skrzastek

New guy here, I'm going to look at a '84 944 that has been sitting for about 2 years. In talking to the owner he says the only thing really needed is paint. He bought the car several years ago from the original owner and after a year of driving the timing belt broke. He replaced the '84 motor with an '86 motor w/ 54k, and has put another 30k on it. So, my question, what should I be looking for when I go and check this car out?
Thanks

choinga

http://www.clarks-garage.com/purchase.htm

thirdgenbird

cars that have been sitting can be expensive. ask me how i know...

fbgh2o

I would stay away and seek to acquire something thta has been running and maintained (unless he is giving this one away). Count on a minimum of $2K in maintenance right out of the gate (belts, rollers, wp, all new fluids and probably brakes) if not closer to $3,500 (depending on what you can do yourself).

choinga

yeah, i must have glanced over the 'sat for 2 years' part. Those are the most trouble...and easiest for the owners to 'play dumb' with. Unless he's giving it away and/or you really want a project - I'd stay away from it. There are plenty of running examples for sale these days and it's definitely a buyers market.

944Ross

Your right on! I've bought two 944's, one sat out in the sun for 6 yrs, the other was stored under cover for 7 yrs. I wouldn't even dream of not replacing the belts, and if they need it, the tensioners and rollers, after that long a time. You can almost count on the fuel pump being bad from sitting. Clutch hydraulics don't fare well either.

If the new engine had 54k when installed, and he put another 30k on it, it's due for the TB and BS belt, for sure.

PS -- where are you?

Drewsifer

1+ for the avoid it unless its free vote.

Any car that has sat for a period of time is going to have issues. And right now its way to easy to find a good running 944 for not that much money. Seriously, do yourself a favor and don't buy the first 944 that you find. Take some time and find a good one.

skrzastek

I was told (take that as you will), that the car has been started regualrly and driven around the neighborhood. The only "known" problems is a door latch that does not work on the drivers side. Are timing belts due every 30k on these cars?

944Ross

The way I approach it was, the price was less than what I could sell the interior and wheels for. Otherwise I'd have run as fast as I could.

Be sure to check the clutch; both for wear (thru inspection hole) and for a sheared rubber center disc (thru the hole at the rear bellhousing. It only takes about 5 minutes but you need to get under the car to do it.

Unless he can produce a receipt for new belts AND all rollers/tensioners, assume it will need them.

skrzastek

Where is the inspection hole, and what am I looking for?

944obscene

A lot.

Clark's Garage has the most comprehensive guide to inspection and maintenance details. Check it out.

931guru

"Yeah, it was working great until I parked it 2 years ago."

Cars that work great don't sit for 2 years... The term for those is parts cars.

Teeson

so say one does buy a parked car... ca i drive it home? or is that goin to stress the belts etc? (home ideall is within an hour or two of driving)

t
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Drewsifer

See

Is it possible to get a car that will start up and run fine? Yes, anything is possible. But like its been said, cars that work don't get parked and forgotten. I cannot stress this enough, there are way to many working 944's on the road to settle for one that will require a boatload of work. Unless you want that specificaly, avoid it!

thirdgenbird

my car sat indoors (guy had 911, two m3s, and more) it ran great so i bought it, did belts, and in 12 months these rubber items failed:
oil cooler seals
clutch
a/o seal
tb seals
ps rack seals