924Board.org

[ProudGecko]

It's been a crazy year between graduating from college, getting married, and buying a house. Oh and I can't forget falling in love with all things motorcycle related.

Anyway, I've come to a junction in life related to my '88 924S. The car served me well through highschool and college and is now to the point that it needs some TLC. I've done all the regular maintenance along the way including new clutch and suspension components. I want to sell the car so that I can buy a second motorcycle (this one's for sport-touring). I need the car to pay for most of the bike which will be around $3000. My question to all of you is how much time/money should I put into fixing the car to sell it? The following is a list of things that need to be fixed from what I can remember.

1. It's that time again, the timing belt and water pump need to be replaced
2. The power steering system leaks, both the rack and the hoses
3. The car has developed an intermittent starting problem related to the flywheel sensors (if you jiggle the cables the car will start)
4. The driver's seat has a tear along one of the seems
5. I cut out a patch of metal right behind the driver's side front wheel to prevent the further spread of rust in that area. It's about a 5"x10" piece along the bottom where the rubberized paint is.
6. Headlight bulbs need to be replaced
7. Rubber bumperrettes were removed to paint the car a couple of years ago and never replaced because the bolts were rusty and sheered off
8. Minor rust in the front due to rock chips and more severe bubbling along the sides, again where the rubberized paint is.
9. A weird hazy spot developed right behind the passenger door after I went through a car wash, it could probably be buffed out but it may be a thin spot in the paint after the repaint (the car was painted by a highly recommended guy but I say it was a mistake)
10. The front and rear wipers quit working
11. The windshield sprayers are disconnected because the pump broke
12. Backup lights don't work (they never have since I've owned the car)
13. Passenger side window switch doesn't work (I cleaned the contacts once which fixed it for a couple of months)

There are other minor cosmetic things, especially inside the car (cracked dash, worn floor mats, etc.). The list seems long but other than the starting issue, waterpump/timing belt, and wipers it's in good running and driving condition

Sorry this post has gotten so long. I appreciate any feedback and advice. I love this car and it will kill me to get rid of it but I can't afford three toys, plus I don't have that much garage space. Ideally I'd sell the car to someone on this board or one like it, I don't want to car to be destroyed by some teenager that doesn't care about it.
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1988 Porsche 924S
1986 Kawasaki Concurs ZG1000
1984 Mercedes 190D
1973 Honda CB500

[Grenadiers]

You might have better luck finding that crazy teenager! 3000 is going to be difficult to get for your car. A lot of our cars are actually not driven much, we just work on them! My '87 from about 10 feet looks brand new. The interior certainly does, a couple very small vent cracks, nice black carpet, starts great, runs great, all electrical works, even the A/C, and it's only worth about 2000!

The '88 has a more powerful engine, but that's about it. Check out jaxed.com and then hit the Mash, and do a search for similar cars. 3000 is about right for a car that's in decent shape. Good luck though.
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'83 944 Track car.
'88 924S Track car.
'89 944 Turbo
2004 Winnebago Vectra monster RV
2012 Jeep Wrangler
2014 Kia Soul
2001 Ford F350 powerstroke

[ideola]

The sad truth is that you will be hard pressed to even come close to the $3K you want for your bike purchase, given what you've described, especially if you want to sell to someone on this or any other forum that is knowledgeable about these cars.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if you want top dollar for the car, your best bet is to put it up for sale in your local town and hope that someone comes along (like I did when I first got into these cars) that will be enamored of the badge, and won't believe what a good deal they just got on a Porsche The alternative is to sell it for MUCH less on one of these forums, knowing that it is much more likely to find a loving home and be properly maintained for years to come. The economic situation isn't doing you any favors either.

That said, many of the items on your list can be addressed with a minimum of effort. I would focus on taking care of as many of those issues as possible. Aside from the belt, none of those in and of themselves should be deal breakers, but you add them all up, and they will definitely erode the value of the car.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[gohim]

Sell it the way it is. While you may have done the maintenance that you thought was proper, it's obvious from your description that the car is in poor condition.

Proper rust repair will cost a thousand $$$ or more.

You would have over $4000 in repairs if you pay some to fix everything on the list, and then the car would be worth $3000.

Sell it for $500-$1000 as a beater or parts car.

[ProudGecko]

I already know that I won't get enough to cover the bike. From what it sounds like I'll be lucky to get half the money I need.

From the average Joe's perspective the electric issues are the most obvious and from my perspective they're the easiest/cheapest to fix. I know that the rust isn't worth fixing and I better not even try because I'm not going to paint the car again.

Gohim, I know you're a big advocate of replacing the water pump, belts, and rollers on schedule if not earlier. Well I'm just shy of 45,000 since I last replaced them. Should I replace it all again before I sell it, probably to some unsuspecting teenager (I live across the street from a highschool), or just let her go as is? I suppose the unsuspecting teenager won't know the difference and it'll only cost me more money then I'll get out of it.

I think I'll fix the small/cheap stuff to give a better perceived value and just sell it. I've waffled back and forth so many times now that I just need to get it out of my hair.
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1988 Porsche 924S
1986 Kawasaki Concurs ZG1000
1984 Mercedes 190D
1973 Honda CB500

[alexvex]

Post some pics!

I bought an 87 924S w/47k original miles on it for $2k...needed a thermostat. That was also 2 years ago with a good economy.

In the current economy you'd be hard pressed to get around $1k probably.

Like Dan said, I'd post it up for sale locally at $2k or so and see if you get any bites.
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--Alex--
1992 Porsche 968 (VW 2.5L I5 Turbo swap in the works)
1995 Audi 90 Quattro Sport (4.2L V8 Swap)
2010 Touareg TDI
Past Pcars: 80 931, 87 924S, 87 951

[gohim]

So the FOES is way overdue. Not worth performing, because doing it at this point will not raise the selling price of the car. If you pay $1500-$2000 to have the FOES done it will still be a $1000 car at best.

Post it for sale at $500-$1000 as a parts car, because it isn't worth fixing.

Be honest with anybody interested in buying it.

[ProudGecko]

I don't know why you would say that the FOES is "way overdue", I guess if I followed the ULTRA conservative rule of performing it every 30,000 than yes but based on the 45,000 mile schedule I'm right on time.

Also I do my own work on my car which saves a considerable amount of money. The two times it has been to a garage (both Porsche certified but not dealers) the car has come back with something more wrong than it started with so I don't trust anyone else to work on my car. I've done the FOES before and it wasn't a huge deal, it took me a weekend to do everything and I haven't had any troubles.

Honestly if the car is only worth $500-$1000 I will probably just keep it and slowly restore it over the next few years. I can come up with the money for the bike some other way.
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1988 Porsche 924S
1986 Kawasaki Concurs ZG1000
1984 Mercedes 190D
1973 Honda CB500