hello everybody - looking to buy my first Porsche!

[niagra]

Hi everyone,

As it says in the title, I'm looking to buy my first Porsche. Had to sell my Sunbeam Lotus last year to buy something sensible as my daily commute was 60 miles. It's now back down to 10 miles each way so am ready to ditch the Mondeo and get something fun!

Anyway, I possibly have the opportunity to swap the Mondeo for a 944 2.7. The guy has owned it for 4 years, used it daily and it hasn't let him down. It only has history for those 4 years and has 134k on the clock.

What do you all think?
Is this a stupid move to get one with so little history or are there some checks I can do to ensure it's a good buy as I intend to use the car daily?

thanks in advance for your help
Dario

 

[Guest]

Theres loads of questions and answers how longs a piece of string .the main thing is remeber these cars are in exess of 20 years old and things definatly go wrong ,why is the guy selling or swapping in ur case. If ur new to 944s like we all were at some stage then i would read the posts and here youlll soon see the pitfulls ,rusty sills, cam belts, last service by someone who acctually knows what there doing etc etc these cars if you get a gooden go on and on and are great fun

i wish you well in ur exchange and try to get at least o look round it b4 you swap , wouldnt want you walking those 10 miles

Digio

 

[Peter Empson]

I don't know what a Mondeo is worth but i'd have thought it sounds like a fun idea.
Using the car daily is no problem at all, I'd just make sure it's checked over by a specialist first as the running costs can be painful if you buy a bad one.

If it has been properly maintained for the last 4 years I wouldn't have thought the lack of history or mileage would be too much of a concern, it's current condition is so much more important than a few pieces of paper.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

If it has been properly maintained for the last 4 years I wouldn't have thought the lack of history or mileage would be too much of a concern, it's current condition is so much more important than a few pieces of paper.

Absolutely - who cares if it had it's coolant changed by a main dealer in 1992? It might well have had all the major jobs done in the last 4 years and be a bargain.

Of course, it could also be due a big belts and all service plus other things, check over the last three months or so on this forum and you'll get a good idea of what goes wrong and how much to fix it!

 

[Fred Hindle]

What is the Mondeo worth? If it is an 'L' reg then bite his hand off.[]

Cheers,

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: Fred Hindle

What is the Mondeo worth? If it is an 'L' reg then bite his hand off.[]

That was what I was thinking as well ... a Mondeo for a 944 sounds like a good swap to me!

(Reminds me of the old joke -

Person A: "Afternoon mate, have you got a petrol cap for a Skoda?"

Person B: "Sure have, sounds like a fair swap to me!")


Oli.

 

[niagra]

thanks for all the replies so far. The Mondeo is a 2001Y and I've advertised it at £2650 which is exactly the price of the 944. Will hopefully have a chat with the seller tonight about what work he's had done on the car. Body wise it's supposed to be in great condition with just the odd mark from 19 years of life. We're 200 miles apart and the plan would be to meet half way, I'll take a mate with me who knows a bit more about motors than me

 

[zcacogp]

Worth taking someone who knows something about 944's. A PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection) is often recommended, but spending £200+ on a car that's only worth £2600 is perhaps overkill.

Failing being able to find one of us who knows what to look for, it's well worth printing out the buyers guides which are on t'interweb and giving them to the aforementioned friend. Then he'll know what to look at ... these cars are capable of throwing up some very big bills if you don't watch what you are buying (see other threads on here), and it could easily cost you another £2,000 in repair bills within 12 months ...


Oli.

 

[niagra]

Hi all,

Decided not to proceed with the 2.7. Doesn't heva ny evidence of a belt change in the last 4 years of ownership and none from before and he's not willing to get it sorted before sale. I'm a bit nervous about driving a car with an overdue balt change (the belt on my Sunbeam Lotus slipped a couple of teeth, bent 4 valves and was very expenseive - although it could have been a lot worse).

Anyway, I've found a couple of other possibilities which I'm considering. I seem to be a bit fixated on mileage - probably because I intend to use it is my everyday car. I would appreciate any advice/opinions etc!

1) 1986 £2500, 97k miles with MOTs to back that up and service history up to 55k. The dealer selling said he has sold this car twice in the past and has serviced it a few times. Due a cambelt change but won't do for the price. No rust.

2) 1985 £1990, 152k miles with full service history. Cam belt done 15-20k ago. Bubble of rust on bottom of wing.

Any thoughts?

cheers,
Dario

 

[djcla]

There are a few threads knocking about on mileage this for example http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=354899
but neither of the 2 you are looking at seem to high IMO.

 

[zcacogp]

Thoughts?

Low milage cars tend not to drive that well. My S2 has improved a LOT since I started to drive it every day. Don't be afraid of high milage - it's a false concern. Judge a car on how it has been looked after, the condition and the way it drives. 150K + miles is just fine for a car like this, IF IT HAS BEEN WELL TREATED.

I have a personal paranoia about rust so avoid it at all costs.

Why are you so keen to buy from a dealer? They will buy cheap and sell expensive, not know what they are selling and not know what is good and what is not (certain specialists aside.) Find a privately-owned car with a friendly enthusiast selling it and ask loads of questions - you can tell as much (or more) about a second hand car from the vendor as you can from the car itself ... nice people sell nice cars.


Oli.

 

[niagra]

only looking at dealers at the mo as I have to sell my current car first unfortunately. It is advertised privately but I will be without a car for a while before buying a new one.

Would prefer to buy privately though

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: niagra

I seem to be a bit fixated on mileage -

Don't be.

Unless the car has every single MOT and every single 6 monthly oil change with an invoice and mileage you can trace throughout it's life then it is highly likely it's been clocked. Car magazines in the late 90's listed 944s as being in the top 10 of cars that have been clocked. Their general condition and build quality can hide very high mileage very easily so who is to say how many times they have been done back in the middle years of it's life where an extra 50k miles could mean the difference of £5k to an unscrupulous person

Buy on condition only.

If that 2.7 pushes all the right buttons except for the belts then you could simply have it recovered to the nearest independant and fork out the £300 for peace of mind straightaway. Failing that offer the owner £300 more and get him to do it. You could do the same for the £2500 dealer car, I'm sure he'd love to accept more than the sticker price to put belts on for you.

A rusty wing can be repaired for a few hundred by an old school bodyshop or a new wing is £400 and comes with a guarantee from Porsche. If one wing has visible rust then closely check the other wing and sills for rust that is hiding beneath []