couple q's

hi, i've been lookin' into 944s as a first car and was wondering if you guys had any advice... if that'd be a good idea or not. it seems that 944s are fairly cheap, but i've read that they can be expensive to maintain and repair. and i'm looking into a n/a '85 that has around 100k, which seems like it's in good condition with an asking price of $3500. thanks for your help

944 engine is strong and could well easy double that milage and be still good, price sounds ok, check for history, and check to see if belts have been done.

Take a deep breath first. Check maintenance history... Did you catch that? Check the maintenance history. If you don't have to do much work to it.... Congratulations, you have made a shrewd and highly entertaining purchase. If it needs much work, you could find yourself spending more on it than it is worth just to get it on the road. Some things to look for... neo speaks gospel, CHECK THE BELTS. If they need to be taken care of, that and the water pump will run about a grand from a good mechanic. If that belt goes, you need serious top end engine work. You can find yourself in a hole in a big hurry. Some other common big ticket items... At about 100K the clutch might need to be looked at, and you would be looking at at least a few hundred to get it done. Also look into the power steering rack. Get underneath, and squeeze both tie rod boots. if you get a hydraulic oil shower, you will need at least a new rack (350 for a rebuild) and new tie rod ends (100 apiece) The list goes on and on.... You can also find a good independant Porsche specialist and cough up the dough for an inspection. It could save you a several thousand dollar headache. Then you couldn't enjoy the thing that is Porsche ownership. Hope that helps. My long winded ass had better stop now.

Personal opinion - I'd have it checked by someone that works on 944's. Worth the money. I have found there are generally two types of Porsche owners. those who take care of it, and those who don't. You can usually tell by the maintenanc records.

They are not cheap cars to maintain compared to the entry price, but they are not that high compared to newer cars either.

there are a lot of cheap bastards out there so check for mickey mouse jobs