Stien

I''m not gonna try to start an argument, but there are 944's around here, just more elsewhere (like CA).

Zebus

So everyone knows what im looking at:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/604627220.html

Basically, I am fine with the bare minimum. All I want is it to look nice. The car I am driving now is a Jeep Wrangler and for those of you who have driven a Jeep, it is no pleasure ride. You feel every bump on the road, the radio does not work, the AC is a joke, and I have to unzip my window at drive throughs.

Stien

Of all the 944 deals in Cali, you could def. do better (ie less miles) for less. The only way I'd buy this is if it had an immaculate (not to mention up to date) service record. Even then, way too many miles for that $. For that much you can get a perfect babied example anywhere.

GloriaRedStang

Don't let the high mileage scare you off. As others have already said, if it's been well maintained, you can expect the engine to be fairly robust.

You sound like you really want this car, and it certainly looks clean and well maintained. If documentation backs up that perception I'd say it's a good prospect.

I would bone up on the model so you have some talking points (potential problems to haggle over), then begin a good old fashioned horse trade. $3400 sounds high for such mileage. Try to get the seller down a grand.

Charlie944

My previous 84' 944 had 241,000 miles on it when I sold it and I got $4000. It ran very good and it was well maintained. I was still on the original clutch as well.

Potomac-Greg

I wouldn't go that far. $3,400 is about what I've seen quoted for a decent 944 (150,000+ miles). Perfect babied examples, even at 200,000 miles, will be $3,000.

I did a lot of shopping in the late (85.5+) 944 n/a market, with relatively low miles (under 120,000) and the going price was close to $6,000.

I would offer $2,900 for the one in question, assuming the records are decent (although if records are incomplete, the most important records are the ones for the more recent 100,000 miles). These cars are getting old and cheap, and the odds that the buyers will be enthusiasts willing to keep records is diminishing. It's just no like the 911 market.

500

It looks pretty clean. Cosmetically there are some issues. The dash has a good number of cracks and the leather on both seats is torn and the original shift boot is history. Paint looks nice, but is it original?

If this car has a good amount of RECENT big ticket maintenance, like a new clutch, it may be good deal. If not, then I think you may want to continue to look.

For comparison, when I bought my '87 S, I paid $3300 for 147K, perfect dash, nice seats and a several month-old clutch. It was not a concours car, but pretty nice for the mileage. If cosmetic issues like the dash and seats are very important to you, they will be expensive to fix nicely (of course, a dash cap is a cheap alternative, but it all depends on your level of fussy-ness).

AR10

I have a 1988 n/a with 88,000 mi. new belts and rollers, clutch, front seats professionly recovered,
new w/ shield with antenna {$550), new shift boot, AC works great, original paint with some minor
issues, front lower valance has some curb damage. Recently made a 3000 mi. round trip with no
problems ay 80-85 mph and 29 mpg.
The biggest problem appears to be I am in So. Dakota!
Have been asking $5800 with no interest.

silverBean

I just sold mine with a dent and needed a few things for 1350 and it had 115k on the clock. Not $3400. Has the engine been rebuilt? How's the suspension? That many miles means it has been driven. [I]'d say keep looking. There is no harm in checking the car out, but be wary of a vehicle with that many miles. The truth is you really don't know how its been driven.

Deansk8flip

i cant believe no one has said anything about the timing belt yet


ask the guy if the timing belt has been done. thats worth about 500

i bought my 944 for 2800. it is a 1987 in good condition with good script interior and it has been babied. no cracks in the dash at 145k.

the owner was asking 3500 but i haggled him, mainly because the timing belt needed to be changed.

Darryl92Cab

There is/was one an 86 around the DC/NoVa area for $2800. Paint was OK but not great, interior was very good but could've used a good cleaning, most records from current owner. Had 250K-ish on it. I drove it, ran great, pulled strong, etc. Probably was going to need a clutch at some point, which we all know can be $$ on these cars. I think the guy ended up keeping it due to not getting any serious offers. I would've helped him sell or helped him spruce it up and still may end up doing so, but I wasn't looking to buy.

As for mine, it came from my mechanic friend, who's no longer in the car biz, but still fixes practically anything he gets an opportunity to work on. True I got one helluva deal since we worked all of the financial part out in trade, so technically it was free to me, not counting my time. It had 225K on the clock and the paint was in pretty bad shape. I've corrected the paint defects so well that I can put off a re-paint for quite some time and currently get quite a few compliments on the condition of the car. Some dings here and there, a few minor dash cracks, seats OK but leather fairly hard and worn - no cuts or tears - just not soft and supple, and the biggest problem was the 2nd gear syncro. Can drive it now an only grind 2nd once a month or so, but I'm always aware of it and now I've finally picked up a direct replacement tranny that I will either swap temporarily while mine's getting rebuilt or vice-versa. I've had it now for almost two years, have put about 13000 miles on it - it's only a semi-daily driver - and have spent just over $1500.00 total.

So, to answer your original question - is a high milage car worth $3400.00? I'd say sure if it's in decent shape and your prepared to do some work to help keep it maintained. I had quite a few people willing to give me 3K for it when I was contemplating selling a while back. I think the biggest mistake people make with cars, especially the "cheap Porsche", which there is no such thing, is not fixing things when they break. If you need something, get it taken care of. An older car will only nickel and dime you if you let it. Sure these things will last, and I'd say they'll last longer than most other cars - so will certain other older brands - so long as you pay attention to things. These things were built to run. I agree with a couple of the previous posters about the timing belt and the other guy who said offer 2900.00 or something similar. Very rarely does anyone ever get the asking price for a used car no matter what the condition. That's why you're looking at used cars - so you can negotiate. Good luck!

- Darryl