Porsche 944 as a project car?
I have an opportunity to buy a Porsche 944 for very cheap. The car has bad pistons rings, and the interior is a mess. (most major is the cracked dash) The car will also need new paint.
My plan was to swap the engine and make it into a track car. I wouldn't want the Chevy swap though, I think it's too much. I was thinking of keeping it either a 4 or 6 cylinder.
My question is, is this car worth it? For the $400 price tag and the work that it needs, considering it would be a track car/weekend driver, would it be worth it?
The car is a 1984 944 non-turbo with 77,000 original miles.
Comments
run away from this car, it is going to be the biggest pain in the *** you ever found. and there is no way that mileage is original, the shocks alone on that car, are 250 bucks each. every part of that porsche is extremely expensive, if the rings are bad, at SUPPOSEDLY 77,000 MILES SOMEONE BEAT THE PISS OUT OF THAT CAR. my step dad had one, and some of his repair bills were more than most of my teenage cars were bought for. I laughed when you said you didn't want a v8 swap, that would be the best thing you could possibly do to that car. my step dad had over two hundred fifty thousand miles on his, and it ran perfect, because someone cared for it.
you can find one in better condition for twenty five hundred bucks. that is no deal, that is someone Else's problem a new motor alone is 15 grand or more, run like hell dude, and find a better car, which will not be hard from what you described.
David, Depending on your budget it may be a good car. However, you need to keep some things in mind. First off, the cars weren't cheap because "they were garbage" anyone who says that hasn't owned one, or didn't know how to work on them, or was ignorant to how they functioned and the features and don't understand what an "Entry level Porsche" is. A lot of people don't realize they also were made all the way from 1976 all the way into the 90s. If that's a "garbage" car then I'm crazy. They also kept Porsche afloat during economic downfall, and if not for the entry level cars such as the 924 and 944, Porsche would have some rough times when they needed cash flow. They were also great cars to get people into a Porsche and appreciate them, to upgrade later to a 911 when they could afford them. A gateway drug into the Porsche world, if you will. Second, the 944 is expensive to maintain, and at times can be somewhat of a headache to troubleshoot. I'd be happy to give some advice though as my hobby is restoring and enjoying old Porsches. 2 of the 3 Porsches I own are a 924 and a 944. I've kept them this long for a reason. The 83' is an early gen 944. They didn't have any of the good upgrades the later models had. This means the DME is an early model and isn't an upgradeable chip without swapping a late model dme and all the sensors to go with it. So your aftermarket and performance market will be limited. If, however, your goal is a longterm restoration back to stock for an old Porsche that you can enjoy, well, they can be fun. My 944 is my daily driver, it's a pain to maintain, even expensive many times, but it is a reliable car and it has been through all weather conditions from nice sunny weather all the way down to insane ice and snow. Doesn't blink, it's a great car and handles well, even gets great mileage! A few things you need to do right off if you get it... - Timing belt - replace it, asap. It is an interference engine, if it snaps, you're in trouble and get to replace valves and other fun goodies, and that gets expensive. A dealership will quote you $1500 to do a timing belt and waterpump job, sometimes more, unless it's a non-Porsche shop and it's a generic quote. You can, however, do it yourself for around $200 (which would include the timing belt tools and the belts to do it) if you buy a kit from 944online or pelicanparts. Again, I would only try it if you are mechanically inclined and have no issues doing timing belts. These must be done on a frequency of about every 3 years or 40k miles, whichever comes first. And don't skimp... - Hydraulics - the brake master and slave cyl on the early years were notorious for going to crap and going out. The way the rubber lip in the master cyl was designed would start to shrink and leak over time if the car wasn't used much. You end up with brake fluid in the floor and no clutch. If you see any seeping up by the clutch pedal, it's the master cyl. Keep in mind they must be replaced in pairs, the extra pressure from a new slave or master will cause the other to fail if they aren't both fresh, may not be immediate, but it'll happen. - Torque tube bearings - this is unfortunately one thing that totally sucks about owning a 924 or a 944. Instead of a standard drive shaft, the 924 and 944 use a "torque tube" which is essentially a shaft that mates the engine to the transmission (like a driveshaft) but sits in a tube on several bearings as to not have any warping and to keep it solid. The problem is that over the years these bearings go dry and need replaced. To actually get to it you have to drop the brakelines, suspension and then the transmission from the back, unhook the tube from the bellhousing, the list goes on... it's a pain. And a clutch job is about the same. - Clutch - The design difference between the 924 and the 944 is that the 924 used a sprung disc and the 944 used a rubber centered disc. The issue with the 944 design is that over time rubber disintegrates - what this means is that if it's the original clutch it's likely slowly but surely on it's way out. When it goes it starts CLUNKING on deceleration, eventually, the rubber breaks, and you have no clutch. Clutch kits start at about $500 and go up to $1200 depending on what you want. It's