944 restoration

[artj64]

Hi folks,I'm looking to buy a 944 as a light restoration project,what are the things to look out for,milage ,colour etc..thanks art

 

[Waylander]

not sure there is any such thing[8|]

 

[robdimond]

If light restoration is what you want:

Ignore mileage.
Look for plenty of recent use and servicing.
Look for a rust-free shell, unless you like welding or spending the value of the car having someone else do welding.

Except for a few mint examples that you will see, every 944 (every 20+ year old car) is a light restoration project.

 

[white944]

What's your budget?

 

[artj64]

I've not got a massive budget guys ,lookin at three grand tops

 

[edh]

In that case, look for the nicest 2.5 8V you can find. Either a later (oval dash) or early (square dash) model might fit your budget, you probably need to look at both. Avoid rust []. Read the buyer's guides.

 

[bmnelsc]

As you mentioned color - I'll say this about Red - red is a color that "blooms" from sun exposure. My '91 has been polished within an mm of its paint life combating paint bloom so now the paint chips at the mention of a stone never mind meeting one at speed. The professional polishers can make it look like brand new - until you wash it... then the bloom is back nicely visible below the super shiny "sealer" or whatever it is they use. You have to rub it out (or color sand) to get the oxidized paint off which leads to my situation. Not sure it is only red that does this but I think its the most susceptible.

 

[Monkeythree]

Have a look at some of the restoration threads on here and you will get a good idea of what's involved. Good luck finding something half decent for £3k. I'm sure there are still good cars out there waiting to be found but I suspect there are a lot more £3k money pits than there are gems.

 

[artj64]

Thanks for your help guys....art

 

[John Sims]

Have a look at some of the restoration threads on here and you will get a good idea of what's involved. Good luck finding something half decent for £3k. I'm sure there are still good cars out there waiting to be found but I suspect there are a lot more £3k money pits than there are gems.

Indeed so. And, should you find such a car, it will be a Porsche. There are a lot of second hand parts available but some things have to be new Porsche parts for which you will pay new Porsche prices for.

 

[Suffolk944]

Art : What elements of potential work are you happy to tackle and which would you rather not have to take on ?

 

[artj64]

To Suffolk 944,I can tackle stuff with spanners to a very average degree,maybe some minor bodywork,but not welding....art

 

[edh]

They are reasonably easy cars for most spannering jobs - well they are reasonably easy the second time you do them..

 

[edh]

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C665080

looks OK

 

[Monkeythree]

To Suffolk 944,I can tackle stuff with spanners to a very average degree,maybe some minor bodywork,but not welding....art

in that case you need to be very careful with your inspection of any potential purchase. They do rust and there a few guys on here with some real horror stories which superficially, looked OK. Do your research to make sure you understand where you need to check most carefully (sills, inner sils, rear suspension mounts, front wing bottoms, rear panel, rear well bottoms) and be prepared to crawl underneath cars to have a prod and a poke. If you can get someone who know the cars to come with you to view, even better.