Desperate for a 944! Any ideas where to look?

[Guest]

Hi guys.

I am currently looking for a 944S2 or turbo with less than 100K miles & in excellent original condition for no more than £7,000. I have tried Strasse, Northway, 911 Virgin, Paul French, Eporsch, Pistonheads, 911 & Porsche World classifieds, PCGB classifieds, Classic & Sportscar classifieds but all to no avail!

Does anyone know of any other garages or websites where I might be able to source a great car? Or am I looking for the impossible for my budget? ANY suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I owned a 911 3.2 Carrera SE up to last year, when I was made an offer for the car I found difficult to refuse (I regret not keeping the car though). I then defected to a Mini Cooper S (which I have just sold) but I have the Porsche disease & nothing less will do. I want a 944 as it is something different from a 911, because I heard they are great fun to drive & I really like the way they look.

Cheers in advance.

Ray

 

[Fen]

No time to reply at length, but lose the (unnecessary) hangup about miles and you'll get on much better.

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: creamray

..... a 944S2 or turbo with less than 100K miles & in excellent original condition for no more than £7,000. ......

Yeh, wouldn't that be nice? I'd like a DB7 Vantage for under £20K; but that ain't going to happen either. []

As Fen said, the miles aren't an issue. The car is now of such an age that things that deteriorate will deteriorate no matter how many miles they do/have done - in some cases more so if the car hasn't been used. 944's are always better being used so you mighty well get a better car with more miles on it.

 

[edh]

Pistonheads is usually pretty good, and more reasonably priced than 911&PW or Porsche Post

As Fen implies - these cars are quite capable of much more than 100K.
Better to check recent maintenance & major items, & buy from someone who's looked after the car. Drive a few & the good ones should stand out.

I think we're starting to see a separation between the cheap 944's & the ones that are still being well maintained - not a huge difference in purchase price, but a huge difference in ongoing costs.

A few quick searches should bring up most of the key points to look for. Things to look for on any 944

Bodywork - although they were galvanized, quite a few are starting to rot in the sills (from the inside),
Belts/water pump - recent receipts
Clutch - condition / age
Brake calipers - plate lift
S2 - cams/cam chain/tensioner
Turbo - Turbo & headgasket

You'll get a nicer interior in a turbo (sports leather usually), maybe even working a/c.

 

[edh]

I wouldn't have thought you'd find it a problem getting an S2 for that money

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/113442.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/108708.htm

or a turbo with a few more miles

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/100746.htm

 

[mik_ok]

where in the country are you?

 

[Diver944]

These cars are at least 15 years old and are not generally kept as a 2nd car so you will struggle to find one under 100k miles (though one of those PH ads disproves me []). They easily rack up the miles as a daily driver so I think you need to raise your limit a little to open up a wider market. Excellent condition is becoming harder and harder to find also so be prepared for a wait and possibly a number of fruitless drives to look at cars described as excellent, but when you get there are distinctly average.

As you've had a Porsche before you'll know the differences between a good and bad example (but a lot of sellers don't) and you'll see prices as low as £2k and up to £10k. Porsche Post tends to have cars at the higher end of the price range, but I'll stick my neck out and say those that have been owned by genuine enthusiasts will be worth that little bit extra

 

[Guest]

Hi again.

Thank you all for the replies. I take your points on the mileage. I do understand that the engines can do high mileage ao long as they are well maintained (I did have a 911 that had high mileage). I just thought it would be better to get one with as low mileage as possible. But I take your point ; I will amend my search to take in cars with higher mileages.

Also, after looking at prices of cars, I would have expected £7,000 to be a good budget to pay for a 944 in excellent condition with reasonable mileage. To be honest, while I like to think I know about 3.2 Carreras (I spent 6 months searching for the right one), I am not so knowlegeable on 944s & have relied on the buyers guides on this forum & anything else I can glean from enthusiast sites. Diver944, I agree with you & would much rather buy from a genuine enthusiast - I am happy to pay for that pleasure (so long as it does not cost very much over my budget!).