highly recommended to go with a sprung disc if that happens, to avoid the rubber clutch death in the future. - Interior items aren't really cheap to get ahold of. Even the cassette holder (some call it the arm rest) in the center console can land you a few hundred for a new one. Dash pieces are hard to find, gauges are expensive, the list goes on. Essentially, if you're okay with owning a 944, paying for the expensive Porsche items, etc... then they are a great car to own. For their time, they were fast little cars. By today's standards they are "slow" but one indisputable fact remains - they handle GREAT and stop excellent. They are a great touch of the 80s and a lot of fun to own. But again, they are not cheap to own. A few interesting things you may not know.... - There was a time when the 944 cost MORE to maintain than some N/A model 911s - no joke! It was MORE costly for maintenance items on them than some 911 models simply due to the frequency of intervals, cost of parts, and the wear items that the 911 does not have (such as belts and many odd little things) - Many of the 924 and 944 parts can be swapped (except the engines of course) direct and indirectly on many exterior/interior/suspension parts. - The early model 944s were actually in essence the same suspension as a 924 with wider offset. If you are looking for an inexpensive Porsche to maintain I would actually recommend a 924 MORE since they have a totally different engine, and are far less expensive to maintain. The maintenance difference between the 924 and 944 is night and day. My 924 costs as much as a cheap volkswagen to maintain (in some ways, it basically is one) since the engine is a mixture of Audi and VW parts thrown together with a 4 speed audi tranny, and they weigh almost nothing. The 944 on the other hand has many Porsche genuine parts, and a new setup - which is why they are so expensive. The 924 also is NOT an interference engine, and you can do the timing belt in about 15 minutes and $20 in belts, compared to a 4 hour job on the 944 and $100-200. Huge difference. Did you know that spark plug wires for a 924 will set you back $30-40? The 944 will set you back $120 for a set? No joke. Please notice I did not tell you if it is or isn't a good buy - I have no way of seeing this car in person, and you didn't state a price so I can't say yes or no. I can only lead you in a direction of things I have experienced, and allow you to make a choice that is unquestionably sound in your mind. The rest is up to you
I'll link you to a few good resources below.... Should you feel you need anything or have further questions don't hesitate to message me on yahoo messenger or send me an email on yahoo. I've been restoring, working on, and driving these little cars for a long time. 
The non-turbo is not a very valuable car and for what you are doing it would not make it worth any more and maybe even less than a regular car since you are thinking of making it a track car. If you are planning on doing anything like that it would be more for a hobby or sport. Paint, stripping the interior, roll cage, fire extinguisher and the likes is costly along with engine, brakes, clutch, suspension, tires/wheels but nobody ever said racing was cheap. If you are looking to restore a car your best bet would be to look for the 951 (turbo) variety. Fully restored w/low miles will get you about $12,000 but chances are you will end up putting way more into it than what you can get back, especially in this economy.
Yes, this is an excellent project car.
A 944 is a good basic design, and is fun to drive.
But I doubt very much if the piston rings could really be bad with only 77,000 miles.
More likely the rings are seized from sitting, and will free up with normal driving.
But I would keep it as stock as possible.
All the modifications make it less valuable or desirable by anyone else.
Parts are cheap and easily available.
And there is nothing really tricky that you can't do yourself except the transaxle.
That would not be true of most other Porsches.
For example, a 6 cylinder would cost you 10 times as much in parts alone.
(of course it would also sell for 10 times as much)
If you're looking for a Project, you've found one. Consider: $400.00 gets you the title. I've just found 1984 944 Turbos for sale at $10,000 with 144,000 miles on the odometer. This car you're considering has less than 3,000 miles per year, average, on it. It's a really low miler.
IF the car's platform is nearly or actually rust free, you can enjoy building a 944 Turbo on it for less than it will sell for when you're done. Don't rebuild or swap the engine; buy a bolts-right-in replacement 944 engine for as little as $3,000 (Yeah, I know, it'll go up from there.), and have yourself a garage party. You must be committed to this Project!
When you're done, you've had a good year's fun, and can sell the result for at least the total you've put into it. Or, you can have a great 944 Turbo (at least 220 HP) to take to the track and drive around town.
944 Track Car
I think you'd be wasting your $400 but how much enjoyment and fun will that $400 give you.
So your question should be "How much fun can you have for $400+ dollars like this? Then maybe I might have given you the nod to buy the car.
If you want the best 944 advice join my Yahoo Group... One of the main contributors Zach is a track guy.
Url for the group:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Porsche944only...
Michael
Believe me its, it will cost you alot more than you think ,you will get
frustrated during your restoration,and give up ,and get left .If you did go ahead
the money spent you will never get it back and will be harder to sell
if its priced to high to try and cover your costs,
No. Not worth it. www.rennlist.com