Buying 944

[bubbauk]

Hey everyone!

I am looking at purchasing a 944 as a second car, will only do maybe 1000-2000 miles a year and mainly in the summer at the weekend, rest of the time it will be garaged and occasionally ran at the weekend and pulled out of the garage to stop things seizing up.

One has just popped up locally for a very good price, it is a 1986 with 190k on the clock with full service history and a folder full of receipts according to the guy on the phone, he is a small time dealer but from the photos it looks to be MINT.

http://is02.thegumtree.com/image/extrabig/31228962.jpg

The interior looks a bit dirty though
http://is01.thegumtree.com/image/extrabig/31229609.jpg

But for the price it looks to be a good deal and once I laid my eyes on the 944 I have fallen in love!

From the reading I have done that sort of mileage is nothing for these cars, is this correct?

How expensive are these cars to maintain? I can do all servicing myself and have a garage with plenty of tools if anything goes wrong but worried about how hard parts are to source?

I am only 22 and some people will say its a strange choice but to me the 944 just looks so cool! I am not worried about speed as I know the bog standard 2.5 isnt exactly quick but I am sure will be more than enough for me.

Is there anything I should look out for when purchasing it and can anyone give me some advice?

Cheers
David

 

[ukmastiff]

HI, a 2.5 s ideal for you particularly as you will be needing insurance. I assume you have had a quote ?.

I just checked the ad , I'm known for being mean on price but 'if' it is sound it could be a good buy I have to say.

You really need to know the common faults so scour this forum and take a really thorough and mech minded mate with you.

Sills rusted from the inside and covered up by a bit of spraying would be the first and most serious thing I'd look for but there are literally loads of others.

If the MOT is straight/genuine thats a good thing because silly faults like rusty fuel lines are hundreds and hundreds of pounds and 'should' have failed the MOT

Buy a sound one and you'll run it for peanuts , if you're unlucky and get a dog you'll be selling it for scrap !

There are folk on here who will say you can't buy a decent 2.5 lux for 1300 quid but I strongly disagree

Best of Luck

Mas

 

[bubbauk]

Hey, thanks for the reply, I have had a quote of £1100 which I thought was very good, since I have full no claims bonus on my main car and this will be insured on a limited mileage policy, I turn 23 in febuary so I could leave it garaged until then and hopefully insurance will come down again since i wont be driving it in this weather anyway.

It just so happens I work with a fully qualified mechanic so he is going to go look at it for me and I am hoping it is rust free as I would like to avoid doing any painting on the car and replacing rust could be a never ending thing on a car of this age.

One thing i noticed was the rear splitter looks non standard as I dont think I have seen this before
http://is02.thegumtree.com/image/extrabig/31229202.jpg

Owner says he has all previous MOT certificates so that is good, MOT in Northern Ireland are all carried out by the DVTA NI and not indepenant garages like in the mainland so I would like to think they are all genuine.

I can do most work myself, I have replaced all brakes and suspension on my Astra including brake lines etc but not sure how much more complicated something like this porsche would be .

Thanks again for the reply, will probably spend the rest of tonight reading up on the 944!

 

[Lowtimer]

The black stick-on stuff or whatever it is behind the front arch is non-standard, as is the similar stuff ahead of the rear arch. Normally there is nothing in that position at the front, and the rear one is transparent or body-coloured. Highlighted on attached pic.

I would want to know who added those, and what's behind them. In addition to the sill rot, the arches are the other places where you typically see corrosion.

These cars are well known for being able to look very shiny and attractive while concealing a fair amount of trouble. You must inspect the sills throughly via the air vents in the B pillar - get the owner to remove them and have a good look inside with a strong torch and / or camera phone with flash.

The slotted rear valance - it's not really a splitter - was, I believe, a factory option, and there are aftermarket ones around. Have a good look to see if it looks factory-fit or has been added afterwards. If added afterwards it is another thing that could be hiding something.

 

[ukmastiff]

I certainly love the colour and yes the rear wrap is a 'toast rack' type and not original on that year however I do like them as do many folk. You have the bonus of origina Teledial wheels which I have never loved but they are original and classic. Let us know how you get on , I sure do wish a Porsche had been possible for peanuts when I was 22. All I had for choce was something pretty boring back in the late 80's. I'm too embarrsed to tell you how much insurance on a 2.5 lux is for me but I will tell you its less than 150 quid. Mind you I'll probably be too doddery to drive when you drive your first Hydrogen powered car so it's swings and roundabouts lol

Mas

 

[edh]

ORIGINAL: Lowtimer

The black stick-on stuff  or whatever it is behind the front arch is non-standard, as is the similar stuff ahead of the rear arch. Normally there is nothing in that position at the front, and the rear one is transparent or body-coloured. Highlighted on attached pic.

My 944 had clear stoneguard in that place behind the front arch. I would have expected clear on this car rather than black, but it does look a nice one

 

[scam75]

Yeah, the front stone guard is standard but should be clear too! I have them on my car.

There are 3 on each side. Behind both wheels (narrow strips) and the big one in front of the rear wheel.

Stuart

 

[Northern924]

Looks like some one just got a cheap deal on a black stone chip set lol

But everything about the car seems fairly standard and in good condition, but I'd change the steering wheel, thats froma square dash car IIRC, other than that so long as everything checks out OK I'd say go for it, looks like its been well looked after from the pictures

 

[Alpine]

looks to me as though the bottom half of the cill has been painted black all along its length. What sort of muppet adds black cills and stone guard, looks awful, I'd keep looking.......