Help with a potential 944 S2 purchase in regard to rust

[Marc p]

Hi Guys,

Hoping someone on here may be able to offer some advice on a 944 S2 I would like to buy, the car in question is in the link below:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...

I have been on the phone to the guy who owns it and he was really nice and open about the car, it has had all the timing belt/chains and tensioners recently replaced, no clutch judder and the only advisories on the MOT were a handbrake cable(which he has had replaced) and slight corrosion on the front wings, it's all HPI clear and sounds good, with the only issue being a slight hum from a rear wheel bearing that needs replacing.

I asked him about rust on the sills and wings and he said that there was a couple of spots on the sills and front wings but offered to take some photo's for me and email me them through, including pics through the holes behind the grills in the door shuts, true to his word, he emailed me the below pics through, so I was hoping if anyone here could offer some advice on how much they would expect the sill/wing repairs to be judging by the below photo's and whether they think its a good buy, as unfortunately, it will be a 630 mile round trip to get the car so it's not something I can just pop round and see. The repairs would ideally be carried out at the end of summer after I have been enjoying the car and it goes off the road for winter.

Anyway, onto the pics:












I would greatly appreciate any advice.

Thanks

Marc

[DKL]

Inside looks remarkably clean, outside less so. Assuming they are of the same car (well you have to ask!) then hopefully a little grinding would isolate the areas of rot and they can be fixed fairly easily. You can get blisters under new paint which look like rust bubbles so might be hope there.

To me the two sets of pics don't quite go together but assuming they do then if the price is right then the fix will be needed soon but should be painless.

[NJH]

Camera angle isn't quite right, you need to be able to see down into the bottom corner where the rear facing drain / vent is. You can find that vent by shining a light in the wheel arch in front of the tyre. Those inside shots are showing fairly high up on the inside of the rear quarter, I wouldn't expect to see any corrosion there as it always seems to be just around the bottom. Still though the corrosion on the outside doesn't look that bad and could in theory be tidied up by patching.

[pauljmcnulty]

Exactly what they said!

Why were the front wings an advisory? Seems odd. The rear is where the problems start, as it's the mounting area for the suspension and seatbelt that rots. It's a nice-looking S2, possibly worth checking whether the timing chain has been replaced, and if not that'll need doing. I'd have the cam condition checked if it's an original chain.

The rust is only going to be fully shown by stripping the car back, but I'd say it looks about the same as mine was. There are full pics on the PCGB 944 forum, it's worth avoiding looking at some of the real horror stories out there as most cars aren't too bad. If the inner sills and floor are gone then it's a big restoration, but most only need tidying.

The only problem is where to stop! I ended up with all bar the roof resprayed, but part was on a TP insurance claim. If the paint is otherwise good, you might well get away with just the bottom line along the stonechip paint being sprayed.

This is where you need the pics inside the sills. Clean and full of waxoyl, bite the seller's hand off. Some surface rust is expected, but deal with it ASAP. If you can see your feet through the sill you should run a mile.

[Dunk130TC]

Just had a quote to spray one front wing, repair both front wing bottoms and clean up one sill, total cost £400.

D

[Marc p]

Thanks guy's, really appreciate the feedback, think I might take the plunge, PayPal him a deposit and go up to see, drive and hopefully collect it at the weekend.

pauljmcnulty said:

possibly worth checking whether the timing chain has been replaced, and if not that'll need doing. I'd have the cam condition checked if it's an original chain.

Timing chain and tensioner was done with the timing belt and has the receipts to back it up, so all good there

I may ask to see if he can grab some photo's of the sill floor as I am guessing what is seen in the sill photo's provided is where the rear arch comes round and the camera needs to be angled down further?

Also, (and sorry about all the questions, I am a true newbie to these) where would someone suggest to take the car in the Yorkshire area for the sill repairs, or am I good with any reputable body shop?

Thanks

Marc

[Marc p]

Well the seller got back to me and said that he can't get enough angle through the inspection holes to get a photo of the base of the sill(which is fair enough as the inspection holes are quite small), I suppose it's a case of taking a small LED torch up there with me, however, he said he was pleasantly surprised to how clean it was inside, so I guess it's a case of crossed fingers that I don't waste a day and £100 in fuel to make the 640 mile round trip(the crazy stuff we do for cars eh ) and find out he lied/hid something from me.

Dunk130TC said:

Just had a quote to spray one front wing, repair both front wing bottoms and clean up one sill, total cost £400.

D

That's a nice price, where was that from if you don't mind me asking?

[Fat Albert]

Hi, I had my Turbo done a few years ago with a similar looking state and they cost me £600, it would have been less but it had crept up onto the rear wing by the time I got it in to do the work so they had to do a bit more.

The other area to check is on the rear between the number plate and the number plate lights as that can be a bit of a water/rust trap too

[Marc p]

Fat Albert said:

Hi, I had my Turbo done a few years ago with a similar looking state and they cost me £600, it would have been less but it had crept up onto the rear wing by the time I got it in to do the work so they had to do a bit more.

The other area to check is on the rear between the number plate and the number plate lights as that can be a bit of a water/rust trap too

That's good to hear, I suppose the problem is(like someone else mentioned further up), is to not read too much into the horror stories where the sill is pretty much non existant.

It does have a tiny small spot on the rear, just under the Porsche writing, but this doesn't really bother me as it's just going to be surface rust there and not something a quick sand and spray won't fix.

[tr7v8]

Fat Albert said:

Hi, I had my Turbo done a few years ago with a similar looking state and they cost me £600, it would have been less but it had crept up onto the rear wing by the time I got it in to do the work so they had to do a bit more.

The other area to check is on the rear between the number plate and the number plate lights as that can be a bit of a water/rust trap too

Also where the hatch pins go in as the drains block.

[pauljmcnulty]

Sounds a good one, and the seller is at least trying to help, which is often not the case!

You can get a camera phone in through the vent if your hands aren't too huge, he might be using a larger camera, or a Samsung Note.

[Dunk130TC]

Dunk130TC said:

Just had a quote to spray one front wing, repair both front wing bottoms and clean up one sill, total cost £400.

D

That's a nice price, where was that from if you don't mind me asking?

A local old school garage in my village, nr Reading. Think it may be a long way from Yorkshire!

[Marc p]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the input on the thread, I'm happy to report that I have put a deposit on the car and making the road trip on Saturday to collect it, so all being well, I shall be reporting back on Saturday night with some photos and me as a delighted new 944 owner .

Thanks

Marc

[pauljmcnulty]

Excellent, hope it is as good when you see it.

Get yourself to some of the 944 gatherings, there is a list on the PCGB forum, and probably on Tipec as well. There's a great community, and support network if something goes wrong!