Project purchase

I'm new to the forum and don't yet have a 944 (I had one years ago and sold it due to lack of power). I've been trying to absorb as much info as possible and actively look for a good candidate for a conversion. I just found a car that had been started with lots of work done but he's giving up prior to completion so he's selling cheap. The 6 l motor is in and mounted but not all the accessories are connected so it doesn't run. Any advice on what to look for or look out for in deciding whether it might be a good idea in buying a project in work instead of doing it all myself? I'd very much appreciate any inputs- looking forward to making the plunge!
Bob

My project is in it's infancy, so keep that in mind...but these are the things I would consider

• what swap parts has he used/bought?
• is everything included to finish the job?
• what transaxle and transaxle related parts does he have?
• is the 6.0L an aluminum block LS2 or the iron block LQ4? does it run? is it stock?
• what year is the car?
• what wheels/tires are on the car? part of the reason i bought my particular car was I knew i could get some $$ for the Fuchs wheels
• does the rear hatch window seal?
• Is the suspension stock? Brakes stock?

For a price reference there was a nice LS swapped 944 for sale for $9k. It's hard to do it for that cheap and damn near impossible if you throw in suspension, wheels and tires, and brakes.

How much is he asking?

It's the lq4, 86 NA, sounds like all the parts but no suspension wheels etc. and no turbo trans. The paint looks marginal in the pics- he wants $7800. It's about a 10 hr drive round trip to look at it so I wanted to do some homework as quickly as possible.

I would get a list of parts from him before considering any further. For that money the parts he has and the overall condition of the car is critical.

Running, decent condition 944's can be had for $3k. So you have to determine if he's got almost $5k in parts.

For me, that car is right on the border of too much. If he had a TPC deluxe kit with the long tubes and the engine was freshly rebuilt from an engine shop I would probably go look at it. But anything less... I might pass up on.

The initial price seemed reasonable but my experience buying race cars and race car parts (in an earlier time) made me think you can get good used parts for 50% but you have to take everything apart to make certain you don't ruin something due to shoddy workmanship or a bad part put together just to sell. I wasn't sure whether this was really the right price. Thanks for the sanity check! I'll see if I can get a list of parts.

And remember that LQ4's can be had for $1000 on craigslist or junkyards. So try to figure out if he put any money into that too.

This was the response to asking about parts and condition.

"Needs power steering pump off a 98-02 z28 Camaro. (Don't have) need 12v constant and switch power hooked up. It's all there to hook up. Rest of exhaust ran from down pipe (choose your style) brake push rod (have it) throttle body adaptor (don't have) rest of valve cover modified. And needs coolant hoses (don't have) and oil filter relocation (don't have). The Porsche body is galvanized so they do not rust. Interior probably 8/10. "

Hard to find a nice LS swapped 944 for $9k. The most recent one that sold went for $16k. I wouldn't sell mine for less than $22k....

Yeah if you find one for 9k it wont be a good one. they aren't cheap to build well. I wouldnt sell mine for less than 30k... But I have quite a bit more than that into it. And I aint done.

Any update?

Here's to hoping I don't spend as much as some of these guys

I've got way more than $22k into mine as well....

I did not purchase the project I asked about. Based on inputs and the answers I got I decided to do my own conversion so I bought an 86 Turbo last weekend. I'm looking forward to learning and sharing if I learn anything. Thanks for the help!