Just seen for sale at a local main (Nissan) dealer - 944 auto.
Its up for £2900. Have not seriously thoght about it but have toyed with the idea of having a fun / weekend car for a while now.
The car has covered 157K and has the biggest history file I have ever seen. Bodywork looks good other than nearside sill rusting. paint not broken but bubbling from underneath.
Don't know the year but guessing at early / mid eighties (It has a dateless plate - IBZ****)
Would I be wasting money on something like this or could I reasonably run it for a year or two (hundred or so miles every other weekend) and get a chunk of my money back.
Just like the idea it is being sold by a large dealer and hopefully warranty.
Probaly just looking for you to tell me not to go near it.
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"has the biggest history file I have ever seen."
Says it all.
If it was reliable and did not require constant attention, it would not be big.
I looked seriously at buying a 944 turbo but the idea of spending £500 to £1,000 every service on PARTS alone soon put me off.
Rest assured a 20 year old 944 automatic will be neither fast nor cheap to run.
And paint bubbling from underneath means there are a lot of horrors to find if/when you start investigating.
Budget £2,500 as a minimum to get it right. If it needs and engine rebuild, the aluminium block cannot be rebored so if it is scored/worn you are into a lot of expense...
madf
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Hey Chris,
I looked into buying one a late 944's although not automatic. Just because I like them, thought it would have been nice to have experieced ownership.
My research turned up a few things that made it difficult to find the right one. In actual fact the 'right' one is in my next door neighbours garage. If he ever offers it for sale - i'll be at the front of the queue.
Unless these cars are serviced by a porsche specialist I wouldn't bother. The auto versions are about 160BHP I think, these are not quick at all.
Check engine for vibration / movement - enginge is mounted on dampers, these are costly to replace - dont know for certain but suspect these are a porsche dealer item.
Research the history carefully - corners can be cut by some neglectful owners, high cost of repair at specialists may lead owners to entrust work to the corner garage. Definately a false economy. I read somewhere (may have been CBC Breakdown) to visit serving garage - see how many porsches are in the workshop - useful tip;
Pay attention to the timing chain service interval. there are two (chains I think) which need to be changed around 60,000.
Check underneath the car thoroughlly. Look for signs of severe corrosion or signs of having off roaded it - if the bodypanels are rusted or blistered - I'd leave it.
By the way your IBZ plate is a Northen Ireland number - but you probably know this already.
Good Luck
Leon
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Thanks for the comments guys.
Probably best avoided, but when I start thinking about something I just can't get it out of my head!!!
I had thought that the large history could indicate problems, but then again, this car is probably at least 20 years old and it could just be well looked after.
Think I'll go and see it in the morning and have a read through the history. Worried by the comments that it's unlikley to be that fast! Maybe a drive in it will put me off.
Anyway, will report back what I find.
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Thanks to everyone who contributed to this post. A lot of useful info has been lost.
But I did not go for this car in the end. (It's still for sale).
I really quite like the 944 though and will be keeping an eye out (possibly for a nice S2 (MANUAL)) once I get my main mode of trasport sorted.
Thanks again for all the help.
Chris
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