Hi everyone, it's been a loooong time..

[Bonzo]

Hi all,

Most (all) of you won't remember me, but at one time, I adored my 944 and really enjoyed the upkeep, was on the forum everyday

Indulged in things like this-
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/fb.asp?m=437042

The car ended up being an excellent (if a little tired-looking) daily runner, with fantastic performance and 30+ mpg.

I always had a problem with the front bumper, badge panel and headlamp alignment however- they weren't spot-on with dodgy gaps etc and it annoyed me! Hence, the car came off the road, the front end was stripped down. The car had, at some point suffered a very light bump on the o/s front which had thrown everything out.

This picture shows the problem area-

[/IMG]

With the front partially stripped, I found a light bend in the area underneath the badge panel... and this is where the work stopped.

Hence, the car is now in bits. I'm now debating whether to strip it for bits and bin the rest or repair it.

good points-
No rust or damage other than the problem above.
Runs and drives perfectly
Requires no other work for an MoT
Has interesting history

Bad points-
In bits
Repairs will outweigh value (probably)
would likely need a light 'tug' on the jig or front section cut and replacement welded in
I am able to do most of the work but have precious little time

Conclusion-
I would love to save the car and build up a really nice example of a 944S. BUT the easy option is to cut loses, strip it for bits and move on. Alternatively, put it back together and MoT it as is.

My question is (finally) - What would YOU do in the same situation? How much is it realistically worth when completed, to a high standard *full respray etc). How much is it likely to return bit by bit? Is it even worth bothering with?!?

Decisions decisions, any ideas?

 

[944 man]

Dont break it because of the front panels! If the inner and outer sills are good then itll be worthwhile. Im not sure that repairing it will cost 'more than the car is worth'. Ive had a number of front damaged cars repaired (and jigged) using all new parts from the OPC and they didnt cost a great deal (15 yrs ago admittedly, but things weren't that much cheaper then). A make-good should cost a good deal less.

subtle edit...

 

[ukmastiff]

Well I certainly like those wheels as I have a fully refurbed set on brand new tyres in the garage, waiting to go on the right car []

At the current market I dont believe its possible to get more than 2500 for an 's' whatever you do to it so if you do it I think it will be for the ' love of Porsche' not to get your money back.

Hats off to you if you do , whether I would isn't even relevent []

Best of luck

 

[944 LIL]

Restore....

I've probably spent 3 times what I paid for LIL and that's just to pass MOT / keep her going - very few cars can ever be considered an investment.

You own a classic and have done for far longer than me. If we, the current custodians, trash fix-able versions there will be none left.

By the very fact you're asking the question - I think you want to restore it.

Enjoy it for years to come....

Sorry this sounds like a bit of a self righteous rant - its not meant to be - just keep the car going....

 

[Bonzo]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I've been out of the Porsche zone for ages, visit the car once every couple of months.. just lost interest really! I supose I'm questioning the sanity of spending £500-£1000 on a car worth.. um £1000 []

I appreciate you never win financially with cars though.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I supose I'm questioning the sanity of spending £500-£1000 on a car worth.. um £1000

Look at it the other way. That'll still be only £500-£1000 on a car that's better than a lot of £20K machinery. [8|]

Assuming the rest of the car is worth the effort of course.

 

[ChasR]

At the end of the day, you could lose that in depreciation in another car. Restore I say.

 

[Bonzo]

This is true.. our cars are depreciation-proof nowadays I suppose.

What's the current going rate for a decent O/S front wing? New still ridiculously expensive?

 

[944 man]

Id disagree that a good S is only worth £1,000 too. Ive bought a good car for £500 its true, but most of the £1,500 series ones offered for sale appear to be rubbish, so a good 'S' should be worth £2,500 with ease.

You can drive it with less than perfect shut-lines too, you know? If everything else is good then its not that important and its certainly not a good reason to dismantle and otherwise decent car.

Simon

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: 944 LIL

If we, the current custodians, trash fix-able versions there will be none left.

Very succinctly put, and spot on. Thanks Colin.

On a 'your car' basis, how much is it worth to you? You know the car well, and I suspect enjoy owning it. Would you really take it to pieces just to make a bit of money from it, and then take a gamble on a replacement car, which may come with a lot of very expensive faults?

It sounds like the car is in good nick otherwise. Breaking it just because the front doesn't line up exactly sounds like actions of a neanderthal. I can't imagine it will cost a huge amount to straighten out the slightly bent panel, or (as Simon said), just drive it with slightly imperfect panel gaps ...


Oli.

 

[DivineE]

I think its about finding a ballance. I don't think spending £3000-4000 on a full re-spray would be reasonable in your situation.. and I know the temptation to think if I'm doing that I might as well.. but if I were in your position I'd put it in for an Mot (see what its going to cost to get it back on the road) if its not too bad. Do the necessary and a few bits that annoy you most (there's always something).

