Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Firstly, hello to everyone and a happy new year.

My brother owned a 944 S2 when I was a teenager and also owned a 996 turbo.

I'm looking at 944s at the moment and wondered what you guys make of this?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

I'm set on the S2s rather than the Turbos, other than a few comments on the car above what advice can you give about my other dilemma? Should I go for a 944 or a high mileage Boxster? It seems £5k to £6k would get me a great (but inevitably high mileage) 944 or a high mileage 2.5 or 2.7 Boxster? Personally I prefer the 944 just cus it's a bit different (there are a lot of Boxsters about) and Mrs iwantdsg prefers the styling but I'm aware that being a good 10 years older the 944 could(?) cost me more to maintain.

Any advice or comments are welcome

Many thanks.

OK the ad looks OK, price is a shade high but would need inspection to confirm. No comment about service history & more importantly belts & timing chain. Have you had a look at the buying guide under 944 here?

Hi There,
I am a 944 fan, yes the Boxster's are nice but I think the 44’s have better looks and still turn heads, plus you can see the engine.
One thing too look out for is that all the body panels line up and no gaps, check the front end round the bumper, headlight covers , the bonnet and the doors.
Worth checking photos of other 944’s for sale to see if its correct and not showing signs of a bump.
Whichever you go for will put a smile on your face
Have you looked on Pistonheads website

I have had my eyes on the classifieds for the last 5 years on what was for the most part a fantasy quest to find the right 944 for me! Despite having one now I still out of habit trawl through the classifieds and seen this too.

(Disclaimer: I might be mistaken but;) I have seen that car for sale 3 times. Initially it was advertised (autotrader & ebay I think) at a dealer for ages priced at 4k for what seemed like the best part of a year. Then it was advertised for £3500 before it disappeared.

Maybe a year later it turned up again (I think on pistonheads) advertised for a good bit less by somebody else (private seller).

It might seem hard to believe somebody can remember a particular car but this one is quite distinctive.

1) It has a distinctive plate.
2) The front bumper looks to have been refitted badly with an obvious uneven gap along the front under the badge panel.
3) In photos in the other ads I remember the gap between the leading edge of the drivers side front wheel and the trailing edge of the bumper being worryingly small (and clearly different from the pictures of the other side)
4) Somebody has stuck porsche crest on the passenger side dash.

I think when you are looking for a 944 there are usually only about 100 or so for sale nationally at any one time so you get to know them. This is especially the case for ones that hang about unsold for ages or appear for sale again and again.

Happy hunting!

I don't want to sound like an armchair expert, but I think I'm going to. The service history is critical, as someone on here said last year " A service book of stamped oil changes does not a service history make". The price is quite high and one thing I've learned is these car take an excellent photo, my 1983 944 looks as good as that in photos and it's a shed. I think you could find a better car from an enthusiast, who would be able to tell you all about their car and how to look after it. Ask the dealer about the things Jim and Pete mentioned above, see what their response is?

Thank you for all of the replies, much appreciated. I have downloaded and digested the 944 buyers guide from your great forum.
It seems that there may be a fair few issues with the red 44 discussed above, but I think I'll be getting whatever I buy inspected, just to be on the safe side. I'd rather spend £300 on the inspection and save myself from buying a dog!

I would really like a red 44 and I need to part ex my BMW 330Ci so could do with the 44 being at a dealer..... However this White 44 on piston heads looks interesting, is it anyone on here's car?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2340922.htm

It's got less miles than the red one and seems to have a comprehensive service history but I worry that I'll always wish I waited for a good red one! (sorry if being so picky about colour makes me sound pathetic!) Plus I'd have to try selling my Beemer which only complicates things further.

Any comments and advice welcome, many thanks.

I wouldn't worry about how long a cars been for sale at the moment. Have had a friends Westfield on Pistonheads on & off for 18 months. Only 2 people have ever looked at it & neither of them had any money!
Don't restrict yourself to S2's. Some of the fit 2.5/2.7/twincam S will out gun a not so fit S2. I've yet to see an S2 with an engine rebuild. Overall condition & money spent in the last 3 years is far more important than model. I've seen an S2 make less than 125 at the wheels on the dyno. Lots less than my lux did on the same rollers. Don't buy from a dealer. You will pay double. A good one will pop up on here or PorscheGB before long & save you ££££'s. Even the best will need continuing maintenance & these cars arn' t cheap to run so buy wisely. But do buy one. The 2.5's are torque machines. Quite unlike any modern car I've ever driven. And deceptively quick.

To confirm the above, I also spotted this car recently (ie last few weeks) advertised on pistonheads for £2895 - price had been reduced before being traded in.....

Hi

Having just purchased an S2 privately for just over £5k I think if you are patient you'll pick up exactly what you are looking for and it won't necessarily be high mileage (Though do remember that 100k + is very common on these cars).

Don't limit yourself to S2's, as already suggested, although from a purely personal point of view a good one gives the best drive.

To sound like an echo to what others have said already, History is very important especially in relation to belt changes and the water pump that appears to have a reputation for failing. At the price point you're looking at bodywork should be very sound, no rust, albeit it will still show it's age unless it has been resprayed.

As you'll note from my signature - I picked up a Guards Red car, which is what I was ideally after, it's only done 49k miles and as far as I can tell (so far!) I apear to have bagged a good one mechanically as well being in good nick externally.

Enjoy the search, and as you've gathered already the advice available on here is invaluable!

I agree wholeheartedly with all of the above comments. Provenance is absolutely key. I bought my S2 2 years ago from an enthusiast who had owned the car for 16 years. At the point of purchase it had covered 50,000 miles, has just had belts and tensioners and new pads all round. With a low mileage it was either going to be fantastic or an absolute nightmare (low mileage is not the be all and end all), thankfully the car has been an absolute stunner. I use it every day and have just topped 82,000 miles. It has sailed through every MOT and in the last 2 years, with the exception of tyres and servicing, I have only needed 2 new suspension bushes and a new front wishbone.

I am under no illusions, as many of my friends point out, I am potentially running around in a "ticking time bomb" as one of my more gloomy friends points out, however I can't think of many more everyday cars that you can run for 2 years with pretty much zero depreciation.

Take your time looking, be prepared to walk away and buy the best car you can. Even at 20 years old, an expensive 944 will be more dependable than a cheap Boxster.

Good luck

In todays climate thats top money so you should find a top class car if you go to see it. And check it for accident damage, I'd be curious as to why the badge has been relocated incorrectly, small things like this that make me wary everytime

Many thanks for all of your replies. Taking all of the above into account I keep coming back to this car: (it's on PHs + AT)

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2314631.htm

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

My plus points for it are:
1. It seems to have a very good history
2. It has Air Con (which I believe is rare?)
3. The mileage is lower than some I have seen for similar money.
4. It seems to have had lots of things replaced and have expensive tyres on it.

My minus points are:
1. I don't love the interior
2. I don't love the Porsche sticker down the side (could this be removed without damaging the paint?)
3. It doesn't have the original steering wheel.

A couple of questions before you hopefully fire back some comments...

The paint looks very good, do you think it's had a respray?

The rear 'bumper' strip is not there, do you think this makes it look better or just odd? And why has it gone?(some of you suspicious types have me analysing every detail now!)

What do you think of the wheels?

Looking forward to your comments,

Many thanks

My initial reaction is that it potentially is one of the better ones available and the advert/description is more detailed than many. I agree it certainly ticks several boxes.

However, for the money, I think you could do better than this if you are patient.

Interior is a downside. Looks like it has had some paint - is it just me or has the black sill trim been painted white? Unless this trim has been removed and inspected then it's not possible to say it's a rust free car. I'd doubt whether any 20 yr old 944 could be entirely rust free under the trim. However, I'm quite happy for some owner to correct me here!

The decals aren't great either. Hopefully these could be removed safely.

Wheels look okay but I'd like to see them close up. Rear bumper looks odd, I think.
Sorry!

The air con is not rare, the rear bumber has has the rubber stripped removed then smoothed and sprayed, i prefer the factory look, i normally do not like decals on the side of the car but IMO that car suits them with the wheels which are Cup 2.
I like the logo seats though they would be nicer in black, they are comfort seats not the sport seats with the deep bolsters i oprefer the comfort seats again each to their own.
If it not a million miles away go and look, take a level headed mate with you, tell them to give an honest opinion go away after seeing it have a cuppa a serious think about it then go back, take your time and look again, make sure you get a look at the underside.
The S2's are great everyday tractable cars.

It's also got clear lenses 4 front and side indicators, and the undertrim has been body coded, I wouldn't be surprised if there's not been some lower rust repires, and this is the resona the under trim and Porsche sticker been added.

If u open the doors there's a vent in the door jam, remove and u can visually see the inside off the rear sills.

I personally have removed the rear rubber from my bumper, but the black trim on a White car go quite well.