944 turbo 1986 help buying
Discussion
Mileage isnt really a factor with a 20 year old car and I wouldn't pay any more for low miles. A perfect Turbo, will look and feel like a new vehicle. Perfect paint, no rust, immaculate interior, evidence of a full and pampered maintenance regime can cost up to £9k privately.
Tatty examples that run but with scuffs, rips, tears, things not working and no history whatsoever can be found for £3k (but coud end up costing twice that amount). Add about £1500 to these prices if from a dealer.
Make sure you look at and test drive a lot so you can see the massive differences between good and bad. There are good cars out there going for a song, but there are some dogs that are overpriced.
Tatty examples that run but with scuffs, rips, tears, things not working and no history whatsoever can be found for £3k (but coud end up costing twice that amount). Add about £1500 to these prices if from a dealer.
Make sure you look at and test drive a lot so you can see the massive differences between good and bad. There are good cars out there going for a song, but there are some dogs that are overpriced.
For what’s its worth, I would look at an S2 before a turbo, especially if money is tight. Very nice S2's can be had for about £5k with mint examples around £6k. You should budget on having to spend about £1000 or so, on the car right off the bat to sort the collection of little problems that the previous owner ignored.
I bought a late model turbo from a dealer this time last year in what i would consider excellent condition. To date i have spent around £5,500 on it, £3,500 of which was purely on maintenance items. The car is in exceptional condition now, but still requires about £1000 on minor paint blemishes and leather treatment.
It’s easy to spend a lot of money on these cars. Once you get one, find a good mechanic and keep on top of the maintenance.
You could probably run an S2 for under £1000 a year without much trouble. A turbo would probably cost a bit more or a lot more!!
Cheers
I bought a late model turbo from a dealer this time last year in what i would consider excellent condition. To date i have spent around £5,500 on it, £3,500 of which was purely on maintenance items. The car is in exceptional condition now, but still requires about £1000 on minor paint blemishes and leather treatment.
It’s easy to spend a lot of money on these cars. Once you get one, find a good mechanic and keep on top of the maintenance.
You could probably run an S2 for under £1000 a year without much trouble. A turbo would probably cost a bit more or a lot more!!
Cheers
For RHD I'd say anywhere between £3.5k & £6k for an early car can bag a decent example, it would IMHO have to be pretty darn exceptional to command much more, as even really nice av mile 250s & 250SEs are available for sub £8k.
Personally I'm not a fan of leather interiors, but each to their own.
Personally I'm not a fan of leather interiors, but each to their own.
cuneus said:
Surprised, what was the breakdown of the expenditure ?
Surprised?
I'm more surprised that your surprised.
Just this week spent £450 on getting the brakes overhauled, and that was doing all the work myself. Add £250 to that if i got the garage to do it.
To put it into perspective these car are not expensive to run compared with a 348 Ferrari or a GT2, but neither are they as cheap as a golf.
Any car where a clutch replacment will cose approx £800 (from an independant) is not cheap to run. Its all a matter of perspective.
I love the turbo, and am very glad i bought it, but if i was on a more restricted budget then i would get an S2, and if the budget couldent sustain £1000 a year in servicing then i would pass on a Porsche, its a real shame to own one of these cars and not keep it in the condition that it deserves.
cuneus said:
and the rest ?
genuinely interested
There are some big ticket items but I never spent that much on mine in 3 years
The list is to long to type up. Lots of very little items do add up, along with a few big ones.
I am hoping that after this year, it should be basic servicing for a while.
Mike, both S2 and turbo versions must still be the most cheapest and best form of sports motoring there is overall if you add together initial cost plus maintainance.
I went for the S2 as one less thing to go wrong and dare i say it, but turbos generally have been owned by the more 'enthusiastic' drivers. They trash around tracks etc while S2 drivers polish more!
I went for the S2 as one less thing to go wrong and dare i say it, but turbos generally have been owned by the more 'enthusiastic' drivers. They trash around tracks etc while S2 drivers polish more!
I think it's quite important to nail this
How have you have spent 3.5K on a dealer car in excellent condition
This is not meant as a flame or troll, I think it's on topic
I will probably widen the scope of this and include in the buying guide that I wrote as a result of all the discussions on Titanic
How have you have spent 3.5K on a dealer car in excellent condition
This is not meant as a flame or troll, I think it's on topic
I will probably widen the scope of this and include in the buying guide that I wrote as a result of all the discussions on Titanic
My recent experience of buying a 944T (220bhp) has been interesting.
I was after an S2 but despite the rumours I couldn't find a good one for 6K. After 3 months of looking I bought my turbo. £5750 with 55K on the clock. Recent service history was a bit patchy, but it had covered so few miles I thought it worth a shot. Owned by a retired lady who could no longer get in and out of it easily.
Since buying it in November I've dropped 2K on it! First there was servicing, engine mounts, exhaust gasket, clutch cylinder. Then 7 miles after the service the ECU went (suspicious? They tell me not but I wonder).
You just can't be sure what will go wrong. I didn't get an inspection. Foolish? Maybe. But when you see a good one you'll know that someone else will come up with the readies quicker than you can organise an inspection.
Still, it's a great car. It feels very new and tight, and I'm confident that eventually the spending will stop.... eventually!
One further thing - I was leant a 944 2.7 during the time my ECU was out of action. Actually lots of fun to drive. Same handling but without the fear. If only I could live without the power!
I was after an S2 but despite the rumours I couldn't find a good one for 6K. After 3 months of looking I bought my turbo. £5750 with 55K on the clock. Recent service history was a bit patchy, but it had covered so few miles I thought it worth a shot. Owned by a retired lady who could no longer get in and out of it easily.
Since buying it in November I've dropped 2K on it! First there was servicing, engine mounts, exhaust gasket, clutch cylinder. Then 7 miles after the service the ECU went (suspicious? They tell me not but I wonder).
You just can't be sure what will go wrong. I didn't get an inspection. Foolish? Maybe. But when you see a good one you'll know that someone else will come up with the readies quicker than you can organise an inspection.
Still, it's a great car. It feels very new and tight, and I'm confident that eventually the spending will stop.... eventually!
One further thing - I was leant a 944 2.7 during the time my ECU was out of action. Actually lots of fun to drive. Same handling but without the fear. If only I could live without the power!
cuneus said:
How have you have spent 3.5K on a dealer car in excellent condition
Simple because it was 14 years old thats why. I am not listing all the suff i have bought had done to the car, i simply do not have the time.
Suffice to say that once the car is back on the road in the spring it will be in very mint condition.
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