Considering a 944 as a weekend car: £1,500 Challenge
Discussion
Hi All
I am a serial lurker on the pistonheads porsche forum and a serial car day-dreamer (mainly Porsche), and am trying to get my act together and actually buy one, as I am frustrating myself by continuously looking at different kinds of cars at different kinds of budgets and reading up on them and then not buying them!
One day I will have a 911, but we all have to start somewhere and it will be my first car - so a fun first car I reckon.
Hopefully this will be an end to the frustrating dreamer cycle and I will scratch my porker itch. I'm considering a 944. £1,500 budget.
What I'm looking for is a 944 that is mechanically/fundamentally straight and that (all things being equal) won't cause me much grief/expense over the next say 12 months and that I can sell in say 12 months time for about the same (or not much less) than I bought it for. I am fully expecting it to be rough around the edges appearance-wise, as, let's face it, £1,500 isn't a lot of money for a car that was nearly £40k in the eighties.
So clearly the car isn't going to be anywhere near mint. However, the priority for me is for it to be mechanically straight in the first place, with all big (money-wise) items sorted. I can then tart it up over time if I choose to.
I've read a lot about them, and I've lurked in the Pistonheads Porsche forum for ages, so I know to buy on condition condition condition and get it inspected by someone who knows 944s in order to buy a straight well-sorted car not a money pit.
I'm looking for:
- 944 coupe
- manual
- white or red or silver (there is a silvery gray colour I have seen that I really like - it was the colour on the "wheeler dealer" programme 944 they turned into a track car)
- NOT horrid brown interior
- would just be used at weekends - prob no more than 3,000 miles a year
The reason for my post is as follows:
1. to be informed as to whether my £1,500 mechanically straight well sorted 944 is a pipe-dream or not and whether running it on a modest budget once purchased is also a pipe-dream;
2. if it is a pipe-dream, to be pointed to similar kinds of cheap, fun weekend cars as ideas;
3. to be informed as to which of the 944 models I should be going for given the above price (obv Turbos and S2s would be too expensive anyway) - mechanically straight/reliable more important than faster model;
4. to be pointed to some potential 944s for sale that meet my criteria;
5. to be pointed to a company / person who knows 944s that I could either buy one off or who would go and take a look at one I intend to buy to tell me if it's a straight car or not;
6. to be pointed to a company / person who could help with the maintenance of the car once I've bought;
7. general advice throughout the purchase process
8. following purchase, hints and tips as to things like good value tyres, where to get a nice sounding exhaust etc. I might do a running report on the car when eventually bought.
I live in London if that would make a difference as to any of the above answers.
Thanks for your help!
I am a serial lurker on the pistonheads porsche forum and a serial car day-dreamer (mainly Porsche), and am trying to get my act together and actually buy one, as I am frustrating myself by continuously looking at different kinds of cars at different kinds of budgets and reading up on them and then not buying them!
One day I will have a 911, but we all have to start somewhere and it will be my first car - so a fun first car I reckon.
Hopefully this will be an end to the frustrating dreamer cycle and I will scratch my porker itch. I'm considering a 944. £1,500 budget.
What I'm looking for is a 944 that is mechanically/fundamentally straight and that (all things being equal) won't cause me much grief/expense over the next say 12 months and that I can sell in say 12 months time for about the same (or not much less) than I bought it for. I am fully expecting it to be rough around the edges appearance-wise, as, let's face it, £1,500 isn't a lot of money for a car that was nearly £40k in the eighties.
So clearly the car isn't going to be anywhere near mint. However, the priority for me is for it to be mechanically straight in the first place, with all big (money-wise) items sorted. I can then tart it up over time if I choose to.
I've read a lot about them, and I've lurked in the Pistonheads Porsche forum for ages, so I know to buy on condition condition condition and get it inspected by someone who knows 944s in order to buy a straight well-sorted car not a money pit.
