Mint 944 Turbo value?

[piperboxster]

Hypothetically (I say this because the wife has not been consulted yet!) . . . if I were to be looking for a A1 condition 944 turbo, with a clean history, no previous accidents, immaculate condition, etc etc.

What would I need to spend?

I had a 944 Turbo back in the 90's and have missed it since, but if I get one, it needs to be right.

Is one worth more or less if its modified? Anything from teardrop mirrors or 968 door handles, through to performance mods. Should this knock some value off, or add it?

Maybe I have expectations too high. Maybe my memory of 944 turbo's will not be realised in any I find, but if I buy one, it needs to be a great example so that I do not have my dreams (and memories) shattered by a dog that is not a good example of what a 944 turbo can be when right.

 

[Diver944]

A genuine A1, mint condition with no work needed will be circa £10k even in these market depressed times. There are not that many around and you may get quite depressed going to see some examples advertised as good [&o]

 

[appletonn]

I second Paul's comments about viewing supposedly 'good' examples....[8|]

 

[bigkeeko]

Theres no intro section so just to say i`m new and looking for my 1st Porsche. I`m in a similar position as in i`m looking for a minter. I`ve saw one at £13k which i think is a bit steep but looks like the right car. In saying that, it might have hidden faults too, thats 2nd hand cars. Either a turbo or S2 would do me but finding one thats 100% accurately advertised is near impossible. I think I`ve seen one S2 and one turbo that fits the bill. I`ve gone through this rigmaroll a couple of times. Once about 5 years ago trying to find a mint original Sierra Cosworth. I spent more time travelling the country than i did miles on the car when I got it! I`d say more than half the `mint` or `immaculate` cars aren`t. Some pepoles idea of mint and mine are totally different. Its a fact of life people hide things when selling cars (traders are the worst IMO). Good luck

 

[mike220]

Surely just easier to buy one and then throw £5000 at it straight away ? After all, it's what we're all doing I guess, just over a longer timescale ? Mike

 

[piperboxster]

So I would not be mad to spend £10k to £13k? I have seen some at £5k to £7k and they seem to be dogs, even though described as mint, I have not even bothered looking at the ones that are £3k to £5k because of this. But there was a nagging feeling that even though I had a hunch that £10k to £14k was the ballpark, I was also thinking that the second I bought one at that price, there would be 10 minters on the market for £7k

 

[Robbo149]

I have to agree with Mike. I spent ages travelling around looking for a 'mint' S2, & saw several advertised as such for around the £6k mark, which were far from 'mint'. In the end I decided to buy a much cheaper one (half the price), with the right spec & excellent history, but with visible faults which I knew needed addressing. Buying an 'honest' car & going in with my eyes open knowing I'd have to spend money on it, has meant I've ended up with a car which I know is now immaculate, with no nasty surprises lurking & has ended up costing not a great deal more than the so called 'minters' (which would all have needed money spending on them too). HTH, Robbo

 

[piperboxster]

One thing that has been on my mind though . A few years ago I had my car written off as a cat C just because it needed some cosmetic repairs, but cost of repair at a Porsche approved bodyshop was almost as much as the value of the car. (It was a 928). So on the one hand, I know a cat-c need not mean the car is a cut and shut. However, if I do find a minter, and the only fly in the ointment is that it has a cat-c in its past, should I run away from it? questions questions.

 

[appletonn]

ORIGINAL: Robbo149 I have to agree with Mike. I spent ages travelling around looking for a 'mint' S2, & saw several advertised as such for around the £6k mark, which were far from 'mint'. In the end I decided to buy a much cheaper one (half the price), with the right spec & excellent history, but with visible faults which I knew needed addressing. Buying an 'honest' car & going in with my eyes open knowing I'd have to spend money on it, has meant I've ended up with a car which I know is now immaculate, with no nasty surprises lurking & has ended up costing not a great deal more than the so called 'minters' (which would all have needed money spending on them too). HTH, Robbo

I echo those comments as i bought a well maintained ( acres of invoices and service records) car that had areas that I could see I was going to have to sort out over time. Thus far I have not come across anything that was a surprise, so honest cars are definitely the way to go[] Still doesn't stop you blowing your budget on forever trying to improve your car though....[8|] []

 

[bigkeeko]

