Porsche 924 - My First Car 10 months on
Discussion
Saw this at the meet on Sunday - didn't really speak, though. (I was in the Golf TSI)
Looks lovely - any idea if you can stick a 1.8T lump from a Passat / A4 / A6 in there? - I'm guessing it's a relatively easy route to 200bhp...
I'm going to have to dig out my retro-tastic stiletto white 80s mobile for the next one. Assuming I can organise an MOT in time.
Looks lovely - any idea if you can stick a 1.8T lump from a Passat / A4 / A6 in there? - I'm guessing it's a relatively easy route to 200bhp...
I'm going to have to dig out my retro-tastic stiletto white 80s mobile for the next one. Assuming I can organise an MOT in time.
FelixP said:
Bob1179 – Thanks for the info, I would show my whole cassette collection but I've since met some people on here in real life and they might not understand that not all of them are a serious addition.
Forgive me for hijacking this excellent thread for one moment...I bought a car in the last week and collected it today. Upon getting home and doing the usual rummage in the old box of crap that's in the boot of every car I've ever bought I checked the glove box to find this lot: (note especially the Aretha Franklin and Led Zeppelin tapes)
As soon as I saw the two tapes (could you get more different taste in music?!) I was reminded of this old 924, and the ever growing tape collection. How is that going by the way?
VeeFour said:
...any idea if you can stick a 1.8T lump from a Passat / A4 / A6 in there? - I'm guessing it's a relatively easy route to 200bhp....
Not really. There are a number of problems which require complicated engineering, unfortunately. Its a shame because I had a longitudinal 20v ready to fit in my 924S trackday car.OP: the difference between a late 924 and a series one 944 is substantial.
Great write up, great car. I love 924's, especially in white. After reading an article about them in a magazine at a garage, I fell in love.. I forgot that I want one until I read this thread, this could be expensive for me..
Very cool first car to have too, I'm aiming to be in a Porsche by 27, but for your first car at 21, that is something very cool.
It's unfortunate that girls (I.E. the Waitress from work
) don't really care what you drive until they're a bit older... 
Look forward to more updates!
Very cool first car to have too, I'm aiming to be in a Porsche by 27, but for your first car at 21, that is something very cool.
It's unfortunate that girls (I.E. the Waitress from work
) don't really care what you drive until they're a bit older... Look forward to more updates!
Well it's time for an update, which can only mean there has been a small drama in my motoring world!
I was working on a project at a Cement Works, which has mountainous speed bumps designed for trucks. Needless to say, my back box lost. For a whole week my car was out of action, I never anticipated how much I'd miss it! And with it being half term, I was stuck in work all week, washing a frankly obscene amount of dishes. All was not lost however, as the lovely waitress was in all week too. We shared every lunch break, she taught me how to make fancy coffee in a very hands on way and clearly wanted to walk home with me, but alas, I was down for another hour. And yet, after all this, she has a boyfriend. I was like “what?” All is not lost however, although it did very much seem so in that moment, as I went to the cinema to see Drive. It has been very influential. Normally an aloof prog-rock man, harmonising (possibly not as well as I think) with Barclay James Harvest in the car, I've found myself listening to exclusively to French electro, quite loud, with a je ne sais quoi attitude. I wonder if I should become a less hipster Ryan Gosling? At least with this weeks revelation, I'm exuding a quiet intensity.And stomping peoples heads in.
Here's a photograph of the new exhaust:
I was tempted by the Dansk stainless steel offering, but was unsure if this would mean talking to my insurance company so they could laugh me off the phone. With my tax & MOT due this November, I opted for the cheapest, in this case, National Tyres, who charged £145 all in. It's a lot more burbly than the previous exhaust around town, something which I'll get used to, and the tailpipe is angled differently and so protrudes much lower. Perhaps the old exhaust was different, as this one has the correct part number.
A few weeks ago I went to a Retro Rides meet-up at Brean Sands, where a kind gentleman let me try his 944 S2 on the beach. It had PAS and a short shifter kit and was very tight in general. This almost tarnished the 924 for me, but it's all the little characterful quirks that I like so much about it. Decent examples of the 924 are dwindling in numbers and I've decided it's best to keep it for another year at least yet, especially having spent a fair amount on fixing it. A few other people at Brean Sands, who love modifying cars, uncharacteristically told me to keep it standard and look after it. I'm even thinking about parting with the Zender wheels and £500 on coilovers would go a long way on refreshing other parts instead... There's nothing wrong with it and I still enjoy it immensely, so I'll keep doing that for now!
