First Porsche, high miles 944, what could go wrong...

[rufusgti]

Hi
I recently sold my motorcycle which left a hole in the shape of something mechanical. Then was offered the chance to aquire a Porsche 944 s2 at a price I felt I couldn't turn down. The next fe months will decide if that was a good judgement, yet the car was delivered today and I must say I'm very pleased so far.

The car has 203,000 miles. So it's been used well at some point in it's life but to be honest hides it well. It does need some loving and I've only driven it up and down the road a bit so there's room for utter disappointment yet. Pluses are it has a full stainless exhaust which isn't loud and looks good, it also has refurbed wheels with good matching tyres. There's plenty of history there, even some stamps from RSR and Ruf which impressed me. I'm looking forward to giving it some tlc.

If anyone has any advice for must do jobs or any good owners club forums worth joining for advice I'd appreciate it. Like I say it's my first Porsche so it's all new to me.

Edited by rufusgti on Monday 21st November 19:48

[rufusgti]

rallycross said:

Great old cars have owned a few of them ( good and bad).

Rule number 1.

Don't take it to a Specialist" - give it a good check over and then take it t a normal independent MOT garage and see what they say.

Nothing difficult about fixing these cars that a good mechanic can't fix.

That's really interesting. I've not heard that before, but looking through the receipts from specialists reveals some eye watering labour costs for things like new discs and pads. I guess people build up trust with certain garages and that along with convienience goes along way often.

[rufusgti]

Thanks for the advice, I've spent the evening checking through the history to try and build up a picture of what's been done. There's extensive history up to about 180k, there's work been done at various specialists inc the cambelt tensioners in 2005 and again in 2008, about 20k miles ago.
Sills have been repaired at some point I can see. They look solid if a little scruffy, but I can sort that myself.

Yes, interior clock doesn't seem to work, or the interior light overhead. I'll be making a list of what needs looking at as I go. Hopefully I can get my hands dirty myself and leave the complex stuff to a specialist. Are there any good value Porsche specialists in south Wales?

[rufusgti]

Just a quick update of how things have gone in the first week.

Pretty good actually, after the initial shock of me not really remembering what old cars are like I started to settle in to it. I've not been far as I wanted to see how it was so just short journeys nipping about. It's good. There's a lot of jobs that need doing, lots. But that's ok. I'm prioritising them in the best way I can. I'm really enjoying the seating position and the ride quality is great. There seems to be tons of power and 3rd gear seems to cater for most of city driving until you have to stop for lights etc. I love the interior and plan on giving it a thorough clean soon. But other jobs need to be done first.

Firstly the car is booked into the body shop for the sills to be taken back to metal and re "stone chipped". They're not rotten, but they've been repaired in the past and the paints kind of peeling off the welds, not pretty and will just get much worse if it's left over winter so that's the first job. I'm not having them painted body colour as that would cost more and will be done in the summer if the car turns out to be worth keeping and not draining too much money. At that time I'm going to get the whole roof painted as some scabby chips at the leading edge of the windscreen and some marks on the sunroof really let it down, I guess because it's low your eyes are drawn to the roof lines.

Second job is the gear linkage. It's, well it's shot. Loads of play. I've seen a few write ups online about overhauling and there's a company that sells super duper rose jointed assemblies. I don't really want to spend that much so thinking of going for genuine part and do it myself. Has anyone done this, I can't find a step by step process so would love some advice on what tools I'm going to need etc.

I'll get some better pics up as soon as possible.

[rufusgti]

Just wanted to give a bit of an update nearly a month in.
The car has been really great. It went to the body shop to have the sills tidied up. He stripped then back to bare metal, repaired a section that had been badly repaired in the past to a poor standard and re finished them. Inner sills are fine and he said the car is good elsewhere. So that's good, at least I know the shell is tidy before spending money.

