I know that feeling. I also remember the VERY sage advice of a good friend, who I took to see a Mk1 Golf GTi many years ago with a view to buying it. I was all set to buy it, niggles and all, and he took me aside and said "There are always more cars out there." He was right, and it's advice I have used on many occasions subsequently. If you have (even mild) concerns about a potential purchase, walk away. Old white 944's with psychedelic interiors are not in plentiful supply, but there are too many unknowns with that one to make it a good purchase at the price the seller seems to think it's worth. Best of luck with your hunt. You are getting excellent advice on this thread so I'll bow out and let the more knowledgeable ones take over. Oli.ORIGINAL: Bloooor ... i know i should just move on really but in the back of my mind i'm always thinking "what if it's actually an alright car and just needs a belt, i haven't even been to see it yet, it could be amazing" that's a definite trait from my mums side of the family [:-] You might have to 'babysit' me for the first couple of weeks of searching as i'm like a kid in a candy store just eager to get my 944 []
Advice needed on buying an 85' 944
- Thread starter Bloooor
- Start date
Okay, this is one of those cars you really wish just wasn't at a traders...! Called him up, he explained it's Rust Free completely wax oiled all over, balance belts/waterpump etc all done 3 weeks ago, could be on original clutch (i explained the rubber center perishes after time, he said don't believe everything you read on the internet.. lol) Interior is immaculate (would need changing though as pink looks terrible imo) he says bodywork is near enough perfect and also comes with rare borbet alloys. It's way over my budget and I don't know whether to go down and try my luck with an offer but wanted to check whether the price seems reasonable with the information he's given (I would want to go and have a look at how rust free the car really is too) http://www.autographspecialistcars.co.uk/used/porsche/944/25/wakefield/west-yorkshire/11758597/ Adam
944 man
Active member
http://www.autographspecialistcars.co.uk/used/porsche/924/s/wakefield/west-yorkshire/12165660/ Do not read whilst drinking tea. This infamous car is referred to as the 'trouser snake'. Most of his cars are very poor and tarted up with very poor tatse. If he has an actually honestly good car then it is by chance, but it is unlikely that hed sell it without molesting it.
^^^^ That's more excellent advice you are getting from this thread, I quite agree with Simon. Oli. ETA: Borbot alloys may be rare, and for a good reason as well. That interior is somewhere between 'Unoriginal' and 'Very Nasty'. Can't comment on the paintwork, rust or belts, but between the wheels and the interior I wouldn't travel more than a couple of miles to see that car. He's also having a turkish with the price.
andy watson
Moderator
Hmmm, Looks tidy from the outside and if the belts etc have all been done well then the cost would be about the same as buying one for 2.5 - 3k that would the need the belts doing. Interior colour "Hello Sailor" [][] and they are not 944 seats are they? even the early cars didn't have backrest adjusters? Not the end of the world couple of seat covers untill a set of decent seats came up, are the rears same colour?
][] and they are not 944 seats are they? even the early cars didn't have backrest adjusters? Not the end of the world couple of seat covers untill a set of decent seats came up, are the rears same colour?
Copperman05
New member
Keep looking... Edd
I didn't even notice the trouser snake! My days... He didn't sound very convincing down the phone, bet a lot of the cars have been there a while, sigh... The advert sounds so good with it's '1 previous owner' and it's 'near perfect body and trim' but i think it's a definite no no, I really dislike buying from traders, you know their main intention is to make money.. and at what cost? Moving on... This is only an hour away from me, emailed the guy and he said can go for a view tomorrow, it's annoying how it's not white, if it is immaculate i might consider it with a possible respray in the future (getting the base of a car is more important to me than colour but finding both would be ideal) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=151004386509 Can anyone spot any major flaws? I want to ask him how long ago the belts were changed (in months/years instead of mileage), the converted to manual targa roof, have a look through history for clutch change and get a good look at this repair jobby. The seats also look very nice! Standard 944 sorts? I think i might of seen similar in an S2 Adam
andy watson
Moderator
Adam, Go and have a look, you got to start somewhere and you can start to get a feel of these cars, but I think you will find the sills shot, make sure you look inside via the vent. When you have looked and driven a few you will know when the right one turns up.
As Andy W says, look at it, but don't buy that one. Sills are gone or been badly patched up, but it will be educational for you.
I agree, it looks a nail. Cheers, Paul
Hairyarse
New member
Yep you can see the sill looks badly patched but I agree, go drive it to get another comparison against others you look at. don't be put off just by the different paint on the sills - my turbo has black underseal on the sills but they are completely rot and rust free inside, it's just previous owner was an 'old boy' who wanted to protect them! BTW ref the white one with the pink interior, the dash will be cracked and knackered too as its got an aftermarket cover over it and it was for sale when I bought my first 944 about 2.5 years ago, I guess its not sold for good reason!
Unfortunately it's over my budget, I can only spend around £3000 (that's really the top end but if it's few 100 over then i could stretch) I'm also after <83 with the square dash/yellow dials as i'm loving the tro feel of the older models, thanks for posting though, looks very tidy, best of luck with the sale Adam
Thanks for the advice Frankie, would be awesome to get a ride in someones pride and joy, will have to get myself to some meets [] Went to view the sapphire 83' yesterday, guy was very genuine, restored old morris miners as a hobby and showed me his garage with what he was doing, car was pretty sound, checked in all the vents for rust, had patch one one side (which he listed) car ran great, fired up straight away, gearbox felt a little sloppy, first to second was quite difficult, third/fourth was fine, is this generally what the older models are like? Clutch didn't judder (even in higher gears going slow), all belts/seals done recently and waterpump done about 8 years ago.. that was questionable.. no coolant leak, no rattles with clutch pressed down and up.. This is the most frustrating part is that i have no others to compare them too (but i will learn over time after viewing more as they come up for sale) under rear arches and boot floor was also rust free and straight, interior was good condition too, dash was really bad but expected.. As a first viewing experience, they are really nice to drive (I might be a little tall as my hands on the steering wheel were catching my legs as i turned) still pull nicely and feel solid from the inside.. I will continue looking anyway, just wanted to update with progress, would be nice to maybe turn this thread into a build thread in the 'hopefully' near future [] Thanks again for all the help
] Went to view the sapphire 83' yesterday, guy was very genuine, restored old morris miners as a hobby and showed me his garage with what he was doing, car was pretty sound, checked in all the vents for rust, had patch one one side (which he listed) car ran great, fired up straight away, gearbox felt a little sloppy, first to second was quite difficult, third/fourth was fine, is this generally what the older models are like? Clutch didn't judder (even in higher gears going slow), all belts/seals done recently and waterpump done about 8 years ago.. that was questionable.. no coolant leak, no rattles with clutch pressed down and up.. This is the most frustrating part is that i have no others to compare them too (but i will learn over time after viewing more as they come up for sale) under rear arches and boot floor was also rust free and straight, interior was good condition too, dash was really bad but expected.. As a first viewing experience, they are really nice to drive (I might be a little tall as my hands on the steering wheel were catching my legs as i turned) still pull nicely and feel solid from the inside.. I will continue looking anyway, just wanted to update with progress, would be nice to maybe turn this thread into a build thread in the 'hopefully' near future [] Thanks again for all the help
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