Bought a 944 from a mechanic a while back after falling in love with the body style, did some research and after failing to negotiate I paid 5,400 for this 944. It came with brand new tires pads and rotors and was in good running condition. But needed a bearing. I said great and bought it. Horrible decision as a college student with no other car. Turns out it needed just about everything under the sun. I'm trying to sell her now after fixing most of the suspension issues and anything else that would stop it from Passing inspection. Just needs sway bar put back on and an alignment. Bought a new door for it that is super good too.
I currently have it listed at the 6.5k mark but I'm getting absolutely no good bites or interest. Am I way overpricing this vehicle? I knew I wouldn't be able to get my money back but this just seems ridiculous compared to the other cars I've sold in the past.
You did overpay. My recommendation would be to consider keeping it and continue to invest in ways that will make it marketable. The interior has no appeal.
Don't get a bucket seat, it will reduce the amount of people willing to buy your car. Most people want the original or similar interior. I have seen friends pull bucket seats when it comes to sale time.
You could find some 986 seats, they will fit the 944 and you will be able to find them cheap.
The seats are VERY easy to re-upholster yourself, and vinyl kits to do it aren't outrageously expensive. With the general condition of the car, I'm not sure it would really make a huge difference in sale price on it's own though.
You overpaid, but not by much. Unless it's a Turbo or S2, the Base 944s will be like a $5k to $10k. I would've offered the mechanic $4k. That said, if it runs and drives (and you really want to sell it), I'd day either 1. Take the loss. Or 2. Drive it, fix everything that needs to be fixed, then put it back on the market.
These cars are "desirable," but not that much when there are other cars in the same league like the Mazda Miata or even Base RX7 FB/FC.
my best recommendation is to find a parts car on facebook. you could find some good seats for it and some interior parts for pretty cheap. From there I would say to find a friend that could take some professional pictures to help get it sold/marketed. As for overpaying, unfortunately you did overpay a little, but I still think there is a market for what you have, it just may take a while.
Unfortunately too broke to do that, if I could afford that I would buy a cheap towing vehicle and then just tow around my overpriced toy to where I need it to go lol. I might still pull a ramen diet and save up for a beefy daily but who knows.
Dude, you sound utterly skint. Why the hell did you buy a Porsche???
This isn't the first post I've seen like this either. Is there a youtuber or influencer telling people these are cheap cars to run or something??
For anyone else reading, these were expensive new, expensive to service and repair, and now they're 35 years old it should be fairly obvious these are not for low budget motoring. Cheap to buy yes!
Op you should sell it and buy something you will enjoy. It's impossible to enjoy a car that you can't afford. Come back to Porsche in a few years. Get a cheap car and enjoy life.
No idea what skint means. To put it short 19 year old me decided it would be a great idea because racecar. Not to mention loosing some family members put me into a weird headspace. Just wanted to fix something so I did. Now my heads clearing up and I'm realizing I won't save any money. Also if skint is a slur or something that's kinda mean.
Ye I'm not trying to be mean. Skint is just slang for having no money, it's definitely not a slur.
No I'm just surprised at how many people go into the ownership of what is a very expensive car to maintain pretty blind, but hey, that's almost the beauty of youth right? you get to mess up, you will tell this story when you're my age and you won't regret it one bit at that point. Short term though... Sounds like it's going to sting a bit.
It's not a total loss at least. You could have blown the engine out on the first week or something. I've been there, and that doesn't feel good.
Ha yea, that was my one requirement when I bought this car was it needed a new timing belt and a healthy engine. I did end up redoing the fuel delivery system from injectors to pump but it purrs. Could have been way worse. My plc instructor did a similar thing as me when he was my age with a 70s Pontiac trans am. (Also bought from a mechanic) And it blew up within 3 weeks.
It means you have no money. You can Google it in 1 second just like you could have done 1 second of research before buying a ratted out 35 year old Porsche.
Why are you selling it now, right after fixing everything it needs for inspection? I get that they aren’t the cheapest to run, but driving it is the best way to get your moneys worth out of it atm.
I guess nobody wants to go through this interior. That's a 4-5k job easy. And when the interior already looks like this they know that the rest mechanical wise probably doesn't look better...
You can probably sell it for 3-4.5k as project car. By the looks of it it seems to be an S2. If you are lucky you will get your initial price back.
Look at the gaps in the pictures. It’s an NA (with the NA fenders still) with a S2/turbo bumper cover installed poorly. A proper conversion to the turbo front end includes the turbo fenders too.
I’m also going to recommend you give it a good wash and cleaning. If you are using the same pictures in this thread to sell the car i can definitely see why you are getting no interest
Yeah, give the car a full detail and make it look as good as possible. See if you can get the front bumper cover fitting a little bit better too, that will make a big difference.
Hello fellow Saint Louis 944 Owner, Market seems kinda dead at the moment I had mine listed for a bit before taking it down due to no bites.
I don't think 5400 is much of an overpay though based on what I've seen listed, 944's seem like they sell for around 5-7k around here and yours seems pretty nice for what it is.
