For our fourth and final pair of $2,000ish project cars, we’ve got a pair of non-functional European cars from the 1980s. They’re both four-cylinders with five-speed sticks and rear-wheel-drive, but that’s about where the similarities end. Which one is a better candidate to return to functionality? That’s what we aim to find out.
After yesterday’s Pontiac and Tuesday’s Lexus, one thing is abundantly clear: Y’all aren’t fans of good-running but banged-up cars. The gap yesterday wasn’t quite as big as it was for the Toyotas, but the Geo Storm still beat the Grand Prix by a huge margin. A couple of you who voted for the Grand Prix only wanted it for its engine, and I get that. Donating its engine to a less-abused car might be the best use of that thing.
In fact, I have an idea: Somebody buy the Grand Prix for its engine, transplant it into a Fiero or something, and then I’ll fly out and buy the Storm and drive it back, and stop and pick up the nice Grand Prix seats on the way to shoehorn into the Storm. It’s a win-win!
I know that the mere mention of European cars is enough to send some of you running for the hills. Their reputation for complexity and high maintenance precedes them, and the prevailing wisdom is that you have to really love them to put up with the hassle. But I cut my car-guy teeth on a Fiat and a small fleet of Volkswagens and Audis, and I’ve had a Saab and a BMW since then, and I’ve generally found the Europeans easy to work on. Reliability is hit or miss, and some parts can be expensive, but the actual wrenching isn’t hard at all. I wouldn’t hesitate to dig into either one of these two cars. But as always, it’s not my opinion that counts. Let’s check them out and you can tell me what you think.
1984 Porsche 944 – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Sammamish, WA
Odometer reading: 99,000 miles
Operational status: Was running, now has an electrical problem
It wasn’t that long ago that $2,500 bought a decent 944. I’ve checked out a couple myself over the years. But the entire used car market has gone insane, and now that same amount can only get you into a busted one like this. The seller bought this car last October and had it running for a while, but now the alarm goes off every time they hook up the battery. Whether or not it still starts and runs isn’t clear, but obviously it isn’t drivable in this state.
The Porsche 944’s drivetrain has a couple of cool things in common with a very different car: the original Pontiac Tempest. Both have a four-cylinder engine that was made from half of a V8, driving a rear-mounted transaxle – except, of course, that Pontiac did it first. Hardcore Porschephiles might not find that as interesting as I do, but that’s just tough. The fact that this car was running not too long ago is encouraging; it means that everything is basically there and intact. You just have to figure out what’s going on with that alarm.
Now, that’s not to say this is going to be easy. The interior is completely disassembled, though the seller swears it’s all there. The seller intended to revive the leather seats by painting them (apparently it’s a thing; I had no idea), so they’re taken apart and scuffed up. The good news is that since everything is already disassembled, accessing the wiring harness is easy, so figuring out the alarm problem should be a piece of cake. (Famous last words, I know.)
Outside, it’s classic Porsche 944: Guards Red paint and phone-dial wheels. It needs a polishing, but there’s no rust or damage. One taillight lens is cracked, but I bet you could find one without much trouble.
1985 Peugeot 505 STI – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHV inline-4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Portland, OR
Odometer reading: 200,000 miles
Operational status: Doesn’t run, has a bad fuel pump
Peugeot left the US market so long ago that a lot of enthusiasts don’t have any direct experience with them. The best way I can describe this car is that it’s a French Mercedes 300D (with a diesel engine) or a French BMW 5 Series (with a gas engine). It’s comfortable, decent-handling, and well-built. I’ve never driven a diesel 505, but I have driven an STI like this one, and I liked it a lot. Unfortunately, you can’t drive this one until you do some work.
This car’s engine is a 2.0-liter inline four, with an old-school overhead valve design. It’s fuel-injected, and sends 97 horsepower to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. Or at least it would, if the fuel pump worked. Just to dispel the myth of parts being unobtainable for French cars, I’d like to point out that RockAuto carries the fuel pump. It looks like it’s an inline electric unit, not an in-tank one, so replacing it shouldn’t even be all that hard. Of course, we don’t know how long it has been sitting, or what other problems you might uncover once you get it running. But that’s a tomorrow problem.
