CurBrwn79

Looking to buy an 89 951 in Chicago, IL. Car has 62k, all records, updated service, timing belt, clutch, control arms, etc; however, it continually fails emissions. The owner took the car to his mechanic whom changed the fuel mixture to run it lean so the car would pass, but never has fixed the "unknown" problem. Do 951 have issues passing emissions? I live in GA., which has very strict emissions requirements. Does anyone know what could be the cause of the reoccurring emissions failures? Car is perfect, except for this one issue. Also, what would be a reasonable purchase price?

ZV

I'm not really sure about "typically" having problems, but my '86 (chipped, 15PSI, K26/8) had no trouble at all passing emissions in Seattle. Both CO and HC could have been 10 times higher than my car put out and I still would have passed.

CurBrwn79

Do you know what would be a reasonable offer for the car? He is asking $16k. thinking of offering $14,5.

ZV

I paid $7,500 for mine and it's in mechanically perfect shape. Some stone-chips but nothing major.

For $16,000 that car should be PERFECT, have a brand-new clutch, brand-new belts/rollers/waterpump, absolutely no flaws in the paint, new tires, basically new everything and absolutely ZERO issues. (And by brand-new I mean less than 500 miles.) It could EASILY cost you a couple thousand dollars to get that emissions issue sorted out. And the mechanic changing the mixture to make it run lean worries me, it's not something a meticulous person would do.

Personally I wouldn't spend over $12,000 on any 951. You can get a great car for that price. Especially at this time of year as autumn comes and it becomes a buyer's market for sportscars.

CurBrwn79

What about for a 944 Turbo "S"? Most are listing for 15k-20k..Which I think is pretty high?

docwyte

I dunno, when I was looking any decent 951 was at least $8k, and any decent 951S was at least $13-14k. I got really lucky and got mine for a great deal...

CurBrwn79

How bout one that has been chipped and tracked? Would you stay away?

docwyte

No, as long as it's been taken care of.

CurBrwn79

The owner is stating the car will not pass emissions due to hyrdro carbon issues..does anyone know what that could derive from? thanks for the info!

ZV

HC issues are from incomplete burn. Either the engine was/is running way too rich or the plugs are slightly fouled or something similar. It's not a catalytic converter issue, but rather a problem with the fuel/air metering or with getting all the fuel burnt.

CurBrwn79

How much do you think it will take $$$ to get it resolved? The owner stated that he had the mechanic set the car up to run lean so it would pass emissions, therefore the car may require significant work to get it to pass consistantly?

Oddjob

A stock 951 should not have problems passing an emissions test. Do you know if the Illinois test is at idle or at higher rpm? How long has it been failing (just recently or for years?)?

Things that could cause possible problems:

The car has a cat?
Aftermarket chips
DME Fuel Quality Switch setting
Fuel Pressure Regulator
Throttle Position Switch
Temperature Switch
Bad/leaking injector(s)
Air Flow Meter
Maybe even an ignition issue (plugs, wires, coil, distr)

Excellent original condition 944 Turbo S (88-89) cars are worth some money. Depending on how good of condition, $16k is not out of line for a 62k mile 89T.

CurBrwn79

The car has been failing emissions for over 5 years now-he got an exemption for the last five until he was required to do one this year. He takes the car to a mechanic who changes the fuel mixture to run lean, and then the car passes. He then takes the car back to the same mechanic and has the fuel setting changed back. Obviously the mechanic must know why the car is failing, or he would not have a quick fix. If the car can be fixed, it might not be a bad buy. It is in perfect 10/10 condition and flawless.

ZV

No, if the mechanic knew why the car was failing, he'd have a permanent fix. Switching the car to run lean is a fix that's of the "duct tape and bailing wire" variety, it's definitely not the right way to do things.

docwyte

Yep, seriously. My car passes emmissions with no cat. There's something amiss with that car and I wouldn't make an offer on it until you knew what it was.