jason1972

I am looking to purchase a used 944 N/A.

What year can I get for around $2000 to $3000 bucks?

Can I get a reliable car for that price?

And what should I look for when I am shopping these cars (besides waterpump and t-belt)?

And finally, Are there any specific year models that I should avoid?


Thanks

jason1972

A friend told me I should also consider 80's 325is. What do you know of these beemers? He said the engine is more relibale

Red 944

I bought my '83 for 3k about a month ago. I am happy with the purchase, although I think that if I had shopped around more I could have found a better deal. I would just make sure the person selling it to you has all the service records.

As for the porsche/bmw .. drive both, see which one you like more. I'm thinking you're around my age, we may have different needs, but I know I'd prefer a less reliable car that's a lot of fun to a more reliable car that's moderately fun. It's a beautiful car to boot

Hai

I was getting ready to ask the same question. My friend called me and said that he found an '85 944 for $900. He said that it had 143,000 miles and the interior needs work. He said the car starts, but may need some engine work. What do you guys think and what should I look for? I'm only familiar with 928's.

Thanks for your help.

itsme-itsme

Buy a car from someone who has owned it for two years minimum. This way, the person will have fixed everything that is required for a road worthy vehicle and have the documentation to prove it, or they can supply a list of things it will need. These cars are getting old & all will need some work now or in the future. They are high maintainance so if you are not mechanicly inclined, be prepared to spend 2-3 thousand more on a 2-3 thousand $ car. They are also addictive. There are hundreds of products out there that will make the car faster, sexier, or BOTH. And you will want most of them!!! A reasonably clean car with under 100K will run ya between $3-5K. Be patient, drive them all at least 30 minites, then lay beside the car for 15 minites to see what hisses, drips, or pours from underneath. If all looks well, ask to inspect the maintainance records. Then take it & $100 to the nearest Porsche mechanic. Trust me! It will be money well spent. No maintainance records? Walk away!!!! <img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />

Dave

[quote]Originally posted by jason1972:
<strong>Can I get a reliable car for that price?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
No you can't, I wouldn't even bother looking at any 944 with an asking price under $3500 and I'd be very sceptical (I wish I could spell) of anything under $4500. On top of that you should have a grand or two put aside for whatever turns up, on a car this age something will turn up. Also have cash available to get caught up on any overdue maint. It adds up fast, be ready for it.

Brian McCoy

LOL.. don't listen to Dave - he just sounds upset that there have been a few deals here and there and he couldn't take advantage of them...

For $3000, I'd be willing to bet you could find a pre 85.5 944, or a 924s (87/88) in good shape, with good records and a minimum of things to fix. It will certainly help if you have access to a few large cities (I had Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, etc..) and a willingness to travel for the right car. I know that in my search (3 months long) I saw a LOT of 944n/a cars for around the upper end of your limit - one was even the dark blue that I desperatally wanted. Several had full records, one was a 2-owner/same family car - but I wanted a Turbo. You're going to want to find a shop mechanic with Good, current knowledge of the 944's for both advice and the PPI (Pre Purchase Inspections) when you find something interesting. They'll be able to tell you how much it'd cost to get the car safe (my $6000 turbo needed a ball joint and PS rack - easy enough and we came down on price to cover the cost of the parts).

Patience is definatally a virtue when P-car hunting. Doing your own maintenance is also pretty much necessary if you're looking to buy a 'cheap' car. Whatever you do, do NOT buy a 'mechanics special' as it will run you into the ground with nickle and dime stuff (er, make that $50 & $100). I think you'd probably have better luck with the 924's because they seem less desireable in the eyes of the market (why? Because they don't have the wider fender flares!? Lighter car with the same engine = faster).

As for if you should buy a P-car over a BMW - drive them both (the ones you can afford), get on a BMW list and ask questions. You'll be able to decide for yourself which car will be better after a little bit. Good luck hunting.


<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" /> <img src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" border="0" alt="[bigbye]" />

Tom R.

Not one to start a flame war but i am with Dave.

