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pimpm3
pimpm3 HalfDork
12/8/14 2:02 a.m.

I am looking at a car at a local auction to resell etc.... What would be a good deal?How much could I expect to get for it fixed?

1987 944S 107K miles with damage to the right fender and headlight. If I fix it it will have a rebuilt title due to the dent by the headlight. It runs well and I might be able to get records from the previous owner but that is a gamble...

Can I go wrong for less then 1K? What would GRM do?

Travis_K
Travis_K UberDork
12/8/14 2:43 a.m.

That looks like a $2k car that probably needs $5k in work to me. So if you are thinking of making money on it, to answer your questions, yes, and don't buy it unless you actually want it to keep.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/8/14 6:18 a.m.

Travis nailed it. That's a nice parts car at this point.

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/8/14 6:42 a.m.

The head and motor are worth 2k. You need to know the service history. And when or if the timing chain guides in the head heave been changed. Other than that it is worth getting if you are going to keep it. It is a 7-9k car in good shape with out a salvage title. 3-5k with a salvage title. Porsche owners can be pickey about things like that.

turboswede
turboswede GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/8/14 7:54 a.m.

Front end parts are all easily replaced with another set from a guards red car. Toss a timing belt set and water pump at it and move on. Should be able to do it for about 2k plus the cost of the car.

The salvage title will hurt resale, but you can still sell it to a kid who wants his first Porsche, especially if it has a LSD for dorifto pursuits.

docwyte
docwyte Dork
12/8/14 8:57 a.m.

That's not a $2k car as it currently sits. I wouldn't pay a whole lot more than $1000 for it, even though the parts value of it is higher.

Even fixed you'd have a hard time selling it for $4k, as it's an S, not an S2 and it'll have the branded title.

That car will need more than just the body work to get up to snuff for sure, things like oil pan gasket, clutch and timing belt/water pump will need attention...

captdownshift
captdownshift GRM+ Memberand Dork
12/8/14 11:43 a.m.

unless you want to rallyx it as is in a state that doesn't require safety inspection on historic cars, run far far away. (If it was an S2 it'd be worth fixing though)

chandlerGTi
chandlerGTi SuperDork
12/8/14 1:11 p.m.
Datsun1500 wrote: I can look on Craigslist and drive one home Tomorrow for $3,000. That one will not need to be repaired, or have a salvage title. Yours would be worth less than that $3000, after purchase and repair.

Wow, I've not seen an S for that kind of money in decent shape.

That's a $1k car but you may end up parting it.

Billy_Bottle_Caps
Billy_Bottle_Caps Dork
12/8/14 1:25 p.m.

Nice car to part out you would come out money ahead and the salvage title wouldn't matter

Mad_Ratel
Mad_Ratel Reader
12/8/14 4:10 p.m.

I paid 3k for my S in 1999... and it was in much much better shape than this one...

edit: salvage title thanks to a fuel line fire that was put out about 10 sec after it started. paint was still perfect.

cwaters
cwaters Reader
12/8/14 6:36 p.m.
Datsun1500 wrote: I can look on Craigslist and drive one home Tomorrow for $3,000. That one will not need to be repaired, or have a salvage title. Yours would be worth less than that $3000, after purchase and repair.

See... This is what happens here. Someone says something like this and BAM, I'm off to CL to see if that can possibly be true. Currently in ATL, there are a handful of 944Ss from $6 (ugly)-$20K and one caged shell for $1,200. so... yeah. sad now. Not that I had the $3,000 anyway.

SEADave
SEADave Reader
12/8/14 6:45 p.m.
cwaters wrote:
Datsun1500 wrote: I can look on Craigslist and drive one home Tomorrow for $3,000. That one will not need to be repaired, or have a salvage title. Yours would be worth less than that $3000, after purchase and repair.
See... This is what happens here. Someone says something like this and BAM, I'm off to CL to see if that can possibly be true. Currently in ATL, there are a handful of 944Ss from $6 (ugly)-$20K and one caged shell for $1,200. so... yeah. sad now. Not that I had the $3,000 anyway.

