Porsche 924 as a daily driver?

[Chris71]

I'm still looking for a new daily driver and there's what appears to be a fairly smart 924 for sale near me.

I had a 924S briefly, so I've got a vague idea what they're about, but that was quite a long time ago and it's obviously quite a different car to the standard LT-engined 924.

I know the S would be better as a weekend car - I'm sure the 924 will be left for dead by modern hot hatches and the like - but as a daily driver on a budget, would the base car be more suitable in terms of MPG and parts/servicing cost? I presume reliability is fundamentally pretty good still?

[markCSC]

Hmm most are rather leggy nowadays and as they aren't that desirable, few have been perfectly maintained. Unless you get a mint one things will go wrong. Saying that, I used to commute in mine (120 miles aday) and the only thing that went wrong was a fuel pump. Mine finally died at 180,000.

[Chris71]

Any idea how maintenance costs etc. compare to the S?

The logic is that I could take a punt on a standard 924 now, but I could get a 924S or 944 quite happily next year after I've sold my current toy.

[Hugo a Gogo]

I don't think there's any great parts-availability or cheapness advantage of the so-called 'LT Engine' - it doesn't share much with VW vans or Audis, and Audi's old parts supply is piss poor anyway

I liked mine though

[was8v]

The 924 engine is non-interference AFAIK so if it goes it is not problem, just stick another on - and its a less involved job not having a balance belt either.

A few bits are cheaper - e.g. steel suspension arms rather than alloy - I'm sure I heard of a place knocking out modified mk1 golf suspension arms much much cheaper than genuine items.

Brake calipers are steel rather than alloy (so don't suffer from lifting plates leading to sticky brakes).

So I think maintenance wise it will be cheaper than a 924s but trade that off against how likely it has been well maintained in the past.

I dunno about fuel economy and and it won't be fast, but I think it would make a great alternative daily

Theres a few UK owners forums: notarealporsche.com and porsche924.co.uk as well as pelican parts forum and US ones.

Edited by was8v on Friday 7th October 12:37

[Gruber]

Do you like brown?

This one might be worth a look. Not perfect, but pretty good for £950.

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=FS...

ETA: I ran one a few years ago for about 6 months as a daily. Bags of character, cheap to fix, mechanically pretty straightforward. Not quick, but you're very low to the ground (so it feels quicker) and the speed it'll carry around corners makes it a hoot.

[Hugo a Gogo]

that's really in quite nice nick, interior looks great

[Fat Albert]

I have a run a 944 Turbo as a daily driver for the past 2.5 years (24k miles)
I expect a 924 to be cheaper, but I have spent around £1500 per year/10k miles and still love it!

I get around 27mpg when I wear light shoes, and again I expect a 924S to be a bit better

[MattGTA]

Mine's an 'S', but both are good fun and economical to run.

The 924 is an increasingly rare sight these days and a fine classic daily driver. Whilst the non 'S' cars could do with a little more poke, they give good feedback and handle well.

Beware though - some parts are getting rare now, which is pushing prices up. I've just paid £420 for a recon steering rack.

Go for it and enjoy.

M

[Chris71]

Can anyone recommend an insurance company that might insure an un-garaged daily-driven classic for someone (just) under 30 at a sensible price?

Coincidentally, this is the one that caught my eye: http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C239752

[chard]

Looks nice, go for it. Whats the worst that could happen........................

[Chris71]

Well, I'm fairly sure that buying a rust-prone RWD classic will prompt an arctic winter, but it's a risk that's worth taking!

The main thing is insurance. I need to find a company that will cover a classic for daily driving and outdoor parking.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Very old. What's the attraction?

[Chrisw666]

Gruber said:

Do you like brown?

This one might be worth a look. Not perfect, but pretty good for £950.

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=FS...

I like that but everytime I spot a car like this it is way too far to go and have a better look.

[was8v]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Very old. What's the attraction?

Pop up headlights, 80's vibe.
Perfect weight distribution, simple, reliable mechanicals.
Cheap insurance.

Whats not to like?

[Chris71]

was8v said:

Ozzie Osmond said:

Very old. What's the attraction?

Pop up headlights, 80's vibe.
Perfect weight distribution, simple, reliable mechanicals.
Cheap insurance.

Whats not to like?

As above - better looking and more interesting than the usual FWD eurobox, slow in a straight line but should be fun to punt round the corners (my old 924S was one of the best balanced cars I've driven), cheap to insure and more practical than something like an MX5.

It's probably not really fair to subject a 28 year old classic to salted roads and the rigours of everyday use, but it's quite tempting.

[Conian]

BUY BUY BUY!
ive had a 924 as a daily driver and have been using my 944 as my daily for several years now

the ONLY issue you'll have with owning a 924 is seeing a 944 go by
very tough cars, I know.. I rolled and flipped mine, engine will go on a long long time but you will be replacing ancilleries, bearings and bushes cos, as said, theyre getting on a bit now

do have access to a back up vehicle, not because it'll break down often, but because small problems take longer to fix as parts need to come mail order etc, no quick delivery from the local autofactor shop

for parts have numbers handy for Powermarques and Club Auto Sport, theyre both very knowledgable and very helpful.

[Chris71]

Conian said:

the ONLY issue you'll have with owning a 924 is seeing a 944 go by.

True. I'm conscious of the fact that if I held on for another year (by which time I will have probably sold the TVR) I could probably afford to run something like a 944 S2.

What's the standard 924 like on the motorway? I know it's not a rocket ship, but I presume I'm not likely to end up changing down to maintain speed the hills or anything like that?

[Hugo a Gogo]

it's 125bhp in a 1000kg car, it's not woefully underpowered

interestingly, or not, the german classic car mags reckon the 924 is the number one 'youngtimer' or modern classic for increasing in value, supposedly on average 300% since a couple of years ago

[markCSC]

Chris71 said:

What's the standard 924 like on the motorway? I know it's not a rocket ship, but I presume I'm not likely to end up changing down to maintain speed the hills or anything like that?

OK they aren't fast but they aren't slow either. Think 8v MKII Golf GTI. I once took mine to Santa Pod and recorded a 17 second quarter and beat a 400bhp Cossie (OK he blew his diff off the line, but a win is a win )