Considering my 3rd 944

[ABNE48]

Hi all

My name is Andrew and I am a new member here. I live in Northumberland and have previously owned two 944's, a green series 1 and a white series 2, the latter being my last one that I sold in 2007.

I am keen to get back behind the wheel of another one however and know the general points to look for having owned previously and also having found out the hard way about the sills on 944's!

I have seen this one on ebay, item number 110359062746

Does anybody know this car? Having not owned a 944S before I am unsure as to whether there is anything in addition to the usual I should be looking for? I have had a look around the forum here and some of the advice topics and there doesn't seem to be however you never know. I am expecting some problems at the end of the day, its an old car and they go wrong, I am looking to commit long term this time however having tried a number of different cars over the years, but seemngly always being drawn back to the 944 for some reason.

He has offered me a good deal on the face of it, subject to inspecting, and I have asked all the usual questions over the phone and the answers have been good enough for me to make an appointment to see it this evening.

Any comments would be appreciated and I look forward to hopefully becoming a regular contributor here in the near future.

 

[944 man]

Their achilles heel is their cylinder head, particularly the cam chain tensioner. The cambelt drive one camshaft with the other being driven by a chain. The tensioner pad wasnt regarded as a service item. but it wears: this causes chain wear and in turn, causes the camshaft sprockets to wear. It isnt uncommon for the teeth to break off, but the greatest risk is of the chain breaking, destroying the cylinder head in the process (along with all of the damage associated with the loss of cam timing).

Unless you see a bill for the parts, which are very expensive, then you need to have the camcover off and inspect it.

Simon

 

[Peter Empson]

Hi Andrew and welcome.
It sounds promising based on the description, and assuming it's really rust free and has a good service history then I think the price is about right (although I imagine that as the colour isn't terribly trendy you might be in a good position to haggle).
As Simon says, definately inspect the chain/slipper unless there's paperwork to support this having been done.
Best of luck with the viewing []

 

[944 man]

Re-reading my post Id like to qualify what Ive said. Its quite possible that this vehicle has benefited from regular maintenance/imspection by a knowledgable specialist; so a large bill may have been avoided. It still seems to be more common for a large repair to have been made though; rather than small, regular, maintenance jobs.

 

[MRGT]

As Simon says the big potential issue with the 16V head is the the tensioner pad and the cam chain connecting the two cams. I had mine replaced (along with all the usual belts) as soon as I bought the car. If you can see the cams, check for wear on the teeth which the chain goes around, replacement cams are are very expensive and finding good used ones difficult. If I remember correctly it cost around £350 for the belts and chains to be done, parts are fairly cheap but its a labour intensive job.