Thanks for looking on Pistonheads, edh; I saw these cars also almost as soon as they appeared. Unfortunately, the Turquoise car sold before I had a chance to ring &, as I live in Maidenhead, had discounted the red car as it is based in Edinburgh. But you've convinced me & I just called the chap & left a message. I could be on my way to Edinburgh this weekend....

I will send an update email if/when I manage to buy a car, if anyone is in any way interested.

Thanks again all.

 

[Big Dave]

You "could " get a cheap 968 for that money....Thats if you wanted one..

Heres a cheap one..
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Porsche-968-Convertible-1994-6-speed_W0QQitemZ230048694317QQihZ013QQcategoryZ9860QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[ Disclaimer.].This has NOTHING to do with me....

 

[Davyboy]

I need money

I'd let mine go for a little over your budget as it stands right now.

 

[edh]

If you're lucky, you might find a helpful soul on this forum who's in Edinburgh

Dave - that's a cheap 968 cab! - looks very nice (but they all do in photos)
I would usually expect a 7k 968 to be about as good as a 4k S2, but this may be the exception

 

[Guest]

Try ebay and autotrader.co.uk

 

[sawood12]

I would actually go as far to say I would be put off with a low milage car. My experience is that these cars don't like sitting around too much so if it's very low milage it's been sat around too long. If I bought a very low milage car I would budget a good couple of grand to sort out all the niggly problems you will experiance in the first year of usage (assuming you're intending to drive the car rather than lock it up in a garage and pull it out to look at it every now and agian). Alot of the gaskets and seals around the engine can perish and leak if the car is stood around alot and the belts and brakes don't like lying idle. Also the electrics might also suffer adversly from lack of use due to contacts corroding and oxidising.

In terms of looking for one I would look in everywhere - the more you see the more feel for the car and what is good and bad about them. I actually got mine from the Exchange & Mart website. I wouldn't necessarily assume that getting one from a specialist dealer and paying top dollar for one automatically means you are getting a top dollar car - still carry out the HPI checks and prefereably pay a specialist or an engineer familiar with the cars to check it over.

I of course didn't do any of this and bought the first car I looked at. I've been very lucky as so far as I seem to have got a good one, but if I were doing it all over again I would take a very different approach. These can be the most bullet proof and robust cars you'll ever have if you buy a good one, but it could be a real pig and money pit if you buy a duff one. It's the same with any old Porsche really.

Happy hunting and good luck!!

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Don't forget - just because someone has the right car advertised at a little over your budget doesn't mean that the car is not actually for sale within your budget...[8|]

Or, that a car that costs over your budget is any good anyway!

Let's be honest - £7k is currently top money for a 944 excepting Turbo Cabs, so it is a really good time to buy. This is uncomfortable if you're selling, so be sensitive, but haggle like mad if the car is right.

 

[Andy97]

Try PH Sportscars near Derby/ J 24 of M1. 01332 799 298. They usually have a few 944s in. I've just bought a turbo from them and am very happy with it. Previously they serviced my 2.7

 

[Davyboy]

ORIGINAL: pauljmcnulty

Let's be honest - £7k is currently top money for a 944 excepting Turbo Cabs,

Mine's not for sale then []

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the link, Big Dave. Unfortunately, a cabrio is not for me; just one more (expensive) thing to go wrong.

Thanks to a friend in BA,I have just booked a very very cheap flight to Edinburgh this Saturday to see this car;

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/113442.htm

Any initial thoughts? I'd appreciate your insights? I am a bit wary of the head gasket replacement.

edh, you're a genius! Is there anybody who knows 944's in Edinburgh who fancy's having a look at a 944 with me (am meeting the guy at the airport)? If there is, let me know & there will be a free lunch in it for you.

Pauljmcnulty, thanks for the reassurance regarding my budget. And you're right to advise being sensitive to sellers; I just lost £3k in selling my Mini so have felt the pain myself!

Again, thanks to all for the posts so far.


Ray.

 

[Guest]

Sounds just like my car only 53000 miles from new and immaculate but unfortunately for you not for sale.

 

[Guest]

Ha, ha, ha. Well, if you change your mind ......

 

[tiptop topcat]

There was an impressive 944 with a rebuilt engine in 911&PW Tried and Tested. Over 300bhp and loads of torque made it pretty impressive for 8250 from a dealer.