Buying my first porsche
05-02-2012, 10:25 PM
#16
If you can get a running 951 for less than $6k, it IMHO is clearly worth it..
But then, I LOVE 25 yearold 944's...
Let us know the condition of the oil & coolant (milky?), any white/blue exhaust smoke at WOT and other stuff that may reveal big repair bills in that car's future..
Good Luck!
05-06-2012, 12:57 AM
#17
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So I got her send me a bunch of pictures of the engine. I am planning on seeing the car in person tomorrow. She is still having trouble remembering when the water pump was last serviced. Some of the work was done by a personal friend who works on porsches, no receipts.
http://imgur.com/gsnRW,tgZHN,MjHl7,ph5xD,Agi5B,1DDyw
http://imgur.com/gsnRW,tgZHN,MjHl7,ph5xD,Agi5B,1DDyw
05-06-2012, 02:57 AM
#18
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Don't write this one off- it looks good enough to find a Porsche mechanic nearby and give him a hundred of your dollars for a proper pre-purchase inspection (PPI). I was in your shoes last September and posted a thread like this here.
What's the condition of the clutch? How do the belts and hoses look, especially the timing belt? How does the water pump look? Obviously the general feel of the car while driving?
If it runs and drives well and doesn't appear to need anything major, offer her no more than $5k and snag it! Plan to do the water pump soon, and perhaps replace the electrical and fuel lines soon (full tune-up). The term of ownership and all the information she can give you will likely be more than any other 951 you can find. Maintenance records are a plus. Definitely see and drive it in person, then report back. As long as you stay on top of maintenance, which isn't horrendous but it's no Camry either, they really are reliable and will go much beyond the 150k this one is sitting at. Mine is practically a daily driver and also had an ODO go bad (replaced, am at 130k+).
What's the condition of the clutch? How do the belts and hoses look, especially the timing belt? How does the water pump look? Obviously the general feel of the car while driving?
If it runs and drives well and doesn't appear to need anything major, offer her no more than $5k and snag it! Plan to do the water pump soon, and perhaps replace the electrical and fuel lines soon (full tune-up). The term of ownership and all the information she can give you will likely be more than any other 951 you can find. Maintenance records are a plus. Definitely see and drive it in person, then report back. As long as you stay on top of maintenance, which isn't horrendous but it's no Camry either, they really are reliable and will go much beyond the 150k this one is sitting at. Mine is practically a daily driver and also had an ODO go bad (replaced, am at 130k+).
05-06-2012, 08:29 AM
#19
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get a 968.
after about 2 years of fixing everything on the 944,
you'll look at your worksheets and discover the cost is almost the same.......
you're more likely to come out ahead with the purchase of a 968.
after about 2 years of fixing everything on the 944,
you'll look at your worksheets and discover the cost is almost the same.......
you're more likely to come out ahead with the purchase of a 968.
05-06-2012, 12:22 PM
#20
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Its red so that means its faster 
but for real, the most important thing is the condition of EVERYTHING. check around in the car, in the fender wheels under the chassis, in the door jams. if the car looks as thought they took care of it then most likely thats how they treated the motor. but if all the bushings are worn, the shocks leak, the cars dirty/oily under the chassis then most likely it was abused, or neglected.
but for real, the most important thing is the condition of EVERYTHING. check around in the car, in the fender wheels under the chassis, in the door jams. if the car looks as thought they took care of it then most likely thats how they treated the motor. but if all the bushings are worn, the shocks leak, the cars dirty/oily under the chassis then most likely it was abused, or neglected.
05-06-2012, 02:31 PM
#22
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this post is not a joke...
third option;
buy a Turbo after somebody w/ $50 K + invested has blown up his engine and he's parachuting out....
then call a Texas gentleman named Eric Hill.....
might cost a penny, but he'll fix you up good with the ride of your dreams ftw.
third option;
buy a Turbo after somebody w/ $50 K + invested has blown up his engine and he's parachuting out....
then call a Texas gentleman named Eric Hill.....
might cost a penny, but he'll fix you up good with the ride of your dreams ftw.
05-06-2012, 02:43 PM
#23
Mine was well looked after and had a one year old clutch and belts and I still needed to do shocks and struts, bushings, total tune-up, a radio, all sorts of small things like glove box fix, switches, sun visor clips, hood and trunk struts, fix a bumper, redo park brake, ball joints etc. all in the first 6 months. Still need a shifter and the tires are over ten years old... Still waiting for Canada Border F*ckup to deliver my bushings so I can put on my control arms again and get an alignment...
05-06-2012, 04:44 PM
#24
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05-09-2012, 01:33 PM
#25
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Last update. So I got to see and drive the car.
