bran3b

A new 944 owner saying "hi".

12 or so years ago I bought my first Porsche, an early 928. A few years later i sold it when i needed something bigger to transport 2 kids. 3 years ago I replaced it with another 928 and have since owned and sold a 3rd, but stil have #2.

A week ago a friend told me about a beautiful '94.5 944 that a neighbor owned but hadn't driven in a few years and now had to sell at a fire sale price. I still haven't seen the car but have been told that it was parked because of a problem with the auto transmission where it lost one gear after another, reverse was the last one to fail. The claim is that the body, interior and engine are solid and in good to very good condition. It does have a cracked windshield.

I tentatively agreed to buy the car planning to put it back on the road as my daily driver. I wish that it was a 5 speed but I already have a manual trans in the 928 and even though I plan to replace the auto with a useable one, I just dont have time to do a manual conversion.

So hi and I'll post pictures tomorrow once the deal is done.

Baron009

Hello. Looking forward to the pics!

Dan87951

Nice and welcome!

bran3b

This car took "ran when parked" to a new place. I was told thar the transmission was having problems when it was parked but otherwise the car was good. As i got more details on the trans problem it started sounding better and possibly only needed a filter and flush but then i saw the car in person.

The transmission was partially disassembled, ok, understandable. Under the hood everything was disconnected and labeled but the lables had faded and are now unreadable. The interior was half out of the car, the seats are perfect but out, the console was stripped and in the back. The moonroof was taken apart and just sitting in place. While in storage something dented the roof and cracked the windshield.

Everything is fixable but being realistic I just dont think that i have the time to rebuild the car. The final result would be a perfect 944 automatic but for the effort required I think that I will have to pass and look for a 5-speed that needs work but is intact.

Depressing result. The owners are a great couple with the best intentions but the car is just too far gone for me.

odurandina

welcome to RL.

BoulderGeek

Seems like there are a lot of 944s, especially NA, in the Front Range market.

I should have held out a little longer, when I bought mine. I over paid, but got a lot prior owner large item maintenance.

I'd absolutely love a 928, but am very frightened of the associated costs. Erie and Westminster seem to have a few good looking 944 and 951 models for sale over the last few months. If you actually want an auto, I'd think you could get bargain prices.

odurandina

then you prolly didn't overpay so much,

if you consider time fixing more stuff is time off the road.

BoulderGeek

Yeah, it's all debatable. What is value, when is paying for service better than doing it yourself, etc?

I essentially paid $5400 for a $4000 86 NA with a seriously leaking steering rack. The PO got the rack replaced and transferred the $1000 cost to me. So, I was $6400 in for a $4000 car with new steering rack, Konis, new clutch, new WP & belts, lower pan reseal and rod bearings done, nice stereo and nearly all systems working. Exterior dings, needed rear hatch seal and drainage tubes replaced. Could be better, could be worse.

Now, at $7000, I have a good runner that I might be able to get $4500 for.

Anyway, Hi, Bran! Sorry to derail your thread. Good to meet another Colorado affordable Porsche owner!

bran3b

Thanks for the welcomes. Been on the 928 board for years, now it's time to broaden my horizons.

I keep thinking about that poor car. I will likely cave in and make an offer, I just can't let a good car go like that, it deserves more.

bran3b

Made an offer and it was accepted. Will post pics once I get it home.

I think my 928 overheard the call where we agreed on a price, discovered a coolant leak minutes after the deal was made.

bran3b

So the seller talked me into it and I got the 944 home yesterday. It's an 84.5 automatic. The transmission was partially disassembled but it appears to be solid. Since the pan was already dropped and the filter taken out I can't tell if there are any chunks from the clutches or gummed up fluid... so will do what I can with it. The interior was also taken apart but everything seems to be there. I borrowed the seats for my 928 so that I can get the 928 seats recovered, the 944 seats look nearly perfect.

The deal maker was the BMW 325is that came with the 944. Both cars need work but I just couldn't let these cars go to the crusher.

StoogeMoe

Sweet E30. Is that an automatic too?

bran3b

Nope, E30 is a 5-speed. It seems to have a fuel pressure issue. I haven't been able to dig in enough to figure it out yet but I suspect a weak pump. I need to get it running so that I can get the 944 onto the lift to figure out te transmission issue. That and my Jeep daily driver need it's turn on the lift for a transmission upgrade.

StoogeMoe

Oh good. Manual is much better. I'm sure not too many people on this forum are interested in Bimmers, but I am! If you notice in my signature I race a spec e30. Very fun cars too.