I was working on a project at a Cement Works, which has mountainous speed bumps designed for trucks. Needless to say, my back box lost. For a whole week my car was out of action, I never anticipated how much I'd miss it! And with it being half term, I was stuck in work all week, washing a frankly obscene amount of dishes. All was not lost however, as the lovely waitress was in all week too. We shared every lunch break, she taught me how to make fancy coffee in a very hands on way and clearly wanted to walk home with me, but alas, I was down for another hour. And yet, after all this, she has a boyfriend. I was like “what?” All is not lost however, although it did very much seem so in that moment, as I went to the cinema to see Drive. It has been very influential. Normally an aloof prog-rock man, harmonising (possibly not as well as I think) with Barclay James Harvest in the car, I've found myself listening to exclusively to French electro, quite loud, with a je ne sais quoi attitude. I wonder if I should become a less hipster Ryan Gosling? At least with this weeks revelation, I'm exuding a quiet intensity.
Here's a photograph of the new exhaust:
I was tempted by the Dansk stainless steel offering, but was unsure if this would mean talking to my insurance company so they could laugh me off the phone. With my tax & MOT due this November, I opted for the cheapest, in this case, National Tyres, who charged £145 all in. It's a lot more burbly than the previous exhaust around town, something which I'll get used to, and the tailpipe is angled differently and so protrudes much lower. Perhaps the old exhaust was different, as this one has the correct part number.
A few weeks ago I went to a Retro Rides meet-up at Brean Sands, where a kind gentleman let me try his 944 S2 on the beach. It had PAS and a short shifter kit and was very tight in general. This almost tarnished the 924 for me, but it's all the little characterful quirks that I like so much about it. Decent examples of the 924 are dwindling in numbers and I've decided it's best to keep it for another year at least yet, especially having spent a fair amount on fixing it. A few other people at Brean Sands, who love modifying cars, uncharacteristically told me to keep it standard and look after it. I'm even thinking about parting with the Zender wheels and £500 on coilovers would go a long way on refreshing other parts instead... There's nothing wrong with it and I still enjoy it immensely, so I'll keep doing that for now!
Enjoy it Great write up and a lovely first car, you are saving yourself a huge amount of depreciation and your running costs will be no different overall than a 1.2 hatchybox.
I use a 944 Turbo as a daily runner and do 1500-2500 miles a month in it (she is over 220k now) she needs a little attention every now and then, but so do most cars at that mileage.
The series 2 944 ('86 on, or 'oval dash')is a different beast to the early one, more of a GT car than a sports car in comparison, with the arly square dash 944 being much more of a pure drive.
Having said that the series 2 is still a huge antidote to today's anodyne euroboxes, I take mine out of choice against my Wife's 535d Msport, and scarily the cost per mile in fuel is about the same (but my depreciation per mile is much lower!)
I use a 944 Turbo as a daily runner and do 1500-2500 miles a month in it (she is over 220k now) she needs a little attention every now and then, but so do most cars at that mileage.
The series 2 944 ('86 on, or 'oval dash')is a different beast to the early one, more of a GT car than a sports car in comparison, with the arly square dash 944 being much more of a pure drive.
Having said that the series 2 is still a huge antidote to today's anodyne euroboxes, I take mine out of choice against my Wife's 535d Msport, and scarily the cost per mile in fuel is about the same (but my depreciation per mile is much lower!)
and they will remain there! Until I change the HU that is... Ah fond memories of the old '24. And frequently embarrassing Cayenne drivers and many more modern cars around the twisties.
Really loved that car, enjoyed it far more around the twisties than this
Look it was so boring, she was taking photos.
Still considering a sorted 944 turbo/968, but just can't justify the price now for the age and maintenance. Modern cars have many benefits, one being... modern!
I think I spent at least £3500 on my 924 getting it to where it was, and then after 20,000 miles, I needed to spend another £2500 having the gearbox rebuilt, piston rings replaced, valve guides, you name it... oh, and I suppose it really needed a respray.
In the end, it just wasn't worth it.
Bye bye 924
Really loved that car, enjoyed it far more around the twisties than this
Look it was so boring, she was taking photos.
Still considering a sorted 944 turbo/968, but just can't justify the price now for the age and maintenance. Modern cars have many benefits, one being... modern!
I think I spent at least £3500 on my 924 getting it to where it was, and then after 20,000 miles, I needed to spend another £2500 having the gearbox rebuilt, piston rings replaced, valve guides, you name it... oh, and I suppose it really needed a respray.
In the end, it just wasn't worth it.
Bye bye 924
This weekend I had my first MOT, which was an anxious and not absolutely successful affair!
Prior to the MOT I put a new windscreen washer pump, jets and piping in since the old one was almost useless. I was hoping this would be the only work required! Sadly, the car failed with ineffective brakes. I thought perhaps the handbrake was out of adjustment but it turns out one of the rear brake cylinders had seized. I thought my rear brakes were fairly robust, having had the drums & shoes replaced a few months ago. Fortunately, this was a cheap part with little labour required. The car had a few advisories too, a slightly leaky shock absorber and more seriously, a hole in the floor.
I suppose it could be worse for a car of this type, price & age, with MOT work costing just over £100 in the end. This week I'm driving to Bangor in North Wales for a job interview, which promises some scenic roads, and if I get the job, plenty of funds for car things! And if I get a driveway then insurance is laughably cheap for a 924/44.
Having just been through my growing stack of documents ready to renew my tax, I couldn't help but add everything up. Two weeks shy of owning the car for a year, it has cost £1213.77, then about that again for petrol, and a bit more again for insurance. The car was a mere £940 to buy. I guess that's what happens when you buy a 27 year old Porsche for less than a grand and proceed to use it everyday for 8000 miles. If I get this job, I'll probably change to a 944 in the spring rather than put more money in the 924 with the GAZ coilovers and some tyres on the Zender wheels. Nothing wrong with my 924 though, today anyway. Apart from those advisories.
V8Triumph – It's a love/hate relationship! How did the early 944 compare to 911SC's?
Fat Albert – It's a great feeling owning the car knowing it won't fall in price, perhaps it's even worth a four figure sum after I've spent so much on it!
Stuart-b – It's surprising how well it goes around corners, I do wonder if I took it somewhere like EMC motorsport and got some fancy suspension installed & set up what it would be like... A nice 968 is something I'd like in the future, the cheaper they get, the more they grow on me!
I think I'll drive the length of the A470 to get to Bangor for my interview and make some photographs on the way, I'm sure in those moments it'll be worth it!
Prior to the MOT I put a new windscreen washer pump, jets and piping in since the old one was almost useless. I was hoping this would be the only work required! Sadly, the car failed with ineffective brakes. I thought perhaps the handbrake was out of adjustment but it turns out one of the rear brake cylinders had seized. I thought my rear brakes were fairly robust, having had the drums & shoes replaced a few months ago. Fortunately, this was a cheap part with little labour required. The car had a few advisories too, a slightly leaky shock absorber and more seriously, a hole in the floor.
I suppose it could be worse for a car of this type, price & age, with MOT work costing just over £100 in the end. This week I'm driving to Bangor in North Wales for a job interview, which promises some scenic roads, and if I get the job, plenty of funds for car things! And if I get a driveway then insurance is laughably cheap for a 924/44.
Having just been through my growing stack of documents ready to renew my tax, I couldn't help but add everything up. Two weeks shy of owning the car for a year, it has cost £1213.77, then about that again for petrol, and a bit more again for insurance. The car was a mere £940 to buy. I guess that's what happens when you buy a 27 year old Porsche for less than a grand and proceed to use it everyday for 8000 miles. If I get this job, I'll probably change to a 944 in the spring rather than put more money in the 924 with the GAZ coilovers and some tyres on the Zender wheels. Nothing wrong with my 924 though, today anyway. Apart from those advisories.
V8Triumph – It's a love/hate relationship! How did the early 944 compare to 911SC's?
Fat Albert – It's a great feeling owning the car knowing it won't fall in price, perhaps it's even worth a four figure sum after I've spent so much on it!
Stuart-b – It's surprising how well it goes around corners, I do wonder if I took it somewhere like EMC motorsport and got some fancy suspension installed & set up what it would be like... A nice 968 is something I'd like in the future, the cheaper they get, the more they grow on me!
I think I'll drive the length of the A470 to get to Bangor for my interview and make some photographs on the way, I'm sure in those moments it'll be worth it!
Thanks, magazines sometimes ask me to make photographs for them, it would be nice to write for them too.
Yesterday I drove up almost the entire A470 to Bangor, it was raining, my tyres are awful and my buttocks were clenched to varying degrees. I couldn't find a Wilkinsons in Bangor so came to the conclusion it's not a dead end dump of a town. When I drove to my £29 Travelodge room, I wondered if I had instead driven to 1995 as I was greeted by a CRT television. Later I was able to live the dream by spinning said CRT screen around on the base, taking a shower with the door open and watching Frozen Planet at the same time.
My interview was at 9am and once it was over I started the drive back home. I had my Sat-Nav on so I could anticipate any tight corners and I remembered any more challenging sections from driving up. I did have one moment however: At one of the few temporary traffic lights for road works I opened a bottle of lemonade to have a quick drink whilst I waited. It had been rolling around the passenger footwell and so began to fizz everywhere as I unscrewed the lid. The lights then turned green. And I dropped the lid down the abyss next to the drivers seat. Panic set in, so I tried to hold the bottle upright between my legs. This worked for a few metres but I was still in first gear and people wearing high-vis gave me disapproving looks. Pressing the clutch in for second, the not particularly vice like grip of my upper thighs loosened. The lemonade bottle fell forwards and began to flow freely. I grabbed the bottle and downed it. I don't even like fizzy drinks that much. And then I needed a wee. I stopped at the next sign posted toilets, carrying my jacket in one arm, tactically holding it over my unfortunate wet patch. My ordeal wasn't over yet, there was a toilet attendant demanding 20p for me to go. Clumsily I moved my jacketed arm to find 20p in my pocket. The attendant's eyes widened, he uttered an apology and I got to pee for free!
