What is the view point from people on

[JM1962]

I went to pick up a few parts the other day and was amazed to se one or two of the cars being broken. One was a mint bodyshell 944S, sold to the breaker (for peanuts) for spares because it needed a new clutch, the shell will get crushed, what a waste. So numbers should be reducing at a fair rate for various reasons and eventually values will go up. I think already if you have an exceptional example prices are pretty firm, particularly for the Turbo.

If you could find a genuine mint rust free Turbo or S2, what would you pay ?

 

[Fat Albert]

ORIGINAL: Sandspider

I was chatting to my neighbour the other day, and he said he'd heard the prices of 944s were rising again. He's into old cars and motorbikes, but I'm not sure what he was basing his comment on...

Of course the more people that say that...the higher prices people are prepared to pay...which then lifts the prices for everyone, so we just need to keep spreading the rumour!

 

[Hilux]

If you could find a genuine mint rust free Turbo or S2, what would you pay ?

Genuine and knowledgeable enthusiasts will pay a premium but are far and few between, instead the Boxster is much more accepted and appealing to people wanting a dibble into Porker ownership.

Either way, the uninitiated will consider any Porsche an expensive car to run and look at more modern `hot` cars, especially with fuel costs and the credit crunch. In the VW Golf world there are many many owners fitting modern TDi`s as power is now at acceptable levels and economy better. Also, you can now buy brand new cars for a tad over £5K.

The initiated (and I was one) expect to pay £1000 plus a year to keep them reliable. On the other hand my old Landcruiser has cost me less than £800 over 6 years including a set of tyres and an exhaust but I do service it regularly myself.

The 944 owner is a pretty specialised person so the amount of demand is reflected in the prices fetched and I`m afraid its that type of car so it wont change much. EG: If I was in the market for a mint 944T I wouldnt pay more than £7K for if I sold it the next week to the uninitiated they would only pay me about £6K for it (if I could find a buyer)

S`why I got out as I spent enough on mine (first and only hobby car I owned that I lost money on - but was one of the most enjoyable) and it was time to move on as I ended up worried over the expense of either pranging it or it blowing up on a track day so never really full on loved it like the others I own/owned.

 

[Lowtimer]

If you could find a genuine mint rust free Turbo or S2, what would you pay ?

Jim

That is one good question. If my car were written off by a meteor strike tomorrow, I would be looking to replace it with one of a very small number of individual cars which are of the very highest quality, with and would expect to pay well into five figures. I would not restrict myself to waiting to see what turned up in the small ads, I would expect to be actively seeking the very best cars extant, with a view to making the owner an offer.

So your question is only part of the picture. Another good question, the one on the other side of the market, is "If you have a genuinely mint, perfect, everything working, rust-free Turbo, what sort of offer would it take to tempt you to sell it?"

At the moment there are still plenty of cars out there owned by people who won;t spend serious money on them. That will change because even the best built cars eventually need big money spending. Once we see most of the current low-valued cars crushed because their present owners are generally not willing to spend money on them, the likelihood is that the volume of sales in the market will plummet far more steeply than the number of cars in circulation. The remaining owners will be people who were sufficiently determined to hang on to their cars to spend proper money on them, and if buyers continue to expect to buy them for tuppence, transactions will not take place at all. That's when a buyer's market becomes a seller's market.

Paul makes the good point that "Genuine and knowledgeable enthusiasts will pay a premium but are far and few between, instead the Boxster is much more accepted and appealing to people wanting a dibble into Porker ownership." I agree with that. What I'm predicting is that the forthcoming 944 population crash will also reduce the supply of cars to "few and far between" over the next five to ten years. Supply and demand back into equilbrium.

 

[ukmastiff]

The quick answer , I think they are around bottom end , in fact the cheepies I was viewing two to three months ago have all bloomin gone and they have at least temporarily creapt up in price ( was it panic selling ?)

I have owned and enjoyed two 944 turbo's in the last year. One cost or 'lost' me 150 pounds and the other one I sold to James lost me about 300 and that was only as the AFM went as the car was going up for sale ( Im so glad it didnt go days after). So I got to drive two amazing cars for a year and it cost me 500 quid.
My Volvo S60 D5 lost me a thousand per year over 4 years so I'm quite happy with the 500 on two Porsche.

I still think there is no harm in the chap or anyone else enjoying the challenge of trying to maybe own a Porsche and sell it later having cost him close to or nothing ! why not if you get to enjoy the car look after it and pass it on in better nick
( or as good as) whats wrong with buying the car at the right price and time its not a crime.
If I lose money on one so what if I dont hey its a bonus and the money will go on another car ( or two), either way cars will swallow my money , well any the Conservatives leave me to spend.

Cheers

Mas

 

[912UK]

thank you for not joining the club the man who says about loosing money [] We will see we might end up keeping it longer who know..
Still a great car for sure and we are enjoying it and keeping our fingers crossed about any issues and their costs..

