Afternoon all. Thought I would post a question to people who would know best. I own a 1986 951 with 247K miles on it. I haven't been able to take care of it as I normally would because it's amazing how the money disappears when you get married and buy a house. So it isn't currently drivable and has a laundry list of required repairs. The main one being the clutch mount at the firewall.
Anyway, the list from Don's Autowerks totals $12K and I can't afford it. I do love the car and I can't bring myself to get it hauled to a recycling place. I don't have the tools, time or knowledge to fix it myself. Can it be fixed? Or should it be fixed? Any suggestions welcome.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Wow, where to start? The 944 turbo is a great car and it would be a shame to junk it. In fact, let me know if it comes to that and maybe I can scrape up enough cash to buy it from you. But if you want to hang on to it I guess the next question would be what exactly is wrong with it and what needs to be done to make it road worthy? I would be willing to help a fellow Porsche guy work on it but I'm no longer in the bay area(Sacramento). A lot of our guys are in the area and maybe somebody closer might be willing to help. If it is trim pieces and and interior things you need, we gut our cars and offload all the unused stuff cheap(it was hard to find a home for burgundy interior bits so they found their way to the dump).

I took my 911SC to Don when I lived there and he is very honest and thorough but he is used to dealing with customers who can spend a little more than the average guy so his list of things that need to be done might be able to be trimmed down some. All of us 944 racers in Norcal take our cars to Art at Autopoint Motors in Point Richmond. He's not a "Porsche" only mechanic but he's is very good with 944's. He's built all of our motors and I for one couldn't happier. He is also VERY reasonably priced. It's worth the drive from Sac just to have him work on my car.

If you decide after all that you just need it gone(and you don't want me to have it!), give the guys at EASY Auto Salvage in Emeryville a call. I'm sure they'd be happy to come haul it away!

Good luck and if you want, you can email me directly with any questions.

Ron Dale @ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

p.s. A 944 turbo would make a great track/race car!

It really depends on how clean the body is and also the interior. Mechanically, things can always be fixed but most Porsche enthusiasts want a car that has never been painted and a clean interior, especially the seats and dash.

$12K sounds way too much money to invest into your 944 turbo because these cars are only worth between $4K to $8K. Does your car have LSD? Fuchs? These are some of the things that will increase the value of your car.

Art at Auto Point Motors is the man you need to see in regards to what needs to be done to have your 951 back in running condition. Even then, can you afford or do you even want to spend $5-$6K on your car?

Definitely don't just junk it. I am sure you can find someone willing to buy it in its as is condition for $1-$3K.

Hi,

If you have a interest in repairing the car do give Art at AutoPoint Motors a call. We all tried different shops in the Bay Area and they all were very expensive and the work was just "O.K.". AutoPoint is not a "Porsche" shop but I believe they are the best 944 shop in the Bay Area just because of the number of 944's they work on.
Art is very honest and fair and charges less than other shops because he bills for real time spent. In contrast try calling around other shops and get a quote for a water pump change, most shops will just read a shop quote manual and charge you X-hours even if it can be replaced in less time, now ask them to add on a timing and balance shaft belt change and again they'll read the quote manual and add the hours. This is double dipping because If you change the water pump, you need to remove the belts and at this point it makes no difference if they put back the old belts or put on new ones so why are they charging for the time as if they start from scratch?
I generally find AutoPoint to be half to as much as 3/4 cheaper than other shops. AutoPoint is the only shop I trust with my 944-SPEC race car regardless of price.

Regarding EASY (European Auto Salvage Yard), yes they do buy cars to cannibalize for parts but the flip side is they have a good supply of used parts to possibly repair your car at a fraction of the cost of new.

Good luck!