924Board.org

TajMan · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:19 pm Post subject: To buy or not

I'm a 924 enthusiast, me/brother used to own an 81 924 turbo we got broken from a friend of mine, and I rebuilt turbo on it etc, it had been sitting some time.

Currently I've got an R1 and a Jeep Truck I'm still building. I do have a Chrysler Conquest shell that will get a boosted LS1 later, and a Kawasaki 1100cc sportbike engine that will get turbo'd and go in a light car later!

With just a few hundred bucks and looking at cheap cars local on Craigslist. 1 of them is an 85 944 for $400. says "85 Porsche 944 for sale. Great car for parts, only 115,000 miles. Needs 2 tires, 1 rim, stering pump, cosmetic repairs."

Now I know all the things I'm getting into with a Porsche, 944, etc... I just love my sports cars. My concerns are:
(assuming he has title at least to register)
1. details on that steering pump (prices, difficulty to swap if I'm pulling junkyard parts)
2. gas mileage I can expect it to get tuned up stock
3. daily drivability for Utah winters & snow, if I've got 2 snow tires on rear wheels at least

If I got I'd have it on the road quick, and for min. amount of $ possible.

I've got the truck, fast bike, sports cars I'm building later... 944 is just something cheap/awesome to drive right now.
Alternative is an 88 Mazda 323 for $300 with 181K miles and just a broken E-brake. That will get good gas mileage alternate to my truck with 16/20mpg.

eh, opinions, don't get myself into another Porsche nightmare if I just need a cheap car to drive?
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'87 924 S

gohim · Joined: 02 Nov 2002 Posts: 4459 Location: Rialto, CA

The cheapest part of a 944 is buying it.

The first thing that you need to do if you buy this car is fix the engine if it isn't running, and if it is running drop $600-$1000 (for parts if you are going to fix it yourself, plus $600-$800 for the specialized tools necessary to perform the service yourself) or $1500-$2500 for parts and labor to have someone else perform this critical service. The "front of engine service" (replace waterpump, front engine oil seals, bearing equipped rollers and pulleys, timing and balance shaft belt) must be performed every 3 years or 30K miles (which ever comes first).

Most cheap 944s and 924S will already have broken timing a balance shaft belts because the Sellers were too cheap or too poor to keep up with the maintenance schedule and the engine suffered as a result. The result of failing to perform the front of engine service is at the very least (bent valves (or a totaled engine when a valve head breaks off and wedges itself against the head and cylinder wall, and piston comes up to crack the cylinder and total the engine block)).

So as you can see your $400 944 is going to cost you many times the inital cost, before it is running, and the car will never be cheap to own.

924RACR · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:32 pm Post subject: Re: To buy or not

TajMan · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:12 am Post subject:

No problem, I figured if some 924/944 ENTHUSIASTS could talk me out of it, that would slap some sense back into me, thanks.

I'm just itching for control of a fun vehicle, and R1 down for winter, I just gotta deal- go snowboarding- and take Jeep to Moab.

Other empty cars, motorcycles, and removed engines/trannys/parts litter my garage and backyard, ha...
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'87 924 S