Should I buy this 951? **Pics attached
11-24-2008, 04:09 PM
#17
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At 3500, I'd try to work him down a bit. Exhaust leaks can be anything from a PITA to just putting on a new exhaust, or finding the leak and repairing.
If the car hasn't been run a lot, the battery will go down too far. Should be pretty easy. It's either the battery or the alt, about 95% of the time.
The oil leaks aren't that big of a deal, IF you are doing your own work.
11-24-2008, 04:51 PM
#19
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11-24-2008, 05:32 PM
#20
Working on these cars isn't exactly hard, but it is a major pain in the a.s ! Especially the turbo cars..... I have a two car garage devoted for mine and I think I need more room! There seems to be sooo many parts to remove to complete a repair.
I don't mean to disappoint you but I keep visioning you underneath the car with the front end up in the air, crossmember out, completing a oil pan gasket, maybe a turbo, maybe an exhaust. This my friend is about 3,000 dollars of your hard earned cash evaporating out of your pocket... meanwhile your doing all of the labor have a few cuts on your hands and now have 6,500 dollars in a car that could have been purchased with less heartache for 7,000 dollars.
Good luck, but buying a car ready to rock for 7-10,000 is money well spent.
I don't mean to disappoint you but I keep visioning you underneath the car with the front end up in the air, crossmember out, completing a oil pan gasket, maybe a turbo, maybe an exhaust. This my friend is about 3,000 dollars of your hard earned cash evaporating out of your pocket... meanwhile your doing all of the labor have a few cuts on your hands and now have 6,500 dollars in a car that could have been purchased with less heartache for 7,000 dollars.
Good luck, but buying a car ready to rock for 7-10,000 is money well spent.
11-24-2008, 05:38 PM
#21
Very true, Im starting to learn towards just waiting until I find the perfect one. Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
Working on these cars isn't exactly hard, but it is a major pain in the a.s ! Especially the turbo cars..... I have a two car garage devoted for mine and I think I need more room! There seems to be sooo many parts to remove to complete a repair.
I don't mean to disappoint you but I keep visioning you underneath the car with the front end up in the air, crossmember out, completing a oil pan gasket, maybe a turbo, maybe an exhaust. This my friend is about 3,000 dollars of your hard earned cash evaporating out of your pocket... meanwhile your doing all of the labor have a few cuts on your hands and now have 6,500 dollars in a car that could have been purchased with less heartache for 7,000 dollars.
Good luck, but buying a car ready to rock for 7-10,000 is money well spent.
I don't mean to disappoint you but I keep visioning you underneath the car with the front end up in the air, crossmember out, completing a oil pan gasket, maybe a turbo, maybe an exhaust. This my friend is about 3,000 dollars of your hard earned cash evaporating out of your pocket... meanwhile your doing all of the labor have a few cuts on your hands and now have 6,500 dollars in a car that could have been purchased with less heartache for 7,000 dollars.
Good luck, but buying a car ready to rock for 7-10,000 is money well spent.
11-24-2008, 06:38 PM
#22
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All true but that looks like a very good deal to me. If it were local, I would buy that today.
Maybe a nice dependable Neon would be better, thats about what you can get for 3500. ...Bruce
Maybe a nice dependable Neon would be better, thats about what you can get for 3500. ...Bruce
11-24-2008, 08:42 PM
#26
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Battery: I can let mine sit for 2 months without the battery going flat. It shouldn't be dying that fast, there's a short somewhere.
Oil Leak: Labor-intensive, but probably just the oil return line from the turbo. You can always use this as an excuse to install a K26-8 from an "S" as a replacement though.
ABS Light: Some sensor somewhere, possibly even a cold solder joint in the ABS computer from vibrations over the years (this happens often to the cruise control computer, so I'm extrapolating). Not really important since the car's brakes are fantastic even without ABS. This is something you can repair completely at leisure.
Rough Start: Probably the biggie. Does it start fine when the engine is warm? If so, it might be as simple as the DME temp sensor.
