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So I got rid of my 86 944 NA about a year and a half ago... I had too many cars (at the time I was up to 8), and while I loved driving it, I had to lighten the fleet.
Here are a pair of pictures of it. First one was literally the day after I bought it on a photo rally. The Rikens came with the car.
I cleaned it up a bit, and put a set of rep staggered Cups on it with fat, sticky rubber on it.
So I was Porsche-less for a while, dealing with my other cars. I get a message from a friend on Vancouver Island (I'm on the mainland in the Vancouver area) about a 944 that's listed for sale over there at a seemingly reasonable price. He sends me a link to the ad, and it's listed as an "87 944 with 'new motor' for $3,650 CAD" (about $2750 USD at today's rate).
Except... as I'm flipping through the ad, I come across this picture:
Now, that doesn't look like the 8v I4 that was in my 86 944... so I'm wondering if any of the following are true:
- it's a stock photo
- the engine was swapped for a 16v
- it's actually a 944S, not a 944
So I get in touch with the seller, a very young kid who really had no business owning the car - turns out he's a 'drifter' who owns a 240 as well and thought maybe a Porsche would make a nice drift car (). I talked him down another $500 or so and figured that even if it was just a 'plain Jane' 944, I'd get a Guards Red car at a very good price (less than what I sold my black 944 for last year).
So I leave work early, run to the bank to get a stack of cash:
Then hop on the float plane from Vancouver harbour and head to Victoria:
I take the bus out to the suburbs and meet the kid. I take a quick look at the car, there's no model badge at all on the trunk... but look what I find on the fenders:
Needless to say, I almost throw the money at him, run to the insurance place to get a temp permit for it, and get out of there. Fill it up, drive it 45 minutes to the ferry terminal and count my blessings that I lucked out.
Start digging around the box or two of stuff he left me, and this is sitting in the bottom of one of them:
I don't believe that's the correct stereo for the car, right? But it's close enough to period correct I'll install it and be happy.
Inside the glove box is a stack of receipts dating back 15+ years:
Where I find the receipt for the engine work that was done... in 2002. lol, so much for 'new motor'.
That being said, it hasn't been driven a lot in the past 15+ years, and the engine is surprisingly clean:
I get it home, park it for a bit, you can see in this light it is in desperate need of a full polish/clay/oxidation buff... and either that nose panel or fender needs a slight adjustment.
Since then, I've bought a new condo and moved it to my new parking spot. Here it is parked next to one of my V12 BMWs (the other is my DD, a 2000 750iL):
It's now sitting under cover waiting for me to find the time to tackle all the small issues with it:
The sunroof isn't working properly, won't seal all the way down, the interior (like so many of these cars) needs some work (driver's seat needs reupholstered, the plastic trim around the HVAC and clock need replacing, the hot air intake is being replaced with a stock 16 Ventiler airbox, the front passenger tire has a slow leak. The rear hatch won't open, so I gotta crawl back there and get it open and adjust the latches. The emergency/parking brake doesn't work at all - I assume because the kid tried to lay down some SICK DRIFTS with it? Ugh.
Beyond that, I do have some questions:
- Are these engines as prone as the 8v ones to needing frequent FOES?
- Oil recommendation: it never gets super cold here, and with the warmer weather approaching, I'm assuming I can run 15w40 or 20w50?
- I've ordered all new filters (oil, air, fuel), and a replacement spare DME relay to toss in the glove box... should I just leave things like cap, rotor, plugs and wires alone? Car runs just fine with seemingly zero issues.
- What else should I immediately look over?
Future plans include finding an S2/Turbo nose + rear lower spoiler for it, set of Hella lights to replace the old ones, new tires (I think I'm keeping the phone dials), and slowly working through all the other issues.
I'm excited to have this one, it's exactly the colour combo I always wanted, and unlike the insane 911 pricing, I won't feel guilty taking it out and driving it on the back roads and mountain passes of British Columbia.
