Snugglepush

Hello all,

I'm fairly new to this forum but I have been following many of your wonderful posts in the past 2 weeks on Rennlist forums. The reason is that I was offered a good deal for a 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo (951).

Let me start by explaining my situation. I'm an 19 year old who worked as an intern this summer and I was able to save up a decent amount of money. I know a fair amount about cars. I currently drive my brother's 2010 Impreza Wagon. Quite fun to drive around but I'm looking to purchase my own vehicle which will deliver much more performance wise. Obviously, it also had to fit my budget so the 944 really caught my eye.

bled upon an offer for a 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo. About 2 weeks ago, I started looking for 944 Deals online such as Kijiji, Craiglist, Autotrade and Ebaymotors. I noticed that NA 944s in decent condition go around 2500-5000$. As for the 944 Turbos, they can range from 5000-9500$.

So I quickly called the individual and we got to talk about the car. According to his word and a few pictures he sent me, the car is in good condition, normal wear and tear for its age. It's also equipped with a some 16inch Fusch Rims. Car is in Gray Graphite Metallic Color. The interior also looks clean, especially ocmpared to other listings I have seen.

Now let's jump straight to the car problems:


There's a small ding on the hood as he explained that maybe one of the mechanics who worked on the car closed the hood without clearing a tool.
Wheels need a little realignment.
Driver leather seat is ripped on the side (please check photos)

Pieces that he recently changed include the mass air flow, power steering pump, the hose intake and few esthetic pieces.

He also has a few spare parts that are coming with the car such as an intercooler, a cluster, Steering HUB OMP and hose brake stainless steel.

So all in all, he explains that all these problems are due to the lack of time he has had on the car. He recently started his business so he no longer could invest his time onto the car as he originally thought when he bought it from the original owner (Who was a car collector).

The vehicle has NO accidents recorded and I have checked the Serial Number.

All in all, I feel pretty confident on the purchase. I'm really looking forward to own a 951 even though Montreal doesn't offer the best roads to drive on. I feel that the seller has been honest with me up to date. I feel that the price is a real bargain for the vehicle. Like I said, this will be the first car purchase I will do so I need to know what you all think please !!!


I'm really motivated to purchase this vehicle, that is why I'm willing to drive 6 hours there to check it out and settle a deal if all was accurate according to what he said.


All your help is appreciated, thank you! I also attached a few photos that I have received till now. The seller will send me more photos this week detailing the dings I explained.

Snugglepush

Here's an attached image of the driver seat too.

I will post further images as soon as I get them. Looking forward to hear from you all.

lee101315

There is no such thing as a cheap 951.

A timing belt and water pump will cost about 1000

A clutch job will cost 1500-2000

Add up the misc things, and whether you like it or not, you'll spend over 10k including the buying price to build a clean 951.

User 52121

https://rennlist.com/forums/944-turb...ticky-faq.html

Dan87951

Wow that looks like its 10k away from being a 7k car. Love the sports seats though.

Ky944TurboNewbie

The sport script seats are nice if they can be salvaged. May not be possible looking at the drivers seat. Request all records. Timing/Balance/Water Pump, Front of Engine Seals, suspension, etc... Lots of things that will most likely need attention. Has the clutch been replaced? Why no boost? I would think patience can find a better deal if you can travel to get it. I don't think I would pay that much for it unless I could see more records of recent maintenance. I don't think it is a bad price, but not enough is known without records and a thorough PPI.

Ronin-951

Agree that ALL 951's are $10k Car's - sooner or later. Still, ... best $10k [+] I ever spent on a Car! If your 'Handy', and have an understanding Brother ... HECK YES. If not so, ... $10k should be your plan.

Snugglepush

Hey guys, thanks so much for your opinions up to date!

here are some more photos to check out please. I will ask the owner for the paperworks and keep you posted!

Snugglepush

If you pay attention to the Photo of The Rear that I posted, is it normal that there's a 944 Tag on it? I checked out some other 944 Turbos and they all had only Turbo according to google images...

Snugglepush

Here are some of the photos explaining the Esthetic problems the car has. You may observe that the paint on the Gravel Guard behind the tire is cracking. The Driver Leather seat is punctured. And right behind the wheel, there's a chipped edge. It is not pierced but still chipped. All in all, these are all the esthetic problems with the car, no more

Snugglepush

May someone also explain to me the difference between an 87 and an 86 944 Turbo? I heard there isn't much besides maybe the brakes and a few things

lee101315

The 87 and up 944 turbo had ABS brakes, airbags, and a different wheel offset.

That car seems to be like a decent buy, but I would try and lower the price a bit.

The body is in rough shape, the nose panel of the car needs to be realigned with the headlights and hood ( previous front end collision ) and there is lot of bondo on the lower rear quarter panels.

This car does have a lot of potential, but you'll need to put a lot of money towards maintenance. My first 951 looked something like that, and it took a lot of late nights and weekends of work to get it into reasonable shape.

Your best bet is to stick around this forum and learn as much as you can on DIY repairs, otherwise you'll be forking your entire paycheck over to your local repair shop....

User 52121

Fuel lines look original. So do the vacuum lines. IMO not speaking well for being properly maintained by someone familiar with 944s. But the original vac lines are brittle - perhaps the "no boost" issue is a split in the line running to the bypass valve...

The cracked stone guards are common.

I dunno - what's your budget look like after purchasing? How much $$$ do you have set aside?

theporscheguy

I have seen that car on Ebay or another site for sale. If you are really interested in the car I would offer less then the current asking price.

Snugglepush

The car never had any accident. The reason the front bumper was changed was due to a Baseball hitting the front left. Instead of fixing it, the first owner just thought of changing the bumper.

Fuel lines i'm not too worried about... It's somewhere like 130$ for the part and a little more for labor.

The seller has been hoenst with me up to date. He told me that the car is in good condition to be driven still today. Mass Air flow was recently changed, zero oil leaks and the clutch is tight. My plan is to buy it this weekend and to store it for the winter. Prob change the vacuum hose during the winter because apparently it's only 40$ and it's worth the investment.


The seller is also giving me a spare NEW Cluster and NEW Mass Air Flow and some Hose Brake all from Lindsay Racing.



By the way, thanks again for all your support, I truly appreciate you all