Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi,

This is my first post here, I've downloaded the buyers guide which I'll look at later.

A few 944s that have caught my eye have had the sills done and the lower parts of the car resprayed to cover the repairs. I saw that eBay listing for that ex-Porsche mag fettled 944 that had repair sections let into the rear part of the front wings.

What are the ball park costs for doing the sills of both sides and spraying that area of the car? I'm asking as a few 944s for sale have furry sills. Are there any recommended specialists for that bodywork repair?

I liked Garlic on PH white S2, that he bought for £3k, spent another £3K plus on and then advertised for £4K and that dark metallic red S2 here that belonged to an area rep. that I remembered from when it was previously advertised earlier in the year, blame the distinctive colour, the distinctive reg. no. and my photographic memory.

The buyers guide says £1K.

I think it depends on how bad the rot is. Problem is the it may not just be the outer sill that needs repair and could quite likely also involve the inner sill and maybe the seat belt mounting points.
I seem to think that Ben was looking at around £1200 to fix his Garnet Red S2, but I'm not sure if that was for one side or two. I'm sure he will be along at some point and can advise better than me.

Thanks Simon,

I should have called the sellers of those 944s that had been repaired and asked them how much they paid for the work thinking about it.

I've just looked through the buyers guide. I was unaware of the fuel tank problems but I've been considering S2s so shouldn't be a problem there. I'll reread the 944 buyers guide and reconsider those thoughts about Porsche ownership. It's given me food for thought.

Could be up to £1500 a side if it's really bad. You won't know how bad it is until you start. Though if you have a welder & a workshop you can do it DIY which would be the only sensible option. But you need to buy cheap to make it worth the effort. Good cars can be bought for sensible money so why bother. Read the buyers guide carefully. It was written before the exchange rate collapsed so parts prices have gone up since. It's still a good guide. Condition is far more important than the model. Some of the lesser models when fit can lick tired S2! I would say get a cared for example from a genuine enthusiast & it will be a good & not over expensive toy. Buy the wrong one & you will have a money pit!

^^^ What he said ^^^

Thank you. That has incentivised treading carefully and not rushing into one without getting it to a garage and in the air.

Both J.J. and myself have spent far more than we could ever get back on the cars, like most people here. However, I really enjoy working on the car and keeping it on the road. Mine should have been scraped long ago. If I ever counted up how much I have spent on the 944 infront of my wife, she would shoot me. So it is the love of the car and your ability to want to keep it that gets you going. Choose your car carefully and you will get great pleasure out of it. Even if it is classed as showroom condition, it will need repairs.

I personaly don't want a car just to drive, I love working on them. You have to decide what.

Mine which is the example I use in the buyers guide was £1400 for the sills. This was at £30 per hours which was cheap even 3 years ago. I'd guess £1000 per side could quite easily be the case if you are paying £60 or so per hour.

My pics are here.....http://www.pbase.com/tr7v8/porsche_repair_pics

If you mean this dark metallic red S2 http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2187897.htm, it had most things done including a recent steering rack IIRC

Simon wins the prize of the Mars Bar. I was quoted £1200/side. Problem is, it also depends how bad the inner sill is as well.

Now I don't want to open up old wounds but walk away from anything with scabby sills. These cars are now worth nothing and you will spend more maintaining the car than it's worth. Now, don't misunderstand me, 944's are brilliant. But with the amount that are available for sale, you should be able to find a well sorted example without to many problems.

IMPORTANT!!! If you no nothing about 944's, either pay for a vehicle inspection or take along someone who knows 944's inside out. As most people know, my 944 experience turned into a nightmare. I ended up walking away from the car because I couldn't justify the amount of money I was spending on it.

On a final note, I wish you all the best in your search for a 944. I hope you find a goodun' and enjoy the experience.

Ben

Thats currently owned by Rob over at notarealporsche.com, bear in mind that reg. is not on the car now though, but it is up for sale seperately in the for sale section, and for the money it is a very well sorted car, just had another £250 spent on the brakes as well.

I posted a long reply, but it's disappeared into the ether or new posts go via moderators.

Thank you for all of your replies and advice.

Nope only the first 3!

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I've done a bit more digging and got some more idea of likely costs. I spoke with an ex-944 owner in November who said the sills issue could be overplayed and said good things about grip and handling.

My employer is restructuring the business so I could be looking for a new job in 2011, so possibly not the best time to be looking at what would really be a hobby car.