911lnv87

Hi guys,

I am going to see tomorrow morning a 86 944 turbo, that seems to have had a lot of work done to it in the last 3 years:
- new rebuild turbo
- clutch pedal was on the floor got fixed
- replace oil cooler line
- intake vacuum hoses replace
- repair fuel pressure line(feed the rail)
- boost leak repair
- oil filter housing
- cooling hose replace
- power steering leak fixed ( hoses, steering)
- rod bearing fixed
- timing belt
- water pump
- motor mount

The car has about 140k miles what do you guys thinks, what shall I look for or be concern, any recommendation ?

How much shall I pay?

I do not have any pictures but any advice is welcome.

911lnv87

Please help guys

TurnerJ

Sounds like an average amount of maintenance done to the car. I would suggest checking out the vehicle classifieds here and you should find quite a few cars that have been over maintained but are lumped into nearly the same price points of normal run of the mill 951s out there.
I would say check for overall tightness of the car. My dads car has 30k more miles than my car but feels like a much newer car just because it was garage kept and what not. That's the car you want. And they hardly command a premium.

TurnerJ

I'd say issues to look for are same as any 944 but maybe pay extra attention to exhaust leaks. There are quite a few places for things to leak and they are often hard to get to or the hardware is all rusted. So rust free is a plus. Exhaust leaks WILL make you nautious. Boost should pull hard. Go for a clean engine bay

911lnv87

Thank you Turner.

Any other advice?

teamking

There are certain things the car may have that would enhance its value like fuchs, a saratoga top, an LSD, etc that the owner may or may not realize have significant value. So, know how to identify those and it may help you get a bargain.

911lnv87

Thank you, any more things to look for?

Tom M'Guinn

Lots of advice on this site if you search. Off the top of my head, here are some common things you'd want to look for:

body and paint
cracked dash
ripped seats/tattered carpet
engine should pull smooth and strong without smoking
fluid leaks under car?
oil pressure (should be 2 or higher when FULLY hot at idle)
coolant temp should stay under second hash and not move up and down quickly
volts should be well over 12
oil smoke from exhaust
sunroof operation
a/c operation
heater
blinkers and all lights working?
pulling left or right when cruising?
pulling left of right when braking hard?
clutch feel -- shudder, slipping etc.
boost gauge max reading (should be up around 1.8)
lifter ticking that won't go away
fuel leaks or old lines at fuel rail (including the jumper hose) -- leaks are common and dangerous
tire wear
all gauges work, including odometer (which fails often)
grinding into gears?
click or knocking when decelerating (CV joints common)
other weird noises

140k is a lot of miles, but it all depends on condition. Typical 140k mile cars go for well under $10k -- probably in the $6 to 8K range, but that can go up or down by a lot depending on condition. Beaters go for $2 to $4k, whereas super nice cars can go over $10k even with those miles.

911lnv87

Hi Tom,

thank you so much for all your advice, but what do you think of all the above mentioned maintenance?

Do you think this make the car better? it has been done by a reputable mechanic in the region.

They are asking 12K for the car.

I will finally only see it tomorrow.

Let me know

CyCloNe!

Sounds good.. Look over the paint, wheels and interior well. Honestly at 140k miles I have seen nice ones around 5-7k with close to the same maintenance. Check the carfax for any damage reports and honestly if it were me unless it was really nice I would try to get them closer to the 10k price. The amount of maintenance seems good, at least the important ones are done.

mytrplseven

I'd say $10k is a fair price considering mileage, regardless of the maintenance items performed.

lovemyp-car

Uh oh...I think I caused this need for boost...will we be having a "going over a newly purchased 944" party at BeerBurner's???

It's been said before...but general tightness of the car will give you a good idea of how well it has been treated over its WHOLE life. If it starts well, doesn't knock, tick, tap or smoke, runs smoothly and holds boost without hesitation then it should be a good car.

So were you actually able to look at the car? Update us man!

Good luck!

944hal

I'd ask what was specifically done to fix the clutch pedal, and if a clutch replacement wasn't done recently, you will probably need one. Also, how was the rod bearing fixed. New bearings, standard or oversized, crank polished. There is a proper way of doing rod bearings depending on how serious the failure, if any, was.

911lnv87

Hi Ethan, you sure probably are the cause for this since you gave me ride in your 951....

Anyway, i did saw the car on Sunday and the car is strong, feel pretty tight and everything but it not super clean cosmetically, the driver seat is cracked, the trunk gasket is dead and some other thing.. As per the carfax is the car is untrue mileage, so it could be more than what it has by 20k, 30k or even 40k. So I have offered 10k but not even sure I shall go for it anyway....the only positive point is that the work that I have done to the car have been done by a good guy that I trust! And who told me the car is good...

Anyway if any of you know of a nicer 951 for sale please let me know I am on the look!

Thanks

TurnerJ

check out dorkiphus.net forum for local NOVA porsche guys. Might be one in the classifieds there