I'm looking for:
- 944 coupe
- manual
- white or red or silver (there is a silvery gray colour I have seen that I really like - it was the colour on the "wheeler dealer" programme 944 they turned into a track car)
- NOT horrid brown interior
- would just be used at weekends - prob no more than 3,000 miles a year
The reason for my post is as follows:
1. to be informed as to whether my £1,500 mechanically straight well sorted 944 is a pipe-dream or not and whether running it on a modest budget once purchased is also a pipe-dream;
2. if it is a pipe-dream, to be pointed to similar kinds of cheap, fun weekend cars as ideas;
3. to be informed as to which of the 944 models I should be going for given the above price (obv Turbos and S2s would be too expensive anyway) - mechanically straight/reliable more important than faster model;
4. to be pointed to some potential 944s for sale that meet my criteria;
5. to be pointed to a company / person who knows 944s that I could either buy one off or who would go and take a look at one I intend to buy to tell me if it's a straight car or not;
6. to be pointed to a company / person who could help with the maintenance of the car once I've bought;
7. general advice throughout the purchase process
8. following purchase, hints and tips as to things like good value tyres, where to get a nice sounding exhaust etc. I might do a running report on the car when eventually bought.
I live in London if that would make a difference as to any of the above answers.
Thanks for your help!
Edited by Chunk49 on Thursday 2nd February 16:24
Edited by Chunk49 on Thursday 2nd February 16:25
Edited by Chunk49 on Thursday 2nd February 16:32
Edited by Chunk49 on Thursday 2nd February 16:32
So to sum up, you want a 30odd year old car for £1500 that won't cost you anything in repairs in 12 months and to be able to sell it for the same amount you paid for it in 12 months, IMO I think you are dreaming, you would be lucky to do that with a £40k+ car let alone £1.5k. Could be a long search.
Can you do work on it yourself? Massive difference as labour rates around London are likely to be £65 plus vat or more. Don't be too fussy on colours or interior colour; there's no point passing over a good car just because it's got a brown interior if it's a short-term prospect. Different if it's a car you might keep ten years and plan to put money in to.
Only consider the Lux, early ones seem to be better bargains as the interior is more "period", although some prefer it. Rusty sills will cost a lot (check internally), clutch is a lot of labour, probably close on a grand to get it done, belts need doing every four years even on low-mileage cars so if they are due expect a big bill for that service.
Other than that they're just another old car so you need to buy well, but expect to have niggly things to repair and don't expect a mint car for that money. They do polish up well, so get to a few meets and see some different cars. Owners will happily show you what to look for.
Personally? I'd also look at 924S. It's the Porsche engine from the 944 in a lighter shell, and a real bargain. If you really want the wider arches of a 944 then fine, but don't discount it. Amazing cars, I miss my Lux and always say it was arguably more fun on the real-life roads than my current S2.
Only consider the Lux, early ones seem to be better bargains as the interior is more "period", although some prefer it. Rusty sills will cost a lot (check internally), clutch is a lot of labour, probably close on a grand to get it done, belts need doing every four years even on low-mileage cars so if they are due expect a big bill for that service.
Other than that they're just another old car so you need to buy well, but expect to have niggly things to repair and don't expect a mint car for that money. They do polish up well, so get to a few meets and see some different cars. Owners will happily show you what to look for.
Personally? I'd also look at 924S. It's the Porsche engine from the 944 in a lighter shell, and a real bargain. If you really want the wider arches of a 944 then fine, but don't discount it. Amazing cars, I miss my Lux and always say it was arguably more fun on the real-life roads than my current S2.
doneitnow said:
So to sum up, you want a 30odd year old car for £1500 that won't cost you anything in repairs in 12 months and to be able to sell it for the same amount you paid for it in 12 months, IMO I think you are dreaming, you would be lucky to do that with a £40k+ car let alone £1.5k. Could be a long search.
I appreciate your straight talking - I do need advice. However, I think your summary was a bit extreme. In summary, I would like a 944 that is pretty rough around the edges appearance-wise, but is mechanically straight, for £1,500. All things being equal (I realise luck can play a big part i.e. if something expensive fails when it is fairly new and so shouldn't), it would be great if (given the car has clearly done pretty much all of its depreciation when I buy it) in a fairly short time period (say 12 months but could equally be 2 years) I could sell it for not much less than I paid for it (unless bad luck intervenes and something big goes bang).
If my edited version of your summary is still a pipe-dream - please do tell me as I will need to look at other cars.
