics working as they should be?
What sort of price are you looking for roughly?
Cheers.

 

[rpjg_1975]

I have a steering shaft that will have to be fitted as the current one is clunking, and there is a slight water leak from whatever screws into the top passenger side of the radiator.

There is quite a few reciepts etc with the car but the only paperwork I can see anything about belts and tensioners on is dated 1999 and 2000. The guy I bought it from didn't use it much and it has done about 8000 miles since then. I've only done about 500 miles since I bought it. I don't know of anything I would class as urgent apart from that. Electrics are all working as far as I know, except the electric mirrors as the wires got caught in the window mechanism and broke the back of the switch. Interior is suffering from the usual drivers seat wear and some wear on the rear seat so could ideally do with replacements eventually but is perfectly useable as it is.

I am not sure of a price to be totally honest. I know it stands me at about £1900 including the purchase price and the bit's i've replaced, so as close to that as possible. I am open to suggestions or offers....

The car is scheduled to go on ebay thursday nite and the description I have put on the auction is as follows....

Well after only 4 months of ownership I now find a change of circumstances meaning having to sell my 944. She is a 1986 D Reg 944 Lux in Alpine White. There is quite a lot of paperwork including a fairly comprehensive service history. She is showing just over 57,000 miles on the clock, although she had a documented clock change at 51,000 meaning she's actually covered just over 108,000 miles in total. She is taxed till the end of October and mot'd till February next year.
In the short time I have owned this car, I have spend quite a bit on her including various interior parts such as all 3 electric window switches but mainly replacing the roof lining was the main thing. Mechanically there is very little wrong with her, there is a clunk on the steering which is the steering shaft but I have sourced a replacement which will come with the car, and the handbrake could do with some adjustment. I did a mini service when I first bought her as she had been sat for a fair while, including oil, oil filter, air filter and alternator and power steering belts. I have only just replaced the front brake pads and disks so they are in excellent condition just needing finishing bedding in properly. The only other thing I am aware of is a slight water leak on the radiator but I believe that is just a connection and doesn't leak that much really, just enough to be annoying. She has never run out of water or overheated.
Bodywork wise there aren't many bad bits really, a bit of rust on the passenger side sill which I have shown in one of the photos, and some badly touched up chips on the drivers side front wing. I sourced a set of replacement alloys shortly after I bought her as there were clearance issues on the passenger side rear (turned out the wheels were the wrong offset) which could do with a bit of work doing to them as some of the laquer is peeling and flaking where the valves come through the wheel, although someone with a dremel and a bit of time could sort it with very little trouble.
As far as I know the electrics all work ok, as I said earlier I replaced the electric window switches as they all died. The electric sunroof works perfectly and is very nice when it is removed (hard to find sunroof bag is still in the boot). Headlights and fog lights all work perfectly, fan operates on all speeds and electric drivers seat also works.
Please bear in mind that this car is 22 years old, so it has had paintwork at various times in it's life and is by no means in mint condition. It is however perfectly useable and with a bit of tlc isn't all that far away from being a very nice car indeed. This was originally my plan but I now find myself unable to carry it out.
Insurance is very reasonable as it can be done on a classic insurance policy. I only just renewed mine and it cost me £180 fully comp with a 5000 mile limit. Tax is just over £100 for 6 months.
Parts are surprisingly easy to get hold of with the likes of eurocarparts and many specialists around, infact the brake parts didn't cost me much more that they would for a more common everyday car.
Fuel consumption isn't too bad, depending how you drive!!! I have had anything between 18mpg and 25mpg but at the end of the day you don't buy a car like this to complain about the fuel it uses. It is all about the driving experience which is fun on back roads in the dry. She sticks to the road like glue due to the 255 tyres on the rear and she can keep up with a lot more expensive and newer cars around the bends!
I have tried to be as honest as possible with my description but if there is anything anyone needs to know then do not hesitate to email me and I will try to answer if I can.
The reserve is set at what she stands me at so bid your best and keep your fingers crossed.
If you would like to come and view then email and we can organise something.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

There is quite a few reciepts etc with the car but the only paperwork I can see anything about belts and tensioners on is dated 1999 and 2000. The guy I bought it from didn't use it much and it has done about 8000 miles since then. I've only done about 500 miles since I bought it. I don't know of anything I would class as urgent apart from that.

Being honest, I'd not turn the key if it's 8 or 9 years since the belts were done......[]

 

[Fen]

So the mini service including front belts isn't the cam and balance ones? That being the case I'm with Paul. Harsh truth is that if that breaks a cam belt it's probably only worth what a breaker would pay for a slightly down at heel one with a blown engine.

I have to say from the description it doesn't sound like a particularly nice one I'm afraid. Rust in the sill could be a biggie (they go from the inside-out) and it has a number of smallish interior problems that a potential buyer might just think add up to more than they're worth in hassle.

Why not tidy it up a bit so you can tell buyers you have fixed a load of stuff already and give the impression it's been prepared for sale. If it sounds like a project (which it does TBH) then you'll get project money for it.

