S2: The right price

[chrismanchr]

as said earlier ,10years ago I had a 944 'S' and it had absolutly no rust whatsoever there was even a huge
patch on the sill were there was no paint just the galvanised steel showing but no signs of rust whatsoever
,it had had a hard life, was cheap and I sold it what I paid for it but it made a lasting impression on me

10years down the line and they all seem to have gone rusty !

values are rising on pristine examples but unless its an absolute dog your gonna have to pay 3-5 grand for a
decent one then 1-3 for a dog

but after all considered and even on a pristine example theres one thing you need for all of these cars

and thats to be willing to spend time and 'LOTS' of money on them

theyre high maintaince ,and anything other than a excellent example looks like a dog , I'm thinking maybe I
could have bought an mot failure or one with issues cheaply but with good history low mileage and low
owners and then spend the money to make it into the car I want a mint late 944 s2

what Ive done is bought one with really extensive history,low owners,lowish mileage ,I paid 3500 but it does
need a ton of work ,I'll bet I'll spend the purchase price on the car in the next few years ,but then again I
was willing to do that from the start and I sold my boring 5 year old bmw that was losing 500quid a month
in value sat on my drive ,and have money left over to spend ,plus I have other classic cars ,I searched for
a late s2 for 2 years and saw plenty many of them way overpriced in the end I saw one and thought I just
wanna get stuck in

 

[Ru2S7]

Thanks to everyone for their advice, it's been invaluable but I guess in the end you just need to take the plunge...

Deposit paid on a 1990 S2 in black with cream leather. Collecting on Saturday! []

Pics to follow...

 

[Ru2S7]

I have photos to upload but they're all way over 200kb!

 

[zcacogp]

Host them somewhere else (like photobucket) and link them here such that they appear in your posts.

We'd love to see them!


Oli.

 

[Ru2S7]

http://s1329.photobucket.com/user/Ru2S7/library/

 

[zcacogp]

If you put the direct link to each photo between a pair of image tags then it will appear in your post. The forum makes this easy for you: click on the picture above the post area with a picture of a mountain on it, and two tags will appear in the post. Paste the link to the piccie in between these tags and it will all happen for you.

Quote this post is you want to see how it is structured.

She looks like she could be a nice one. What's going on with the sill in front of the O/S/R wheel? Is that just a reflection in the photo?


Oli.

 

[Ru2S7]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

If you put the direct link to each photo between a pair of image tags then it will appear in your post. The forum makes this easy for you: click on the picture above the post area with a picture of a mountain on it, and two tags will appear in the post. Paste the link to the piccie in between these tags and it will all happen for you.

Quote this post is you want to see how it is structured.

She looks like she could be a nice one. What's going on with the sill in front of the O/S/R wheel? Is that just a reflection in the photo?


Oli.

Thanks Oli.

I'm not sure about the sill, is it not a piece of trim? I'll check it out tomorrow.

 

[zcacogp]

There is a piece of trim there - the black triangular piece that hangs down below the brightwork. This is one long piece, running from in front of the rear wheel to the sill join in front of the door. There is another piece which butts up to it on the bottom of the front wing. Both these pieces - the front one in particular - are notorious rust-traps for the S2/Turbo shape of 944. The Lux's are better designed and don't have this.

However I am looking just above the trim piece on the metalwork. There may or may not be something odd there, but it's probably just an artefact on the 'photo or a bit of dirt on the car. It's worth checking tho' as this is a common rust spot.


Oli.

 

[Ru2S7]

I'd literally just cleaned it so it requires closer inspection. From memory I think there is some corrosion there.

 

[zcacogp]

Ahhhh ..... you don't want to look at this thread then:

http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=770304

(DON'T click on that link! No, really! You DON'T want to! [])

If it's starting to rust there then get it looked at this summer - i.e. before things get cold and wet and salty.


Oli.

 

[chrismanchr]

that looks nice mate []

I recently bought mine although I bought a cheapish one lol I think I should have spent more money but I
have it now ,and I'm doing jobs on it ,only had it a month and Ive replaced the rear brake lines ,several dash
board switchs,wiper delay relay,flasher relay,several fuses ,interior lights(new housings) and glove box light repaired ,radio with modern kenwood
,alarm immobiser checked and repaired,had the intake induction all off and cleaned it mainly because I wanted to clean and check the
idle control valve ,changed the coolant ,coolant thermoswitch,plastic elbow off the water pump as it was leaking
,air filter ,wheel nuts ,rear bridge spoiler and hockey stick trim all off and repaired then back on the car properly (not flapping about in the wind

and I have new rear shocks and new engine mounts to put on in the next week

its a big project ,which will probably see me pulling the engine and gearbox at some stage

 

[Ru2S7]

Here's a closer look at my sills...

