paredown

I'm interested in strategies for finding a good 944.

I've been half-halfheartedly looking this summer. I'm a former 944 owner (bought in a hurry, short ownership, major transmission failure followed by donating it because we were moving out of the country).

Fifteen years on, I have the itch again--I started thinking about a Miata for a fun car this year--and somehow ended up back immersing myself in the 944/968 world.

I rebuilt our Volvo out of necessity during the recession (timing belt, front suspension etc) so I have more confidence tackling major projects, but I also don't want to get into the 'all work, no fun' ownership, plus I don't have a good working space (yet).

So the goal is a drive-able candidate with upside for restoration...

951Dreams

Buy from someone here (or from a PCA member, mainly you want to by from an enthusiast not just some random person) and pay the most you can afford up front. There is a saying around here: "All Porsche's cost the same, only thing that changes is how much of it you pay up front." The more up front the better chance all the gremlins have been chased down and tamed. The less you pay YOUR going to have to do all that work AND spend all that money.

You'll spend it either way, but I guess your experience will come down to how much you enjoy working on cars. Buy accordingly.

jhowell371

Check the boards for cars for sale. Usually these are owned by enthusiasts and have better care and other board members are familiar with the car. I purchased my S2 a 1000 miles away on the advice of a board member. Craig's list is fertile ground to but you're on your own. Buy the best car you can afford. It will be cheaper in the long run over a low budget special.

royalschwarz

You're lucky in that you're in NY and there are tons of listers and 944's out your way. I know of exactly 3 other rennlisters in my state so buying off here was a no-go unless I wanted to travel half way across the country.

My first 944 I found in the local newspaper classifieds more than 10 years ago. Second was on AutoTrader on a local Ford lot (trade-in). Third, 4th and 5th came from word of mouth and 6th (current) from Craigslist.

None of the people I bought cars off of have been on Rennlist and hardly any of the local Porsche crowd is on here so don't limit yourself to just enthusiast forums as there are tons of enthusiasts that don't spend time online.

AlfaGTA

If you haven't looked at bringatrailer.com it's worthwhile. They usually have one or two 944/968 available. While the cars are located all over the country, you do have the benefit of comments from many viewers which can be helpful vetting a possible purchase. I got my '83 944 from BaT.

Toast54

Kijiji in Ontario..Canada, not California, has a 944 turbo listed for 5500...no affiliation, eh?

screamin94Z

The real question is what is your budget? As others have said buy the best you can afford. There are nice examples all over and there are duds too. Spend lots of time up front to research what to look for so you have a better idea what repairs you can expect.

Figure out what trim you are looking for (base, S, turbo, S2) and what options you want to have. Some combos are super rare, some are available in huge numbers. These cars are 25-35 years old now, so even low mile cars have parts that need to be replaced purely because of age.

This community is great, keep the discussion going and you'll come across all kinds of great info.

Van

Truth!


Paredown, where are you in the Hudson Valley?

curtisr

Exactly. Not only are they cheaper, they're CHEAPER (think exchange rate). Wait a minute, pretend you didn't read this...

paredown

Just off Exit 13 on the Palisades Parkway (between Suffern and Haverstraw). New Yorkers think it is upstate, but we think 'upstate' starts farther up the valley.

@AlfaGTA--yes, I've discovered BaT--a very addictive place!

@Screamin94--budget is one of the problems--or rather the small size of the budget is!

The best car (without looking at it) I found was a 1987 944S on Craigslist (Chicago suburb), enthusiast owned--the son was selling it for his parents who were no longer up to driving a manual transmission. I really hope the person that bought it was a Rennlister because on paper it sounded ideal--optioned, and maintained. 80,000 + miles, asking was just over $8k (from memory).

I know I have seen ads on the CT (and maybe NY?) Craigslist for a PCA member who is willing to help with purchase decisions for a fee--I thought that might be a real help.

One thing I have really noticed though--the prices are all over the map. I have seen complete non-running beaters for $4k ("suitable for restoration"--LOL)--and the next thing I will see is a decent car for $3k that really might be.

What I have to do is fight the urge just to say 'what the hell--they all need work'--I know that can end badly!

ealoken

Posted a " To Porsche or not to Porsche" status on facebook, 300 comments and a long 944 part, a guy sendt me a PM about a turbo he had to sell..

James Chimney

you can also try your local independent Porsche shops (maybe Dealer too) and above all you want to have service records and a Porsche shop check it out