After reviving our little VW Rabbit GTI, I swore off all ’80s fuel injected German cars, but as I look at this Porsche 944 Turbo I’m sorely tempted to buy it. Just look at it there in the barn! It would make such a fun track car or a mean street machine, although getting it to either of those points could get pricy. I actually don’t see the fuel injection system being this cars biggest issue. I have a feeling it is going to have general wiring and electrical issues, especially if all the debris in the engine bay is what I think it is. It looks like several generation of mice have made this Porsche their home, so assume the wiring will be chewed up and the interior damaged beyond simple repair. If you aren’t intimidated by tracking down electrical problems, this could really make for a sweet track machine! Find it here on eBay in Sidney, Ohio with a BIN of $4,950 and the option to make an offer. So would you try to fix this Porsche or is it a lost cause?
This ticks all the boxes, neglected, rodent damaged, electrical issues, delayed Porsche maintenance , how could I go wrong ?
How about shooting yourself in the foot instead ?
A mid 80ies electronic fuel injection, where mice (and probably others) had breakfast , lunch and dinner for several years ?
Even without THAT added challenge that was a hard thing to keep up…..
IF they cancelled ANY digit in the selling price, it would barely be worth it…..
@skloon, You forgot to mention the oh-so-popular-with-prospective-buyers upside down photos.
On a good day one of these in better than average condition might be worth $10-15k. Now do the math as to what it would take to get this one there. If the seller doesn’t have to pay to have it removed he should consider himself fortunate.
i wonder if the rx7 in the background has suffered the same fate. this 944 has overheating problems so figure on needing a motor also.
With all due respect, does this seller know which way is up? As in: the problems in R&R-ing the FI / fuel system after so many years…..the cooling system with likely head gasket problems or worse from overheating…..the braking system after not being run for years….the damage from rodents on hoses and wiring, not to mention upholstery / carpets / the smell of the inside.
The upside down photos are just confirmation of the upside-down situation the buyer will be in with this $5K car.
Bidding ended, item unsold.
this is a great $$1500-1850 car. Anything more than that is just throwing money away. Assuming no major engine damage, it’s at least $5K to re-commission this car to driver status (to do it the right way) and no guarantees even then. Much much cheaper to find a running, driving registered car with records and rust-free body that is appearance-challenged…
This is funny, I just put a windshield wiper drive arm and wiper blades on a 1988 NA 944 tonight, as well as hooked up an antenna wire, I had a windshield from a junkyard car installed Saturday and the antenna wire was broke, I also bought a carpet set, rear sunroof trim, visors, back hatch seal and a power window motor and switches from a junkyard car, forgot to get the gas cap. How many of the people commenting have had a 944, or a Porsche? I had a 1982 911 I should have kept, I think most ‘affordable’ Porsches are just going to keep going up as auto enthusiasts find out how much fun they are to drive, especially a turbo. Go search Craigslist for 914s and 944s, even 944 powered 924s. Yes, they are not cheap to maintain, but what sports car is? I did buy mine cheap, a parked for a couple years 173k miles garage find, originally gold like this turbo, but painted black, and I drove it home, still needs power steering leak, sunroof and inop AC fixed, but I’m driving it to work tomorrow, not super fast but fun to shift and corner.
Josh, you are right, this one is definitely not a lost cause, worth fixing up, the Turbo is worth more than the normally aspirated models. I saw a 968 Porsche (944 convertible) locally for $6,000 a couple years ago, and I see it driving around once in a while, last I checked they are going for over 10k now. I saw a Turbo a month or so ago for $750 and didn’t check it out, when I went back to look a week later the ad was gone. The water pump is usually changed at 30-40,000 miles when you do a timing belt on 944s, maybe they tried to get by without it on this one.
Follow-up. The over heating was due to a bad thermostat. A boost problem was from a throttle position sensor that needed electical contact spray which also fixed alot of the other electrical issues. The interior was replaced. Car runs strong as it should. No leaks.
The bad news. I knew it was a good straight car and gave all the money for it. Something about karma- don’t ask. Next, I did the clutch, rear main seal, fuel lines, turbo stuff, new hoses, tires etc. and the parts were not cheap.
Bottom line as always 10k and remember: there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche.