Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Over the past few months I've collected a pile of shiney bits to go on the old girl as a refresh before the new season starts. The spending has just been topped off today by the purchase of a clutch kit, not essential yet but it came at the right price.

Hopefully I'll find time to get into the garage in February and carry out the mechanical work .... actually I am really looking forward to it....and there's nothing like new shiney bits to cheer up a dull winter garage

Adding everything up, I've spent the wrong side of £1,000 (and with thanks to members of this forum and Fleabay I've bought very well, full retail would add 50% to that expenditure) on the mechanicals.

Still in the plan is a bodywork refresh, replacement headlining, foam replacement on the drivers seat ( at 78,000 miles the foam has compressed but the cover is still perfect) and most importantly, professional retriming the dash. Again that is probably another £1500 or so of cost.

So following on from the 944 Value thread, this car excluding the above, has so far cost me around £1600 per year plus purchase price. It is maintained as the manufacturer intended, it is cossetted and used sparingly in mainly dry weather...and is still only worth a maximum of £4000 tops because it is a square dash.

So is it worth pouring this amount of time and money into a car that will not return the cash investment? I don't think I can answer that. At the close of the 2014 season, I've planned in an engine refresh - main and rod bearings, piston rings, head rebuild ect, ect plus whatever other remedial work is required so I guess I'm either completely barking ...or these cars are really very special and it's just that the rest of the motoring population hasn't realised yet?

If logic were to be applied, you would be seen as barking. If logic were applied again, you'd only have one car. Not really about that though. You've already accepted that it makes no financial sense, so if you've got the cash to spend on something you enjoy, then why not? Personally, I don't see the point in having a tired old heap that comes out on the odd occasion that it's running. I use my S2 for about 2,000 miles a year and when I get in it, I look at it and think "yeah, that's one good looking car". When I start it, it sounds good and when I drive it, it goes well. If these things weren't true, I'd be disappointed, so that's why I give enough money to make it so.

Year 1 - mechanics (ouch). Year 2 - bodywork (cosmetic). This year - interior.

Cheers,
Bryan

Fear not.

I have just spent a small fortune on mine for now. It is at the bodyshop and I see to have got carried away with what to paint (the bumper seemed like a good idea to paint afterwards!)! But any rust (there was a small amount behind the arches) is now gone .

I cannot moan though. I had put on 7k since I bought the car a year ago.

There's about as much logic in what we do as there is in buying a new car and selling it 3 years later, both ways seem right for their own reasons.

My 1st year spend will be around the £2.5k mark, I probably have another £1k of parts stock piled to fit at a later date but they was too cheap to miss and I'm expecting to spend another £2k over the next 12 months. I could have easily just done the belts and not done anything else till MOT time but I want my car right and I know there's a point where the big spending will tail off which I'm guessing will be around the £6k mark, for that money these are a lot of car and worth every penny.

Jon, are you doing the clutch replacement yourself? Fancy a hand?

If anything, we have seen that the earlier revisions of a model increase in value sooner than the later ones, so mint condition square dash 944's such as yours should be prime examples.

I will echo what jazzman has said, i am convinced that good early 944's will be worth good money somewhere down the line, good on you for spending the cash on something you enjoy.
I also spend money which is not really required on shiny bits, but it makes me happy.

I am also of the opinion that the square dash will become sought after in the future. Nice to see I am not the only person who buys parts for future use

Briggy, I think the barking title is definately appropriate in my case but you are absolutely right. I keep the car as close to standard and in as good condition as possible....If I want to enjoy a 944, I want to enjoy a good one.

Yes it gets you like that...the plan was just a service and a spruce up......and it's spiralled from there, but when complete it will be a joy to drive as Porsche designed!

Yes it gets you like that...the plan was just a service and a spruce up......and it's spiralled from there, but when complete it will be a joy to drive as Porsche designed!

Yes,I wonder how much the Jag will be worth in three years... it will cost me a lot more than £1600 per year and I bet I will not be concerned......strange but true.

The Porsche is special, it does not make financial sense but it is special every time I open the garage door and get behind the wheel. Let the spending continue!

Yes I'll be doing all the work myself in my very small garage....yes I'd gladly accept the offer of help. I'll let you know when it arrives. I'm expecting early February when I get back from Germany.

atvb

Jon

I've a solid gold cv of spending money on cars and then selling them just before they become valuable....but the spending on shiney bits really does make you happy so that is compensation I guess.

Yes and when they've been used up....I'll buy more and the cycle will repeat...and on and on!

I can say in the near 18 months ive owned mine is put around £1600 into, on top of buying it, with that ive gone as deep as a head gasket change and everything on the way out from there to fresh coolant, all the service items.

Then Ive done jsut about every front end bush, ball joints, ARB brackets, track rods, a drive shaft, Few odd bits of trim, door cards, sun visors, uncracked dash, light washer circuit. Rear wheel bearings, drive shaft, gearbox oil, and so on and so on. She is now a nice solid reliable car.

I do need to go over my brake system at some point, but its perfectly safe at the moment, few bits of paint work, wheel refurb, drivers seat re trim and a new windscreen. But all not urgent work and I can do when it makes financial sense now. Leaves me having spent less than £5k on a car worth between £3 and £4k.

So I must be mad