As a rule of thumb when it comes to restoration or significant overhauls; Come up with a figure that you realistically think it will cost to get everything corrected and then double that amount. For a European car, you can safely triple it. There will unforeseen complications that will cost additional amounts of money to fix.
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2 ways to do it that i see.
have it towed to a competent shop and have them drain fuel and inspect stuff and see if it starts.
have it towed to a shop that specializes in foreign cars and may do restorations.
a tow and 4-8hrs labor should be under $1k
or find a guy on Utube that vlogs about starting old field/barn/cave finds
Bingo !! Cavell has the solution .
I might add that I suspect the OP is not in the US .
If I were considering the car, I’d grab a battery jump pack, a can of starter fluid and a tire pump. I’d sniff the gas filler to determine how roached out the gas is. If it still smells like gas, I’d try and start it. A car sitting only one year should fire right up with a jump. Pump up the tires and take it for a short drive. If everything works, maybe I’d buy it for the right price.
The newest 944 is a 1991… so it is at least 28 years old. The 944, while a nice car, is shunned by the Porsche community as not being a real Porsche. However, there are 944 specialists that have parts for this old car. Porsche, as a company, supports their old cars pretty well for parts and such. That said, the electronics in this car will die and you may not find factory replacements.
But I can work on cars. This is not my only car and I can afford a surprise or 2 even on a Porsche without going bankrupt. If you don’t fit that description, I’d suggest you walk away.
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A non running car could just need a jump, or it could need a new engine, or worse. If you’re fine rolling those dice, have fun.
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A previously running car that sits only one year shouldn’t be that difficult to get back on the road. Drain the fuel out of the tank, compressed air to clean out all the fuel lines, replace the fuel filter, very likely that’s all that would be needed for the fuel system. Common sense says to do an engine oil and filter change and a quick visual check on the spark plug condition, install a new battery, good chance it will fire right up. There may be a few other niggles, like flat spots on the tires, hinges that need some lube, etc.
Getting it running isn’t the problem imo. Keeping it running, that’s a whole another ball of wax. Will depend on the car’s vintage, miles driven, and how well it was maintained during its driving years.
Personally I don’t like the appearance of the 944, so this isn’t something I’d take on. Were I in the mood for a project like this – which I’m not – I’d look for an older 911 or a 924 to be the subject of my attention and $$$.
i thought purists hated the 924 and moved up to only disliking the 944?
924=cheap owner
928=owner with more money. U boat commander?