I've been using the car quite a bit, there's not been anything major come up that concerns me, just plenty of little bits that need doing. I've spent a few hours fixing things like the rear demister, the interior lights, and a few interior trims. On the list are little things l
Heater fan only works on number 4 (blasting)
I think a disc is warped as when you are braking to a stop you get a strange pulsing on the brakes.
The wheels need balancing as there's a wobble around 65mph that you can drive through?
The brakes are crap. Not sure why but I need to check the pads and possibly replace.

One job that's annoying but not that high on the list, the indicator stalk doesn't click into place turning right, and doesn't cancel turning left. I've whipped the wheel off but it looks like a sealed unit so perhaps will look for another.

Apart from those niggles it's great. It goes really well. A few friends were very surprised how it pulls away. Not sure why, but I wasn't really expecting it to be quick. The handling isn't what I'm used to. Ive not spent much time in RWD cars so it's all a bit new. I can feel the car kind of talking to me, but it's like a foreign language at the moment. Time will sort that I guess.

I'll tray and get some better pics this week.

[rufusgti]

After a few weeks In the lock up I decided to get the 944 out for a few light duties.
It's had a fresh battery and a few more fixes. I've some new indicator stalks to fit tomorrow and still plan on replacing the gear linkage. I'm thoroughly enjoying this car and so far she still owes me under 4K, which seems somewhat of a bargain the more I drive it. I do however think the brake system could do with a strip down and overhaul. I've been browsing the various firms that take your calipers, strip, rebuild and repaint in any colour you choose. So I'm weighing up that idea next.

[rufusgti]

I thought I'd update this thread as it's been a while and it's actually very I retesting to come back and read through. I can see the jobs I never got round to doing and the bits I'd forgotten I'd done.
Anyway recently I have been playing with the front ARB after a knocking developed and I found my outer drivers side ARB mount had snapped clean off. Closer inspection shows it had rusted through. Not good, so I stripped it down.



[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/c8ItC8Wo[/url]





So pretty nasty. Some refreshing has been needed.

I cleaned up the ARB and gave it a lick of paint.





Ordered some bits



And today I built the ARB back up and fitted it back to the car.









I am absolutely amazed at the improvement to the ride and feel of the car. I really wasn't expecting it, but it feels fantastic. It doesn't crash as much over rough ground and no longer chases the cambers of the road. Really pleased I did it.

Edited by rufusgti on Saturday 23 February 21:02

Edited by rufusgti on Saturday 23 February 21:03

[rufusgti]

toastyhamster said:

How's it running over the year? Good work on the ARB, looks great!

Very good. I've enjoyed getting the car how I want it. Everything's working now, (except the clock). I've fixed tonnes of little bits. A list of the bits I've done myself.

Repaired de mister.
Repaired the fan.
Repaired/replaced the interior lights.
Repaired sunroof.
Repairs to overcome At least 5 leaks into the cabin from various places.
Replace stalks.
Fitted a new Bluetooth stereo.
Replaced a little cog for odometer repair.
Rebuilt and custom fitted the gear shifter.
Undersealed and waxed the cavities.
Sound deadened various areas.

Non of that was costly other than a few quid and a lot of my own time. More costly and less rewarding has been some work on the sills. The sills are ok now but it has needed finishing at each MOT since, quite frustrating and came down to a difference of opinion more than anything. Unfortunately it shows up as rusted sills on the Mot history but it's just one of those things. I also had the same guy repaint the roof to tidy up some scruffy bits. Looking much better now anyway.

Mechanically it's been in for new belts, gearbox oil, a pressure sender, a bit of fettling and various fluids. I also had new wishbones and castor bolts.

Overall it's been brilliant. I think I've done 5 or 6 thousand miles in it. It never misses a beat except the battery does go dead if I leave it sat in the garage for more than a month. But I see that as an excuse to get out in it.

There's a few jobs in the pipeline. The torque tube is noisey so I want the bearings replaced but I will wait until it's clutch time and do the lot together. I also want to now change the bushes at the rear of the car as the front is all good now. Mainly I just want to get out more this summer.

[rufusgti]

Gallons Per Mile said:

Good stuff. Sounds like you're turning it in to a really nice example. More pictures please!