Bad: the paint isn't as nice as I had hoped. Looks great from far away, but there are places in between some of the body panels that look weak. There are several chips on the front bumper, and an actual small tear in the bumper (looks like it could be repaired with adhesive). The rear rubber spoiler wing has a pretty big crack. How much do replacements go for? And the interior is starting to go. I had her take it to a mechanic I set up and he inspected it. He said the two front tires need replacing and may even be causing the alignment issue. There are minor cracks in the oil cooler and power steering hoses. The water pump was replaced in 2006, has approximately 60k miles on it.
Good: Some of the issues are cosmetic which doesn't bother me too much. I know it is not in perfect condition and the price reflects that. The mechanic said it looks like it has overall been taken care of. She also installed LED headlights and amp/sub system. I initially offered 4800 before the inspection, and she said she would be okay with adjusting the price POST inspection if anything came up. What do you guys think? I'll obviously need to put some money into it, but the price gives me room to do that.
Bad: the paint isn't as nice as I had hoped. Looks great from far away, but there are places in between some of the body panels that look weak. There are several chips on the front bumper, and an actual small tear in the bumper (looks like it could be repaired with adhesive). The rear rubber spoiler wing has a pretty big crack. How much do replacements go for? And the interior is starting to go. I had her take it to a mechanic I set up and he inspected it. He said the two front tires need replacing and may even be causing the alignment issue. There are minor cracks in the oil cooler and power steering hoses. The water pump was replaced in 2006, has approximately 60k miles on it.
Good: Some of the issues are cosmetic which doesn't bother me too much. I know it is not in perfect condition and the price reflects that. The mechanic said it looks like it has overall been taken care of. She also installed LED headlights and amp/sub system. I initially offered 4800 before the inspection, and she said she would be okay with adjusting the price POST inspection if anything came up. What do you guys think? I'll obviously need to put some money into it, but the price gives me room to do that.
05-09-2012, 02:20 PM
#26
Today I got
My Custom Title
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My Custom Title
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Paint can be buffed. Interior's always replaceable. Rear hatch rubber can be had cheap used. You'll need to do belts/water pump ASAP. Does the car drive okay?? I think at this point $4500 would be a good offer.
05-09-2012, 03:46 PM
#28
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Last update. So I got to see and drive the car.
Bad: the paint isn't as nice as I had hoped. Looks great from far away, but there are places in between some of the body panels that look weak. There are several chips on the front bumper, and an actual small tear in the bumper (looks like it could be repaired with adhesive). The rear rubber spoiler wing has a pretty big crack. How much do replacements go for? And the interior is starting to go. I had her take it to a mechanic I set up and he inspected it. He said the two front tires need replacing and may even be causing the alignment issue. There are minor cracks in the oil cooler and power steering hoses. The water pump was replaced in 2006, has approximately 60k miles on it.
Good: Some of the issues are cosmetic which doesn't bother me too much. I know it is not in perfect condition and the price reflects that. The mechanic said it looks like it has overall been taken care of. She also installed LED headlights and amp/sub system. I initially offered 4800 before the inspection, and she said she would be okay with adjusting the price POST inspection if anything came up. What do you guys think? I'll obviously need to put some money into it, but the price gives me room to do that.
Bad: the paint isn't as nice as I had hoped. Looks great from far away, but there are places in between some of the body panels that look weak. There are several chips on the front bumper, and an actual small tear in the bumper (looks like it could be repaired with adhesive). The rear rubber spoiler wing has a pretty big crack. How much do replacements go for? And the interior is starting to go. I had her take it to a mechanic I set up and he inspected it. He said the two front tires need replacing and may even be causing the alignment issue. There are minor cracks in the oil cooler and power steering hoses. The water pump was replaced in 2006, has approximately 60k miles on it.
Good: Some of the issues are cosmetic which doesn't bother me too much. I know it is not in perfect condition and the price reflects that. The mechanic said it looks like it has overall been taken care of. She also installed LED headlights and amp/sub system. I initially offered 4800 before the inspection, and she said she would be okay with adjusting the price POST inspection if anything came up. What do you guys think? I'll obviously need to put some money into it, but the price gives me room to do that.
Maintenance is always the most important part, if they don't have any records then shoot lower. I got my 951 for 2,800 and it had no records and the maintenance wasn't kept up. I now have 3k in maintenance over the past 3years and it drives great, of course I did all the work which is key to owning these cars. If you would like a list of my maintenance done for that amount let me know.
Also keep in mind your dealing with a 951 not an NA... the book value is a decent amount higher, and the 951 has over 30 changes in design than a NA. Nothing wrong with NA's but price comparsions shouldn't be factored the same.