I paid 12500 for mine two years ago, and 14k miles later my total is 20000 into the car and counting.

I have the quickbooks register to back it up, and a mechanic that works relatively cheap. Actually cheaper than if most of us did the work ourselves and then paid to fix our screw ups.

'88-924S

I bought my '88 924S about two months ago. It had 41k original miles on it and I picked it up for $4100. I have some dings here and there, the driver's seat has a rip, mechanically my shop said it's 'perfect.' Of course it's cost me about $1400-1500 to get it there, but...
Take your time, MAKE SURE you know the history, I'd rather have a car with 150k on it with impecable records than one with 70k and no records.
my .02

jason1972

oh gosh..maybe dave is right..its too much to invest. maybe its just too expensive to maintain.

Peckster

I'm with Dave too. That kind of money is very unlikely to get you a reliable car that doesn't **** oil. It's not so much what you spend up front, but what you have to spend to get it into shape.

There are exceptions, but not many.

Luis de Prat

I disagree with the "minimum expenditure for a decent 944" maxim. However, I do agree with "buying the best example you can afford." There were LOTS of these cars imported to the U.S. and there ARE some good deals to be had.

Regardless of the amount invested to keep the car mechanically updated and running properly, 944s simply don't have much resale value. Period. The value drops even more for higher mileage cars. Now if they were 911s, it'd be different, but they're NOT.

Consequently, the average 944 seller who has kept up with his car is prepared to take a bath and accept his loss as a sunk cost for having owned the car for a few years. Like someone has already mentioned, these updated cars will be relatively trouble free for the lucky buyer.

I have a very nice S2 cabrio with 134K miles that I'll be hard pressed to get $13K for, having invested over $6K in updating it, that will most likely give thousands of trouble free miles to whomever buys it.

Depending on how much of a hurry you're in, my advice is to take your time looking and check ads in less visible sources like bulletin boards at import service shops.

Brian McCoy

[quote]Originally posted by Peckster:
<strong>There are exceptions, but not many.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I guess that's me. I really don't see how these cars could possibly be worth over 10k (I'm speaking specifically of the 8 valve N/A and 86/87 Turbos - no S2's, turbo S's etc). There's just such a huge buyers market out there right now that you only really spend one of two things - time finding the right car, or money. I have time, not money and was able to find several good deals within a few hundred miles. There are lots of people who talk about $4~6k in maintenance too which is uterly unbelieveable.... I can't imagine anyone would buy a car that needed that kind of work (much less for an $8k+ vehicle). I have to suspect that those figures include frivilous things like new wheels, seats, paint, chip/MAF kits, etc..

Maybe I'm being naieve because I'm fairly new to these P-cars - that seems to be the only logical explination. Or maybe I am the 1 in a thousand person who lucked into a good deal.

Jason, don't get to freaked - there are a LOT of happy 944 owners out there who didn't spend a whole lot to buy the car. You just always hear the bad side (like the news.. they never tell you about the good things going on in the world) first.

<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

*Michael.*

[quote]Originally posted by Luis de Prat:
<strong> my advice is to take your time looking and check ads in less visible sources like bulletin boards at import service shops.</strong><hr></blockquote>


I have been shopping around for about a year and just now found my next 944 which will replace my Eurospec one...

OC Porsche

Used Porsche buying guide:

Step 1- Go out and look at some cars, maybe even drive them

Step 2- Get mad at sellers who haven't taken care of their car, verbally let them know about it. For gods sake it's a PORSCHE!

Step 3- Tell yourself you'll never find the car you're looking for

Step 4- Drive aimlessly and look for old people that want to sell their cars for way less than they're worth (see step 2 and 3)

repeat as necessary

**Actual testimonial**
OC Porsche
Was driving US1 feeling mad that I couldn't find a car with 5K cash to spend. Spotted an early NA on side of road. Inspected and paid for the same day. My current p-car was 1 owner, Braman Porsche/Audi, Miami, FL(old guy). Serviced at the same place in town for a looooong time. 3K cash. Still driving, never left me stranded.