Thanks for your help.
pauljmcnulty said:
Can you do work on it yourself? Massive difference as labour rates around London are likely to be £65 plus vat or more. Don't be too fussy on colours or interior colour; there's no point passing over a good car just because it's got a brown interior if it's a short-term prospect. Different if it's a car you might keep ten years and plan to put money in to.
Only consider the Lux, early ones seem to be better bargains as the interior is more "period", although some prefer it. Rusty sills will cost a lot (check internally), clutch is a lot of labour, probably close on a grand to get it done, belts need doing every four years even on low-mileage cars so if they are due expect a big bill for that service.
Other than that they're just another old car so you need to buy well, but expect to have niggly things to repair and don't expect a mint car for that money. They do polish up well, so get to a few meets and see some different cars. Owners will happily show you what to look for.
Personally? I'd also look at 924S. It's the Porsche engine from the 944 in a lighter shell, and a real bargain. If you really want the wider arches of a 944 then fine, but don't discount it. Amazing cars, I miss my Lux and always say it was arguably more fun on the real-life roads than my current S2.
Thanks - that's really helpful and some food for though. Only consider the Lux, early ones seem to be better bargains as the interior is more "period", although some prefer it. Rusty sills will cost a lot (check internally), clutch is a lot of labour, probably close on a grand to get it done, belts need doing every four years even on low-mileage cars so if they are due expect a big bill for that service.
Other than that they're just another old car so you need to buy well, but expect to have niggly things to repair and don't expect a mint car for that money. They do polish up well, so get to a few meets and see some different cars. Owners will happily show you what to look for.
Personally? I'd also look at 924S. It's the Porsche engine from the 944 in a lighter shell, and a real bargain. If you really want the wider arches of a 944 then fine, but don't discount it. Amazing cars, I miss my Lux and always say it was arguably more fun on the real-life roads than my current S2.
Well....I think in my head I would try to work on the car myself, but as I don't have my own garage and have never worked on a car before and am generally the least practical man I know....the reality is I will probably need to paid help with it, at least to show me what to do. I am keen on getting my hands dirty with it though and for me that would add to the appeal.
As an example of how not practical I am - I have read lots about the sills and the belts, but I'm not actually sure what the sills and the belts are!?
I must say though I am set on the wider arches of the 944 so don't want the 924 - that is exactly the appear to me - I think they're really good looking cars and I always remember seeing them in 80s films as a kind.
I'm carless at the mo as it is my first car so difficult to get to meets but I intend to go when I eventually have the car. It will also be difficult for me to go and view cars generally as I work a lot and as I say am carless.
If the eventual car is located in the North West I have family up there that could take a look, but to be honest, I would rather pay a professional to check it over - can you recommend anyone? Also, can you recommend anyone that either has a 944 for sale or regular sources 944s?
As an example, what do you think of this:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
I reckon I could just about get it for £1,500 with a bit of haggling, but I would want a professional to check it over for me first, but at this point I have no idea who to contact.
Edited by Chunk49 on Thursday 2nd February 16:46
Edited by Chunk49 on Thursday 2nd February 16:47
Chunk49 said:
I appreciate your straight talking - I do need advice. However, I think your summary was a bit extreme.
In summary, I would like a 944 that is pretty rough around the edges appearance-wise, but is mechanically straight, for £1,500. All things being equal (I realise luck can play a big part i.e. if something expensive fails when it is fairly new and so shouldn't), it would be great if (given the car has clearly done pretty much all of its depreciation when I buy it) in a fairly short time period (say 12 months but could equally be 2 years) I could sell it for not much less than I paid for it (unless bad luck intervenes and something big goes bang).
If my edited version of your summary is still a pipe-dream - please do tell me as I will need to look at other cars.
Thanks for your help.
Hi mate, sorry if you think it was extreme, just my personal thoughts/opinion. I think you will be hard pushed/extremely lucky to find a car that old and cheap and not have any expenditure on it. In summary, I would like a 944 that is pretty rough around the edges appearance-wise, but is mechanically straight, for £1,500. All things being equal (I realise luck can play a big part i.e. if something expensive fails when it is fairly new and so shouldn't), it would be great if (given the car has clearly done pretty much all of its depreciation when I buy it) in a fairly short time period (say 12 months but could equally be 2 years) I could sell it for not much less than I paid for it (unless bad luck intervenes and something big goes bang).
