High mile 944 turbo se

[rav]

I'm still on my quest for eternal life - or so it seems. I'm looking for a 944 turbo SE in good condition for a budget of sub £4k. This seems a big wish and comes with compromise. I have found a car that fits the bill but has 236k miles on the clock. Its got a Full service history and clearly has had lots of money spent on it. New clutch, fuel and brake lines, tyres etc. The interior is very clean. Only 4 owners from new the last owner has had the car for ten years. He amassed most of the mileage on the car on a daily run from Kent to London. So questions for you are: 1) How many miles has your 944 done? 2) Where there any major failing points on the car and if you remember at what mileage? 3) What could potentially go wrong with a car of this mileage? 4) Any other words of wisdom..... I have secured the car (pending deposit) for £3k.

 

[random hero]

If its the black one in leeds my main concern would be the o/s sill as it looks to have been stone chipped or repainted and i would want to know whats underneath !!

 

[rav]

Yes, its the black one in Leeds. Long story, but i saw this advertised a week ago on about page 5 of Pistonheads. I saw it and gave the owner a call at about 21:30. He was a genuine owner who had owned the car for over ten years. He was selling it for £895.
I arranged to go and see him the following morning, but by then it was sold to a chap from Leeds. Its now on sale for £3995.

Just phoned the previous seller, who tells me that the air con doesnt work, the passenger side electric window is very slow and it has a strange rattle from the front of the engine. This started after he had the belts changed (at 216k now 237k), but didnt get the idlers or rollers changed. The noise goes away after five minutes and he has used the car like this for over 9 months. Oil pressure gauge is faulty and always reads 5 bar when electrics are on (faulty earth?). He repalced the driving light lenses from glass to perspex as they kept being hit by stones and breaking. They are over £200 each from OPC. He also told me that on the last MOT, he was adivsed that the suspension bushes were near the end of thier life - so will need changing now.

New seller does sound a bit like a wide boy. Please can anyone comment on what i should do, or is anyone that is expereinced with Turbos in or near Leeds?
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[random hero]

Funny you should say that as the name of the new seller rings a bell,im sure ive seen him selling similar cars before !!

 

[rav]

Transpires that even his name is false. His name is Kam Gill and not Paul Gills.

 

[944 man]

I wouldnt look back.

 

[random hero]

Definatly know the name kam gill,he had a 968 and a 944 S2 for sale i think last year.When the balck car sold for £895 was it just too cheap or is this a reflection of its true condition ??

 

[rav]

I have the number of the seller who sold the car for £895. He is a retired gentleman who sold tha car way too cheap. He realises his mistake, but thought the mileage would put people off.

I phoned his this morning and he told me about the rattle from the front of the engine and the air con problems.

Its a genuine car.

ETA: Kam Gill is a dealer - he told me he had a 968 CS and a 944 S2 recently and also a 996 C4S of his own.

 

[morris944s2john]

Nice markup! I bet he tries and sells it as it is without spending out on any work on it.

 

[rav]

Thats exactly what he is doing.
I like the car - SE spec in black and original.

I dont like the mileage or the mark up - but at £3k might be woth a punt?

 

[edh]

I'd try & save a bit more money & spend it on a £5-6k turbo.

 

[rav]

ORIGINAL: edh

I'd try & save a bit more money & spend it on a £5-6k turbo.

Sorry chap but i just dont have the money. I can afford to spend a little each 6 months or so on getting jobs done.....

 

[edh]

I which case, a 220 turbo or an S2 makes much more sense. Actually an S2 makes a lot more sense on a limited budget, as there's far fewer opportunities to spend money on mods []

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: morris944s2john

Nice markup! I bet he tries and sells it as it is without spending out on any work on it.

That qualifies as 'cheeky bast rd' in my book. I'll not deny anyone a profit margin, but a profit margin that big, with no expenditure on his behalf (other than the original purchase), taking advantage of the previous sellers' fear of high-milage and good nature, is simply rude.

I wouldn't buy it on a matter of principle. No matter what condition/price.


Oli.

 

[Diver944]

Whichever way you look at it he's a businessman, his business is selling cars. He bought it from someone who didn't know the true value and it looks like he is selling it for around it's true value. Yes it's horrid for the old boy who sold it too cheap, but if Rav had bought it at that price we'd be saying well done for getting a potential bargain. He's buying it for about the right price.

Looking at it open mindedly, a car of this mileage is only really going to have two main items that are probably still original and that is the engine and the gearbox. Everything else will surely have been replaced at some point in it's life (maybe not the shocks if the owner wasn't that much of an enthusiast or didnt notice them getting crappy over the years).

The noise at the front could just be the rollers, or it could be something else.

When the oil pressure reads 5 bar all the time it's because the sender has failed (mine went this way last year), or it could be unplugged to mask a very low pressure. A new sender is circa £25 from memory and easy to change when the oil is drained.

If it drives well, stops well, doesn't smoke like a chimney and isn't full of rust holes I'd say it could be a reasonable buy

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

Whichever way you look at it he's a businessman, his business is selling cars. He bought it from someone who didn't know the true value and it looks like he is selling it for around it's true value. Yes it's horrid for the old boy who sold it too cheap, but if Rav had bought it at that price we'd be saying well done for getting a potential bargain. He's buying it for about the right price.

Yes, I guess you are right. But I guess I simply don't believe in taking advantage of people to that extent.

On that basis, I would be refusing to contribute to the guy's profit margin in any way at all. And certainly not by buying the car.

Perhaps I'm being old-fashioned, but some people I choose to do business with, and some I choose not to do business with. I try and do business with people I like, and this guy sounds very dis-likable. Therefore he would be one of the latter.


Oli.

 

[xenon]

Nice people sell nice cars, as Oli himself once said. I think it might be a money pit.

 

[zcacogp]

Ian,

Nice to know that someone reads the posts I write!

It sounds like this car may well have been sold by a nice guy, who was the last (long-term) owner. A bit too nice for his own good, hence the very low price.

I can't comment on the condition, but it sounds like the current vendor is anything other than nice.


Oli.

 

[sy247]

Be careful if you are on a limited budget. These cars can cost a lot to maintain properly. I bought a 944 S2 for £3K. It had done 155K and had a massive amount of history and was owned by a genuine enthusiast. Shocks replaced, recon gearbox, water pump replaced three years ago, belts done on time, all the correct services at well respected indie etc etc. Drove well on the test drive.

I had the belts / rollers done when I got it and a full service. It also needed disks and pads all round. Two news tyres. An oil leak was picked up and I had some oil seals changed. I then had a water pump go (conveniently a few months after having the belts done!). It is currently in for heater matrix to be changed...

It has done 185K and I have spend in excess of £4K on it including servicing. I haven't paid for the heater matrix yet! Get it inspected by an expert who knows these cars inside and out.

I don't have any regrets, I now have a very solid car that is fantastic to drive but it does go to show how much these cars can cost.

 

[pauly]

ORIGINAL: rav

ORIGINAL: edh

I'd try & save a bit more money & spend it on a £5-6k turbo.

Sorry chap but i just dont have the money. I can afford to spend a little each 6 months or so on getting jobs done.....

If I was still looking for a turbo I would give this car a miss, I would much rather have a decent looked after 220 with half the mileage than a 250 that's been to the moon.