French cars are almost universally comfortable inside. Even the little Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 that I have rented in the past had nice seats. This 505 looks like it’s no exception, with leather seats in good condition, and all the comfort and convenience stuff you’d expect to find on a high-end car in 1985. Of course, you can’t really find out how much of it works until you get the thing running again.
It’s nice and straight outside, and the paint looks good, though it’s hard to tell through the dust. It has the original wheels, which I think are the weird Michelin TRX type, with metric rim diameters. Normal tires won’t fit. Luckily, however, you can still get TRX tires, too. They’re not cheap, but they’re out there.
These cars are nothing to be afraid of. They just go about things in a different way than what you might be used to. And as someone who has driven examples of both of these, I can tell you that the juice is very much worth the squeeze. One is an excellent-handling sports car legend, and the other is a supremely comfortable sedan that has been proven reliable in some of the roughest parts of the world. Sure, they need a little help right now, but get them sorted, and they’ll reward you. Which one would you take on?
Normally it would be Porsche all day, but how that car got in that state with only a 100k miles makes me nervous what else might be lurking so 505 it is.
Want the PORSCHE, but it has that 17 previous owners vibe.
Sticking with the Immortal words of Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers ” Never buy a French car, unless you live in France”. The Porsche looks like you’d be better off replacing the whole Harness. Porsche, but wish “neither” was an option
I went with the Porsche.
I’m not a fix-er-up type of guy, but if I was, I’d want to spend my time fixing something I’d want to drive.
So, sure the Peugeot would probably be easier but I think the Porsche would be more worth the trouble for me.
Saying a gas 505 just needs a fuel pump is like saying “the AC just needs to be recharged”. The 505 has TWO fuel pumps. One intank low pressure lift pump and another high pressure under the floor pump to feed the fuel injection system. We replaced both on our 505 lemons race car and still had problems. Our solution? A quad carb setup made from motorcycle parts. Turned out to be more reliable and cooler to look at. See on YouTube “Lemons world 157” . Anyway vote Peugeot and be prepared for long nights on ebay.
I’m going with the Porsche. The wiring doesn’t scare me, in fact it fits in well with my particular flavor of neuro-spiciness, and it comes with Pop Up Up and Down head lights.
Yeah but I’d prefer to be the person who took it out as well. Take a few pictures and videos. That looks like a bunch of Christmas tree lights that haven’t been used for a few years
Yeah, that’s exactly why I like it.
Just like a few others have commented, I usually can do OK with electrical problems (as opposed to rusted bolts or welding), and that Porsche just looks way cooler than a French sedan, and it’s in a better color. Gotta go 944.
I like electrical problems, so the Porsche is the easy choice, as I’ve always wanted a 944.
Wasn’t going to vote today, as neither looks promising. But then I read your post. I, too, like an electrical challenge, so I picked the 944. Not so much because I’ve always wanted to own one, but rather that I would like to be the guy who solved the problem.
Same! Not that I like electrical problems, but I’m a lot more comfortable with (and capable of solving) them. And I’ve always had a soft spot for 944s.
Both? Always been interested in these.
I’d get that Peugeot rolling first and then push the 944 into the shop for a winter project. And possibly push it back out in the spring…
As much as I’m on board for French weirdness, especially knowing that the station wagon version of the 505 was available as a converted 4×4, making it a sort of French Eagle, I have to turn to the Porsche. I’ve long loved it and not going up against something even more compelling, it takes the cake today.
If this had been the 505 Break Dangel 4×4, there would have been no question whatsoever.
My understanding is that 944s are never truly back on the road (and this one is currently in a million brittle pieces); whereas my understanding of the 505 is that you can largely fix them with a hammer.
Sorry, did you mean to write that you can fix them with a large hammer?
It’s Hammer Time!
Hammer, Crusher.. what’s the difference?
Size.
Catharsis.