 

[iputthebootin]

Not being a 944 owner or expert i didnt really wanna comment as such but i know enough to be put off somewhat by the cam belt info.
I have owned a boxster which gave me trouble so i dont wanna go down the same road. Im willing to hang on for the right one though i know that the small budget i have is gonna limit me somewhat.
I echo the other comments in putting the little bits and pieces right.
Best of luck with it.

 

[morris944s2john]

I agree with the belts comment- you would have been much better off not wasting money on new wheels and bigger tyres (unnecessary and detract from the cars originality) and spending that money on new belts and rollers. Rust in the sills wouldnt put me off but then I'[d expect to pay a project price for the car if there is rust in the sills.

 

[peanut]

sorry to hear that you have got to sell your car Russel. Must be a bit of a blow after the time and money you've spent already.

I wouldn't worry to much about all the gloom and doom merchants if I were you. Whilst all their comments are certainly valid in the normal course of events I expect at the sort of money you will be selling at you'll not be selling to a knowledgable buyer who is likely to know much about the cars.

Lets face it you are asking less than 4x weeks salary of an average professional's salary, hardly a substantial amount of money to take a punt on a cheap Porsche.The price or condition is unlikely to be your chief problem frankly .

At the end of the day its usually about location, ease of access for viewing/collection and how good first impressions are. In a country heading for recession ? personally I think you'll be very lucky to find anyone willing to buy anything at any price right now. Especially a `second car ' or fun car. Good luck anyway

 

[iputthebootin]

I thinks theres a great deal of difference between being a doom and gloom merchant and being cautious about how you spend your hard earned money.
Regardless of how much the average man earns you would still be mighty gutted if you paid the best part of 2 grand on a car only for the belts to go walkies after a couple of days rendering the car worthy of peanuts basically.
Ive just got rid of a boxster and am looking for a 944 for a weekend play thing but i wont be shelling out on something thats gonna have the potential to go bang after a week. Id rather wait and buy something that has had all the belts/tensioners done recently and cosmetic stuff can wait in my book.
Just my opinion.

 

[rpjg_1975]

Couple of comments in reply to several posts....

I haven't wasted money on wheels and bigger tyres... I replaced the wrong wheels and tyres with some that would not rip my arches to shreds!

Unfortunately due to circumstances I haven't got the time or money to tidy up the car and would rather take a bit less and have a car showing it's problems.

As far as the belts as concerned, yes, I am aware that they should be done, and if I was keeping the car then I would have replaced them. The last comment says it all to me really... surely if you were going to spend 2 grand on a car and you were that concerned about the belts then you would be doing them yourself anyway???

I don't wish to offend anyone on the forum as I have found some very helpful people on here, and I realise everyone is just giving an opinion but nobody has actually suggested a price I should be looking at?

I am aware that I should be asking for project money as that is what it is, but what amount is project money?

Cheers

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I don't wish to offend anyone on the forum as I have found some very helpful people on here, and I realise everyone is just giving an opinion but nobody has actually suggested a price I should be looking at?

Hi Russell,

I don't think there is a price for your car. As I said before you need to look at the prices that cars similar to yours actually sell for. Not the advertised price, but the sold price. Then, depending on how fast you want to sell, where you are based etc. you can find a starting price.

I'm not going to apologise for suggesting, seriously, that you don't even start the car with belts that old. I'd guess that most people would look at over twice the maximum time limit and wonder about the standard of the maintainence on the rest of the car. Not necessarily by you, but the owners over the last 5 years or so. Sticking my neck out I'd say that less than a grand is more realistic without up-to-date servicing? [8|]

 

[rpjg_1975]

Your reply was actually one of the more helpful and I understand what you are saying about the servicing. It just annoyed me quite a bit when instead of help it seemed like I have just been slated for what I have or haven't done.

The previous owner had the car for 3 years as far as I know but as for what was done before that then your guess is as good as mine.

I guess my best bet is to stick it on ebay and see where it goes

 

[rpjg_1975]

I have just priced up getting the cam belt done and have been quoted about £200 so if the car doesn't sell this time I may have to try to get that done and relist it once that's done. Really depends on how much difference it is likely to make?

 

[iputthebootin]

Im not slating anyone especially not you or your car im just sying that from my perspective as a buyer i would probably look more closely at a car that i could determine had had major stuff like belts done as opposed to ones that hadnt purely from the stand point that i wouldnt want to be facing the prospect of spending a pot of money so soon after purchase.
I think you would be in a far stronger position to sell with the belts done as its a great weight off a buyers mind to know that probably the most single fear inducing item on a car, as proffered by anyone with a basic knowledge of cars is the belts, has been done recently.
I genuinely hope you get the price you want for it. I know what its like at the moment as it took me ages to sell my boxster. Prices elsewhere just arent really helpful at the moment. Look on ebay and one minute they are going for next to nothing and then the next prices are going crazy.
Probably best to put it on as you planned and put a reserve on of the very least you would take. If it doesnt sell at least you have an idea of a price then.
Good luck.

 

[rpjg_1975]

I understand what you are saying, thanks for the input and i think that's exactly what I will do. It'll be going on tonight for 7 days and see what happens. If not then I may have to look at getting the belts done if I can. It's the usual thing really... spend £200 to maybe get it back.... [&:]