I did the same. Apparently they start at about $7k up here. I don't think you can get ANY later/oval dash 944 for $3k around here.

BoxheadTim
BoxheadTim GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/8/14 7:07 p.m.

I'd only consider buying that if I wanted a 944S as a track car for myself.

Ss aren't very sought after, it's the S2 everybody wants. I agree that once fixed, if there is nothing else wrong with it, it's probably a $3k-$5k car. To get to the higher end, you probably want to make sure it's got the timing belt done and the chain guides at least inspected.

tripp
tripp New Reader
12/8/14 7:13 p.m.

Would make a nice challenge car that could be a nice track car also (nice driving) if you can get it cheaply. That being said I don't know the effort to repair the damage, looks like if you don't car about getting it back to stock, you can probably fab something up to make it track worthy. Given the above, I wouldn't shoot for making it a concurs car.

MrJoshua
MrJoshua PowerDork
12/8/14 8:05 p.m.

Are those camber plates up front?

turboswede
turboswede GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/8/14 8:55 p.m.
MrJoshua wrote: Are those camber plates up front?

Yup. The nice ones that with the proper towers to them so you don't lose strut travel in the process. Which likely means Koni's and possibly adjustable spring perches, plus whatever else is underneath (bars, torsions, bushings, control arms, etc.)

mr2peak
mr2peak GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
12/8/14 10:41 p.m.

Buy it and swap the good stuff onto a nice 944

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/8/14 11:33 p.m.

Where is it I would fix it if it can be had for challenge money. I have the parts and it would be a good DD for me. My 924s is some where around 300k at this point so it would be a great project DD car to replace the 924s

turboswede
turboswede GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/8/14 11:50 p.m.

In reply to dean1484:

The OP is in the Jacksonville, FL area so I suspect it should be close to ya. It would be great if it could be saved and live on again as it looks like it was loved by someone at some point in time. Besides a 944S swap into a 924S body would be a lot of fun (saw one in person, it was kinda cool).

pimpm3
pimpm3 HalfDork
12/9/14 1:43 a.m.

I am high bidder right now at $525.00. If I get it for that I will have approximately $900.00 in it after fees and shipping. I figured at that price I can't go wrong especially if it does have suspension etc...

It doesn't look like it will take much to fix the body work, and the interior looks to be nice already.

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/9/14 7:29 a.m.

Now that I have seen this on my PC that looks like an easy fix as long as the frame and the upper rad support and the headlight motor and associated HDW were not damaged. I would fix and DD that for sure. Get factory painted parts and that should be done in a day or so.

Gearheadotaku
Gearheadotaku GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
12/9/14 9:18 a.m.
pimpm3 wrote: I am high bidder right now at $525.00. If I get it for that I will have approximately $900.00 in it after fees and shipping. I figured at that price I can't go wrong especially if it does have suspension etc... It doesn't look like it will take much to fix the body work, and the interior looks to be nice already.

I think you'll do fine. The damage looks minor to me. Some used bits can't be too much to fix it. Take pre-repair photos as proof the car wasn't severely damaged for the day you want to sell it.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
12/9/14 9:24 a.m.

Damn. I'd pay a grand for a decent 944S.

AngryCorvair
AngryCorvair GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/9/14 1:03 p.m.

it's a red-over-black 944 with a stick and what look like sport seats (judging by size of bolsters on seat backs). and if it's got the 'spensive camber plates, it's probably got other goodies underneath. plus it's the 16v. berkeley yes i'd buy that for a grand, even if i was just parting it out.

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/9/14 3:34 p.m.
Datsun1500 wrote: Love the photos on this one http://twinfalls.craigslist.org/cto/4761278029.html

I don't think this is an "s" it is a SOHC 8V motor by the photos. The S had 2.7 16v DOHC (Like the Op's car in the first post)

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