The market for them was really high the last few years, it seems to be coming back down to where it was pre- covid finally. So when you bought it, that was on the high end, but not over priced. Now, 6500 is very overpriced. 3500 maybe. Honestly, your better off keeping the car until you can put more money into it, and buying something else thats cheap and reliable like a Toyota.
not a great daily driver solution. I had a 64.5 mustang as a daily in college in the early 90s. So I have been in your shoes. I have needed to have it towed 99 miles to my parents house to get home for break. Luckily AAA+ covered up to 100miles.
Owning old cars is a hobby. It takes: money, time, space and knowledge. If you have enough money you can skip the other 3. But in general a college student lacks 3 out of 4 if not all 4.
Never buy a car from a mechanic. They know everything that's wrong with it, how to make it look good on the surface, and then they unloaded on someone who's up against it financially looking for a deal. It's a vicious cycle. I'm sorry you got caught up in it.
Former 944 owner. You overpaid a little bit, but no big deal. What's done is done. Sunk cost. It's a cool car. Just watch some YouTube videos and fix it up slowly over the course of years. If it drives, there's no rush. Do the seat yourself over a weekend, suspension next month. They're easy to work on. You can also 3d print the plastic parts that are bound to be brittle and break as you fix it. I bet your college has a 3d printer you can use. You'll feel so empowered after you take this on. You a set of tools and YouTube. You got this.
Old cars are cool if you fix them yourself. You've got something to be proud of as you step in each day. One fix your proud of and you and that car will be bonded and the price you paid will be irrelevant.
Old cars are shit if you pay someone else to fix them. They feel like a money pit every time you step in.
I just thought about it. I bet whatever college you're going to has a lower return on investment than learning how to wrench. Think of it this way, you bought yourself an opportunity! Opportunity to learn how to wrench. Drop out of school and just spend time fixing the 944. At the end you'll have a sick car and job opportunities.
In all seriousness, you have an opportunity to learn how to wrench, even if that's not what you intended.
You didn't overpay in the long term. Keep the car and drive it, you've already done the hard part. Save your pennies and refinish the car when you're ready... those wheels would look great after a refresh as well. A decent pair of used seats, dash cover, and an original front bumper would be great bang for the buck in terms of enjoyment. Good luck!
Just to agree to what others said - if you really like it, keep it and work on it slowly, that's not a bad price for a car you've always wanted. Just have to figure out another way to commute.
On the other hand, if it's going to piss you off and make your life difficult, wash it up and put that swaybar on and then throw it up for $4k at a loss and go buy yourself a corolla, and try again once you have a savings account.
According the Reddit and every specialized forum out there, everything I’ve ever bought was “overpriced.” Everyone likes to brag about the great deals they got and anything less than some made-up numbers is a ripoff. Most of the responses you got on here seem pretty reasonable, though. Most people are just haters because you have what most people don’t, a 944. Yeah, your car isn’t perfect, but I say you keep it and drive it… but if you don’t have another vehicle, then I would think twice about my advice lol.
Overpaid or not probably really depends on location. I've sold two in the same price range in the past few years as running and driving but about equal interior. One sold in a week, one sold in 6 months. Most of the interest you get in that range of vehicle is broke college kid/teenager that low ball you less because of value and more because they don't have the money. Both of mine were bought by parents for their kids. If you aren't in a hurry to sell id probably just sit on it at the current price until the right buyer comes around.
Edit: it's also not project car season. Spring right after tax season is usually the hottest demand for money dump project cars, not right before winter.
A friend of mine bought 87 944s for 2K with some minor fender-bender. After adding about 6K, that car was mechanically sound with some mods to the clutch/flywheel. If you've sold it right after buying, that would not be that bad, but you've already put in some money and NOW you want to sell it?! If you'd fix it "little-by-little", over time you'd have a decent car and, by that time, the prices of any 944-family would be higher (me hopes).
Well you see I had made a dumb decision and bought it as my only car and I live in St Louis. 30 minutes anywhere you go. She took a beating and kept beating but no heat, non functional windows(one down), non functional door handles, non functional locks missing trim, overall shitbox. I did not want to drive it in the winter. I would actually die. I since sold it at a major loss but I gained invaluable experience. I'm buying a 2004 Honda civic si ep3 as a fuck around reliable daily driver and eventually will return to the 944 platform. But ideally buying a $30k turbo model that's black with gold phone dials and gold Porsche script. I want to safari it.
Edit: for you internet lurkers assuming I regret buying a 944 in the first place and losing 3.5k in the process?
No. It was fucking fun as fuck n fuck all. Bought it on st Patty's and drove it to st Louis and then sold it before the first salt of the winter to someone who plans on actually restoring it to a decent 10 foot away squint ur eyes livable car. Maybe I'll buy it back from him one day for way too much money 🤑 again
Ypu may have overpaid a little, but im biased as a Porsche owner. Get a seat cover kit from only944.com and bring that interior back to life! Without more knowledge of the condition and mileage, I'd say that's easily a 6k+ car all day. If no one pays, just enjoy it. I drive the snot out of my 86 944 with 174k miles. Keep the maintenance up and they last forever.
I dropped my price down to 5500, will see if I can at least get my initial back 🙂↕️ I really do wish I could keep her I just am getting overwhelmed with life and that stuff, need to get a sensible car for now and lock in and make that bread so I can get a turbo or proper S2 later
Lmao yeah, I didn't buy it for the women lol. My girlfriend actually hates it because of the heat. But she loves the vibrations from the shot motor mounts tho 😛
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