Thinking of buying a 924

[NeoFreek]

Well heres the story. My uncle (whos a mechanic) told me the place that he is working at is selling a 1988 Porsche 924S. Well I went to go and see it. The body is in very good condition. A good waxing and it will look like it just came off of the show floor. The interior also is very good. No smell or rips in the seats. The car has 120k miles and no service records. The trany is a three speed auto. It currently doesn't run but they said if I'm interested they will fix it for free. Its the fuel pump thats broken. Someone at the work place had tried to start it with out any gas and ruined the pump. The A/C and a heater control cable are the only other things that don't work. Other than that everything else seemed to work fine. I haven't test driven it yet because they haven't gotten it fixed yet. They told me if I was interested in buying it they would get it running for a test drive. They have it set at $3000 firm. The timing belt should be replaced soon since there are no service records. The owner of it told me that it needs to be replaced every 15,000 miles and by a certified Porsche mechanic (like them). Is this true? Or are they just trying to get me to come back to spend more money there?

It seems like a good deal. The great thing about it is that I would be buying it from a certified Porsche mechanic and I could have it personally looked over by my uncle who just happens to work there. That doesn't happen every day. What do you guys think?

[|Banchi1O5|]

I love Porsche
but it does sound sorta iffy
be prepared for everything to go wrong
but the timing belts on 924's and 944's does need to be replaced often
not 15k often - but like 25k-30k often

[Tex's]

don't buy it!

very unreliable.

[Cbass]

About as reliable as a 944... it's no original 924, but still not as bad as most cars.

[hotrod351]

ive owned a 77 924 for about 10 years. the problem that i see is that you can pick them up for $1000.00 and up, but as you drive them they start costing, after 5 or 6 years youve got double in them than what there worth. theres a 80 924 turbo at a local car lot here that doesnt look to bad for $900.00 and another 924 at another car lot that looks great for $900.00. there just not worth te money to keep them running. if you check out other 924 sites youll see people are always working on them. ive also got a 911 and get about 1 question a week on e renn.list site but was getting as many as 10 a day on the 924 site. no, you couldnt even give it to me. sorry

[Cbass]

I'm sad to hear you think that, but the 924 is far more reliable than any comparable sports car of it's age. After 20+ years of use, any car is going to need various things fixed, nothing lasts forever.

Aside from a few little issues, such as the battery box rusting, the blower motor having a short life, and the seats splitting at the seams, they are very reliable.

If you pick up a used sports car that's worth $1000, and have only got $2000 of work into 6 years later, you're getting a bargain. Brakes, clutches, tires, cv joints, these are all things that need to be replaced on a car as it racks up mileage.

I think the only legitimate complaint you could have about the 924 is the lack of power.

[RISING-SUN]

hi.
a person from up the street came up to me, and offered me a complete, red, 924 for $300.00!!! i said whooah and asked what was wrong.
he said that the engine was out, and in his shop after being un-stuck. it needs a new coat of paint in some spots, and the front valance is cracked from being rammed into a curb. other than that its all good.

what do you think???

"BEFORE YOU DRIVE, CUSTOMIZE YOUR RIDE" Initial-D

[Cbass]

Originally Posted by RISING-SUN

hi.
a person from up the street came up to me, and offered me a complete, red, 924 for $300.00!!! i said whooah and asked what was wrong.
he said that the engine was out, and in his shop after being un-stuck. it needs a new coat of paint in some spots, and the front valance is cracked from being rammed into a curb. other than that its all good.

what do you think???

"BEFORE YOU DRIVE, CUSTOMIZE YOUR RIDE" Initial-D

I think that's about what it's worth. If the engine work needed is minor, a rebuild only, then it's a good buy. For less than $1000, you'll have a running 924 with a fresh engine.

As for the valance, it's an excellent opportunity to do a little bodywork on the car. I've always objected to the US spec bumpers they put on 924s over here, they don't look like they belong on the cars. You can see what I mean


This is the ROW spec bumper, delivered to everywhere except the US and Canada.



Here is the US spec bumper, which was added as an afterthought to meet the US specifications for a 5mph bumper shock, and minimum bumper heights.




There are a few bumpers you can get that dramatically improve the front end of the car aesthetically.

This is the one I'm going to get for my 924. It's the air dam from a 951, but it's custom made to fit the 924. Unlike other air dams that have been cut in half and glued back together to fit the 924, this one is laid as a single piece of fiberglass, so the edges line up properly, there is no bow in the middle, and it will be much more resistant to impact.



Here's another one, it's pretty nice too.

[RISING-SUN]

sweet!
how much does one of those run for?

"BEFORE YOU DRIVE, CUSTOMIZE YOUR RIDE" Initial-D