My US spec 944S had a different radio, I think it was called Reno but could have that wrong. Regardless, check out the Porsche Classic Radio system -- I am told it is fantastic and plugs right in. http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessori...ghlights/navi/ Good luck!
My US spec 944S had a different radio, I think it was called Reno but could have that wrong. Regardless, check out the Porsche Classic Radio system -- I am told it is fantastic and plugs right in. http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessori...ghlights/navi/ Good luck!
That's pretty neat, but in BC in order to get Classic/Collector/Vintage plates (which costs much less to insure as well), the car must be 'period correct'... and that even includes the stereo. Wish I could get around it, but if I got in an accident and they see the stereo, they'd laughably invalidate my insurance. This place man...
018 Elevated hub steering wheel
341 Central locking system
404 Anti-roll bars front and rear
418 Side protection mouldings
454 Automatic speed control
650 Detachable roof panel, electrically openable
946 Leather front seats with leatherette rear side
I'm sorry, but this is utterly ridiculous. Do they require vintage oil and gas as well?
Any modifications you make have to be 'period correct'. So if you want to change the wheels, they have to be from the era. If you want to change the stereo, has to be an aftermarket stereo from the era. Plus or minus a few years.
It's insane the hoops they want you to jump through. And the car isn't just eligible based on age - it needs to not be a beat up POS either.
The joys of state-run insurance monopoly. I can't stand it.
Any modifications you make have to be 'period correct'. So if you want to change the wheels, they have to be from the era. If you want to change the stereo, has to be an aftermarket stereo from the era. Plus or minus a few years.
It's insane the hoops they want you to jump through. And the car isn't just eligible based on age - it needs to not be a beat up POS either.
The joys of state-run insurance monopoly. I can't stand it.
Is there a set window for what qualifies as "period correct?" And who checks?
Related anecdote: here in Maryland, there are different levels of classic tags with varying minimum ages. One distinction is "Historic" versus "Street Rod." The DMV website is predictably vague, and when I called to seek clarification between the two, the answer I received was "well, like, did you add a big spoiler?"
Basically; would a state employee know enough to recognize your "newer than period" radio? I know this is all hypothetical, but it's fascinating to me.
Is there a set window for what qualifies as "period correct?" And who checks?
Related anecdote: here in Maryland, there are different levels of classic tags with varying minimum ages. One distinction is "Historic" versus "Street Rod." The DMV website is predictably vague, and when I called to seek clarification between the two, the answer I received was "well, like, did you add a big spoiler?"
Basically; would a state employee know enough to recognize your "newer than period" radio? I know this is all hypothetical, but it's fascinating to me.
So you have to send in *hard copy photographs* (lol) to them with your application. My understanding is that they use people in the community (for example with Porsche cars it would be a PCA member) who vet each application and make a decision.
How much do you save on your insurance by adhering to these policies? I hope it is a lot...
Enough to make it worth the trouble. I believe a Collector policy is only a couple hundred bucks for the entire year if you have a 'normal' car insured.
The unique extra maintenance item on the four valve engine are the cam tensioner pads. You can either replace just the plastic pads (cheap) or even the whole tensioner...
the receipt you photographed for the engine work shows a new chain, but does not mention the pads. Due to the low cost of replacing the pads versus the potential engine destruction should a pad fail and cause the chain to snag, I would err on the side of caution...
The unique extra maintenance item on the four valve engine are the cam tensioner pads. You can either replace just the plastic pads (cheap) or even the whole tensioner...
the receipt you photographed for the engine work shows a new chain, but does not mention the pads. Due to the low cost of replacing the pads versus the potential engine destruction should a pad fail and cause the chain to snag, I would err on the side of caution...
Good call - I did some reading this week on that, and as an owner of multiple BMW's of the same general vintage, I know how little things like that can lead to catastrophic issues.
04-11-2017, 02:51 PM
My New 87 944S
). I talked him down another $500 or so and figured that even if it was just a 'plain Jane' 944, I'd get a Guards Red car at a very good price (less than what I sold my black 944 for last year).