Thanks, ye it's definitely a lot better now than when I first picked it up. I haven't got any other work in progress pics unfortunately, but here's a few from over the past year from my Instagram.

[rufusgti]

Oh, and these turned up today.


I've been waiting for the right size spacers to show up. I want to fill the arches but not bring them out too far. I like the classic tucked stance but just not quite as tucked as standard. These are 18mm, I'll post some before and after pics tomorrow when I fit them to see what you all think.

[rufusgti]

Ok as promised I did some pics of the spacers.
Really pleased, they fit just how I like them and I think still look factory to the untrained eye.
Before





Spacers going on


And after


I'm really happy. Need to go check they don't rub anywhere but I wouldn't have thought so the arches are pretty cavernous.

Edited by rufusgti on Tuesday 26th February 18:12

[rufusgti]

Update:

Can't believe I've had this for nearly 3 years. Thought I would update as it's time to do a bit of work.
Nothing has gone wrong since last update but it's being used regularly now, if only for short trips but it keeps things working I guess.
Went for it's MOT yesterday which it failed.
1x Rubber boot on the CV joint and
1x rubber boot on the control arm.
So today I ran around collecting a few parts and have treated the car to a few bits I wanted to get done. I've got a new gasket for the filler neck and some sun visor clips that always seem broken on these. Bits like this are almost always cheaper from Porsche than anywhere else, always surprising.



I was hoping to drop the drive shaft this afternoon but it's too wet out for that.

The mileage is approaching 208,000, all seems well. The car will need new tyres next year and I still want to refurb the calipers and have them painted so maybe in the spring.
Here's a pic from a nice drive earlier in the year.

[rufusgti]

Between the rain holding off and getting dark I managed to remove the drive shaft. Very pleased as I was really worried I'd snap a bolt or something that would hold me up.


Now I've never done a CV boot before but I'm thinking these need cleaning out properly, looks like tar!






There's some very good YouTube videos on stripping these down, cleaning them up and assembling with new grease so I'm going to get this in the vice tomorrow and strip it all down.

Edited by rufusgti on Saturday 26th October 18:46

[rufusgti]

Had a good couple of hours on this, cleaned the joints up and fitted the new boots.








If anyone with a late 944 with the alloy control arms finds they have a split boot. It's not actually easily available as the ball joint is part of the arm which is a few hundred quid. If you're lucky and the ball joint hasn't filled with grit and salt you can do what I did and grab a lower ball joint for an old golf from euro car parts. The rubber can be removed and refitted to the 944 control arm. Worked very well and saved me a few quid. I cleaned as much of the grease out and replaced with fresh.






So if I can get the shaft back on tomorrow I can get it back for a retest. All being well it's not been a painful MOT for a change.

Edited by rufusgti on Sunday 27th October 19:34

Edited by rufusgti on Sunday 27th October 19:35

[rufusgti]

swampy442 said:

If you look on ebay for CV boots you can buy them separate for peanuts, I did the same for my Supra.

How does the car feel with that mileage under its wheels?

The boots were only a few quid from ECP, all in it's been a cheap MOT. Well, re test tomorrow so hoping it goes smoothly.

How does it feel? Better than expected. So better than my golf with exactly half the years and mileage. The bushes up front have all been replaced In my ownership. This made a massive difference for relatively small cost. The rear would now benefit, but being a massive job to drop the gearbox, rear beam etc it will have to wait until the clutch or propshaft needs work. I also had the alignment done which really improved the feel.
What really impresses me (touch wood) is the engine. It uses next to zero oil. I don't know what has been done to the internals but it's has an extensive history with receipts with specialists dating back to new. There's been work on the cam chain, it's had plenty of belt changes. But there's nothing in there for any internal engine work which seems unlikely for a Porsche engine with 200k. But who knows. I'm just very pleased mine runs smooth and pulls well. No worries there so far.
So yes, I think it feels good. But this relies on keeping bits fresh. It's a very simple chassis though. A simple car really.