One, you push a button and the author of your agony is eaten by an iron dragon, chewed to bits and shat out in a gigantic ferric cube only the God of Wombats could challenge for perfection and durability.
The other, your own muscle and sweat substitute for a proper As God Intended High Energy Entropy Ray to accelerate and emphasize the inevitable descent of all the insufficient order to a more perfect chaos.
Either way, at the end there is no more car. How you get there depends on how engaged you want to be at its dissolution. Do you want to be cool and aloof? Or do you want it to feel your dismay at a gut level?
Only you can choose.
That depends is hammer French for bank account balance?
I unwisely chose the Porsce. Mainly since I feel I could at least get close to breaking even parting it out after one weekend of mucking about with the wiring diagram … then crying.
Oh HELL yes. A Porsche with wiring problems? Give me the wiring diagrams, my multimeter, music, and a few Cold Snacks.
We’re gonna be cruising in no time.
I pulled out my bought new but never used multimeter to check my golf cart. I could not even figure out how to use it. Oh well I can always use another hammer
I’d take the Porsche because it would make me feel posh-uh. Even if I am terrible at electrical work.
Big ol’ hell-no on that Porsche for me.
That narrows it down to the ugly underpowered French thing or lighting $2000 in cash on fire with a Bic.
The latter is over much quicker, and the money loss stops there whereas with the Peugeot you’re just getting started.
Ironically Bic is a French company. The more you know…
Fais jaillir l’étincelle de ton Bic
I think I can handle a fuel pump more easily than a wiring harness.
…though with that trim level the temptation to find a wrecked Impreza is strong.
Oh you believe that just a fuel pump?
Aren’t you special? J/K, mostly
Gimme the parsh!
I’m of the age where getting into a low slung sporty car has lost its appeal. Gimme the Pug.
Not me I still love it. However getting out of a low slung sporty car is low.
Back in the 80’s admired both cars, but always wanted a red 944. So chose the 944, sell the drive train pieces, polish the exterior, put the interior back together as best as can be done but add an icemaker,small frig, glass and bottle racks. Park it in the living room. Feng Shui.
I bought a 944 Turbo a few years ago, spent about $18k on what appeared to be a very nice example, giant book of receipts, … Then spent $2k after a local shop gave it a once-over.
Then about 3 months later I took it to another shop I trusted, I forget what for, but they found another $5k of %&*$ that included an air/oil separator that I had to wait on Germany for the part, who sent the NA version, and wait again for the turbo version.
I sold it the following year. I knew I couldn’t keep up with it, and anything performance/aftermarket was a next-level $$$ compared to stuff for Toyota and Mazda. No thanks. I think I’m going to go buy that Storm.
My 83 505STi is one of my favorite cars I’ve ever owned with some of the most comfortable seats ever put in a car. Peugeot.
The good news is that if you want to sell parts off the 944, it’s already partly disassembled. The bad news is if you want to put it together again, you have to do the second worst puzzle. The first worst puzzle? Diagnosing weird electrical problems on old cars that have already had someone give troubleshooting the old college try.
The puzzle of finding out how to replace the fuel pump and whatever else may be broken on a 41-year old car from another continent only imported here by the handful seems like less suffering. Mostly because at least internet can help and I don’t have to undo someone else’s hackery.
I’ve learned the hard way that I never ever want to reassemble something that I didn’t take pictures of as I disassembled it.
944 is worth more than that in parts alone, and either repairing it or selling those parts is 100x easier than an extremely orphaned Peugeot.
Definitely the Peugeot. If it was just the alarm then removing the alarm (with wire cutters or a hammer, I’m not picky) would have solved it. Even if it was a reasonably easy fix, the task of reassembling a 40 year old plastic interior is never going to go well.
Electrical gremlins can be infuriating. Or maybe just cut the wires to the speaker?
Regardless, I’ll take the Peugeot and hit up Rock Auto.
I’ve already got a 924 that won’t run, and at least the Peugeot is intact and no one has pulled its guts out. Easy vote for the Peugeot.