If my edited version of your summary is still a pipe-dream - please do tell me as I will need to look at other cars.
Thanks for your help.
You will be lucky to find one with everything done that isn't rusty for that money.
Having said that you could be lucky and have nothing happen in that year. As a guide, 3 1/2 years ago I bought a Silver/Grey 944 for £1800 with 180K on the clock to use as a daily driver/family car. It also had 11 months MOT which helps.
I seemed ok when I saw it, although ran a little rough and the clutch peddle stayed down every now and then, but everything worked apart from the clock.
To start with I had the clutch cylinder replaced and the fluid replaced, so that fixed that problem and it was checked out at the same time.
Come the end of the first year it needed new tyres, a windscreen washer pump, button on the end of the hand brake and a little welding on the cills, total bill was about £400. It sailed through the last MOT with no issues
I have since bought a new batter and replaced the rear brakes so about another £400 as I couldn't get them off myself. I have done my own oil and filter change which was quite cheap.
So now the car has been used to two years as a family car, holidays included done a track day, another one coming up and now has 210K on the clock.
Issues, well the previous own had some paint done to make it look good, so bubbles are appearing, the cloth interior is wripped on the seats, it smokes on the over run and use a fair bit of oil on long runs, has a small oil leak, needs new shocks and I suspect will need work doing to the rear suspenion mounts.
So you could get a car at the value that you want, but to get a good one is going to be difficult and you are going to have to accept that something will be wrong somewhere and there is going to be a risk that it could bite you big time in a year of ownership.
The upside, is that you only spend £1500, you haven't lost a lot and could scrap the thing if it all went horribly wrong, but you you will have a ball whilst it is running. They are hugely good fun to drive and very complementary. Suprisingly they also draw some attention.
And don't forget the pop up headlights, they rock.
Only other issue I can think of, is that you said it would be your first car, if so and you are under 25 then insurance is potentially going to be an issue. You can't get classic on a first car and you have to be over 25.
Having said that I insured mine with Aviva for the first two years for about £220 a year, now on classic at £100 a year, but then I am 40.
Having said that you could be lucky and have nothing happen in that year. As a guide, 3 1/2 years ago I bought a Silver/Grey 944 for £1800 with 180K on the clock to use as a daily driver/family car. It also had 11 months MOT which helps.
I seemed ok when I saw it, although ran a little rough and the clutch peddle stayed down every now and then, but everything worked apart from the clock.
To start with I had the clutch cylinder replaced and the fluid replaced, so that fixed that problem and it was checked out at the same time.
Come the end of the first year it needed new tyres, a windscreen washer pump, button on the end of the hand brake and a little welding on the cills, total bill was about £400. It sailed through the last MOT with no issues
I have since bought a new batter and replaced the rear brakes so about another £400 as I couldn't get them off myself. I have done my own oil and filter change which was quite cheap.
So now the car has been used to two years as a family car, holidays included done a track day, another one coming up and now has 210K on the clock.
Issues, well the previous own had some paint done to make it look good, so bubbles are appearing, the cloth interior is wripped on the seats, it smokes on the over run and use a fair bit of oil on long runs, has a small oil leak, needs new shocks and I suspect will need work doing to the rear suspenion mounts.
So you could get a car at the value that you want, but to get a good one is going to be difficult and you are going to have to accept that something will be wrong somewhere and there is going to be a risk that it could bite you big time in a year of ownership.
The upside, is that you only spend £1500, you haven't lost a lot and could scrap the thing if it all went horribly wrong, but you you will have a ball whilst it is running. They are hugely good fun to drive and very complementary. Suprisingly they also draw some attention.
And don't forget the pop up headlights, they rock.
Only other issue I can think of, is that you said it would be your first car, if so and you are under 25 then insurance is potentially going to be an issue. You can't get classic on a first car and you have to be over 25.
Having said that I insured mine with Aviva for the first two years for about £220 a year, now on classic at £100 a year, but then I am 40.
The white car in the autotrader link looks, erm, challenging.
S2 front bumper which doesn't fit properly and the rear vallance from, I think, a turbo that seems to be in a different shade of white. It has the brown interior you don't want. The logos on the doors are not, in my view, a good look. The rear wiper looks wonky. It looks like more of a dog than Lassie. And I'm trying to be kind. May be the photos don't do it justice, the accompanying text is hardly informative.
I think you could source a better 944 lux for £1500 but take Paul's advice and go into it with your eyes open.
S2 front bumper which doesn't fit properly and the rear vallance from, I think, a turbo that seems to be in a different shade of white. It has the brown interior you don't want. The logos on the doors are not, in my view, a good look. The rear wiper looks wonky. It looks like more of a dog than Lassie. And I'm trying to be kind. May be the photos don't do it justice, the accompanying text is hardly informative.
I think you could source a better 944 lux for £1500 but take Paul's advice and go into it with your eyes open.
Keep an eye on the private classifieds you might find a bargain.
You wont get one from a dealer at that budget its not worth the risk of retailing them at that price.
Remember £1500 is the price of a set of tyres and a service on an M3 so dont be expecting too much from a £1500 Porsche.
If it was me I'd wait until you had a bit more money say £2.5k then you might find an S2 (3.0) which is a quick, more modern car.
Buy on condition and recent history, not mileage or colour.
£2.5k is the bottom of the market for an S2 but I would rather have an S2 that had done 200,000 miles with lots of recent history for £2.5k than a £1500 but older pre S2 with lower mileage or patchy history example.
You wont get one from a dealer at that budget its not worth the risk of retailing them at that price.
Remember £1500 is the price of a set of tyres and a service on an M3 so dont be expecting too much from a £1500 Porsche.
If it was me I'd wait until you had a bit more money say £2.5k then you might find an S2 (3.0) which is a quick, more modern car.
Buy on condition and recent history, not mileage or colour.
£2.5k is the bottom of the market for an S2 but I would rather have an S2 that had done 200,000 miles with lots of recent history for £2.5k than a £1500 but older pre S2 with lower mileage or patchy history example.
doneitnow said:
Hi mate, sorry if you think it was extreme, just my personal thoughts/opinion. I think you will be hard pushed/extremely lucky to find a car that old and cheap and not have any expenditure on it.
No worries at all - I was being genuine when I said thanks for the straight talking. I realise there will inevitably be some expenditure required on it at some point in terms of maintenance given its age but I'm hoping to mitigate that by (a) buying it cheaply in the first place (as I could spend double and still have the bills); and (b) making sure a buy one that is a straight example.
One that note - can you recommend any 944 experts who would inspect it for me?
Thanks for the advice on the autotrader add - that's one I can certainly knock off the list.
Can anyone recommend a specialist to inspect the car for me?
Re the budget - I know it would prob be better to spend a bit more and get a slightly better condition/later one - but then the "man-maths" downward spiral kicks in and people either end up spending far more than they did to start with or end up not buying anything at all!
I LOVE the pop-up headlights!
Can anyone recommend a specialist to inspect the car for me?
Re the budget - I know it would prob be better to spend a bit more and get a slightly better condition/later one - but then the "man-maths" downward spiral kicks in and people either end up spending far more than they did to start with or end up not buying anything at all!
I LOVE the pop-up headlights!
Chunk49 said:
One that note - can you recommend any 944 experts who would inspect it for me?
You dont use experts to inspect £1500 bangers! If you find an 'expert' to inspect your £1,500 Porsche he is going to charge you £350 and then tell you its an old worn out banger with a long list of potential problems which you can take your chances on - but he wont be guaranteeing its reliability.
Chunk49 said:
As an example, what do you think of this:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
I reckon I could just about get it for £1,500 with a bit of haggling, but I would want a professional to check it over for me first, but at this point I have no idea who to contact.
My first thought would be to run away. It's got an "S" badge on, which means it's the early 16-valve version. These aren't any faster than a lux but have the 16-valve gear that needs more money spent on it. If it's had a recent overhaul then it could be worth it, but another complication you don't need. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
I reckon I could just about get it for £1,500 with a bit of haggling, but I would want a professional to check it over for me first, but at this point I have no idea who to contact.
The front bumper is a later one, it doesn't fit properly (look at where the wings join on), and doesn't point towards a well cared-for car. There's not enough detail in the ad, it could very well be a nice car or it could be on it's last legs.
There are some really nice ones out there, but they're hidden amongst the rubbish. As with any older car. Any garage can look the car over, a specialist will charge more and to be honest taking it for an MOT is going to tell you whether the bodywork is sound. It's all about recent history; look for the obsessive owner who's serviced it properly, and looked after it. A lot of people say car club members are anal, but that's exactly what you want from a seller. Rows of Club stickers in the window, a thick file of receipts for every item, that sort of thing.
Lurk around the 944 forums on PCGB and Tipec for a while and you'll learn everything to look for, and see how other owners are getting on. Most cars now seem to sell through PH, although a lot of owners have silly values in mind.
supersport said:
You will be lucky to find one with everything done that isn't rusty for that money.
Having said that you could be lucky and have nothing happen in that year. As a guide, 3 1/2 years ago I bought a Silver/Grey 944 for £1800 with 180K on the clock to use as a daily driver/family car. It also had 11 months MOT which helps.
I seemed ok when I saw it, although ran a little rough and the clutch peddle stayed down every now and then, but everything worked apart from the clock.
To start with I had the clutch cylinder replaced and the fluid replaced, so that fixed that problem and it was checked out at the same time.
Come the end of the first year it needed new tyres, a windscreen washer pump, button on the end of the hand brake and a little welding on the cills, total bill was about £400. It sailed through the last MOT with no issues
I have since bought a new batter and replaced the rear brakes so about another £400 as I couldn't get them off myself. I have done my own oil and filter change which was quite cheap.
So now the car has been used to two years as a family car, holidays included done a track day, another one coming up and now has 210K on the clock.
Issues, well the previous own had some paint done to make it look good, so bubbles are appearing, the cloth interior is wripped on the seats, it smokes on the over run and use a fair bit of oil on long runs, has a small oil leak, needs new shocks and I suspect will need work doing to the rear suspenion mounts.
So you could get a car at the value that you want, but to get a good one is going to be difficult and you are going to have to accept that something will be wrong somewhere and there is going to be a risk that it could bite you big time in a year of ownership.
The upside, is that you only spend £1500, you haven't lost a lot and could scrap the thing if it all went horribly wrong, but you you will have a ball whilst it is running. They are hugely good fun to drive and very complementary. Suprisingly they also draw some attention.
And don't forget the pop up headlights, they rock.
Only other issue I can think of, is that you said it would be your first car, if so and you are under 25 then insurance is potentially going to be an issue. You can't get classic on a first car and you have to be over 25.
Having said that I insured mine with Aviva for the first two years for about £220 a year, now on classic at £100 a year, but then I am 40.
Thanks for taking the time to post - that's a useful eye opener! Having said that you could be lucky and have nothing happen in that year. As a guide, 3 1/2 years ago I bought a Silver/Grey 944 for £1800 with 180K on the clock to use as a daily driver/family car. It also had 11 months MOT which helps.
I seemed ok when I saw it, although ran a little rough and the clutch peddle stayed down every now and then, but everything worked apart from the clock.
To start with I had the clutch cylinder replaced and the fluid replaced, so that fixed that problem and it was checked out at the same time.
Come the end of the first year it needed new tyres, a windscreen washer pump, button on the end of the hand brake and a little welding on the cills, total bill was about £400. It sailed through the last MOT with no issues
I have since bought a new batter and replaced the rear brakes so about another £400 as I couldn't get them off myself. I have done my own oil and filter change which was quite cheap.
So now the car has been used to two years as a family car, holidays included done a track day, another one coming up and now has 210K on the clock.
Issues, well the previous own had some paint done to make it look good, so bubbles are appearing, the cloth interior is wripped on the seats, it smokes on the over run and use a fair bit of oil on long runs, has a small oil leak, needs new shocks and I suspect will need work doing to the rear suspenion mounts.
So you could get a car at the value that you want, but to get a good one is going to be difficult and you are going to have to accept that something will be wrong somewhere and there is going to be a risk that it could bite you big time in a year of ownership.
