* Put it on a rack and look real close for oil leaks (front covers of engine
and oil pan at bottom)
* Check the steering rack for any oil where the boots come out at ends
* Vibration at idle which smoothes out with a little gas pedal (engine
mounts)
* See if you can have your mechanic do a cylinder compression check

Honestly this can't be stressed enough:

1) Go look at at least 2 or 3 other 944's of similar age/spec to get an idea
of general condition and if possible, how they drive.

You may decide to go back & buy the first car you saw but don't just buy it
on the spur of the moment, it's easy to 'fall in love' with the idea of
owing this type of car & end up feeling like you were 'had' (no matter how
good it is it will have some problems - it's 18 years old after all). If
you've seen a few others you'll feel much happier with your purchase.

2) Get it inspected by a Porsche Specialist (at your expense). If the seller
is reluctant, either walk away or assume the car will need at least $2k of
work to get it 'right'. Don't make an offer without going through this
step - there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche ;-)

3) Your total budget for the car should assume that you will need to spend
up to $1k within the first couple of months of ownership - even if nothing
goes wrong you will probably want to 'pamper' your new toy ;-)

4) Stuff you can check yourself:

Push all the buttons & twirl all the knobs, make sure you know what works &
what doesn't. Most electrical stuff is either dirt cheap or breathtakingly
expensive. Don't assume something will be a simple fix, if it was chances
are the previous owner (if they were diligent) would probably have fixed it
already. A common problem is stripped sunroof gears for example - $10 part
but a bugger to fix ;-)

Check the panel gaps are fairly even - they should be 7mm all round but with
a car like this it's not a matter of 'has it been crashed?' but 'how badly
was it crashed and how well was it repaired?' ;-)

Get the tracking checked - it'll give you an idea of the car's recent
history & you will be driving it enthusiastically if you buy it so it needs
to be right. If anything is way out it suggest a bent shell or poorly
repaired accident damage.

Check the steering by turning it from lock to lock & listen for clunks (worn
UJ) and noises from the PS pump. ($200-$300)

Drive the car, wind down the window - can you smell fuel? A slight smell of
exhaust fumes is fairly typical, but if the car stinks of fuel the fuel
lines are corroded - an urgent problem. (with the window open fumes can get
sucked into the car via the tailgate & taillights as the seals slowly fail
over time). ($100 or more)

Difficulty engaging 2nd gear? The gear linkage is above the torque tube &
transmission & is a labour intensive job to fix/adjust. This will be
particularly obvious while the gearbox is cold but as long as the problem
goes away once it's warmed up it'll probably be okay.

Is the clutch heavy? All the controls will be heavier than a modern car but
they should be consistent. If some control feels much heavier than the rest
it's probably worn. The clutch is both an expensive part and labour
intensive to get to. ($600-$1000)

Driveline shunt suggests that the 'rubber donut' has broken up - this is
part of the clutch that absorbs shudder and after 10years or so tends to
break up (needs new clutch).

As Jetson mentioned the engine should be smooth - vibration at idle suggests
a failed engine mount (usually the left side - it gets a harder life because
of it's proximity to the exhaust header). Harshness or vibration at higher
revs suggests either the balancer shaft belt has slipped a notch or has
broken - not quite as big a job as the cambelt/waterpump though & if you're
getting that done anyway it's not that much extra to get all the belts done.
All 944's tend to be pretty useless below 2000rpm (labouring) but over that
it should pull consistently & smoothly all the way up the rev range.

Minor leaks are not unusual but ideally it shouldn't leak at all. The front
main (crank) oil seal is a common one & can be done at the same time as the
cambelt. PS leaks etc are obvious safely hazards & each job may not be that
big but it soon adds up ;-)

There's plenty more but this should give you a ballpark idea of the car's
value and allow you to work out whether it's worth paying for a specialist
to check it - if you think you are going to buy it & it's only a matter of
price, that's the point to get it inspected.

hth, Malc.

Forgot--- catalytic converter and coming up on muffler---cat was for the
smog--- that one ran me $1k

Brian Moore