dogwoodlover

Hello,

I'm new to Rennlist. I decided some time ago that I was bent on getting a 944, and when I sold my car a month ago a friend of mine who is a proud 944 owner and Rennlist member recommended I sign up here. So far, I've gleaned quite a bit from the board.

I've been waiting on "The Right 944." Seen a ton of them, missed several great opportunities and passed on many bad ones. I've kind of been scouring all over, because it seems that if you're both picky and broke, it's unlikely that you'll be able to find the right 944 (that isn't a fixer-upper) that you can actually afford without going outside of your immediate vicinity.

I've found a 944 out in the Great Lakes region that I'm very interested. The condition and price are both very promising. However, I am a bit concerned about the issue of rust, as I often hear people make a great deal out of the rust factor regarding automobiles from that area. I understand that much of the 944s are made of galvanized steel, but obviously not all of the car is. Am I going to have to go through and replace 10,000 little nuts and bolts on the car when **** starts falling off? I would appreciate the advice/wisdom of anyone who's had experience with this or knows a thing or two about Porsches coming from this region.

Thanks,

- Josiah

DarylJ

I've got ont that spent it's whole life in SE PA. So we have plenty of salt and rust here too.

Mine has been pretty decent as far as that goes. If you do see any body rust, be very concerned because it probably means that it got hit and poorly repaired.

Of course you're going to fight with nuts and bolts. Take your time, spray things down with penetrating oil the day before you go after them, and have at least a MAPP gas torch to help you out when necessary. It's not going to be that bad if you find the right car.

pnbell

My car was from Upstate NY... One of the Worst areas for salt...

I have removed every part of my car, and it has very little rust. I have never had a stuck bolt, or a bolt break on me...

And of course Zero Body rust... Really you have to check out the car in question to know for sure.. Lots of 944 owners do not drive these cars in the winter.

87 944 C

i drove mine 3yrs, year round, including 4 inches of snow, in NJ, where the joke is 50lbs of salt per foot. the only rust spot on my car is the very leading edge of the LF fender. Porsche from 85 on has a 10yr rust warrenty, so i'm sure if they're that confident in it from factory that a 944 somewhat cared for should be pretty clean. 2 spots to check tho: under the quater window and around the tail lights

i had an argument with a guy at work the other day, he worked for VAG/Porsche, and he worked on a 944, he said it was just absolute **** underneath. i said its the owner not the car. he said BS. i told him to look at mine(been sitting in my driveway for a yr now) he changed his mind

i have read that michigan uses some kind of chemical mixed with the salt that does cause extreem rusting if the vehicle isn't at least rinsed during the winter(if used). my moms sebring convert comes from there and the body weld for the front and rear section is rusting pretty bad.

ArcticSteve

Don't buy any hobby car with visible rust. ZERO. Lots of issues with frozen fasteners regardless of where the car was driven or stored. But you see visible rust along the bootom of the doors or fenders, forget it.

67King

My 89 spent one winter in teh rust belt. I have broken more bolts underneath the car than I have managed to loosen due to the corrsion. It takes four times as long to do anything because everything is seized up under there. One winter. When I was looking for my first one a few years ago, I looked at one car that allegedly had none (turned out to have been painted over), and I could stick four fingers through the wheel well into the trunk.

Lots of cars have galvanized steel, and have for years. Merkur XR4Ti's were built by Karmann, in the same plant that Porsche has used. They had similar build quality to the 944's, and similar undercoating and rust protection. Yet I've seen many, many rusted out XR's. I would expect that few people drive Porsches in the winter, at least when they are new, which is why they seem to suffer less from rust than other cars.

Certainly go look at the car, but be sure you can get underneath it. That will be the tell-tale. I can tell you that, for me, it would take a LOT to have me look at another car that came from there. I would have to be desperate.

mazdaverx7

it seems that the 944 hold up very well against the elements. one area to watch out for is rusting under the battery. the battery tray's drain hole can get clogged and water and dirt can pool under the battery causing rust over time. any car that you are looking at deserves a look in this area.

Butters944

As I discovered while washing my car, the battery tray filled up like 3 inches! Drain clogged with leaves, slow trickle. Lucky, since it's an AZ car, that doesn't occur too often for me, and when it does, the water evaporates quickly anyway.

PS: Dave, I like our matching avatars!

mazdaverx7

haha, yes indeed!! the avatars match quite well. i took that pic last week when i was working on the 944 in the garage at like 4am. i thought the pics was cool and would look neat as my avatar! good eye on the match!

ZR8ED

Well I AM up north. There is no "south" in Canada. Most 44's that I have seen look just fine underneath, but I do caution. If you do find any amount of serious rust, walk away...quickly.

67King

You actually remind me of an important point - perspective. Note the locations of those saying 944's do well, compared to you and me. I would expect "doogwoodlover" is probably a southerner, as well, based on the handle. They DO fare well compared to you generic run-of-the-mill Hondas that are driven 20,000 miles per year in the rust belt. But if one's perspective is based on cars that are in regions where no types of salts (the type of chemical, not just the NaCl variety) are used on the roads, a northern 944 will probably not be that impressive.

mazdaverx7

also remember, just because the 944 you are looking at may be offered for sale up north, doesn't always mean its spent its whole life up north. i bought my 944 from a nice lady in MI and the car was originally from TN and she bought it in AL two years before i bought it. a little history goes a long way when coupled with the research done on a perspective buy.

Mike C.

Look carefully at the rocker panel area just forward of the rear wheels. I've seen a few begin to rust in this area. You can (carefully) pull out the fender vent in the aft door jamb and look inside the area with a flashlight. There are small drains in the bottom of these cavities that can clog up and, over the years, result in rust through. The galvanizing delays this process but eventually the zinc coating is consumed (it oxidizes sacrificially to the steel) and the 'regular' rust takes over.