paredown

I know this is kind of an idiot's question, but as I look at the local market, I see lots of 944s that are dead. Some look like they haven't been moved for years, others have at least one, sometimes 2 major identified problems--timing belt slipped, needs clutch, interior attacked by critters and needs total redo etc. People are not giving these away--'cause their Porches, right?

I'm curious to know how much people are willing to pay for a roller, for a car with one major identified flaw--or just comments on used 944 pricing generally. (I know that this my vary by year/rarity so comments to that effect welcome.)

As an aside, if you purchase a parts car, is it possible to get much out of it by selling parts?

(Still thinking about getting involved, but my stash for doing so has been shrinking, not growing, so I'm now looking at a way to partake at the low end of things.)

Wisconsin Joe

Depends on the car and condition.

"Just" the motor bad? Everything else really nice?
Couple grand.

Rats ate the entire interior and all the wiring?
Couple hundred.

Parting out a car can be lucrative. But it's not an easy job.
You have to take it all apart (and not break off studs ect). You have to find buyers for the parts. You have to store the parts until you find buyers, You have to package and ship the parts (and package them well enough that they arrive in good condition).
You will end up sitting on some of the stuff for a while. Maybe a long while.

There was a guy on the 928 board who was parting out a car he had found with a SBC conversion. He had a buyer for the motor before he even got the car, and that made back half his money. He sold off much of the rest of it, planning on saving the shell. At the end, he basically announce a 'fire sale' for what he had left. He had been off of work (layoff? medical leave of some sort? Not sure), was going back to work and wouldn't have time to deal with selling the stuff (mainly packing & shipping). He said it was pretty much a full time job in itself parting the car out.

He did make about twice what he paid for the car, but said the work involved made it pretty much a 'break even' process.
YMMV.

V2Rocket

if it's not running due to a broken engine (regardless of why), $1k max if it's a good body.

if it's a GREAT body and interior with a broken engine, $2k max.

plenty of em out there in this price range even if your locals think they're made of gold.

snb13

I bought an'84 with Fuchs for $450. I had the Fuchs sold for $500 plus shipping before I even took possesion of the car. I did quite well parting it out.

Kurt R

I think Spencer is being generous, but then again the cars he sees aren't affected by salt and rust like the cars are here.
Generally if the car has been neglected, everything is crap on it and won't come apart without breaking stuff. I wouldn't pay more than $1000, and that better be a nice car. Of course I haven't bought a parts car in about 10 years, prices have probably gone up.

968to986

I've never parted out a 944, but I've done okay buying really rough projects, staring at them for a while, deciding they were too rough and selling them to someone else for a project.

86 944 purchased for $200, sold for $400
2 928s purchased for $800, sold for $1200
86 951 purchased for $1100, sold for $1900
85 944 purchased for $900, traded for XJ6, sold for $1800

I still look for cars like these because I have an illness! Plus, I want to find a cheap good one to make into a safari-style car like the Keen Project 911s.

I consider myself very resourceful at keeping costs low, but it's true there's no such thing as a cheap Porsche. My $2500 951 has evolved into a pretty nice $8000 car, for the bargain price of about...$8000.

AkechiMotors

royalschwarz

If the car don't run, nothing will make it worth more than a few hundred bucks. Maybe $1500 if it's a turbo. An NA? You can buy them for $1K running and driving around here. And if it's a dead NA that's been sitting outside for years, you'd have to pay me to take it because nothing will be salvageable to part out.

Over a decade ago I parted out 5 cars over the course of a couple years. Back then you could easily get $4-5K in parts for an early car and $5-6K for a late car. Add at least a couple grand to that if it was a turbo. It took about 6 months to get the car apart and sell off all the parts. Two years ago I started parting out an 86. I still have most of the parts and still haven't made back what I bought the car for ($600). The problem is that there are too many broken and ratty cars and not enough good survivors or owners to buy up the inventory. The used parts market is just too saturated unless you have something rare.

mrgreenjeans

There is a ready market for parts ( all parts except interior trims ) within the Club Racing community.

I have answered ads for available cars, driven several hours only to find a Club Racer has gotten to the car first and is loading it on a trailer. Before I even got to inspect the car for what was available to be saved.

There are many out there which aren't even good 200 dollar saves, because the chassis is rotten, interior eaten, and engine destroyed internally.

I bought one non running 944 with a perfectly dry, accident free body, with only a few seat issues with the leather on the original Sport Seats. It cost me 1800.00. It was an easy repair to get running and it turned out a spectacular car, coming with several sets of FUCHS and a great drivetrain. I bought an identical mate to it for 575.00 a couple years later with a similar condition body and drivetrain, but it had a fuel pump which was dead. This comparison will hopefully give you a bit of an idea of the values seen. They are very much all across the board.

paredown

Thanks all--some good advice here.

One 944 that I did see looked to be in good shape (body, interior) with shredded TB (and?) was this 1985 (square dash). The guy is asking $1750. This seems typical for the NY metro area.

(I won't bore people with the wrecks that people are asking $1000 or more for!)

I'll keep looking and keep reading--I appreciate the depth of understanding of these cars on this forum!

AkechiMotors

Like the other poster said, I wouldn't even bother with NAs. Try to make the extra $1K stretch to get into a Turbo or S2; those cars will continue to appreciating, which will give you the best chance of preserving some of your investment if you: 1) get it running and sell it, or; 2) don't get it running and sell it.

Wisconsin Joe

Well, if it's not too far to go take a look. you can always make a 'fair offer'. The seller may call it a 'low ball' offer. Opinions vary.

To make a fair offer, do some research first.

Figure out how much it would cost to fix it. Rebuilding the head isn't cheap. While I wouldn't include 'paying for it' labor (full cost of having it done), I wouldn't count that as 'free' either.
Since the car won't run, also include the potential cost of things like brakes & transmission. You have no way of knowing if they are good or not. Again, maybe not full cost, but at least partial.

Figure out what the car would be worth once fixed.

Your offer should be in the neighborhood of 'value when fixed minus cost to fix'. It's not unrealistic for that to be a negative value.

Offer the seller what you find it to be worth. Being able to say "I will be back in one hour with cash and a trailer" (and actually be able to do that) is critical. For these kind of 'spec trips', actually taking the cash and/or dragging a trailer with you may or may not be a good idea.
When he refuses, walk away. Tell him the offer stands and you will be in touch.

Call back in a few weeks. He may or may not realize what the car really is(n't) worth.

Patience and being willing to walk away is key to this strategy.

V2Rocket

if you guys are finding $2000 951s/S2s needing some work, please PM me with where to send a check and car carrier.

S2 rollers (chassis with brake and suspension only) routinely get higher than that, plus the $4k in engine/trans...

968to986

Agreed, they're a rarity these days. I've seen a few cheap 951s locally (half of which I bought), but I've never seen a cheap S2 locally. But you never know, sometimes free 951s show up!

Tom R.

A: A: "A lot less" than one in great condition, because buying one with all the bugs worked out will cost "a lot less" in the long run.