redrambler

Howdy y'all,
First post here, so my apologies if I get anything wrong.

I recently came into the market for an NA 944. I'm currently in college and with my next semester being exclusively online, I figured now was the perfect time to get a second car to work on. My current DD is a 2015 Mustang GT which I have done a few minor power/suspension mods to, but the further I go, the more difficult and expensive it is to do work on that car. I really love the car and the sense of fulfillment I get from working on her, which is why I think a 944 would be perfect for me.

After doing a search on craigslist I found an '84 in fair shape wtih 161,000 miles for $5,200. The owner recently did all the major maintenance on it himself (timing belt, water pump, etc.). I'm not sure the quality of his workmanship, but he has an old 911 and several other cars that he also works on, so it's not his first rodeo. According to a local 944 expert, this car is worth more like $4,000, which is what I would try to get it for. The clutch is going out and needs to be replaced pretty soon so I would attempt to do that myself to save money.
The Good: All major maintenance done within the past year
Runs and drives
Doesn't overheat
Starts strong
Brakes feel good
Car feels overall pretty solid
Rebuilt steering rack
cheap

The Bad:
Seats are quite worn out/dash is cracked
Paint is in pretty bad shape
advertised with Fuchs, but really has cookie-cutters
Clutch going out, needs to be replaced in 20-30k miles at the very latest
tires are from 2013
Car has non-op tags for some reason

The same 944 expert who gave me advice on the value of that car also has a 944 for sale, however it's not in good shape at the moment. The PO basically drove the car to death and killed the tranny. The car has other things that need to be worked out as well but I am blanking on them at the moment. All in all, the expert quoted $2400 to fix everything and get the car back on the road, but all in all the car would cost about $8200. Even though it needs some work, the interior and paint are in pretty good shape. It also has some nice options such as porsche sport seats, a Saratoga top, and an LSD. Sadly, I can't recall how many miles are on this car. I like the idea of this car because it will be made road-ready by someone who is very well versed in 944s and it would give me some good peace of mind. The expert is willing to barter so I'm hoping to trade him some video services to get the price down to around $7000

The Good:
car has really nice options (sport seats, lsd, Saratoga top)
good paint
good interior
will be fixed by 944 expert
will get rebuilt transmission

The Bad:
car pretty broken at the moment, trying to get an idea of how long it would take to fix
price is high at the current moment
not sure what other issues might present themselves in the long term since this car was thrashed so badly


I'm a bit torn between these two as I see pros and cons to both. Obviously I will get what I pay for but I don't mind a bit of a project, I just don't want to spend more than the car is worth to fix it properly if there's more wrong than meets the eye. If I can get the '84 for $4000 and do the clutch myself, do you think it would be a good value? Or should I spend more to get the nicer car right off the bat for the peace of mind? Any and all advice would be appreciated! Also if you know anyone selling 944s around SoCal I would love for you to connect us!

Thank you!

T&T Racing

I would continue to look. Your expert has a conflict of interest, guidance and selling. Cannot do both without bias.
I would assume if you continue to look, the expert's car is still available later. ,Good paint jobs are very expensive.,ie car #1

nuclearfishin

Agree with ^^^ keep looking. Don't ever take a car for a PPI to a guy who is also trying to sell the same car (and work services). Be patient, there are plenty available.

pfarah7

Trust me, you will spend more on either of the two described cars than they're worth. Unless you have a steady stream of available cash, keep looking...

Tiger03447

If you decide to go for a 944, go with the later cars. They have many upgrades that the early cars don't have. Almost all the parts were changed out between the early and late cars..If you are trying to put later parts into an early car, you will have a great many headaches and expense. The shell of the cars and the engine block are all about what is the same...many parts will not interchange..keep looking for a better car than what you have seen so far.

NCporsche

The most expensive Porsche is the least expensive Porsche.

Paid $3k for my running ‘86 944. Have enjoyed wrenching on her while still driving her and during the past 15 years likely have well over $10k more invested.

Buy the best running model you can afford. Then wrenching is optional.

Dan Martinic

Ahahahahaha!! Wrenching optional!!

Good one.

NCporsche

Then you are maintaining, not fixin’.

PF

I dont get the " get the later car it has upgrades" debate. Yes the later cars has alot of upgrades but that dont mean the earlier cars are bad just different and not as modern feeling.
It depends of what you are searching for, I like the earlier cars better. Best imho is the 924S.

Niku

Coming from a fellow college student who's trying to get more into wrenching, I was in your position in the spring, and getting a little impatient with the search as I'm sure you are too.

I went with an 85.5 (an '88 actually) that I shipped from CA to the northeast to avoid rust. I would echo the above statements and say keep looking. While it is true to some extent the early v.s. late models are a matter of preference, a nicer and newer car is going to give you less headaches from strictly age related issues, and from what I remember while searching, $4K+ for a pre '85 in barely 'OK' shape is absolutely too much.

I of course don't have much experience at all so I don't want to blow too much hot air, but I will say that I thought the timing belts were a huge deal until I finally did mine last weekend. It was hard but doable, and I don't think maintanence points like that should be making you spend thousands more on a specific car, especially if you already have some confidence working on cars.

My rubber clutch is also going out, and I'm also putting off doing it as long as possible. That seems pretty universal to the 'first 944 owner club' so I can't say for sure how big a deal it is from personal experience.

I love my 85.5, and was a little bummed at first that I didn't have that funky upsidedown tachometer.. but after about 6 months of ownership, and about 1 month of daily driving it, I would recomend going with a later model.

Hope that helps a little!

Tiger03447

Buy a later model . If you can get an NA 951 (non turbo) or a 968 non turbo,? You will have the best of all worlds(IMHO) Preferably with an LSD trans. The turbos can become a real “hanger queen” and costs more to fix. The upgrades in the later cars will make your life much better…Fuse box and relay location. More parts availability. The list of upgrades they made to the car is endless. Like another poster said: the only thing that is the same between the early and later cars is the shell and the engine block. Buy one that runs and drives. #1. There is no such thing as “cheap~500.00 Porsche.” Ask me how I know. Be also aware you are dealing with 30+ year old equipment , rubber and wiring and switches. There are many things that you must do after your purchase. So get braced. HTH some.

Gage

The shell and block each have many differences between early and late models.

walfreyydo

If you are in college and considering a 944 as a daily driver, I would suggest having a second vehicle and having the 944 as a project car. The reason is that you will be needing to fix many things on the 944 and will continue to need to do so over the course of a few years. Until you are able to basically replace every major component on the car, its not going to be super reliable (and even after that, youll still get issues from time to time). Having a backup car is going to be essential.

Secondly, because of the constant need to fix the car, you need to have a place to store and work on the car (garage), as well as tools. If you are living in an apartment or outdoor parking/parking garage, its going to be a difficult situation with the car, especially when it breaks down.

Lastly, these cars are a money pit and typically not affordable for a poor college student, but your financial situation may vary. I know thats not what you want to hear (its not what I wanted to hear either at your age), but its the reality. I would recommend that once you get out of college and get your first good paying job, that would be the time to start in on a hobby of fixing up a 944.