[rufusgti]

swampy442 said:

I meant ball joint boots haha.
That's good to hear, I fancy a 944, mainly because the 968's are now out of reach

Yes you are correct, I've since seen the ball joint rubbers on their own. In fact I may order some now I know the size just for those mot fail moments when I could just hand it over and have the garage fix it.

I hankered after a 968 for so many years. I still think they are one of the nicest and rarest of all the 'modern classic' era Porsches. I remember really itching to get a silver sport coupe that was up locally for £6999. Those days are sadly gone. However the madness seems to have left the Porsche market and sensible money for sensible cars seems to be coming back. I would think it may be a good time to get into a 968 coming up so keep your eyes peeled. I have no experience with them to compare against the 944 sadly. I'd be interested to know how much more car it is.

Going wildly against the Porsche scene grain, I certainly wouldn't entertain the 968 club sport prices. When I first started my interest in the 968 the club sport was a bit of a cheap option. They fetched less than a well specced sport and were on the market for many months at a time. Although track days didn't have the intrest back then either so maybe that explains the pull. I'm very capable of stripping a bit of weight out of a car without paying a 10k premium though. People do pay the money though so it's fair enough.

[rufusgti]

Bit of an update, although not a lot has been going on with the car. I think it's about to click over 210k miles. No nasty surprises and it gets used a few times a week, actually seems much happier with regular use.
I managed to get a job done which I've been meaning to do for ages. The filler neck to body gasket was in very poor shape, split, filthy and probably leaking. I bought one ages ago but managed to fit it this afternoon. A bit of a pig of a job actually as you have to get the rubber over the outer body, the inner body, and the neck. They're all very different profiles. Plenty of hot soapy water and a few attempts at lining it up and it popped into place. Anyone having a go, start at the bottom and work your way to the top.
Part number is 931 201 281 05



I sprayed a bit of dinitrol rust protector around in the body to keep things in order.



Gasket fitted in place



All good.

I also have recently had a new stainless exhaust fitted as the one I had wasn't really fitting that well and have always been impressed with longlife exhausts local to me.


Currently refurbishing some spare bumper lights for the front also and am planning a torque tube replacement as mine is noisey.
I'll keep the thread updated as I go but I'm still very much enjoying this car.

[rufusgti]

Fresh MoT
Fresh set of tyres

I've done a few jobs over lockdown. Fitted a rebuilt steering rack and new HEL braided brake hoses. A few bits tidied up here and there and generally keeping it good. I had a new set of Avon zv7 tyres fitted yesterday and it's driving lovely. The old falkens were ten years old and had gone hard so these are a real improvement on the ride. Will see how they grip on a dry day soon.

[rufusgti]

Yes I've read mixed reviews on the Avon's but they were super cheap (£213.00 fitted) and are one of the very few tyres available in my staggered sizes. Wearing out fast isn't really an issue. I don't do many miles these days so usually end up changing them when they go hard and old, rather than them wearing out. I have to say it drives so much better on the new set.

[rufusgti]

Bit of an update as I've had a bit of work done which has really improved the car. I've had a very annoying buzzing/rattle at certain rev points and narrowed it down to the torque tube.

After contacting Augment Automotive, a Porsche specialist about an hour from me, we arranged to get the car in for a rebuilt unit. They have a special bench to remove and replace the bearings in the tubes and seem to know everything there is to know about removing, rebuilding and re fitting.

While they had the box out they checked the clutch which was ok, but the gearbox mount and the beam mounts were past their time, so I ordered new ones from porsche. Another thing worth doing was the shifter linkage on the gearbox. It was totally shot and rusted up so a new one again from porsche fixed that.

The car is back and driving much better and quieter. There's a bit of a myth I think that these cars always have very noisey drivetrains. They are noisey when they're worn out, but with a fresh set of bearings in the tube and decent gear oil it's really running smoothly and quietly.

A few pics from when the work was being carried out. Unfortunately no pics of replacement parts except the little arm the mechanic made up for the new gear linkage.








And it's back with me. Getting better and better!

Edited by rufusgti on Friday 15th January 22:44