 

[Hilux]

thank you for not joining the club the man who says about loosing money

If thats a guarded reference to me...................I used to be an active member.

If my 944T lost me money then its because I fitted lots of nice (proper, well considered) bits to make it handle and stop properly and (if I may say so) end up one of the better 944`s condition wise.

This wasnt cheap but the extra expenditure was almost a total loss from the price I bought it for, hence the comment regarding the top amount they are worth for even when done properly the market will only stand a certain price (and that was in the good times)

With other `kit` cars ironically I got my money back as the enthusiasts (rarer than a prospective 944 owner) appreciated it and saw the benefits /enhancements as a positive and I`ve already been offered a reasonable sum for the Golf that keeps me in pocket too.

If you weren't referring to me then apologies but, if nothing else, its given me time to refelect on owning one - and I still miss it.

 

[NEIL2]

purchased my s2 2 years ago , spent over 50 hours on it new fuel lines, rebuilt calipers, pads, service, axle mounts, repair door locks,mo30s siezed adjusters , reset suspension , replace faulty switches ect , the car was in good condition but tlc can take up a lot of time and cash on these cars , if i was charging myself labour would be half of what i paid for car never mind parts bill (genuine fuel lines) car was valued by pc last year at £2500 more than i paid for it so i am happy at that , at the end of the day i like the fact that i can save this car from the crusher (midlife) and take it out once and again and use it hard , will i get a return ? poss my purchase price in 10 years if i keep spending , well worth it

 

[NEIL2]

yes there is a lot of dross on the market , un maintained ect , i am lucky and have funds to spend on the car , i just feel many first time owners are being screwed buying money pits that are rotten and this will put them off for good , i looked at 6 cars before i bought mine 4 were so junk it was scary all sold by dealers !!! yes prices will be ok after dross cleared out but i feel sorry for buyers of these cars whos dreams may be shattered , more education for new buyers and a list of c*** dealers ,ect we owe them that much ?

 

[DivineE]

Too many more modern looking Boxters for 944 t money at the moment and probably over the next 10 years for prices to rise IMO but I cant see them dropping any further either.

I say if your holding out for a price rise, it'll be some time. It still looked quite modern for the money until recently but once it goes through the 'dated' years and starts getting rarer. I predict that like every good car in history, it will make classic status 20years or so from now and be worth money one day.

All that said I've no intention of keeping the mileage down for values sake, I know the value of the 944 already and I intend to cash in on it as often as I can until she has no driving life left in her.. with any luck that'll be at least another 20 years [] and I don't care if my car is collectable or not.

 

[John Sims]

944's will always be blighted by the value insurers put on them.

No matter what 20 year old car you have costs in maintaining, refurbishing or restoring them (properly) are going to be comparable.

It would be easy to spend £4K or more on most 944s in getting them to a semi pristine condition - perhaps difficult to spend less unless much has been done previously - but if some numpty runs into the back of you, at even relatively low speed, it will be goodbye car with little return on your investment.

If, on the other hand, you had spent £4K or £5K on restoring a 20 year old Aston, and the same thing happened, it would be repaired. I appreciate you would have paid more for the car in the first place and, as such, they aren't necessarilly comparable.

On a brighter note - you could spend £20K on a 356 and then a further £50K to restore it and still only have a car worth £35K.

 

[TheFiend]

ORIGINAL: sc0tty

The only reason the 944s currently are down in price is the recession, and the fact there are so many crap ones dragging down the reputation (no offence to the muppets who buy them on the cheap but cannot or will not spend the necessary money to maintain them.)

I would love to know how many S2s remain on the road. The more rubbish that is crushed, must surely make the 944 rarer, and given enough time I hope that values will appreciate. Either way, I aint sellng mine !!`

I happen to be offended........ Mine was a cheap one.... a credit crunch bargain.... ... perhaps you'd like mine to get crushed!!!!

 

[George Elliott]

No, dont crush any of them.

One 944 advantage is they are so practical - resulting in many being used frequently.
Track day growth has revived interest too as they hang in the rear view mirrors of gt3's.
They are a modern car too with digital engine management etc.
I like the old vw/audi/porsche K-Jet engines but vacuum advance timing and warm up regulators are for the seriously devoted on a daily basis.

I think they will follow 356 values over the next ten years. (and many will disappear).

Good to see those images again Hilux, - a real minter with the right wheels, mirrors, ride height, calipers, and I am sure spring / damper rates and 4 wheel alignment and more.

George
944t

 

[Hilux]

Good to see those images again Hilux, - a real minter with the right wheels, mirrors, ride height, calipers, and I am sure spring / damper rates and 4 wheel alignment and more.

Thanks, but you missed the colour coded door handles []

Nuff said, I`m off this thread.

Mr Sims first sentence is absolutely correct.