Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi all, my name is Jules and as you can see, have just joined the forum looking for advice...

I have a 1986 944 lux which I've owned for 11 years, and is my daily drive. Its MOT is due this weekend but have just been told that it needs major welding work. The chap who services it spoke to his bodyworks man and the over-the-phone estimate is around £350 - £500 if the axle doesn't need removing, about £1K if it does. Then there'll be the 12K service plus MOT and cost of any faults they find.

I've spent loads on the car (and have a wodge of bills, history etc plus the original bill of sale from 1986!) and it drives beautifully but the bodywork is very bad - really rusty esp at the back...

Sadly think it's time to find a cheap replacement because I think if I keep it, I'll soon have to sell a kidney or something to keep it going

Would be very grateful for any advice or comments, or if you know of any that are for sale. I live near Oxford so if you know of any good bodyshops please let me know, or is anyone looking for a very cheap spares or project car?

Thanks for reading this and look forward to being part of the forum.

Update: forgot to say, the chap who has been servicing it for the last few years is Tony of Wrightune in Wallingford - he's mentioned in a post on the good guys/bad guys section. I was v glad to see he's one of the good guys!

Hello, First advice is Join TIPEC. As to your car. Sadly I agree. The price these are fetching at the moment it doesn't make sense to fix yours. (1K will get it an MOT but it will still be rusty.) 3 to 4K will get you a minter but you will have to be patient. Join Tipec & one will be along in awhile.

Hi & welcome

Difficult decision, I spent 2K to get mine through the MOT a few years ago of which 1400 was sills & rear suspension beam mount rust repairs.

Hi and welcome from me

Just my opinion but if you've had the car for 11 years and quite happy with it. You know all the history and what's been done then getting the bodywork done would still be worthwhile wouldn't it? Sure if you were going to sell in the near future then you wouldn't get your money back but if it's mechanically sound and you want to keep it then you won't get another car that's of such good quality as yours for a £1k outlay would you, certainly not a Porsche. Even if you went for a full body resto and spent £2-£3k you would have an excellent car that'll go on for another 25 years. As I said that's just my way of looking at classic cars

Andy

Thanks very much for the welcomes and the advice - much appreciated!

I'm going to look round at 944s for sale, get a couple of decent quotes on repairing mine and have a think about it all. He needs an awful lot of bodywork - paintwork, holes, leak - as well as the welding to get him even vaguely presentable so def tempted to replace but I do see your point of view Andy.

He's a crystal green lux btw, 2 owners before me; he'd done 39K when I bought him and is on just over 177000 now. First reg 18 March 86 - day after my birthday but quite a few years later....

thanks again and love all the pics in the gallery - one day maybe mine will be in there!

You can post pics now! Always happy to see before & after

Thanks Jim but would be much too embarrassed after seeing all the beauties in there! Maybe I should try to take an art shot to save our blushes..

I think I’ve (*almost* definitely) decided to sell. His bodywork is bad but his engine has been pretty sound so all he needs is someone with knowledge, space and resources – but sadly I don’t have any of those, nor the cash to pay someone to restore him.

I just hope he gets bought by someone who knows what brilliant cars they are and will either make him a project or use him as spares for another needy 944(s)… gutted though.

I’ll post a link to the eBay auction when it goes up in case anyone wants to have a look.