Feeler / advice regarding 1988 944 sale
 

It has been years since I posted. Glad to see the forums are still active.

I have a 1988 944 5-speed that I've owned for the last 15 years. In short, I'm thinking of parting ways with it, and curious what y'all thought it might be worth?

Extensive documentation (somewhere) from the previous owner, and I have all / most service records for the last 15 years. The odometer is broken (shocker) and reads 126k miles. I've put about 1k miles on a year, maybe more a while ago so it's comfortably under 160k miles if I had to put money on it.

All service in the past 10+ years performed at Intersport in Tysons/Ashburn.

Notable maintenance. The timing belt and water pump were serviced last year, with the adjustment / tightening redone in June 2024. All fluids replaced in June 2024 as well.

The timing belt and water pump have been replaced four or five times since I've owned the car. The rear brakes were rebuilt in 2022 iirc. At the same time we did the clutch and koni shocks front and rear.

The electronics all work, air conditioning and heat work, no notable fluid or water leaks. The cowl drains were cleaned in June to address minor water accumulation on the driver door sill.

Other major service includes the oil pan gasket, crank bearing replacement, fuel rail and regulator, front engine seals and pulleys. Those were performed primarily ten years ago now.

I can post pictures later. It's silver with black seats and gray/black door panels and gray carpet.

Is $14k too much??

Apologies for any spelling / grammar mistakes. Posting from a phone.

The unknown mileage will be a concern to many potential buyers. Might be worth repairing it. IIRC, as long as the speedometer is working, then its probably a broken plastic gear inside the guage.
Here's a pretty good video showing the replacement process.
The part is around $25. Just make sure you get the correct gear to match trans and axle.
And while the dash is apart, might be a good opportunity to upgrade the dash lighting to LED.

Also check your hatch glass to assess any delamination. OEM used a black paint/adhesive that was supposed to adhere the glass to the frame. UV breaks down the black material over time, and cracks/peels/crumbles. If owner isn't aware, eventually replaces the gas struts holding up the open hatch. The new strut pushes against the hatch frame causing the glass to move out of the channel at the top. In extreme cases, a gap can open that will leak. The picture below shows a gap. The dimples in the glass originally were at the frame channel, so gives you an idea if separation is happening.
Attachment 68176

Your number might be on the high side, but seems the 944 market has been all over the place. The high mileage will be a concern, but sounds like its been well taken care of.

A super clean car inside & out will appeal to many buyers. Consider a professional detailing, unless you've got dents, chips, fabric tears, cracked dash, etc. An S or S2 or Turbo would be more desirable, and more costly. A base 944 could do well if super clean and low mileage. I'm no market expert, just passing along what little I know.

Bought a clean S2 drop top for $11K a couple weeks ago.

Someone who sees 15 years of service records and understands the implications of purchasing a nearly 40 year old car will hopefully not be too put off by the unknown mileage. In my opinion, a functioning odometer is less valuable than being able to demonstrate that the car has been properly cared for while racking up invisible miles. Still, it is a pretty easy fix, and might be a nice to have for the next owner. And x2 on the upgrade to LEDs for the dash lighting. Help out a fellow Dorki and get everything you need at https://www.carmagic.us/.

Pricing is tough. I don't think starting a clean car at $14K is out of the question, but if I had to guess, I'd say it'll go for a little less. Just for another data point, I sold a very clean 1986 951 last September for $18K.

Thanks for the feedback. I attempted the odometer repair years ago and it would only stay functioning for a few hundred miles. I think the e clip is missing. I'll add that to the list of things to address this year. I updated the led lights when I did that, but went with blue, so it's different and may not appeal to everyone.

The back glass is still holding in there. Small amount of delamination on the driver side. I haven't found anyone willing to fix it, yet.

I'll get some pics tomorrow. It's not cosmetically perfect by any means, but it is mechanically well taken care of.

I bought a clean 1981 924 a few weeks ago, $3500.

It has 120k miles and the odometer works ;)

A quick look on BaT shows a few sales in the last two years ranging from $16.5 and RNM at $15.75 and $11. Your ask is in-line with the top of the market.

GLWYS

A few pics - https://photos.app.goo.gl/S82UnYCGCfy2DLJPA

Fluid on the ground is from the rain last night. Not sure what y'all consider a "clean" car. Also sounds like I'm a few grand over what they are going for currently. So I guess it'll be staying with me for another 10-15 years.

Pics wouldn't load for me (likely a work computer restriction).. but is this a "celebration edition"? it would have M757 on the build tag in the trunk. They were either silver or black with a special interior. I imagine in today's market they are worth a premium.

'88 has the 160hp motor and short 5th gear iirc.. so that's something..


And yeah. 944 prices are all over the place ever since the aircooled market exploded.

Hows the dash? cracks? Sunroof work? Stack of receipts are a plus for the enthusiast, but for a sale on Autotrader, it might not matter. all kinds of buyers out there.

$14 sounds high.. but easier to start high and negotiate down than the other way around. fwiw, reading just the tread title I thought.. hmm. could be a $5-7k 944 to enjoy for myself.. $10+ can snag anything from 944S, S2, Turbo depending on condition.

Like VG mentioned, I did see an S2 cab on Cargurus in the 10-12K range.. some others in the 10-15K range..

Odd that the photos won't load, it's a Google photos share. Minor dash cracks, minor wear on the driver seat. Sunroof works. It is a celebration edition, we determined that years ago.

I pulled $14k out of the air based on a handful of 944 listings I found online. Maybe I'll just do some DE's in it like I originally planned, and stop thinking anyone will care how well taken care of it is.

A friend of mine sold a very nicely kept Celebration Edition on Cars and Bids last year. Hammered at $12K.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/KPJ...88-porsche-944