rdr1962

fFirst the good news. I bought a 1984 944. The car is an automatic, runs great, shifts smooth, and looks very good. I started reading these forums after I bought. The odometer shows 46k, though I figured it is probably 146k. the guy I bought it from was not sure. He owned it 8yrs, only drove it in summer and very little. Well, I ran a carfax and discovered it is most likely 246k. I have no records or history other than that. I know it needs the timing belt and water pump changed, as well as associated parts. Its my baby now. Is this car about worn out? Tranny? MOtor? I guess no way to know. It does not smoke, but I have no idea what has been done. Ant thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

plumbum

If it runs good its good

I would have a good look front to back on the car to make sure everything is in good shape...Like hoses fuel and brake lines..change the timing belt and all that stuff like you mentioned.

I would also consider having a discussion with the previous owner if possable. If he owned it for that long he should have some idea of the actual milage.

HJK

Congrats on your car first. No way to know yet, but if all is smooth, it doesn't matter much if its 146k or 246k. belts, rollers, pump and the rest you got to take when it comes. Wouldnt be overly worried. A car well driven for 246k is probably better then a car screwed around with in 46k. parts aint that expensive. probably depends a lot on what you can do yourself. But its all been done before, search and clarks garage are your friends. Enjoy the car.
Henk

M758

If it runs drive it. I took a motor with 140k on it and raced it for 5 years. After that the block still looked great. 250k is alot of miles, but if it runs don't worry.

ernie9468

Congrats & welcome to Rennlist ,like mention (timing belts _bsb_ & water pump should be look at ASP),then a fluid change wouln't be a bad idea a good cooling system flush with new anti freeze should do the job ,at the same time check all hoses , auto transmission fluid change should also be on your agenda if you don't know how long ago it was done.Do you have any way to know if the damper has ever been change on it,this is the only thing which you'll really have to worry about with that kind of mileage on an auto.

F40LM

Congrats of the car. My first 944 was an auto, two trannys in two years scared me away from them for good. Hopefully you will have much better experience. Keep a close eye on the tranny would be my advice.

And if you happen to have the means and the room.....start checking here and on Ebay for a good auto tranny for a decent price. Buy and store it for the day when this one goes out. I love the fact that with my parts car I will have a replacement working tranny in my shop I could swap out in 6 hours easy.

Keep us posted.

michael

alordofchaos

BIG mistake, manual transmissions FTW

As others have said - mileage is less important than the maintenance. I have two (non-Porsche) cars in the 200k mile range, that are easily good for another 100k~200k + miles

rdr1962

Thanks for all the responses! I test drove it before I bought it, then trailered it home. I'm not taking any chances on the t belt. The previous owner seemed like a good guy, but never changed the t belt. He also stated the guy he bought it from led him to believe the mileage was actual when he bought it. It does look like it's been taken care of pretty well. I also was kind of afraid of buying an automatic, but fell in love with the car. That's another item on my list, service the trans. It will have all new hoses and belts as well. I'm not sure what you mean by damper. By the way, I did get a very well used repair manual with the car!

ernie9468

[QUOTE=rdr1962;84259 That's another item on my list, service the trans. It will have all new hoses and belts as well. I'm not sure what you mean by damper. By the way, I did get a very well used repair manual with the car![/QUOTE]

Damper number (21/22) this is one of the most expensive part on your car if it let go, not to scare you off but a new one is listed at $1,523.87 not 100% sure but they don't seem to have a replacement for it.Also included are a couple of diagrams which migth help you know your car better.

alex

My last 944 had a broken ODO with 250,XXX and I drove it at least another 100k over 3 years. The engine still runs, just needs a water pump, but the DMV lost the titling info, so it isn't really worth getting back on the road. These things can go forever.

rdr1962

Thanks for the pics ernie! Alex, its good to know you got a lot of miles out of yours. I hope I do too. As with all cars, maintenance is the key.

F40LM

For your viewing also if you have not run across this yet:

http://www.mikepellegrini.com/porsche_manual.php

Add this along with this site, Pelican, 944online.com, Clark's to your saved favorites.

michael

Excelerate

clarks-garage.com has been my savior many a time when working on my car, and rennlist has been great to me as well. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and make sure to enjoy it every time you turn the key.

wanta944

You're only mistake was the automatic

But seriously, gotta echo what others are saying. As long as you keep up on all the maintenance items, it doesn't matter. Higher mileage can be a good thing, as you know you don't have to worry so much about parts failing because of a lack of usage.

Mine has 227k miles on it and it's an 89, the suspension needs some attention, but other than that it runs great.

rdr1962

I'm feeling better about it after reading all of your responses. Now, it just needs a few hundred $$$$$$ of tlc, haha. Luckily I can do it myself!