Porsche 924 - My First Car 10 months on
Discussion
Thanks again all!
This weekend I got back from another trip and whilst I didn't have my 924 with me, it has reaffirmed my love for it once more.
A few weeks ago I was helping out a friend on a shoot when he mentioned he was shooting some fashion work in Turkey and I could come along if I paid for my flight and helped haul some gear around and drive the rental car for him. Of course, a week in Turkey for the cost of an Easyjet flight was too tempting!
Arriving in Anatalya late at night, we picked up the hire car. The mighty Fiat Albea 1.4. I then had to drive 2 1/2 hours on Turkish roads at night to Alanya, where we would be working. Immediately I realised this was quite a big ask and combined with the unfamiliarity of a LHD FWD car with assisted everything, it wasn't the most relaxing of journeys.
To summarise driving in Turkey: Green lights mean go, amber means go, go, go and red means coaches jump the lights at about 70mph on the hard shoulder. This is because there are no sliproads on main roads, but sets of seemingly optional traffic lights!
After a few days my confidence improved and it was decided the hire car should be thoroughly abused for the sake of it. We drove up a mountain on a gravel road and didn't get a puncture or anything! Another day I had to pick up a model from her hometown, drive to the locations and take her back, 10 hours of driving in total. This was the hardest day of driving ever, and it's great to be back in the UK where people drive on the correct side of the road and obey traffic laws!
We had a GoPro too for some onboard shots, which were then made into a silly Drive parody and promptly uploaded to Facebook before I even knew about it.
On the last day we did manage a well deserved puncture. A screw went through the tyre and it was completely flat, just a few hours before we had to drive to the airport! Luckily, we'd befriended the staff at a restaurant (we went every night to eat and drink and drink) and we used one as a fixer. He directed us to a garage who removed the tyre off the rim, fixed the puncture and put it back on the rim for 5 Turkish Lira. That's £1.72
The car culture was very different, all the cars were very average but there was some ingenious modifying going on. The language barrier was a problem at times but I'd love to go back!
And what does this have to do with my 924? Well, the whole time I was there, I was wishing it was too! After 28 hours of travel connections from Turkey, I had a quick nap and then went out for a drive. The car started as always, and I hunkered down into the tombstone seats, battled with the heavy steering, fumbled with the clutch and smelt the oil. In the last 18 months I've driven my 924 and a 944 S2. Coming out of the Fiat Albea, which was gutless and handled like a plate of jelly, I have a whole new apprecation for the handling of the 924. Then there's the visceral feeling of controlling all the mechanical parts, I wouldn't change it! Expect maybe for a 924 Turbo...
Tomorrow I'm leaving once more, this time for Dijon and the Trophées Historiques de Bourgogne. Whilst I'm down that way, I'm going to make the most of it and return via Switzerland, maybe check out the Porsche museum, pass through Luxembourg and then up through Belgium back to the ferry. By the time I return on Wednesday my 924 will have been in 10 countries this year! Then November is MOT & Tax time and December I'll have owned it for 2 years.
This weekend I got back from another trip and whilst I didn't have my 924 with me, it has reaffirmed my love for it once more.
A few weeks ago I was helping out a friend on a shoot when he mentioned he was shooting some fashion work in Turkey and I could come along if I paid for my flight and helped haul some gear around and drive the rental car for him. Of course, a week in Turkey for the cost of an Easyjet flight was too tempting!
Arriving in Anatalya late at night, we picked up the hire car. The mighty Fiat Albea 1.4. I then had to drive 2 1/2 hours on Turkish roads at night to Alanya, where we would be working. Immediately I realised this was quite a big ask and combined with the unfamiliarity of a LHD FWD car with assisted everything, it wasn't the most relaxing of journeys.
To summarise driving in Turkey: Green lights mean go, amber means go, go, go and red means coaches jump the lights at about 70mph on the hard shoulder. This is because there are no sliproads on main roads, but sets of seemingly optional traffic lights!
After a few days my confidence improved and it was decided the hire car should be thoroughly abused for the sake of it. We drove up a mountain on a gravel road and didn't get a puncture or anything! Another day I had to pick up a model from her hometown, drive to the locations and take her back, 10 hours of driving in total. This was the hardest day of driving ever, and it's great to be back in the UK where people drive on the correct side of the road and obey traffic laws!
We had a GoPro too for some onboard shots, which were then made into a silly Drive parody and promptly uploaded to Facebook before I even knew about it.
On the last day we did manage a well deserved puncture. A screw went through the tyre and it was completely flat, just a few hours before we had to drive to the airport! Luckily, we'd befriended the staff at a restaurant (we went every night to eat and drink and drink) and we used one as a fixer. He directed us to a garage who removed the tyre off the rim, fixed the puncture and put it back on the rim for 5 Turkish Lira. That's £1.72
The car culture was very different, all the cars were very average but there was some ingenious modifying going on. The language barrier was a problem at times but I'd love to go back!
And what does this have to do with my 924? Well, the whole time I was there, I was wishing it was too! After 28 hours of travel connections from Turkey, I had a quick nap and then went out for a drive. The car started as always, and I hunkered down into the tombstone seats, battled with the heavy steering, fumbled with the clutch and smelt the oil. In the last 18 months I've driven my 924 and a 944 S2. Coming out of the Fiat Albea, which was gutless and handled like a plate of jelly, I have a whole new apprecation for the handling of the 924. Then there's the visceral feeling of controlling all the mechanical parts, I wouldn't change it! Expect maybe for a 924 Turbo...
Tomorrow I'm leaving once more, this time for Dijon and the Trophées Historiques de Bourgogne. Whilst I'm down that way, I'm going to make the most of it and return via Switzerland, maybe check out the Porsche museum, pass through Luxembourg and then up through Belgium back to the ferry. By the time I return on Wednesday my 924 will have been in 10 countries this year! Then November is MOT & Tax time and December I'll have owned it for 2 years.
Please keep the posts going, I regret selling my 924 and reading your posts has been very enjoyable.I think in the future the 924 will be a rare little car, a bit like the 914.
I really like the clean un-cluttered lines, it's such a pure classic 80's Porsche outline.
I'm going to start looking for a 2.5S next year.
I really like the clean un-cluttered lines, it's such a pure classic 80's Porsche outline.
I'm going to start looking for a 2.5S next year.
Thanks once more all!
Cedric - That sounds like a plan!
I'm just in Belgium now, having made my way from Luxembourg, into Germany and on the way back to Cardiff. It has been a fantastic week of all things cars! Here's a quick tease:
Please excuse the processing on the images, I'm using a woeful laptop screen. As for the other images, to make them warm, simply change the colour temperature. And equipment doesn't matter
Cedric - That sounds like a plan!
I'm just in Belgium now, having made my way from Luxembourg, into Germany and on the way back to Cardiff. It has been a fantastic week of all things cars! Here's a quick tease:
Please excuse the processing on the images, I'm using a woeful laptop screen. As for the other images, to make them warm, simply change the colour temperature. And equipment doesn't matter
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