Anyone know this 944 turbo?

[rav]

Hi All,

Im new to the forum and hoping to buy a Porsche 944 turbo very soon.

I wondered if anyone knows of this car? Its a 1989 G reg Porsche 944 turbo finished in Zermatt Silver with 1/2 read leather interior.
The car is registered as G983 SRH.

It is need of some sill rust correction - so can anone provide any details of how costly this can be?

Thanks,
Rav

 

[pauljmcnulty]

It is need of some sill rust correction - so can anone provide any details of how costly this can be?

If it needs replacement sills, a bit of work to the inners, and as like as not minor repairs to the bottoms of the wings as well (they all do) then I'd allow £1500 plus for a really professional job. £1k per side isn't unusual. Of course, you could do a cheaper patch-up, but it's lasted 20 years so far, and looked after will see another 20.

The car isn't listed as owned by a Club member in the last three years, have you got any pictures?

Other things to look for are history, as in has it had a belt service in the last couple of years, is there evidence of a recent clutch as they're £1k fitted, brake calipers can corrode, fuel lines rust, suspension gets tired etc.

Makes it sound like they're bad cars! Of course they're not, as a driver's car there's not much that can compare for the price, even amongst newer models. As far as running a classic car of over 20 years in age, a 944 will need repairs, but not in the same league as other cars from the time. []

 

[rav]

Paul, Thanks for the reply.

The sills look like they have been patched in the past.

Also, I think that the car may be a silver rose. It has M030, 220 (LSD) and no sunroof. Any way to tell for sure?

Rav

 

[edh]

they don't look too clever!

 

[jamirrorquai]

Hi Rav

I don't know what all the doom and gloom about the costs of sill replacment is.

I have noticed some very expensive quotes and guide lines on this site but recent I replaced both sills, completly re-sealed the under side of the car and had a very professional job done for under 300 quid.

If you are shrewd and can source a good welder you can save a lot of cash and have a pristine car for very little money.

 

[rav]

[FONT=arial"]Thanks Jamirrorquai,

Any chance of Pm'ing me the details of where you had the work done? If your close enough to the centre of the universe that i call Swindon - then i could use?

 

[wolfie308]

Since the original sills alone are nearly £300, I'm somewhat confused [&:].

Rav - I'd say those are likely to be totally shot. Mine were just showing a few tiny blisters on the outside which I'd have done while we were away. It's only when you grind down to the metal(if there's any left) you start to see the real extent. I also need some patching of the inner sills as well. While they were at it, I got them to do the wing bottoms and bottom of rear arches.Oh yes... there was also a small kink in the offside rear arch which was also made to disappear.

The front P.U had differentially faded and had some scratches onto the wings both sides so this was sorted too. In the end, both sides and front were resprayed and new stone guards all round. The total labour was about 40 hours and the bill £1500 which is fair for the amount and quality of the work. If I'd been quoted 300 quid, I'd have run a mile []

 

[rav]

[FONT=arial"]Wolifie,

£1500 for that work sounds nice and cheap. Not as cheap as £300, but my guess is that was for plating the sills.

Again - let me know who carried out the work (via PM if you want).

The day (Friday) is fast approaching for viewing this car

 

[jamirrorquai]

Hi Rav

I am based up here in Scotland, the sills are after market ones costing £45 each and are available through a link on this very site. Some members say they do not fit but well as my car will prove they do

I paid a black smith to do all the work for me and he did it in 6 hours in total including welds to some holes in the floor. He came to my house, jacked up the car, took out the interior and just got on with it.

Honestly couldn't fault his work.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I've seen every repair, from fill-it-an-sell-it to concourse restoration and all degrees in between. You get what you pay for, and there are cheaper labour rates in some parts of the country.

The pattern sills don't fit straight out of the box, but any decent bodyshop will make them fit. But, with labour rates at least £50 per hour round me, adding in a couple of hours of fettling would take away the saving, and lose originality. I'd stand by the opinion that you won't get away with less hours than Richard's car if you want a proper paint job and other bits tidied at the same time. It's a once in 20 years restoration, and 40 hours doesn't seem unreasonable. Good paintwork takes skill, and time.

What do you want from the car? If it's a long-term prospect then it's worth poughing money into it. If you want 6 month's fun on the cheap, and then move it on, buy one with no big bills looming. []

 

[rav]

Thanks for the reply Paul.

The car is intended as a long term project car. I have little funds just now - about £4.5k max.

