Hello newbie here!

[andyfensome]

Hello All

I'm a new joiner today! I was hoping to tap you all up for some advice. I have been looking for a 944 for a while. I have never owned a Porsche before and hope I can get a lot of pleasure from owning one. This morning I have been made aware of a 944 which will become available for sale in the next few weeks. It is a K reg (92/93) "Black on Black" 944 S2 coupe (non turbo 3 litre) and has had 1 owner from new. It has 32k miles only (!)

The guy that put me onto it is a family friend and the mechanic who has cared for the Porsche since its purchase . He is an avid collector himself but doesn't have the space for anymore. I trust him implicitly

The car gas a Sunroof, ABS, elec windows and aircon. It has been well maintained and sympathetically driven by a man who bought it in his 50's and is 78 now! It has a valid MOT but needs a good valet as it has been in the garage for a good while. One thing I can not ascertain is when the cambelt was last changed but, assuming it needs doing, I will get it done.

My friend thinks I can get the car for £12k which he believes a reasonable price. How does 12 grand sound to you all? Toppy or a decent deal? Also, how much do you reckon it would cost me to change the cambelt?

Any advice would be very gratefully received. If I get the car I will post again with some pics.

Cheers for now

Andy

 

[Elliot]

for that money buy a turbo!!!

here come the replies.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Hi Andy,

The cambelt is 4 years maximum, so probably needs changing regardless of the mileage. It's likely every other job around the belt change will never have been touched, so assume the worst and budget for a water pump, timing chain, all the rollers and seals etc.

I don't know where you are based, but certainly, if you're paying a Porsche specialist to do the work, it's a four-figure sum in the south-east.

The key things to check are the body: look at the inside of the sills, and the rear suspension areas. Even on low-mileage cars parts age, so the clutch, fuel and brake lines, all the body seals, the head gasket, tyres, brake calipers, they might all need replacing/refurbing.

That's the negatives, and go in with your eyes open. The mechanic should be able to go through all the possible areas to look at.

Value? There's a classic car bubble at the moment, which may well not continue when interest rates start to creep up. But, a run-out 944 S2 with 32K miles, only one owner, and a full history, is a VERY rare car. I'd suggest it should be priced nearer £20K if, and it's a big "if", at least some of the above work has been done and the body is sound.

This is one of those cars that only appears every few years. It could need as much spending on it as a rotten example would, or it could be a time-warp classic. The obvious question is what you want to do with it? It's almost impossible to replace, and you could double the mileage in a few years if you used it properly, so I think it would be bought to cherish rather than drive it daily!

Bit rambling, sorry, but on the face of it it's a real steal at £12K, but could also cost a fair bit in parts that have been pershing for 20 years. What you could never do with another S2 is restore the history of the car and it's low miles. That makes it the perfect base for spending money on if needed, of course.

I'd be putting a holding deposit on it, and getting the mechanic to go over the car with you. In fact, If I had the money i'd probably just buy it! []

 

[Monkeythree]

The S2 is the sweet spot in the 944 range. That is very nearly a fact.

First class examples (as this one sounds like it might be) are starting to demand "proper" money. £12k doesn't sound unreasonable to me IF IT ISN'T RUSTY. Front wings, sills (inside and out), and rear suspensions mounts need a thorough examination before parting with your hard earned. These cars hide their horrors well so be very careful at that kind of money.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

for that money buy a turbo!!!

here come the replies.

[][]

What's the point of a low-mileage, one-owner turbo? It's not going to get driven as it should, and without a few modern mods it's not even near it's potential.

The S2 is pretty perfect when in original spec. That suits cars better if originality is a large part of their value.

You could say, if you want to spend that money on a standard turbo, get a proper race car! Here come the replies...[&:]

 

[Suffolk944]

Hi and welcome Andy,

As others have said the car could be worth that sort of figure if the body work etc are all tip top and the only thing it needs are the belts and associated bits changing. If the classic car bubble bursts again then it could swiftly dip down once more and driving it and adding miles will have a similar effect.

Guess my thoughts would be if it's an investment you are looking for be cautious but if you are buying to drive and enjoy a truly great car and go into the whole 944 ownership experience with open eyes, then its certainly worth giving the car serious consideration.

Won't even mention the alternative of a well modified turbo to really show what the 944 is all about - oops seem to have done so anyway ! []

 

[zcacogp]

As people have already said, there are a lot of variables to consider - which you will only find out with a very through inspection, done by someone who knows S2's well.

There is also the question of what you will want to do with the car? If you want something to polish, cherish and keep in the garage then it will probably be a good buy. If you want something to drive, hard, in all weathers and use as it's intended to be used then I'd avoid it like the plague. Putting miles on a car like that will only devalue it from the premium price you are paying. It will also, being a low-mileage car, probably not drive that well; my experience of all cars (and especially of 944's) is that they need to be used to be at their best. Something with 150,000 miles on the clock and a long list of regular maintenance behind it should all be in perfect working order and drive excellently. Something which hasn't been used in a long time will need a lot of very expensive parts to be changed before it runs right.

Tell us more about yourself and about the car and we'll hazard a guess as to whether it is a good buy for you!


Oli.

 

[TTM]

Just an anorak comment : the manual mentions replacing the belts every 5 years, not 4.

 

[zcacogp]

The debate rages on about that one TTM; I think the consensus (i.e. over-zealous, hyper-maintenance enthusiasts') opinion is that four years is a better interval than five as there have been reports of belts failing shortly before the five year point.


Oli.

 

[TTM]

In that case I would think the timing belt was not tensioned properly. I just replaced mine at 5 years old (well, minus 1 month), have had it on and off countless times throughout these 5 years due to replacing camshafts/lifters. It never broke and did not even come from Porsche. For what it's worth anyway.

In reply to the original poster, since this would be your first 944, my guess is that buying a minter will only encourage you to drive it all the time and ultimately ruin its resale value over the long term by piling on the miles. My S2 had something like 55k miles when I bought it, was my first "sports" car and I did about 1500 miles the first month, as it felt just sublime. 13 years later and with 130k miles on the clock it does not feel exactly as fresh and anymore (my fault for not giving it as much time as would be needed) but I don't mind what it may be worth these days as selling it is not in consideration, so how long would you consider keeping the car and how much would you plan to drive it?

If I had the money to buy a very low mile mint 944 today I would definitely use it as little as possible and try to keep it as clean as possible, but that is also because I already have 2 to drive.

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: TTM

In that case I would think the timing belt was not tensioned properly. I just replaced mine at 5 years old (well, minus 1 month), have had it on and off countless times throughout these 5 years due to replacing camshafts/lifters. It never broke and did not even come from Porsche. For what it's worth anyway.

The tension point is a good one, thanks. I think the idea of changing it more frequently than less is that it's cheap insurance. Almost all belts would last 5 years with ease (most would probably do 10), but the cost to change is low and the cost should one let go is very high indeed. In short, it's the 'Smoking Grandma' argument.

My belts are coming up to four years old and they'll be changed before they get there, although that's due to the fact that I don't have a garage and hence routine jobs like this get done in the summer ....


Oli.

 

[Ex Skyline]

Welcome to the club Andy []. My two bob's worth .....? S2's are heaps.....buy a TURBO!!! []

 

[wibble]

For normally aspirated and that sort of cash, I would be looking at 968 CS...