Oh yea of little faith.

[Frenchy]

Anyone read page 10 of 911 & Porsche World ?
David Sutherland has written that the transaxle cars are starting to be noticed and is basically saying buy one now as they are starting to be recognised.
Prices will firm up and may not go as silly as the 911 but are basically a sound buy............tell me something i did not already know !
And to think i have just let a cracking early turbo go with a ton of provenance which i fear will be ruined within a couple of years..hopefully not !
I and a few others on here have banged the drum about this subject []

 

[edh]

Still not convinced that prices will do much more than drift slowly upwards for really good ones, and maybe will just about cover the upkeep of the car. Compare with the 924 CGT which has already shot up.

 

[simkin911]

I'd better find one quickly then.... []

 

[Frenchy]

And the rest if good will follow !

 

[Frenchy]

Steve you already got one ALA 968, there is a belting looking early 944 turbo on e bay at the moment in Bournemouth at 8K looks the part in the pics, White with Fuchs...........Lovely []

 

[edh]

ORIGINAL: Frenchy

Steve you already got one ALA 968, there is a belting looking early 944 turbo on e bay at the moment in Bournemouth at 8K looks the part in the pics, White with Fuchs...........Lovely []

Just found that... looks very very nice. Early (pre ABS) turbo is a good option I think.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

ORIGINAL: edh

Still not convinced that prices will do much more than drift slowly upwards for really good ones, and maybe will just about cover the upkeep of the car.

I agree. We're not at any sort of "tipping-point" here yet.

Most major work on a decent 944 costs what it's worth. The annual service is probably nearly what it's worth....[&o]

I'm not doing them down here. People who DIY can run a well-bought 944 on a shoestring, and are very lucky owners of a great car. Just saying that even the best 944 will throw a few bills if you want to drive it, or age-related issues will affect the garage queens.

They are still a car that's best when bought well, driven regularly, and maintained carefully, but not thought of as an investment IMO.

 

[PSH]

ORIGINAL: edh

ORIGINAL: Frenchy

Steve you already got one ALA 968, there is a belting looking early 944 turbo on e bay at the moment in Bournemouth at 8K looks the part in the pics, White with Fuchs...........Lovely []

Just found that... looks very very nice. Early (pre ABS) turbo is a good option I think.

ahhh.. yes an 86 944T.. the crem de la crem of the breed IMHO of course...nice car...

Pete

 

[edh]

Has there ever been an article in 911&pw that hasn't concluded that "now is the time to buy before prices go (even) higher"?

 

[Frenchy]

Agree partly with what you say Paul, i have run 944 Turbos for years now,and there is a lot of "scaremongering" about them, but if you shop around for parts and can wield a spanner then they are NOT expensive to run and maintain and are pretty reliable.
You need to look after them pretty much constantly to keep them in tip top condition but that is part of the pleasure for me.
A owner who just wants to drive them and get them serviced / fixed by a third party as and when necessary will find them expensive and they will throw up problems, expensive problems sometimes if not kept on top of.
You have to be quite OCD with the upkeep of the cars to keep them sound and solid which i think will be case in 50% of owners, the other 50% will occur some large fix it and sort it bills due to the just " hop in and drive it" mentality..........................we are talking about old cars here.
Most of my running expenditure goes on "nice to have " goodies not servicing and maintenance which i do myself with help from other local 994 people.
Plus when i do it i go the extra mile cleaning or changing anything which requires attention whilst i am in there, something that you would never get from OPC or Specialist.
If you are a spanner man then not expensive to run if looked after, if you are a driver with no spannering then they can be expensive.
And yes this forum does do them" down""and undervalue them.
I have driven most Porsche models both old and new and owned quite a few and feel i can speak from experience of ownership........................these cars are underated and undervalued.

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: PSH


ahhh.. yes an '89 S2 ... the crem de la crem of the breed IMHO of course...nice car...

Pete

Sorry Pete, I think there was a mistake in your post. I've corrected it for you.


Oli.

 

[PSH]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

ORIGINAL: PSH


ahhh.. yes an '89 S2 ... the crem de la crem of the breed IMHO of course...nice car...

Pete

Sorry Pete, I think there was a mistake in your post. I've corrected it for you.


Oli.

haha

Sorry Oli my mistake....

Oh and Frenchy...i agree fully with your last post...spot on..

Pete

 

[Frenchy]

edh.........they talk shite most of the time and are usually factualy incorrect,just nice to see transaxle cars mentioned, which was inevitable as the 911 thing has been done to death, but as said in a previous post we are our own worst enemies as regards these cars................poor mans Porsche !
My car was £44k new in 1988 !
My first semi detched house with garage and front and rear gardens in a good area was circa £35k at the same time !

