Advice Needed: Porsche Edition

"Maxima Speed" (maximaspeed)
05/26/2019 at 13:35 • Filed to: None

Foun d this on the way to church this morning. $1200 dollars, non- running. The woman selling it is the owners mother and she has title and power of attorney. Apparently the son quote “Got into some trouble” and she doesn’t want the car around anymore. The last time the car was driven it was making a lot of noise and then when shut off wouldn’t start. Oil is low but no metal fragments, rust, or coolant in it. Coolant is clean. Engine bay looks relatively clean but not suspiciously so. No oil splattered all over. Battery is dead. No significant rust and interior is in typical worn 80's used car condition. Is buying this as a project a bad idea? Seems like it could be fun. Are parts expensive for these? Are they a hassle to work on or restore? How is the price? Paging Stef. Thanks.

P.S. Great! Accidental face reveal that I’m to lazy to crop out. Of course my mouth was open lol.

DISCUSSION (16)

MM54 > Maxima Speed
05/26/2019 at 13:44

If the chassis is sold and the interior not too much of a wreck this would be a great opportunity to fit it with an engine to complement how good the chassis is.

DipodomysDeserti > Maxima Speed
05/26/2019 at 13:44

Offer $500 and stick a 350 in it.

dogisbadob > DipodomysDeserti
05/26/2019 at 13:52

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Maxima Speed
05/26/2019 at 13:53

Aim for $700, take the current engine apart to see what’s wrong, if it’s minor fix and keep stock, if it’s major engine swap and have fun

Maxima Speed > DipodomysDeserti
05/26/2019 at 13:53

LOL she’s not budging on the price. She told me straight up that someone already tried to lowball and she said t old them it doesn’t cost her anything to sit in the yard.

speedyboi > Maxima Speed
05/26/2019 at 14:31

I have an 83 944 with 84k miles with tons of new parts for sale in Dayton, OH for $5k...but if you’re not interested, I’ll help you either way.

I would not buy this car unless you can get under it. Check for rust on the following areas: the chassis rails , especially around the holes on the chassis rails. Check the front fenders, get your head behind it and really look around the bottom. Open up the rear hatch, check around the seals of the hatch and where the hatch locks are for rust, water loves to sit there. Inside the hatch, near the rear left and right are these pockets in the body under the carpet, water drains here from the body and hatch, check those areas for rust.

If the car has been outside all day, then that means it has gotten wet. Check the footwell carpets for wetness, if it’s wet than either the firewall is leaking or the seals are bad. These cars have firewalls that are prone to cracking, this is a serious issue and not worth your time. Check the roof in the interior, look around the trim for any signs of water intrusion, the sunroof loves to leak, along with the hatch. On the rear side windows behind the doors check the trim for wetness.

These cars are not cheap to own. I bought my car for the same amount I’m selling it for and I also put $6k into it. So I’m going to lose $6k no matter what I do. I did all of the work on the car as well, except for the timing belt. If you’re not handy with a wrench, I don’t recommend a 944. Shops will rape you with this car. Also check all the suspension components , majority of the cars I’ve seen need new front bushings all around. The rear suspension bushings are pretty solid, only thing you can really change is the shocks.

speedyboi > speedyboi
05/26/2019 at 14:34

I would also like to add that for a couple grand more, this can be a very good LS swap car. A 944 with an LS3 is one of the best cars for the money if the brakes can support the power. If you ever wanted to do a crazy project, that’s a great one. You’ll learn a lot and you’ll have a properly fast car.