The upside, is that you only spend £1500, you haven't lost a lot and could scrap the thing if it all went horribly wrong, but you you will have a ball whilst it is running. They are hugely good fun to drive and very complementary. Suprisingly they also draw some attention.
And don't forget the pop up headlights, they rock.
Only other issue I can think of, is that you said it would be your first car, if so and you are under 25 then insurance is potentially going to be an issue. You can't get classic on a first car and you have to be over 25.
Having said that I insured mine with Aviva for the first two years for about £220 a year, now on classic at £100 a year, but then I am 40.
On cost my thinking is that of a car of this type, the purchase price acts as a stop-loss as far as I'm concered. So, if I buy one for £1,500, then the maxiumum I can lose is £1,500 if it goes bang and would cost lots to fix. If I buy one for £2,000, and it goes bang and costs lots to fix, my loss has increased to £2,000. In all likely the loss would obviously be less in both cases due to scrap value / sell it for parts etc.
On the insurance - I am 26, but live in London and first car so no NCB, so insurance is a complete pain in the proverbial, but I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet. Although I had mistakenly thought I'd be able to get a classic policy for a few hundred quid - are you sure all classic insurers won't insure a first car? Do you mean 'first car' in the sense of not your weekend car (being a 'second car') or do you mean 'first car' in the sense of literally if it is the first car the driver has owned like in my case?
Thanks!
rallycross said:
You dont use experts to inspect £1500 bangers!
If you find an 'expert' to inspect your £1,500 Porsche he is going to charge you £350 and then tell you its an old worn out banger with a long list of potential problems which you can take your chances on - but he wont be guaranteeing its reliability.
A good point well made! Please keep them coming - all advice appreciated. If you find an 'expert' to inspect your £1,500 Porsche he is going to charge you £350 and then tell you its an old worn out banger with a long list of potential problems which you can take your chances on - but he wont be guaranteeing its reliability.
Budget creep is always an issue. There is a very nice looking S2 for sale on the PCGB forum website which looks mint and by the sounds of it has had the all important belts / rollers done on it but he wants £3250 for it. If it's as good as the ad says, that may be a cheaper proposition to run than a "cheap" car? Of course, it's more than double your budget though!!
Chunk49 said:
On the insurance - I am 26, but live in London and first car so no NCB, so insurance is a complete pain in the proverbial, but I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet. Although I had mistakenly thought I'd be able to get a classic policy for a few hundred quid - are you sure all classic insurers won't insure a first car? Do you mean 'first car' in the sense of not your weekend car (being a 'second car') or do you mean 'first car' in the sense of literally if it is the first car the driver has owned like in my case?
Thanks!
You can't get classic insurance on an only car, it has to be a second, I think. Could be wrong on that one though.Thanks!
If you were to buy that car in Rob's post for, say £3k, hedge your bets that it is a good sorted one, then run it for 12 months and then sell for at least 1500... That would have lost no more than £1500 in costs, which is the maximum loss you are looking to take.
That would work wouldn't it? Chancing it a bit with the costs, but perhaps more certain of less loss than a real banger which might need lots of work. If that makes sense..??
That would work wouldn't it? Chancing it a bit with the costs, but perhaps more certain of less loss than a real banger which might need lots of work. If that makes sense..??
rob.kellock said:
Budget creep is always an issue. There is a very nice looking S2 for sale on the PCGB forum website which looks mint and by the sounds of it has had the all important belts / rollers done on it but he wants £3250 for it. If it's as good as the ad says, that may be a cheaper proposition to run than a "cheap" car? Of course, it's more than double your budget though!!
Thanks pal - that does look gorgeous. However, for me £3k plus is serious money - I could afford it - and more if I wanted - but I wouldn't then be able to treat as a weekend toy that I could rattle around in - I'd be worried to death every funny sound or thought of something expensive going, whereas, £1,500 - in my mind - is a fairly disposable sum. It's a difficult one isn't it! The point being that you could buy a mint S2 for £3k plus and by luck of the draw could still end up having to throw a load of money at it, and feeling pressured to do so as the alternative would be to sell at potentially quite a big loss
Thoughts?
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