Buying Tips

[sidvicious65]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy either a 924 or a 944, but don't know what common traits to look out for (other than a cracked dash).
Should I look out for anything in particular?
Also, can anyone make any suggestions for good/cheap insurance companies?

Any advice will be greatly received.

 

[944 man]

Early cars are hardier than later cars, but they all suffer from inner and outer sill corrosion. Other things to look out for are worn clutches (very expensive to repair on all models), and leaking fuel tanks (also damned expensive to replace). Dont be afraid to haggle, because most cheap/tatty cars are over-priced and the difference between a shed and a decent car can be as little as £500.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Insurance, you need to shop around as one person's recommendation might be totally useless to you.

Buying-wise, what are you looking for? Budget, ability to do some work yourself etc.

Set the "display posts from" at the top of the forum to 1 year and spend a week reading it. You'll learn all you ever need to know. Join the Club, get to some meetings and talk to owners, they'll be happy to show you over their cars and offer honest advice.

Good luck!

 

[appletonn]

Hmmm, tempting, so tempting...


Oh well, here goes...


Buy a Turbo NOT an S2, as the Turbo's are far far superior in every way...![]


Runs and hides before Oli turns up - just like the good ol' days! []

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: appletonn

Hmmm, tempting, so tempting...


Oh well, here goes...


Buy a Turbo NOT an S2, as the Turbo's are far far superior in every way...![]


Runs and hides before Oli turns up - just like the good ol' days! []

Turbo owners flatly denying the truth ... we've definitely got them on the run! []


Oli.

 

[amrbose14]

The good news is it's a fantastic time to buy one! These are the points I did not get from most of the buying guides at the time:

The bad news is that good ones are rare, and that especially in the current climate you can easily spend the purchase price on repairs. I went to see loads - spent a lot of time driving to see iffy cars. In retrospect I wish I hadn't bothered with autotrader. Best bet is to look out for a club or active forum member selling theirs. Most of the rest are not worth looking at.

Corrosion. The important thing to realise is that rusty sills are very well hidden from the outside. If there is any corrosion on the outside of the sills there will be ALOT on the inside. Take a torch, and pull the plastic vents out in in door frames. Have a good look inside.

Don't worry about one that's done the odd track day (so long as there's no sign of damage) - if it didn't break on the track that's a good thing!

Don't fixate on one model. If you want a fast one get a turbo or S2. If you limit yourself more you will grow old waiting for a decent one. If you're not bothered about it being that fast then don't worry about 2.5 vs 2.7. Incidentally the 'lesser' models are fanstastic fun. Much easier to jump into and enjoy.

Be VERY patient, be VERY fussy. Don't go and see anything that doesn't sound fantastic. Get a good one and you'll never look back.

Chris

'87 220T.