Porsche 924 ???
Discussion
I've owned a standard one as well as a turbo. The turbo was hard to run as a lot of parts are no longer available the n/a 2.0 was a brilliant car. Easy to work on fairly resistant to rust it's weak point is the interior especially cracked dashboards and seats that wear badly. On the whole a great choice and great looking imo
Would it not be worth considering a full-on 944? The normally aspirated models are still not fetching big money and, arguably, you're more likely find one that's been owned by someone with the finance and inclination to look after it properly (based on the fact that it was a more aspirational car than the 924 which was always the entry-level car of the range).
By today's standards they're also straightfoward to maintain and the extra power, especially in the 3.0 litre S2, makes them a much more entertaining car to drive.
By today's standards they're also straightfoward to maintain and the extra power, especially in the 3.0 litre S2, makes them a much more entertaining car to drive.
Absolutely - an excellent entry level classic. Very much able to keep up with modern traffic and by no means archaic to drive - in fact, great fun! As above posters have said, interiors wear badly and rust is the thing to look for - particularly the battery tray and around the backs of the sills and rear subframe mounting points. If it has rust in the battery tray you should think very carefully before committing - it's a difficult and expensive job to fix properly, many have been previously bodged and the knock on issues caused by a water leaks through a rusty battery tray can be a major issue (the water leaks onto the fuse box).
Buy a good one and you'll have a lot of fun, but don't hang around - they've been appreciating steadily for some time and are back on the radar within Porsche circles (more coverage in Porsche club circles, greater appreciation for actually being a fun car and much more attention following Porsche's transaxle cars anniversary that put the spotlight on them and their cousins).
The biggest mechanical problem you're likely to experience is the fuel injection, as the old Bosch K-Jetronic is likely to have been neglected by now and it's hard to find people who still have experience of it - it's DIY-able for the competent, but can be a source of constant headaches and difficult starting and parts are expensive. Elsewhere check the clutch is good (no slipping, good bite, good pedal and not too stiff) as changing one is a substantial job and listen for bearing noise in the torque tube and gearbox (gearboxes are often noisy). Engines are tough but can leak oil. Suspension and brake bits are cheap and robust.
Spend the time looking for a good one and you won't be disappointed - budget to buy a really good one, preferably from a long term owner who knows them well. Porsche Club wouldn't be a bad place to start.
Buy a good one and you'll have a lot of fun, but don't hang around - they've been appreciating steadily for some time and are back on the radar within Porsche circles (more coverage in Porsche club circles, greater appreciation for actually being a fun car and much more attention following Porsche's transaxle cars anniversary that put the spotlight on them and their cousins).
The biggest mechanical problem you're likely to experience is the fuel injection, as the old Bosch K-Jetronic is likely to have been neglected by now and it's hard to find people who still have experience of it - it's DIY-able for the competent, but can be a source of constant headaches and difficult starting and parts are expensive. Elsewhere check the clutch is good (no slipping, good bite, good pedal and not too stiff) as changing one is a substantial job and listen for bearing noise in the torque tube and gearbox (gearboxes are often noisy). Engines are tough but can leak oil. Suspension and brake bits are cheap and robust.
Spend the time looking for a good one and you won't be disappointed - budget to buy a really good one, preferably from a long term owner who knows them well. Porsche Club wouldn't be a bad place to start.
Good value
Good fun
The best owners club is the dedicated 924 owners club
https://www.porsche924.co.uk/
Bodies mostly galvanised, except the cills, a few electrical gremlins at this age (hot start, blocked drain vents causing wet electrics) but otherwise better than many others of that age
Good fun
The best owners club is the dedicated 924 owners club
https://www.porsche924.co.uk/
Bodies mostly galvanised, except the cills, a few electrical gremlins at this age (hot start, blocked drain vents causing wet electrics) but otherwise better than many others of that age
OK not Uk, I bought my wife a mint 944 in 2010, 25k mies cost me 9000 pounds, she had it a year as her ony car then weekend only, sold it last year, 35k miles got 11k for it,
Only big job was replacing the dash, cost me 200 pounds to recover but 2 weekends to fit,
Easy to maintain, ebay is your friend,
Only sold it because wife bought a Z3 with 15k on the clock.
924 944 are underrated, but a good one not the cheapes, handling is still great.
Only big job was replacing the dash, cost me 200 pounds to recover but 2 weekends to fit,
Easy to maintain, ebay is your friend,
Only sold it because wife bought a Z3 with 15k on the clock.
924 944 are underrated, but a good one not the cheapes, handling is still great.
There’s a brilliant 19 page thread here that might be insightful and get you excited:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
My first classic was a 924s Le Mans edition. Brilliant car, very reliable and fun to drive. I'd recommend the 2.5 Porsche engine as it goes well and in my opinion really makes the car.
The only issue I really had was a bit of rust in the sills.
Tricky to spot until its pretty far gone. You can do this by removing the black plastic oval vent trim in the door jambs and taking a picture inside the outer sill with your phone.
Whats not to love about pop up lights, pinstripe seats and a huge sunroof you can completely remove and store in the boot?
Here's a pic of my car at Silverstone Porsche experience centre.
The only issue I really had was a bit of rust in the sills.
Tricky to spot until its pretty far gone. You can do this by removing the black plastic oval vent trim in the door jambs and taking a picture inside the outer sill with your phone.
Whats not to love about pop up lights, pinstripe seats and a huge sunroof you can completely remove and store in the boot?
Here's a pic of my car at Silverstone Porsche experience centre.
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff