Car hunting - any tips?

[Guest]

Hi - I am in Devon and currently selling my MG B GT to allow me to buy a post 1985 series 2 944 - at least that is the idea!! (I cannot sell Littice my Morris Minor convertible as she is a member of the family - equally 4 cars is my wife's limit and rightly so). So scouring eBay and Auto Trader I have missed out so far. I was the winning bidder on one that looked ideal but never followed through. Missed one by 20 minutes from a guy who just walked in and put cash on the table! Missed another today - sold but still advertised! Hope to look at another in Bristol on Friday. But there seem to be a lot of tatty examples around that people have unrealistic valuations in mind for so the hunt may be long. I want a clean example without dings, cracks, scratches or rust and preferably in a bright red colour - with air con, (why is that so rare?) and cream leather interior. Probably an S or S2 as the turbo looks problematic - am I right???. Also probably a manual for the same reason - although I normally drive automatics on a daily basis. Any advice from experienced 944 owners greatly appreciated.

 

[Guest]

my lux is for sale its all good look at some of my posts and youll find it np , mail me for any more info

Paul

http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=361506

 

[j4mou]

im not really experienced in 944 ownership, but one tip id suggest taking on board is dont worry about high mileage it dosent really mean anything to be honest, for these cars it seems to be the more miles the better as they dont like to be sat still. check the belts have been changed as they do go and are not cheap to replace.

HTH

James []

 

[xenon]

Belts aren't particularly expensive to replace per se, but it's very expensive if you don't replace them and they fail. A/C is extremely rare simply because in the late 80s A/C was extremely rare; not many vehicles had it, even top-end ones. A/C was always an expensive option on the n/a 944 and hence uncommon.

 

[edh]

Good luck with the search - we all think the 944's are fantastic bargains & there are still plenty of good ones around. Buy on condition, buy from an enthusiast, and buy one that gets used regularly []

You'll need to buy a turbo to get a/c - I think it was standard on them.
- mind you, it probably won't work, & even after a re-gas will leak all the coolant away fairly quickly []

Do your research - make sure you understand why the cams / cam chain are a big uissue on the S/S2 (but not on the turbo [] )

Rust is now making its appearance on these cars (don't believe the "it's galvanized so it doesn't rust" sales pitch) - wings & sills - have a look at Peter's site http://website.lineone.net/~empson/cars/SC/ but don't get too worried [].

Deduct £1000 from you overall budget to pay for fixing things in the first 3 to 6 months - there's always something to do (water pump, belts, caliper plate lift (S2 and turbo) are probably most common). There's plenty of good advice on this forum.

 

[zcacogp]

Best advice frankly is to look at LOTS of them, get as good a feel for what is good and what isn't, and buy the one that you like the most, is the best example, and at the right price.

I looked at 7 S2's before I bought mine. Ironically, the very first one I saw was (in retrospect) a very good example, but I wasn't ready to take the plunge at that point, and the advice not to buy the first one you see was ringing in my mind!

I'd suggest buying privately rather than from a dealer. That way you can assess the current owner, and I believe you can as much from the owner about the quality of the car as you can from the car itself ... buying one from an enthusiast is always a good idea, but enthusiasts always have 'enthusiastic' ideas of how much their cars are worth ... recent history is more important that early history. You need to know how it has been treated over the last 3 or 4 years, rather than whether the spark plugs were changed 18 years ago.

Read the buying guides - there is at least one on here, and print it off, and take it with you when you see the car. Go through it with the car in front of you.

If you can, take someone who knows 944's when you view the car - that's in addition to taking the buyers guide! If in doubt, pay for a Pre Purchase Inspection from a local independant Porsche mechanic. You are in Devon - non? That was Fen's neck of the woods, and he knew a good indie in Kingsbridge, I seem to recall. Anyone know the number?

All the best in your search.


Oli.

ETA: S2, eh? Wise choice, sir. Much superior to those Turbo things. You won't look back. (That's to say, you may look back, but all you will see are Turbos trying very hard to keep up. They can't ... )

 

[morris944s2john]

ORIGINAL: Devonjohn

Hi - I am in Devon and currently selling my MG B GT to allow me to buy a post 1985 series 2 944 - at least that is the idea!! I cannot sell Littice my Morris Minor convertible as she is a member of the family -

I too have Morris Minors as well as my 944S2![] People are surprised that a Porsche owner can also enjoy Morris Minors[] but I find the contrast interesting and both sorts of cars enjoyable to drive. I have a Traveller on the road and a 1968 Minor converible that I'm restoring.

As for buying an S2, yes go for it, plenty of good advice above, check for rust in the sills and bottom of the front wings. Service history and condition much more important tham milage and look at cars for sale through this club message board and magazine. BTW, if you work on your classics, thats also possible on a 944. Just need metric tools as well as AF and Whitworth used on old British classic cars.

 

[j4mou]

as chris evens said: a bad man will never drive a morris minor, the women will love it []

 

[poprock]

I've always fancied an MGBGT. If you weren't so far away (Devon to Glasgow is quite a trek), I'd offer a straight swap for my 944 Lux. It's the wrong colour, mind you "¦ black "¦

 

[morris944s2john]

If you think a Morris Minor is not an enjoyable drivers car- go on Youtube and type in Tiff Needell and Morris Minor and prepare to be surprised!