There is no value as such for any car.A used car guide is simply that. A guide. A car is only worth what you want to pay for it. Part of the problem is outsiders saying `You paid £££! for that?` . Another way of looking at it is, if you spent 13k on a Vectra, people wouldn`t have a problem with it. 3 years later it`s worth the square root of nothing. A mint 944T however will get you a lot of your money back. An immaculate car that has wanted for nothing and needs nothing will command a higher price regardless of what anyone says and if you think its worth it then thats all that matters. I remember taking my near concours Cosworth to a dealer and testing the water. £1500. I`ve never been so close to striking a car dealer in my life. I sold it a month later for £7800 privately. I`m not sure on link posting but check out the most expensive 944 on pistonheads.co.uk He might be asking a bit much and taking the mick but on the other hand he might selling an absolute beauty. If I had the funds available I`d check it out but my budget doesn`t stretch quite into 5 figures. Its really up to yourself

 

[appletonn]

ORIGINAL: piperboxster One thing that has been on my mind though . A few years ago I had my car written off as a cat C just because it needed some cosmetic repairs, but cost of repair at a Porsche approved bodyshop was almost as much as the value of the car. (It was a 928). So on the one hand, I know a cat-c need not mean the car is a cut and shut. However, if I do find a minter, and the only fly in the ointment is that it has a cat-c in its past, should I run away from it? questions questions.

That's a tricky one, as our cars can now be theoretically written off for a minor bump that requires a front wing and bumper - you could easily be into £2.5k+ doing it with all new parts and via an expensive bodyshop, which might well exceed 40% of the car's value and thus your car is suddenly labelled as a CAT C.

 

[wibble]

For up to £10K you should get a near 944 turbo minter. I would also expect it to be as near original spec as possible. You are in a good position being a previous owner. I would just get out there and drive as many as possible. Anything, beyond that price and I would be looking at entry level 968 CS.

 

[edh]

You might be better off lowering your sights a bit - I don't think cars like that come up for sale very often. Dave Malings old car looked a nice one (now owned by Suffolk944) - I guess that went for around 8k? Having said that, there are a couple around the 8k mark on ph right now. You should find a very solid & well cared for car for that sort of money. An earlier 220 turbo in similar condition (if you can find one) will probably be a bit less (is Tref's car advertised anywhere?) David Knight's black turbo looks good, http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=384768 & the white one on ph is probably worth a look - no idea whose it is though. Some performance mods are definitely worth paying for - dual port wastegate / boost controller + some good chips, MAF, KW suspension [][]. I wouldn't think cosmetic mods make a great deal of difference - down to personal preference, although cars with bridge spoilers & Cup 1's will probably be priced higher. Silver Rose cars aren't worth more (could you live with the interior?) although the non-sunroof spec is nice (but only if the a/c works[]). If you've got the cash, it may be worth having a look at the car RPM have - not exactly what you described, but sounds like it's had plenty of good work done [link=http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/508735.htm]http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/508735.htm[/link]

 

[SimonP]

I would like to contribute to this discussion without turning it into a sales pitch if I can...! Two years ago I was approached by a gentleman who was actively looking to buy a really good turbo to keep forever, at the time, I had no intentions of selling mine, but we discussed the possibility and I ended up selling my car to him I don't want to give any names or figures here as I don't regard it as fair to the new owner, however, his comments were very much as discussed on this thread, in that the so called 'excellent examples' were leaving a lot to be desired. There are very few REALLY Exceptional 944's around the UK, a lot of really nice ones, but the ones that are in a league above that cannot be considered in the mainstream general price structures if that makes sense. Also, of course, every buyer will have his/her expectations of how much they will pay for the car they want. There are people out there who will buy with their heart and not pay too much attention to the hard monetary value - saying that, there are very few other cars around that can deliver the same package as a well prepared and tuned 944 turbo. I fear we are too ready to talk down the values of our cars, sure there are some really rough cars out there that won't be around for much longer, as they're falling into the hands of people who have no interest in keeping them and spending money on them, but for the majority of the passionate owners, there will come a time where the really good ones are so obviously better than the rest, they will command a higher price, if the owner can be confident enough to ask it. I have just finished restoring my 944 Turbo which I have had for 18 months, as some on the forum may know, I also have another 944T 'project car' which is to be fitted with a 3 litre 16v turbo engine on a stand-alone EMS. I will probably be looking to sell the restored one in the near future, but the big question is HOW MUCH?? Some friends who have seen the car have been surprised at the price I am considering in the sense that it was not enough, but I need to find a happy balance. It really is not an option to keep it as I need the money to spend on the other project car, I will no way cover the many hundreds of hours I have spent on it, but I didn't do it for the money, I wanted to make a really exceptional car. So, I guess my opinion would be there are good, up-together cars out there which are around the 10k mark, but if you are looking for an exceptional car, they will deservedly command a higher price as they should not need any further money spending on them.