Paint: Oxidized. You might be able to clean it up, or you might not. As far as a clear coat, I know that my '86 944 does not have one. Nor did my '86 924S. Both were red though and a lack of clear coat may have been unique to the red cars. In any case, all I can say is that some cars definitely left the factory without a clear coat.
A/C: Not uncommon. Expensive, but not a big deal. Again, this is one of those things you can fix entirely at your leisure.
Exhaust: Shouldn't be too bad, may just be the diagnostic port having come loose, this seems to be the most common. Aside from the early non-accordion headers cracking and the aforementioned test port, there aren't too many common issues with the exhaust.
130,000 miles is, to me, more than reasonable. I have over 160,000 miles on mine and it's still strong. If you have the time and inclination to work on it, I think that you are looking at a car that is artificially under-priced because of the starting and battery issues, neither of which seem, to me, to be likely to be parts-intensive. Labor could be a pain though.
Oil Leak: Labor-intensive, but probably just the oil return line from the turbo. You can always use this as an excuse to install a K26-8 from an "S" as a replacement though.
ABS Light: Some sensor somewhere, possibly even a cold solder joint in the ABS computer from vibrations over the years (this happens often to the cruise control computer, so I'm extrapolating). Not really important since the car's brakes are fantastic even without ABS. This is something you can repair completely at leisure.
Rough Start: Probably the biggie. Does it start fine when the engine is warm? If so, it might be as simple as the DME temp sensor.
Paint: Oxidized. You might be able to clean it up, or you might not. As far as a clear coat, I know that my '86 944 does not have one. Nor did my '86 924S. Both were red though and a lack of clear coat may have been unique to the red cars. In any case, all I can say is that some cars definitely left the factory without a clear coat.
A/C: Not uncommon. Expensive, but not a big deal. Again, this is one of those things you can fix entirely at your leisure.
Exhaust: Shouldn't be too bad, may just be the diagnostic port having come loose, this seems to be the most common. Aside from the early non-accordion headers cracking and the aforementioned test port, there aren't too many common issues with the exhaust.
130,000 miles is, to me, more than reasonable. I have over 160,000 miles on mine and it's still strong. If you have the time and inclination to work on it, I think that you are looking at a car that is artificially under-priced because of the starting and battery issues, neither of which seem, to me, to be likely to be parts-intensive. Labor could be a pain though.
11-24-2008, 08:55 PM
#27
The car will run fine once started and warm.. I actually drove it around the block. I think he said something about it being a sensor (very possible he said temp sensor) that he was jiggling?
Im not sure what to do anymore.
Im not sure what to do anymore.
11-24-2008, 09:00 PM
#28
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Working on these cars isn't exactly hard, but it is a major pain in the a.s ! Especially the turbo cars..... I have a two car garage devoted for mine and I think I need more room! There seems to be sooo many parts to remove to complete a repair.
I don't mean to disappoint you but I keep visioning you underneath the car with the front end up in the air, crossmember out, completing a oil pan gasket, maybe a turbo, maybe an exhaust. This my friend is about 3,000 dollars of your hard earned cash evaporating out of your pocket... meanwhile your doing all of the labor have a few cuts on your hands and now have 6,500 dollars in a car that could have been purchased with less heartache for 7,000 dollars.
Good luck, but buying a car ready to rock for 7-10,000 is money well spent.
I don't mean to disappoint you but I keep visioning you underneath the car with the front end up in the air, crossmember out, completing a oil pan gasket, maybe a turbo, maybe an exhaust. This my friend is about 3,000 dollars of your hard earned cash evaporating out of your pocket... meanwhile your doing all of the labor have a few cuts on your hands and now have 6,500 dollars in a car that could have been purchased with less heartache for 7,000 dollars.
Good luck, but buying a car ready to rock for 7-10,000 is money well spent.
11-24-2008, 10:12 PM
#30
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i know where there is a real nice sub 70k car, red, black interior, no dash cracks, all maintenance is up to date and has coilovers, bigger rear torsions, new tires and a car cover, cd player etc for $7500