Back on the road, for a while I flirted with a woman smoking nonchalantly as she drove a convertible Jaguar. I'm not sure if it was more like a racing game or a film. The 924 was wonderful though, hand on heart (certainly not head, or lemon scented crotch) I don't think there's many other cars that could be more fun for such a drive. It's small, light, nimble and predictable. Third gear pulls well from 40mph and 4th works nicely too. It starts to move at 2.5k rpm and comes alive at 4. It's great fun at modest speeds and with the windows down and roof open you can feel all those mechanical bits working around you. Infact, I think I'd like a well sorted 924S with some choice upgrades over a 944. My old car went 390 miles on £70 of fuel, which is respectable considering my enthusiasm. Not that it matters, since I'll claim my interview expenses back. Even if I don't get the job, I revelled in 400 miles of the open road!
Yesterday I drove up almost the entire A470 to Bangor, it was raining, my tyres are awful and my buttocks were clenched to varying degrees. I couldn't find a Wilkinsons in Bangor so came to the conclusion it's not a dead end dump of a town. When I drove to my £29 Travelodge room, I wondered if I had instead driven to 1995 as I was greeted by a CRT television. Later I was able to live the dream by spinning said CRT screen around on the base, taking a shower with the door open and watching Frozen Planet at the same time.
My interview was at 9am and once it was over I started the drive back home. I had my Sat-Nav on so I could anticipate any tight corners and I remembered any more challenging sections from driving up. I did have one moment however: At one of the few temporary traffic lights for road works I opened a bottle of lemonade to have a quick drink whilst I waited. It had been rolling around the passenger footwell and so began to fizz everywhere as I unscrewed the lid. The lights then turned green. And I dropped the lid down the abyss next to the drivers seat. Panic set in, so I tried to hold the bottle upright between my legs. This worked for a few metres but I was still in first gear and people wearing high-vis gave me disapproving looks. Pressing the clutch in for second, the not particularly vice like grip of my upper thighs loosened. The lemonade bottle fell forwards and began to flow freely. I grabbed the bottle and downed it. I don't even like fizzy drinks that much. And then I needed a wee. I stopped at the next sign posted toilets, carrying my jacket in one arm, tactically holding it over my unfortunate wet patch. My ordeal wasn't over yet, there was a toilet attendant demanding 20p for me to go. Clumsily I moved my jacketed arm to find 20p in my pocket. The attendant's eyes widened, he uttered an apology and I got to pee for free!
Back on the road, for a while I flirted with a woman smoking nonchalantly as she drove a convertible Jaguar. I'm not sure if it was more like a racing game or a film. The 924 was wonderful though, hand on heart (certainly not head, or lemon scented crotch) I don't think there's many other cars that could be more fun for such a drive. It's small, light, nimble and predictable. Third gear pulls well from 40mph and 4th works nicely too. It starts to move at 2.5k rpm and comes alive at 4. It's great fun at modest speeds and with the windows down and roof open you can feel all those mechanical bits working around you. Infact, I think I'd like a well sorted 924S with some choice upgrades over a 944. My old car went 390 miles on £70 of fuel, which is respectable considering my enthusiasm. Not that it matters, since I'll claim my interview expenses back. Even if I don't get the job, I revelled in 400 miles of the open road!
Another well penned update.
I have to laugh at your unfortunate drink accident. I was once caught out by a stray can that had made an escape from its box and rolled under the passenger seat. Cue one enthusiastically taken round about followed by PISSSHHHHHH before a fountain from the passenger foot well went all over my leg. For a split second before the fountain started I thought the tyre at burst.
You know you may well be onto something regarding the 924S, I'm also thinking a well sorted one would be my preferred choice versus as 944 that isn't a 3.0 S2 or Turbo.
I have to laugh at your unfortunate drink accident. I was once caught out by a stray can that had made an escape from its box and rolled under the passenger seat. Cue one enthusiastically taken round about followed by PISSSHHHHHH before a fountain from the passenger foot well went all over my leg. For a split second before the fountain started I thought the tyre at burst.
You know you may well be onto something regarding the 924S, I'm also thinking a well sorted one would be my preferred choice versus as 944 that isn't a 3.0 S2 or Turbo.
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