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Some years ago, I was actively searching Craigslist daily for something "cool". On March 16th 2015 I stumbled onto something interesting, a 1987 Porsche 944 Turbo. I didn't have any experience with these cars, only thing that I knew was what my older brother told me. Close to 20 years ago, my older brothers friend had a 944 Turbo and I listened with interest the stories my brother told me back then. There were stories of being pushed off the road by truckers since the car was so low and truckers didn't see it. There were stories of the boost kicking in, high speed runs on the highway and a story of not being pulled over because of a few well executed turns and a more than a few seconds of the turbo shoving air into the cylinders. I was almost a teenager when the stories were told, who knows how much of them are true but I remembered the slick, low sitting 944 Turbo in red.
The seller of this particular 951 didn't know what he had. From my understanding, the car was owned by a older gentleman, as part of his multiple Porsche collection. When the gentleman passed away, the seller received this car for free from the estate. For the next 3-4 years the 951 was driven and neglected. There are no maintenance records for those years and per sellers words, he didn't do any maintenance. As with any of these older cars, the cars condition deteriorated and it started having issues. At some point the seller decided it was best just to sell the car and since he didn't know what he had, it was listed for a particular attractive price. I was first to show up since the car was listed on a Monday, I was interested in the 951 but I just didn't have the money. I talked to the seller and found out that the timing belt was last done in 2003 when these timing belts should be done every 4 years. We came to an agreement that when I start and test drive the 951, if the timing belt lets go, I just walk away. The 951 started and I drove it, a/c wasn't working and turbo wasn't spooling as it should, also it sounded like the header had a leak. I thanked the seller and went home, I liked the car but knowing the stories 951 guys tell about maintenance costs, I just wasn't too interested. After a few conversations with the seller, we came up with a price that we were both happy with.
That Friday, March 20th 2015, I borrowed a trailer and went to pick up the 951. Once the cash was handed over, I winched the car onto the trailer, stopped by the tag office to transfer the title with the seller and towed the 951 home, to a storage unit. Since that purchase day, the 951 has been sitting in a storage unit, waiting for me to get to it. Since I am making plans to give up the storage unit, I towed the 951 home to start working on it. I am hoping by its 3rd birthday with me, it will finally drive.
951s paint is faded from sitting in the sun and it has a few dents. The most attractive part is the original 58k miles that is proven with Carfax, odometer, inspection receipts and repair receipts. That is the reason I decided to purchase the 951.
Pictures from the Craigslists ad.
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Picture of the 951 at it's new house, December 2017.
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Total cost of project:
1987 Porsche 944 Turbo: $4700
- Front engine reseal kit: $190.35
- Porsche grease: $40.93
- Porsche coolant: $35.45
- Camshaft cap gasket: $0.81
- Waterpump and timing belt kit w/ Gates belt: $549.36
- ArnnWorx Specialty Tools kit(for timing belt change): $315.83
$5,832.73
The seller of this particular 951 didn't know what he had. From my understanding, the car was owned by a older gentleman, as part of his multiple Porsche collection. When the gentleman passed away, the seller received this car for free from the estate. For the next 3-4 years the 951 was driven and neglected. There are no maintenance records for those years and per sellers words, he didn't do any maintenance. As with any of these older cars, the cars condition deteriorated and it started having issues. At some point the seller decided it was best just to sell the car and since he didn't know what he had, it was listed for a particular attractive price. I was first to show up since the car was listed on a Monday, I was interested in the 951 but I just didn't have the money. I talked to the seller and found out that the timing belt was last done in 2003 when these timing belts should be done every 4 years. We came to an agreement that when I start and test drive the 951, if the timing belt lets go, I just walk away. The 951 started and I drove it, a/c wasn't working and turbo wasn't spooling as it should, also it sounded like the header had a leak. I thanked the seller and went home, I liked the car but knowing the stories 951 guys tell about maintenance costs, I just wasn't too interested. After a few conversations with the seller, we came up with a price that we were both happy with.
That Friday, March 20th 2015, I borrowed a trailer and went to pick up the 951. Once the cash was handed over, I winched the car onto the trailer, stopped by the tag office to transfer the title with the seller and towed the 951 home, to a storage unit. Since that purchase day, the 951 has been sitting in a storage unit, waiting for me to get to it. Since I am making plans to give up the storage unit, I towed the 951 home to start working on it. I am hoping by its 3rd birthday with me, it will finally drive.
951s paint is faded from sitting in the sun and it has a few dents. The most attractive part is the original 58k miles that is proven with Carfax, odometer, inspection receipts and repair receipts. That is the reason I decided to purchase the 951.
Pictures from the Craigslists ad.
Picture of the 951 at it's new house, December 2017.
Total cost of project:
1987 Porsche 944 Turbo: $4700
- Front engine reseal kit: $190.35
- Porsche grease: $40.93
- Porsche coolant: $35.45
- Camshaft cap gasket: $0.81
- Waterpump and timing belt kit w/ Gates belt: $549.36
- ArnnWorx Specialty Tools kit(for timing belt change): $315.83
$5,832.73
. They're one of my favourite cars from my childhood, looking forward to where this thread goes!
