Discussion
I am looking into purchasing a Porsche 944, and have come to look for help from PHers! Which of the models would be likely to be most reliable/economical? I found the following on eBay, long MOT, looks good to me, but what do you guys reckon:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/porsche-944-black/161063...
Thanks!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/porsche-944-black/161063...
Thanks!
There are huge differences between the models, and a lot to look out for. I'd suggest looking through the dedicated 944 forums on either PCGB or Tipec, both are open to non-members and have hundreds of owners who can give you pointers as to what you need to check. That ad doesn't mention any of the important things to know about a 944 before you view it!
Bought well they are arguably the best-value Porsche you can find, but a bad one will cost a lot to put right.
Bought well they are arguably the best-value Porsche you can find, but a bad one will cost a lot to put right.
Hmm, I appear to be in the catch 22 situation of wanting something fun and good looking AND reliable and cheap to run. Older cars are awesome, but there seems to be no escaping big bills. Modern cars are boring and all look the same... 
Anyone got any better suggestions than a 944, if they are so expensive?
Anyone got any better suggestions than a 944, if they are so expensive?
They don't have to be expensive.
I paid £1800 four years ago and have spent less than £1k on it, and £500 was new set of discs/pads that I couldn't do my self as they stuck fast.
Ran for 2 years as daily driver family car and couple of track days.
It is the cheapest car I have ever owned!
I paid £1800 four years ago and have spent less than £1k on it, and £500 was new set of discs/pads that I couldn't do my self as they stuck fast.
Ran for 2 years as daily driver family car and couple of track days.
It is the cheapest car I have ever owned!
Hmm, I appear to be in the catch 22 situation of wanting something fun and good looking AND reliable and cheap to run. Older cars are awesome, but there seems to be no escaping big bills. Modern cars are boring and all look the same...
Anyone got any better suggestions than a 944, if they are so expensive?
Anyone got any better suggestions than a 944, if they are so expensive?
Supersport, which model is yours? What questions should I ask this guy on eBay about the car? I really want one, I'm just terrified I'll end up getting a dud one, I need a car and haven't got money to throw in the bin! Neither do I have a great deal of knowledge mechanically... could probably do the odd thing with they aid of a Haynes, but other than that I'd be reliant on garages...
Open the doors and pop the plastic vents out of the sills. Shine a torch in there and you can see the rust! all of em will be rusty to some extent... any more than surface rust if you are going to be keeping it a few years then I'd walk / budget for repairs when it shows through.
Compare a few - by the time is bubbles on the outside paintwork its too late.
Compare a few - by the time is bubbles on the outside paintwork its too late.
Mine is an 87 2.5 Lux. It is now quite tired though at 206K miles and if passes the next MOT I will be amazed, but you never know it went through fine last year. But you always get the feeling that it would still keep going on one piston and one wheel.
As said above you need to see in the cills, through the little black vent, and really get underneath. The rear suspension points are a common fail point. Rust bubbles from the cill areas area are pretty much only going one way.
You could buy a really cheap one with an MOT and have a cheap blast for a year or two. I wouldn't buy one without seeing it though. Remember these were nigh on £40k cars back in the late 80s and can have bills to go with that price tag. But some parts are surprisingly cheap from Porsche.
As said above you need to see in the cills, through the little black vent, and really get underneath. The rear suspension points are a common fail point. Rust bubbles from the cill areas area are pretty much only going one way.
You could buy a really cheap one with an MOT and have a cheap blast for a year or two. I wouldn't buy one without seeing it though. Remember these were nigh on £40k cars back in the late 80s and can have bills to go with that price tag. But some parts are surprisingly cheap from Porsche.
Seller replied:
"Hi mate, no rust. Needed a tiny patch of welding for the mot but that was it. No advisories. Suspension points are all in good condition too..... As for the seats, there a few rips in the obvious place"
Kind of worried by welding... heard far too many stories of botch jobs being done to cover stuff up...
Any other questions I should ask?