 

[Ru2S7]

Here's a closer look at my sills...

 

[Ru2S7]

Thanks mate, I'm pretty pleased with it.

From all the jobs you've done it sounds like you're much more advanced at maintenance than me, i'm just starting to learn!

 

[Ru2S7]

I've only had my S2 since Saturday but I've already succumbed to her charms, particularly the way at 4,000 rpm the engine really hits its stride!

One query I do have is about the steering, at speed it's fine but should it really be that heavy at slow speed? Maybe it's just because I'm used to driving a 2012 Focus but even so it feels too heavy under 20 mph.

 

[Hairyarse]

It's easy to fall for the 944's charms! []

Your steering doesn't sound right to me. I've always liked the weight of 944 power steering, not overly assisted but assisted enough at parking speeds. I've had three 944's and my only complaint ref steering was on the square dash with no power steering, lovely feedback and drive but that was too heavy at slow speeds.

I'd suggest check for leaks in the system to be sure, it's not uncommon to have a small weep of fluid down the pipes under the fluid reservoir. Ultimately, I'd suggest a fluid change - that may be enough to make the difference? (Check there's enough in there too!)

 

[zcacogp]

Russell,

Those look like quite typical 944 corners; I'd guess there has been a repair or two there, and there is some rust starting to appear. You'd do well to get it sorted out while it's small and manageable and cheap, rather than after the winter when it will be bigger and more expensive to solve.

Standard S2's come on cam noticeably at 4k rpm - and it's quite fun! You can chip them which beefs up the mid-range torque significantly (and makes them into quicker cars), but the downside is that you lose that enjoyable step in the power delivery. (I drove Jason's S2 yesterday which hadn't been chipped and came away wondering whether they are more fun with the standard ECU in place for this reason.)

Steering weight it hard to gauge from a description. Check the obvious (tyre pressures), but the best bet is to find another 944 and have a drive of that. For what it's worth, every time I drive a modern car I spend the first five minutes wondering who disconnected the steering column from the front wheels; there is no weight and precious little feel compared to a 944. Yes, you do have to put a bit more heft into steering an old Porsche around but it communicates so much about the road surface you can practically tell what size the gravel on top of the asphalt is ...


Oli.

 

[Ru2S7]

Thanks Andy

I'll check the system and hopefully lighten it up a bit.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Having had a lot of PAS issues, including not working at all, I'm glad mine's back to normal at last. It isn't anywhere near as light as many modern cars, our Legacy can be turned with one finger at a standstill but has no feel at all. The 944 steering should be pretty near perfect, but will feel a bit heavy at slow speeds if you drive something else before jumping in it; as said, tyre pressure are unusually critical, and they are sensitive to having the geo set up well.

It looks like a very tidy car from the pics, the rust on the outside isn't any worse than mine was, and I was pleasantly surprised when it was in for repairs. All I'd say is get a good look at the inside of the sills, and around the rear suspension mountings, and protect it like mad. 944s don't rust badly compared with other cars of the period, but the few weak areas can turn nasty if ignored.

 

[Ru2S7]

I'll definitely get the sills looked at this summer before the weather turns and the MOT is due in November.

I have also been looking through the various receipts and paperwork that came with the car and wondered what else might need looking at before the MOT?

The last service was done 12/2009, some time back, but it was a comprehensive one (£2,500!) and only 5,000 miles ago.

The following work was done...

Engine oil
Oil filter
Air filter
Fuel filter
Plugs
Gear oil
Battery
Front calipers/pads/discs
Brake fluid/cleaner
Wheel nuts
Timing belt kit
Camshaft oil seal
Power Steering belt
Fan belt
Anti-freeze
Wiper blade
Screen wash
Bonnet struts
Tyre/valve balance

Also noticed some other major jobs completed in the various prior services:

06/2006- 97k
Radiator
Wishbone

12/2003 - 79k
Head gasket set/cylinder head reface
Water pump
Radiator

06/2002 - 70k
Clutch kit/flywheel