 

[zcacogp]

'Tis an interesting discussion, and brings to the fore the various different reasons people have for owning a 944. I am pretty happy to maintain my S2 myself as an only car, knowing it's a decent (but not immaculate) example and that it's much, much more of a car than I deserve given how little I spend on it. There are, however, others on here who are happy to spend big bucks on mega-power Turbos, and others again who are into the purity of owning the near-perfect track car, and yet more who are happy to pay a reasonable amount at their local indie to keep their 944 on the road, and a few of the 'garage queen' mentality.

It's interesting that one model of car can cover so many bases so effectively.

(It's also interesting that we don't seem to see many of the "run it 'cos it's a cheap Porsche but not spend a penny on it to maintain it" type here. I wonder why that is?)

Have to say that I'd view any increase in value as being a pleasant but unexpected surprise. Others thought otherwise - and I think they were deluded. Sc0tty, I'm looking at you. Oh, you've gone! []


Oli.

 

[ChasR]

Indeed, I would agree that we are our own worst enemy at devaluing the cars. But truth be told, most forums are to any brand. Look at some of the great cars which have been built. I guess there are the best of intentions with helping someone get a great value 944, but that this can work in both respects (i.e getting a great value Porsche, but keeping the prices down. Another car I own may be a victim to this (although the reputation probably does not help)).

ORIGINAL: zcacogp


(It's also interesting that we don't seem to see many of the "run it 'cos it's a cheap Porsche but not spend a penny on it to maintain it" type here. I wonder why that is?)


Oli.

I appreciate that comment is rhetorical, but after chatting to a few 944 owners who do not spend a fortune they do consider us lot to be too 'perfect' and wanting to have a 'spot on' car. Truth be told, I reckon they grabbed the wrong end of the stick when being warned about the potential pitfalls of a 944 (I guess the pitfalls go for any car truth be told).

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

Have to say that I'd view any increase in value as being a pleasant but unexpected surprise. Others thought otherwise - and I think they were deluded. Sc0tty, I'm looking at you. Oh, you've gone! []

Oli.

Absolutely (on both counts ). On the former it does seem that prices are slowly nudging in the right direction (I have spoken with a few chaps who have sold their 944s and it is good to hear that they are selling them for more than what some 'enthusiasts' consider the 944s to be worth (i.e 'Yeah mate, you can get an S2 for £2k which is a Minta, innit? I saw a Turbo in perfect nick for sale for £3k, is yours Weaaly worth £6k?'). OTOH, supply is probably lowish on 944s now. Just how many do you see on the roads these days? I know where I live it is not many.

Here is a thought. No one thought that 914 values would beat MGB values by quite the margin that they have now. Do not even ask about a 914/6!

 

[PSH]

regarding increases in value, I hadn't been keeping track of such things until lately and it was a pleasant surprise to see that values or shall we say perceived values have risen of late.

Let's hope it continues and finally recognises the fact that the 944 truly is a great car to own and for some of us the only Porsche to drive.

Pete

 

[Frenchy]

Not the "only one" Pete but a brilliant car all the same, having owned a few cars all i can say for sure is that the 944 was overseen on build by engineers whereas other models (Porsche and Others) the build was overseen by accountants..............this i am 100% Sure of []

 

[Monkeythree]

I'm not a speculator - I plan to use and enjoy my S2 when it's finished. But in the same breath, I keep track of what it's costing me and what it might be worth when it's finished (and hopefully one of the nicer cars out there). I do this because I value my money and i'm not keen for it to depreciate in front of my eyes. When I decided to buy a cheap (£1750) S2, I did so in the belief that 944 values have bottomed out and are starting on the upwards curve so i felt confident that if I ever had to sell it, i would get my money back.

My sums currently look like this:

Purchase price £1750
Parts bill to date £2700
Parts still needed £800
Respray budget £3000

 

[supersport]

I don't think 944s are going to follow the example set by early 911s, but who knows. They are definitely up but not yet justifying restoration costs. In some ways this is good because it makes them accessible in a way that 911s aren't any more.

When I bought my 911 9 years ago (picked it up this weekend 9 years ago) it was justified because we wouldn't loose much whilst we owned it and who know one day it might go up, but at least we wouldn't loose much. For the first couple of years the value slightly sank but at pleasingly low rate. The last 4 years are crazy as it is now worth double what we paid.

This has taken from a great entry car that was affordable to one that is now heading out of the reach of many for a weekend toy. It would be sad, and yet great, if the 944 went the same way.

 

[JM1962]

There are still too many out there for the price to go up much. There were 2800 still on the road of all types and 3500 SORN in Q4 2013. Probably quite a few more on the road now its spring. As the rarity goes up so will the price. I wonder how many of those SORN cars are basket cases?