"Hi mate, no rust. Needed a tiny patch of welding for the mot but that was it. No advisories. Suspension points are all in good condition too..... As for the seats, there a few rips in the obvious place"
Kind of worried by welding... heard far too many stories of botch jobs being done to cover stuff up...
Any other questions I should ask?
Any other questions? Masses. Sorry, but any used car will have potential problems and a 30-year-old car will only have more. There's a huge amount of research to do if you want to buy a good one IMO, all catalogued for you on the 944 forums.
Just off the top of my head I'd be asking about belt history, clutch, brakes, head gasket, tyres, fuel and brake lines as a minimum. I'd want to see internal shots of the sills (through the door pillar vent) before travelling.
It's surprising, particularly with the Luxes, how little difference there is between the price of a scrapper and a really good one. The problem is that any major work will cost the price of a cheap Lux, unless you do everything yourself, so people do get caught out. And, the purchase price is temptingly low on all the varients, so it's easy to get sucked in without budgetting to run it.
Have you driven some? There is a lot of difference between the early and late Lux, let alone the 16V cars or turbos, and it's worth trying some out.
Not meaning to be negative; I think the 944 is the best value old car out there, let alone old Porsche. But, too many people get a shock if they buy a bad one.
Just off the top of my head I'd be asking about belt history, clutch, brakes, head gasket, tyres, fuel and brake lines as a minimum. I'd want to see internal shots of the sills (through the door pillar vent) before travelling.
It's surprising, particularly with the Luxes, how little difference there is between the price of a scrapper and a really good one. The problem is that any major work will cost the price of a cheap Lux, unless you do everything yourself, so people do get caught out. And, the purchase price is temptingly low on all the varients, so it's easy to get sucked in without budgetting to run it.
Have you driven some? There is a lot of difference between the early and late Lux, let alone the 16V cars or turbos, and it's worth trying some out.
Not meaning to be negative; I think the 944 is the best value old car out there, let alone old Porsche. But, too many people get a shock if they buy a bad one.
TheLepresean said:
Seller replied:
"Hi mate, no rust. Needed a tiny patch of welding for the mot but that was it. No advisories. Suspension points are all in good condition too..... As for the seats, there a few rips in the obvious place"
Kind of worried by welding... heard far too many stories of botch jobs being done to cover stuff up...
Any other questions I should ask?
'Tiny patch of welding for the MOT' means to me (and I have plenty of experience with 944s) that it is going to need a great deal of work soon."Hi mate, no rust. Needed a tiny patch of welding for the mot but that was it. No advisories. Suspension points are all in good condition too..... As for the seats, there a few rips in the obvious place"
Kind of worried by welding... heard far too many stories of botch jobs being done to cover stuff up...
Any other questions I should ask?
Nothing to do with the sills, but check the carpets aren't wet. Mine is a later oval dash model, but earlier ones (with the battery under the bonnet) have a habit of rusting out the battery tray and letting water into the passenger footwell.
I had rain water leaking into mine through gaps in the sheet metal panels! As the car ages the sealant they used to seal the inner wings and floorpan goes brittle and lets water seep in via the scuttle panel. It was odd to see water seeping out of the seat rails onto the floorpan with no idea how it was coming in
I have the 8v 2.5 model and it is quite slow by todays standards, although the handling is excellent. Its performance certainly does not match its looks!
As a side note, I used a boroscope to check my sills along the entire length (there are inspection bungs under the carpets aswell as the previously mentioned vent) and not even surface corrosion was present on original ones 26yrs old.
I had rain water leaking into mine through gaps in the sheet metal panels! As the car ages the sealant they used to seal the inner wings and floorpan goes brittle and lets water seep in via the scuttle panel. It was odd to see water seeping out of the seat rails onto the floorpan with no idea how it was coming in
I have the 8v 2.5 model and it is quite slow by todays standards, although the handling is excellent. Its performance certainly does not match its looks!
As a side note, I used a boroscope to check my sills along the entire length (there are inspection bungs under the carpets aswell as the previously mentioned vent) and not even surface corrosion was present on original ones 26yrs old.
Edited by markw996 on Saturday 13th July 19:00
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