The car i have seen is a 1989 G plate with 250 bhp. It has no sunroof, finished in Zermatt silver with 1/2 read leather interior. Options include M030 and 220 (LSD). I think it might be a Turbo S car.

My intention is to buy it, and drive it. The only time i want to throw mney at it is when it fails the MOT.

Your advise is appreciated.

 

[DavidL]

Where's the car Rav? Anywhere close to Swindon?
(Its ok I don't want another!)

 

[edh]

ORIGINAL: rav

[FONT=arial"] [FONT=arial"]My intention is to buy it, and drive it. The only time i want to throw mney at it is when it fails the MOT.

Rav - You will inevitably end up spending money on this car - if it's rusty, it is bound to need other stuff doing. I can guarantee you will need 1-2k on top of your bodywork funds to keep the car running in your first year of ownership, unless you are a very competent mechanic (or extremely lucky).

It sounds like a turbo S spec - nothing particularly exciting about that, apart from the sunroof delete (but is the a/c working? - don't fall for the "it just needs a re-gas" - it won't)

 

[wolfie308]

Totally agree Paul.... as you know I bought mine about the same time as you nearly 5 years ago. As it's my only car, it deserved a pukka job particulary as it has to live outside [] and I have every intention of keeping it for some time yet.

The original quote was £600 cash for the sills, wing bottoms, scrapes and P.U to be done which then increased to £1200 after it was found the sills should ideally be replaced. I could easily have had the holes patched, but I knew it would be a short time before the bubbles reappeared and of course it wouldn't address anything that may have happened inside(remembering that they rust from the inside out generally on the sills). A couple of small patches were also welded on the inner sills which were then treated before undersealing.

Oh - nearly forgot....it was away for longer than I care to mention, but I did have a free loan car for a month too!

With our cars all being of a 'certain age', I think this will become more and more one of those things you look to see's been done when buying, after other expensive things like clutch, water pump, etc

Jamirrorquai -I'm sure your guy did a great cosmetic job, but if you had some holes in the floor, I suspect the tin worm had got a good hold elsewhere. With respect, I'd no more let a blacksmith do restoration work on my 944 than I'd agree to heart surgery by a vet []

Rav - If you bought this car and have concerns now, just think how future prospective buyers will view it as it can only get worse.

I'm sure there's a few guys on here who can post pics of what hidden horrors can lurk behind nasty bubbles.

 

[rav]

David - The car is for sale in Dorset (Dorchester).

Edh - I understand, i will go and take a look at the car on Friday to decide what its like. I agree that it will cost money to keep going, but in that sense its a third car so i can take it apart with no hurry on getting it back together again.

 

[random hero]

ORIGINAL: wolfie308
I'm sure there's a few guys on here who can post pics of what hidden horrors can lurk behind nasty bubbles.

If you look for my post " what lurks underneath" you will see what rust sills really are,although when i bought the car the were very solid but that had more to do with the 1" thick body filler covering the sills or rather lack of them !!

 

[DavidL]

So any good Rav?

 

[rav]

[FONT=arial"]Update - I woke up early this morning and did some monster miles in my trusty Audi TDI to go and see this car.

I have created a slideshow here: http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o310/rsb377/Porsche%20944%20turbo/?albumview=slideshow

Can anyone tell me how many service pages are in the original porsche service history book? Seems odd hat there is only the one?

Couple of concerns:

• Rust on Drivers side sill.
• Rust seen along seem when looking inside inspection hole in B post door shut area. Drivers side only.
• Bonnet doesnt sit flush with drvers side front wing.
• Some small patches of rust at the bottoms of the wings, front and back.

I know the slideshow is long and some pictures look a bit strange, but could anyone have a look and tell me their thoughts? Car is up for £4495 and has 90k miles on it.

I dont expect the car to be concours but want a good useable car that will not cost me £5k in rot repairs.

 

[Diver944]

Looks pretty tatty to me.

The sills and wing bottoms have been patched up before, the finish is nowhere near what the factory 'bobbly' finish should be. Worst case you are looking at new sills either side and possibly wings too if they can't be patched properly (so it doesn't come back like the sills have). You won't know this for definate until its all stripped back. Chances are the inner sills could have caught it too.

The underside pictures show very few new parts (in fact I couldn't see any) so the chances are this is not a cherished car.

£4500 is way overpriced

 

[pauly]

Wouldn't touch it, a moneypit.