dgz924s

After all the words spoken here the real issue he is suffering is FRUSTRATION. And I can really underrstand the always destructive things that it creates. But in reality we create it and usually make a wrong decision or a destructive/unproductive one as a result of not dealing with the emotional aspect that is very much involved. This is a moment when we are at our weakest and the easiest way to resolve any problem is to run or sell out in this case. It is very hard work to regain happiness by dealing with the issue so we "sell out" why?....."I just can't take it no more!"

From my many frustrations in the short time as a Porsche owner and life as I have been, I have many times gave into frustration and regret every last one of them. After to many holes dug I needed to overcome or I was in trouble. I searched deep inside and reasoned my way through my frustration and found the results to be positive and regret nothing. Not to mention the pride you gain. Clear thought process is the operative word here!

I truly believe that if he were to just step away and regain a clear thought process and work it out he will find himself with a much more sound decision being made and not regretful which ever his decision is!
:disclaimer:
Just the opinion of a basket case who has BTDT and know where your head is at right now so forgive me if I went FREUDIAN! ........wait.....think........decide!

Porsche-O-Phile

Come on, who cares what the neighbors think. I have three parked around here, most of my neighbors refer to me as "the Porsche guy", and KNOW I'm nuts. It's not a big deal.

Get it (poke).

Get it! (poke).

GET IT! (poke).

GET IT!!! (poke).



You know you want to. . .

Life is too short to have regrets.

Fun is forever, bankruptcy is temporary. (apologies to whomever has that in their sig - it's great rationalization).

What's that line from "Contact"? "First rule of spending - why buy one when you can buy two at twice the price?"

Getting it will protect your other cars from your evil wife. When she gets upset later on and gives you grief about having to park outside, you can always "compromise" and begrudgingly sell it back for what you paid for it (maybe a little more if you fix the h.g.) and not really "lose" anything relative to where you are now.

Get it. (poke).

Get it. (poke).

F18Rep

I come in here asking for help to resist the temptation, and what do I get... ?

Buy the drunk another round...;] Bruce

Tom R.

Dan87951

"I didn't buy this car to make money on, but to just enjoy"
Well if you truly mean that invest the money in getting it fixed and enjoy it. I'm sure you did your research before finding out how a 20 year old Porsche can treat you? I knew full and well when I hoped into my turbo that there was going to be some reliability issues with a 20 year old sports car, it comes with the territory. If you have already spent 9k into it what’s another $1.3k for a head gasket? I haven been in your shoes many times and even came on this board cussing and swearing that im going to sell it, but I always end up fixing it and after that first ride in her again its like falling in love all over again. I’m sure when you were shopping you had to wonder why the 944 series was so cheap compared to other Porsches? Well here’s the answer…MAINTAINCE.

Jfrahm

$3800 for a car with issues and mods is pretty good if you have the time and space to part it out. If you want a driver though, then you need to trailer it home and to be prepared to maybe replace the motor and get it running right without knowing what the PO has done to it, which might also mean going back towards stock and then reinstalling mods. Someone who can afford to do this can also probably afford to pay a bit more for a sorted-out runner.

Maybe the $3800 car is 'worth' $9000 if you put a $2500 motor and $2000 worth of work into it. A $9k car might actually sell for $7500 so the buyer is likely to be upside down right away and risking money on a pig in a poke to boot.

The problem is that you need to find the right buyer, someone who has parts and knowhow, and shop space and time. That or a guy who makes money parting cars on ebay (although they generally buy a car like yours for $2000.)

A car that does not run right, you either get very damn little for it or you go into your pocket to fix it and hope to recover that cost in the selling price, or at least make the sale easier.

Sorry. Good luck.
-Joel.

Little Porsche Boy

I agree with Legoland and anyone else who mentioned the second car. I think it's a must. That way when I wrench on the car myself, I can take my time which is much more conducive to me saving money. If I needed it ASAP, say to get to work every day, I'd be much more inclined to throw money at it just to get it up and running.

Porsche-O-Phile

I have a second 944, does that count?

Clint's 944

I can understand the frustration you having with your car but I have to ask, why did you buy the car in the first place? I paid 5k for my car and have invested a little over $2.5k since May 03 and I have not regretted one cent! I still have issues that need to be dealt with and will be over time. (I still don't have any floor mats!!)

I don't want to insult your mechanical skills or anything, but have you thought of maybe having someone else with 944 experience take a close look at your car? Never hurts to have fresh eyes taking a gander. Maybe you do have a dead horse/lemon or whatever. So buy another one, swap the known good parts and eat the lost!!
Drive on brother!!!

elf89

It does unless they're both down at the same time.

