Square dash without cracks?

[simdel1]

Hi Guys,

While I've been waiting for our house move to be done and for deposits and other moneys to find their way back to me, I've been looking at what sort of car is available in my budget (i'm thinking I could stretch to £3000).

I'm pretty certain that limits me to the Lux (and possibly S) end of the market, but one thing I still can't decide is whether to go for sqaure dash or oval dash. Having looked at pictures of many examples of both, and weighed up the pros and cons of both, I've decided that I would probably prefer the oval dash (for purely cosmetic reasons) but if there was a tidy sqaure dash avilable, with a mint interior, I wouldn't dismiss it.

So, in my typically long-winded way, I've come to my question. Is it actually possible to find a square dash car where the top of the dash isn't doing an impression of tectonic plate movement? For entirely shallow reasons, I couldn't buy a car with a cracked dash unless it could be easilly fixed.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Interesting one.

£3K would get you a pretty much concours early car, but there are few without some cracking to the dash. It's a result of the hardboard-type material that's used as a base for the vinyl shrinking, starting around the heater vents. So, it's worse the more the heater has been used, or if the car's been parked outside in the sun. Therefore, a low-mileage car that's always been garaged would be likely to be in better nick, but even the very best are now over 25 years old and they will be prone to cracking just down to sheer age. There was a 924 on the Club stand at Pistonheads a couple of years back that had an immaculate interior, bought for under a grand, so they are out there.

With that budget I'd consider getting the dash retrimmed if you can't find a perfect one. Buy the best all-round car, and spend a bit on any areas that need attention. The dash covers are under £100, but obviously plastic. I'd investigate getting it recovered in either leather or alcantara, although I've no idea of the cost. Plenty of old classics have interiors restored, so it can't be that difficult. Just a matter of weighing up the cost against living with a cracked dash.

On the plus side, plenty of the newer dashes are cracking as well, so that's not a reason to buy a later car if you prefer the old interior! [&:]

 

[944 man]

I have a perfect black and a late brown series one dashboard; so are available if you look.


Simon

 

[steves944]

Seems to fit your requirement.

Looks immaculate

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PORSCHE-944-RED-Only-57000-Miles-/260772993484?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3cb74819cc#ht_657wt_1026

 

[robwright]

simdel1 sorry for not replying to your PM it's been a bit mad here! I have an oval turbo and Andy has a square dash I am sure we can arrange a meet so you can sample both. Number is in the signature please feel free to text or call mate.

 

[pixie*porsche]

simdel - if you're interested in seeing a nice early car, mine is available for someone to come and have a look at. I'll let the car go for the right price, too. []

 

[Hairyarse]

ORIGINAL: robwright

simdel1 sorry for not replying to your PM it's been a bit mad here!  I have an oval turbo and Andy has a square dash I am sure we can arrange a meet so you can sample both.  Number is in the signature please feel free to text or call mate.

What he said[]...and mine nearly has no cracks !

 

[VanhireBoys]

My oval dash is cracked fairly substantially.. So its not just the early square dashes that crack[]..

 

[robwright]

Invest in a good cover and use it always. Even when it is dry and sunny is my advice []

 

[simdel1]

Thanks for all the advice!

Generally I prefer the look of the oval dash - more modern. I have seen some square dash cars though (like yours, Pixie!) and thought "wow, that's a nice interior". For some reason, interior quality and feel is one of the most important things to me. It's one of things I like the most about my rover.

I'm starting to like the charm of the slightly more classic looking stance of the square dash cars that are riding on cookie cutters. In a way i guess it's good that I like both because it opens the market up for me.

Andy/Rob, thanks once again for the kind offer! Once the physical house move is done in a couple of weeks time, I'll drop you both a line to see if we can sort something out. It would be really useful to compare the two side-by-side to see if it sways my opinion one way or the other. The last 944 I sat in was a square dash that had been badly resprayed and the dealer wanted a ludicrous amount of money for it! I cant remember much except thinking the driving position was 'odd' and that the dealers explination of why the boot was full of water was far-fetched.

Steve, thanks for the link. I had been eying that one up before. Am I being picky if I think the porsche script seats are a bit chavvy? [8D]

Pixie, thanks for the offer. Is that the one with the black seats with the porsche crest on the headrest? That's a very tidy looking car! what wheels does it have on at the moment?

 

[pixie*porsche]

Thats the one [] It's got 16" Fondmetals:

You can easily find some nice cookies if thats what you want and sell the Fondmetals which would be worth more than a good set of cookies!

 

[simdel1]

Ahh, I've just noticed that you mention the wheels in your sig! They look good.

 

[Frenchy]

Your car suits those wheels Pixie, get some tyre sheen on !!!

 

[Hairyarse]

No probs Simdel, let us know when you're moved and we'll hook up

Ref the overpriced square dash at the dealer, is wasnt the guards red one down the A1 at Sandy was it? If so looked mint on the ebay ad, me and rob went for a look but was one to walk well away from. Shame, as the interior (aside from th cracked dash!) looked very tidy along with a mint set of teledials

 

[robwright]

I thought exactly the same last night mate.

 

[simdel1]

The over-priced car was at a local dealer in peterborough about 2 years ago. I was saving up for an mgb at the time and I noticed this bright orange 944 close to work so I thought I'd have a look. The seats were split open, the boot was full of water and there was no service history. The paint wasn't good either. The car had been resprayed a non standard orange, but they'd forgotten to do some things like the fog light surrounds and various other bits of plastic, so those bits were still the original gold/bronze colour. The V5 hadn't been updated yet either. The guy then wanted a non-refundable £250 deposit for a test drive. The asking price was nearly £2k, which I thought was a lot considering the issues that needed resolving.

 

[Hairyarse]

Non refundable deposit for a test drive, he's having a laugh!!!

 

[simdel1]

Indeed. I got the feeling it was all a bit dodgy!

 

[simdel1]

I know I'm dredging up an old topic of mine, but it seems the best place to keep my thoughts in context.

Andy was kind enough to let me have a drive in his square dash yesterday (thanks Andy!) and I think it's made my mind up. It has to be an early car.

The main deciding factor for me is that I want a classic car. I don't want another modern car on the drive!

I did find that the driving position was as strange as most people have said. However, as I explained to Andy, the driving position (hands rubbing against bowed legs) is very close to the driving position I'm forced to have in my kart. Therefore it actually feels quite natural and sporty to me! The lack of powered steering wasn't any where near as bad as I expected either. In fact, I liked the weighty feel.

Thank you to everyone for their support and advice while I've been making my mind up. I'm ready to buy now, so hopefully I'll soon find a nice square dash to call my own []

 

[Hairyarse]

No worries Simon, was good to meet you. Let me and Rob know if you want a second opinion on anything you're looking at