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: SimonP I would like to contribute to this discussion without turning it into a sales pitch if I can...!

Simon, you're a member and you're not a trader so why not stick an honest advert on the forum at a price you want and see what rolls in? Last time I saw your red car it was minus the engine as you were doing a full rebuild but the shell looked gorgeous after a full restoration and I know what a stickler for detail you are so once everything is ready it will be as near as mint as they come. Other cars to consider as in 'a league above' are the two that Darren and Oli at [link=http://www.RPMPorsche.co.uk]www.RPMPorsche.co.uk[/link] have just done restorations on. They have both had more work on them in the past year than the current asking price and have a combination of new engine, full respray, new suspension, new clutch, new interior etc All three of these cars have been owned/restored by known 944 enthusiasts who are professionally involved in the business so can spend spare time fixing the cars up properly without worrying about the hundreds of manhours labour being recouped.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

If you've got the cash, it may be worth having a look at the car RPM have - not exactly what you described, but sounds like it's had plenty of good work done http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/508735.htm

I'd second that. RPM look after my car so I've seen a lot of the work they've put into the two turbos they're selling. Both cars have had more spent on them than the asking price, that's what you get if you're prepared to pay a little more for an exceptional car. [link=http://www.rpmtechnik.co.uk/porsche/cgi-bin/csvread.pl?mydatabase=db1&mytemplate=tp1]http://www.rpmtechnik.co.uk/porsche/cgi-bin/csvread.pl?mydatabase=db1&mytemplate=tp1[/link]

 

[swright]

I also went to view so called mint cars and traveled many miles to one that the seller promised me over the phone, needed no work. It was a rot box that had dings and scratches all over it, the engine was tapping like lionel blair and there was so much play from the torque tube it felt like it wasnt attatched!! It basically needed a full resto and he wanted 4.5k for it!!!!!(91 S2) i felt like hitting the bloke i was so annoyed. And it went on like that for the next 4 cars i looked at. Very disheartening indeed. I got so fed up that i ended up buying a turbo for 2.5k that needs a bit of work here and there, Sills and and the drivers seat re-trimming, a tyre and slight play in the track rod ends(advisories on its fresh MOT) The seller was very honest with me right from the start and because of that and the fact that the car drives so nice and tight, i bought it with the full knowledge of what is needed to make it a minter. Plus i love working on my own cars so it will be an enjoyable experience doing the jobs to make it right. Stu

 

[sawood12]

Well good 968's are still advertised at around the £12k to £14k mark, though i'm not sure if they sell at that level, and a good turbo/S2 is easily worth as much as a similar conditioned 968. Yes 968's were built in smaller numbers than 944, but there are probably less really good S2's/turbo's around now that good 968's so that justifies a similar asking price in my book. Also bear in mind that the later turbo's had superior gearboxes, suspension and brakes to 968's also.

 

[Lemon]

I looked at 11 !!!!!! before I bought mine, although maybe I am a bit fussy [] One of the so called minters at £10,000, with and I quote "Perfect Paint" looked like the nose cone had been shot by a sawn off shot gun [] The paint was that bad. Another "minter" owned at the time by a Vet who had traded up to a 996 Carrera 4 (first signs of bad 44 coming up were his new 996 covered in cow Sh1t from top to bottom!!!) He had clearly been doing 6 years of farm visits up farm tracks in the 944 which banged and rattled like a good'un Although my car No.12, has still managed to digest a substantial amount of cash, to get it close to a standard I am happy with. And that is from a car that was already extremely good.

 

[MarkK]

This car is lovely,check out the under bonnet shot,looks pampered!, [link=http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C45560?pt=pf]http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C45560?pt=pf[/link], if i was in the market for a mint car i would most deffo have a look at this one,i think it looks great in white aswell,especially as it is so darn mint....