I disagree that you have to do you're own work to enjoy these cars, but you do need to have a good 944 mechanic and a reasonable maintenance budget for a 20yo car. I budget $1000/year and typically go 100 or so over. So far so good, but I know that something expensive could break at any given moment and cost $2000 or more. I'll decide what to do about that when the time comes.

Porsche-O-Phile

If that's your budget, you're doing pretty well! With some exceptions (very rare exceptions) your options are (1) do your own wrenching, (2) find a bunch of other local 944 guys to do it for/with you with payment of beer and pizza or (3) get ready to grab your ankles and take it from the local mechanic / dealership, cause boy are they gonna' stick it to you!

There's suprisingly a pretty well-developed network for parts for the watercooled Porsches. There's also a pretty well-developed network of knowledge on how to fix & modify them (this is a big resource, there are others). I just have to laugh at those that think they're going to be able to continuously afford these cars if they don't have access to either. You're VERY lucky if you have a good mechanic that charges you good rates for parts / labor on these. I have yet to come across such a person / shop. Usually they hear "Porsche" and their eyes light up. Even a "Porsche specialty" shop tends to have very high rates due to the cost of parts and equipment. If they work on newer cars also, they're going to pay a premium for trained mechanics too, and those costs get passed onto customers, leaving it an option for those that can afford the newer 911s, Boxsters, Cayennes, etc. but the watercooled guys out in the cold once again.

Mighty Shilling

Ok, Here's my story.

a couple years back (almost 3 years to date) a friend comes up to me and says "Hey, I just bought a new car and need to sell my 924S." so I bought it. No records, no idea of what it needed, etc. I took it to my house, did a SIMPLE PDI (checked compression, drove it around for a while, did an oil change) and it was mine. I later ended up spinning the #2 Rod bearing, after doing a suspension upgrade to make it better than it was with the worn shocks and all. that right there, the engine and suspension was about $5-6K....at LEAST $2,000.00 over the cost of the car.

My dad and I took that as a transfer from "Daily Driver" to "Project Car". It's still a work in progress. it runs well, I take it to the track, and I've put at LEAST $9,000.00 into it. I have yet to do a running total because I frankly don't want to know. Think of it more as a project, have something else to drive while it's down, and don't think of it as a waste of money, because then it will be. However, for the $13,000.00 or so I've put into it including Purchase in the last three years, This car still turns heads, even with it's Guard's Pink hood, door dings and scratches. It's nicer than a lot of the cars at my school, outdone only by NEW Mercedes, Volvo and BMW, and it is cared for better than those cars.

If you're mind is made up, great. However, this is the WRONG place to preach about how these cars are wastes of money, because it's obvious. we ALL know this. We choose to drive them and love them regardless. and I do completely agree, Yes, this is NOT the most reliable car in the world. As my Porsche tech put it, "People buy Porsches expecting them to be as reliable as a Subaru. Well it's not. simply put, if you want the reliability of a subaru, go buy a f*cking subaru. If you want a Porsche, fix it, enjoy it, move on, and quit bitching."

Silverbullet951

Sorry, bud, but some 944s are better than others. My 951 is a beast with no problems so far. It's been beat on it's whole life. Now I got it, and I use it. Sorry to let you hear it, but your car's a dud. Deal with it.

500

Well, Subaru's are pretty reliable (and I do love mine)...

BUT, I still believe that our 20 year old P-cars are very reliable too and just how many 20 year old Subarus do you see anyway? In these parts, they've all rusted to pieces long ago (OK, many of them were not taken care of). BTW, You will find enough griping about Subaru's too if you spend time on those forums (especially under "transmission")! Bottom line is if you want new car reliability, buy a new car.

I'm not sure who on Rennlist said it, but it was a great quote: "Old cars have enthusiasts, new cars have warranties". If you're really turned off by the whole thing then you should sell and move on, but take some time first to think it over and decide if this is just temporary frustration.

Porsche-O-Phile

I've "hit the wall" with frustration on mine before (well, the 951 anyway - the 944 has been great) and I'm sure I'll be there again. However, you get through it and go on. The first time you get through a little setback like this and get to listen to the hum of that engine right before you whip the wheel into a nicely executed turn and get the rush as you push through the apex and out the other side you won't be able to wipe the ****-eating grin off your face with a 10-pound eraser. BTDT!

It's love it or leave it. No in between. There are no "casual" 944 owners. Casual drug users maybe - not casual 944 owners. This is far worse. The only thing that comes close is flying.

I've owned probably 10 or 12 other vehicles - the Porsches are far and away the best cars I've ever had - faults included. They blow the doors off of the Fords, Chevys, Dodges, Isuzus, Pontiacs and others I've owned. I'll never go back. Not without kicking and screaming - NEVER!