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?
I’d buy the Peugeot to put the engine from my rotten 505S turbodiesel in.
80’s cars again! Just sell me the damn Porsche.
Normally the 944 wins by default but uhhhh not this time.
When restoring either of these procrastination is your friend
Peugeot made those wheels in both TRX and standard versions, and the STI *definitely* had TRXs originally. Seems unlikely they would still be the TRX version, but you never know. TRX tires cost a bloody fortune today, and they are kind of terrible by modern standards.
Having owned both, DEFINITELY the Peugeot for me. The Porsche tax is real as a heart attack, and the 924/944 are just miserable cars to wrench on. BTDT, have the scars, literal, financial, and emotional to show for it. And my 924S was actually a NICE example.
Ordinarily, I’d go for the 944, but holy crap, that thing is ROUGH. The Peugeot is at least complete, and more likely to be a completed project.
It’s no 924S (Yes. I said that.) but I’ll take the 944.
I’d start at the alarm horn and work my way back until all that wiring is cut out. It’s not like I have to worry about this getting stolen. They’re basically the Porsche version of the Scirocco at this point.
I vote Porsche. I prefer the Peugeot but the red herring fuel pump has me worried. If it’s so easy to replace, why not replace it and sell a good looking, running car?
I agree if it is a good deal why not clean it up to make it look like it is worth the asking.
As much as I’d hate chasing electrical issues, the 944 is it for me. There’s actually decent support for older Porsches; I don’t for a second believe the only thing wrong with that Peugeot is a $140 fuel pump. Anyone who owns that car would have at least fixed that issue and made it a runner prior to selling.
If you can look at all those unlabeled disconnects and think “yeah I could fix that” then I admire your confidence.
Well it might be confidence or it could be ignorance. In my case it wouldn’t be confidence
I got that exact 505 for free in 1997 (maybe it’s even the same car, literally). I put a motor in it, and a differential. The weird tire size kills any love. They did make those rims in standard sizes, and I think 504 wheels fit these too. But really, I’d stay away from both of these cars.
Yes to French cars. did you see those rims?
Either or neither. 944 are ok when they are running. That seems less and less likely as time goes on. I bet parts close to equally challenging for either. I would rather boxer then 944. Dealing with 80s and early 90s alarm system is a headache. How apart that 944 is scares me. It used to be you got 3 944 for $1k to $1500. This seems like maybe a $1k to $1500 car now. For that maybe? The Peugeot is super nice looking. I’m not sure I buy it’s just a fuel pump but it looks un molested so the Peugeot by a little if I had to.
I would have gone with the Porsche, but trying to put all that wiring back together, unless someone has 944 experience, seems like a huge headache.
“I tore the hell out of all the dash wiring, and that didn’t solve the problem. Who knew that wouldn’t work??”
Hmmm potentially parts on craigslist France or parts that cost more than the entire car 3x over for the Porsche. Also purple Peugeot alliteration is way to cool to pass up. Viva la France
leboncoin probably has some
Porsche! (Parsh)
The 1985 Peugeot 505 STI ,Turbo-Diesel Automatic was my first car. It had been my grandparents car before they got a VW Vanagon. That car was the slowest thing ever but Mark is correct that the interior was amazing. Power everything weird buttons that did things that made the HVAC system behave differently. I will never forget that car.
Give me the 944! I would rather deal with putting that thing back together. At least after I get it working I could actually reach 80mph, unlike that Peugeot.
944 for me. The way I see it, once it runs, I’ll have a vehicle that will be much more enjoyable to drive compared to the old Pug.
The older I’ve gotten, the less interested I am in fast cars and the more interested I am in having slow-ass cars and the time to toodle to my destination instead of hurrying. I’ll spend my imaginary internet dollars on the Pug and add it to my imaginary garage of a type-II Volkswagen, a Tercel 4wd, and a kei truck to be a parts runner for the others. Bonus: moving along at a stately pace in the thrones in that 505 looks fantastic.
With a fast car you can still go slow with a slow car you can never go fast.
Those pushrod fours in the 505 are shockingly willing to go right along. They aren’t as slow as you might think, at least when paired with the correct transmission, which this one is. Plus with the fine chassis, you rarely need to lift.
I can afford to resurrect neither. That said, I’ve always had a desire for a 944.
I’m personally unable to French car.