Then I'd take it to a good local accident repair guy and get him to work with whats there. Take the panels off, bend it back straight, rub down and repair rust around damage patch in a little metal if required, protect for future and spray the minimum area possible. If the car drives well now having it re-aligned is not going to be cost affective. Just get it straight and protected against rust it wont cost you more than £300 from the right bloke. If your stuck I know a really good bloke locally to me in Northants.

Its easy to persuade yourself the problem is bigger than it really is. Think about it like you'd just bought the car. If it costs you £800 to fall back in love with your car again its worth it. Selling it or breaking it now will realistically be a lot of hassle, very sad and will never equal the value of having the car working.

If it was a turbo or an early lux I'd buy it off you and put it together just to see it live again. I hope you see the light and do the right thing.

 

[Alpine]

trade it in for a new Kia under the scrappage scheme []

 

[AfterShock]

Welllllllll.......I hate to swing you one way or another! lol

but.........I'm interested in the wheels!! lol sorry for the blatant self interest!!

Having said that. Restoring it would give you a lot of pleasure if it proves financially sensible. Lots of other cars to choose from!

Or have we hit the point of saving these yet?

 

[944 man]

The wheels arent really suitable for 944s. Theyre 6" and 7" 16" Boxster rims and every 944 should have 7" fronts. That said; if you can slim the tyres down a little then it may lighten your steering...

I have a mint set of these with new Sportmaxxes and crested centres which I bought for my 924S.

 

[Suffolk944]

ORIGINAL: sc0tty

The 944 is hardly rare though is it?   The more sheds to go the scrap heap the better, then all that will be left are the mint ones ! 

Is not exactly a shed though is it ? Am with Ben on this one, some sort of perspective needs to be put against expense vs the condition of the car. Breaking this one would seem a real waste unless the expense of sorting something vital is excessive. If you really have fallen out of love with it, put it through its MOT and then sell it on.

 

[ChasR]

ORIGINAL: sc0tty

The 944 is hardly rare though is it? The more sheds to go the scrap heap the better, then all that will be left are the mint ones !

You are not the only person to own a good 944. I admit mine's not perfect, but there are several on the forum that are fine .

 

[Frenchy]

Fix it and enjoy it..................end of message.

 

[Suffolk944]

ORIGINAL: sc0tty

I was not referring to the specific 944 on this thread, my point was that the 944 as a model is in my opinion is not a rare car, and thus no one is going to miss the sheds on ebay if they don't get restored.  I personally think that there are more sheds than decent high quality cars left, therefore, lets big up the mint cars and get rid of all the crap ones. The 944 has become what the 924 used to be known as, "the poor mans porsche" which I personally think is a bit sad.   I am proud to have a clean pampered weekend car, so, as a paying member, that is what I appreciate and that's what I like to promote.

There are far too many people who think a 944 is a cheap old banger, and they then buy these so called bargains and then can't or won't afford to run them correctly. Sadly this is clouding the reputation of the car and this affects all of us enthusiasts eventually.   

Yup am with you on all that. We do get a steady stream of folk on here who pick up these cars for the price of a ratty Saxo, then expect them to have the same running costs and when it turns out not to be the case quickly sell the cars on. I don't like to see any old cars destroyed un-neccesarily (even the Marinas on Top Gear !) but the 944 deserves far better than to be dragged into bangernomics both for the the sake of the model as a whole as well as our own personal pride and joys.

Apologies for getting the wrong end of the stick with your original post James.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

There are far too many people who think a 944 is a cheap old banger, and they then buy these so called bargains and then can't or won't afford to run them correctly. Sadly this is clouding the reputation of the car and this affects all of us enthusiasts eventually.

Couldn't agree more.

The ironic thing is that, bought well, a 944 will cost less per mile over a decent period of time than pretty much any other "classic". They are better built, spares are plentiful and mostly well priced, and usually the work we have to spend out on is a once-in-20-years expense.

I think the problem is people buying pretty bad cars, getting huge bills in the first year and then running away. Perhaps we need to think of a Lux as a £10K car, that's what it'll cost to buy and bring into mint condition. That's not a bad thing when you consider that it's not a lot spread over, say, ten years of ownership. Just that you might have to be realistic about spending more in some years, and that you don't buy a car like this as a short-term prospect if you want it to be a good one. [8|]

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: sc0tty

The 944 is hardly rare though is it?   The more sheds to go the scrap heap the better, then all that will be left are the mint ones ! 

The queue for scrapping 944's is forming behind sc0tty, who will be the first to hand his keys over ... after all, he can afford OPC servicing, so he'll find those nice new Cayenne's a veritable bargain ...

[>:]


Oli.