6SpeedOnline - Porsche Forum and Luxury Car Resource - FS: 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo (951)

Up for sale is my 1986 944 Turbo. I purchased this car with the idea of it being another project car or potentially turning it into a track car. I've been more dedicated to my other 911's and just haven't had the time to dedicate towards this car so up for sale it goes. I'm an honest seller and I believe in full transparency, so will be as detailed as I can to help find it a new owner.

The short version is it's an 86 turbo with 174k miles on it, runs well, has a chip and downpipe, starts and drives well, but needs some love. Title is in hand, ready to be sold. Want a ton more information? Keep reading.

This car is a little rough around the edges, but a great example of why these transaxle Porsche's are so desirable. They are highly praised for their driving dynamics and even being 30+ years old, it's still a blast to drive. All the mechanical components that make this a fast, balanced car, are working great. This would make a great weekend car to take to an autocross, HPDE, and then have a blast on the way home. The car has not seen the track, has only been used on weekends and fun cruises around town. Looking at other turbo prices, this is a way to buy that experience without paying for pristine paint and low miles. At the time of writing this, the cheapest 944 turbo is a red 86 with 215,000 miles for $8,000, while there are several options going for $20k+. This market is slowly creeping up, and I anticipate it to be the next air cooled market, all while having a fun car to drive. I'm too tied up with my other cars to dedicate the necessary time to this, otherwise I'd keep it forever.

I'll do my best to outline each portion of the car's system below:

Engine: I recently did basic maintenance of oil filter, plugs, and 15-w-50 Mobil 1. The fuel lines have been replaced with brand new high temp sleeves. The motor is strong, smooth, and the turbo pulls great to about 16psi (depending on gear). A DME/KLR chip has been installed (increases boost and fuel) as well as mechanical boost gauge. The engine mounts should be replaced, this would be on my winter list if I kept the car. The cooling fan relay was replaced. There are no oil or gas smells.

Transmission: This is probably my favorite part of the car. The trans stays in gear, and the clutch does not slip. Pedal feels good (high release like all 944 turbos) but there is some chatter in neutral. This car does have the rare trans cooler with is very desirable for track driving. The shifter shifts smooth and has a great notch to it. If someone wanted to LS swap this, they would certainly enjoy this trans with the bigger engine, it's probably my favorite attribute.

Suspension: The previous owner refreshed the suspension by installed OE front struts and rear dampers. The car does feel balanced but there is some body roll. With a set of sticky tires though the car may roll it does bite into the corners. I attribute this to the 50/50 weight distribution. If I kept the car I'd be upgrading to Koni shocks or adjustable coilovers. On full acceleration shifts you'll notice the body rock front to back the most. I also planned on re-doing all bushings over the winter, though not a necessity.

Brakes: The previous owner replaced front rotors and pads within the past year, and I have an extra set of NEW rotors and pads all the way around. The e-brake needs some adjustment, and I don't trust it without the car being in gear. I always parked in first so hasn't been a pressing issue, just parked when running (which I rarely do). I wouldn't trust just the e-brake on a hill until it's been adjusted.

Steering: PO installed a refurbished steering rack with new rack bushings, new tie rods, new powersteering rubber lines, and power steering reservoir with fresh ATF fluid. Steering is tight and on center. The pump moans when cold when you pull it out of the garage but it goes away after that.

Body: the car was originally white, which shows through some rock chips on the front as well as a few areas near the rear bumper. I spent a long time polishing the paint which REALLY shined it up, and looks great from 10 feet away, but the condition of the paint is still what I would consider "rough". Up close you can see many marks, scuffs, and some scratches. The front bumper isn't glossy at all, i'm not sure what happened there, could use a paint job, though i'd probably re-paint the entire car at that point.There is a rust repair patch riveted in before the paint job on the lower passenger side. This is a paint job suited for the track or a daily, not a car show. Hood struts work and the hatch struts have been replaced. The hatch is not delaminating opens easily with the key, no crawling through the rear seats to open it.

Interior: The dash was recovered by the PO in vinyl and added 3D printed trim pieces for the defroster vents. The dash looks great with no cracks as found on many 944 turbos. The worn steering wheel was replaced with a brand new momo mod 007, the suede is not worn and the yellow stripe is money. The seats are in great physical shape, but came out of an 87 turbo with black interior. The original seats were worn with no padding. I will include them for free as the black driver seat motor has an electrical fault. The motors only operate in one direction, but can be adjusted in either directions based on the input voltage. You can easily swap out the motor assembly from the original seats if you'd like. The light grey carpets do have some staining that could be covered by new floor mats. The roof panel motor opens, though they easily brake so I never touch it. The odometer spins slower occasionally than the tripometer so there's an odometer discrepency on the title, which is common for these cars. The interior isn't much to write home about, but would look great gutted with a cage in it.

Wheels: 8x16FR / 9X16RR Hayashi Racing wheels. They were rebuilt and polished and are wrapped in Toyo Proxes RA-1 tires with only a few hundred miles on them. I will also include a set of 996 (NA) twists with Michelin MX tires on them (which are 17s). They provide a more up to date look, but do require a bigger rear spacer in the rear to look flush. There is a front spacer for both setups already on the car. I'm not a fan of spacers so my goal was to sell both sets of wheels and go with a fitted set of wheels and ditch the spacers this winter.

Electrical: I added a cheap bluetooth radio but the stereo is nothing to write home about, just enough to hear some music if you prefer that over engine noise. The headlights work, one foglight is out, one foglight lens is cracked, and the turn signals sometimes work. The clock LCD is broken, and the odometer turns slower than the tripometer so there is a mileage discrepancy on the title. This is a common problem and can be fixed for about $50 in plastic gear parts online. I'm happy to provide links. This was also going to be a winter project.

HVAC: The car is equipped with a compressor, but the bearing sounds shot. Replacement AC compressors can be had for $100-300. I've never run the fan, it sometimes makes an odd noise, and sometimes works 100% normal. When I drive the car I have the windows down immediately. I remember running the heat last winter when driving it around before putting it away for the winter last year.

I have a box full of parts, new rotors, pads, new steel lower control arms and ball joints (if you'd like to make the conversion from aluminum arms as they don't have easily replaceable ball joints).

The vehicle is sold as is without any warranty. I've done my best to accurately describe the car to the best of my ability. I'm an avid porsche fan, just with not enough time to finish this car the way I'd like it. I'm happy to answer any and all questions via this post or via email : dkfxphotography@gmail.com. I'm happy to take more pics, walkaround vids, just want to find her a good honest home.

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