I've bought a lemon....yellow Porsche!
Discussion
Evening all, I thought it was about time; after reading the forum for many years, I would share with you my recent purchase, and current fleet of motor cars(if you're interested)? There's currently five, or six or possibly seven at the moment in varying states of disrepair.
I've always had a strange and uncontrollable desire to purchase pretty lacklustre cars, 50 or so MGB's, and one simply awful TR7 testifies that. But this one though, this one has me fizzing with pure unadulterated excitement! Never has a car, so cheap mind, given me such pleasure to drive and own. Even after one week of ownership has me utterly smitten! I have no greater pleasure than going the long way to the shops, I think a Shell card is needed, as refuelling is to be quite a frequent occurrence it seems!
I present you, with one of Porsche's finest, the 924S in Summer yellow no less. I've had two 924's in the past, they didn't work very well mind, but this one worked without any intervention post-purchase to actually drive it home! With 10 months MOT, and pop up headlights very much in front on me, I was a rather happy man!
It's going to be very much a working progress, for now I'll have to live with it's foibles and indiscretions as I just want to drive the thing.
Disgusting is the only word to describe the interior, in fact the covers covering these were even worse! The steering wheel had a layer of slime that only TFR could dispell and the gear knob had it's own ecosystem.
I'm a bit of a sap for taking photos of my cars together, and although somewhat biased, I'd say these pair look rather good together. You could almost argue the photo was taken 20 years ago with the correct number plate fonts an all!
The red Merc 190E I've had for 18 months, it's been an absolutely incredible car, never let me down, still it didn't stop me spending close to £5000 on new parts for it. My local Mercedes dealer knows me very well! It does everything a car needs to do with such class. It was such a pleasure to work on with any job easily done, due to it's superior engineering.
What makes owning a car such as the Mercedes a pleasure; not only are they built so well, but Mercedes are pretty damn good at supplying the parts still, incredible for a 25 year old car. I imagine Ford Sierra restoration(heaven forbid) is thoroughly frustrating due to a lack of genuine parts.
I very rarely buy aftermarket stuff as it's usually naff that's made to a budget, and with the dealer supplying for not much more, why bother?
I do have more photos of that if anyone is interested?
Back to the yellow peril. The previous owner(who I got the impression knew very little about car maintenance) mentioned a service not 6 months ago. A pinch of salt was taken with such a statement, as it clearly hadn't. Still it didn't bother me as out of peace of mind would want to carry one out anyway, I just wish he'd not bothered lying and kept his mouth shut. It was good I did, as the air filter had graced the car for the past nine years. The spark plugs were worn to say the least, with it taking a fair old while to start, and the oil filter well rusted.
A swift phone call to Porsche Nottingham, and £80 later had a service kit in my possession, and all is well.
I've already compiled a list of to-do's, some trivial and of minor irriation. The engine mountings are pretty bad, the suspension would benefit from fresh bushings, and I'll stick on some new discs and pads all around. One slight issue being the transaxle whines like a goodun. This appears to be quite a common 924 trait, however this will not be left as such and will be removed to sort correctly.
I will get a new set of boots as the thirteen year old Goodyear and Avon at the front, with ditch finding Chinese black rubbery things at the back, make handling a thrilling white knuckle ride. I'll get the wheels refurbished at the same time and will stick on a set of Michelins or Pirreli's.
Now the elephant in the room, the body kit! This is a genuine Porsche creation, however it lacks any satisfying qualities whatsoever. It makes it look fat, rather like a double chin. What I prefer on this car, over the 944 is the body. The 924S had to be de-tuned as it was quicker than the 944(in base spec) due to less weight and more streamlined body. You may well disagree with me, but I think the 924 looks agile and light on it's feet, unlike it's bigger brother.
Enough of my admiration for the poor man's Porsche, but a thorough undercarriage decontamination was in order. It had not seen the receiving end of a Kärcher for many years, and subsequently the front wings have taken a bit of a battering, they have rusted behind the plastic sills due to a what was a never ending amount of silt and mud trapped.
After a thorough clean all appears well as the arches look incredible for their thirty years! Yellow everywhere. You won't see a Landy looking that good after three decades, in fact barely one!
Anyway thanks for looking at my current love affair, I'm sure a younger model may take my fancy soon enough, but this Porsche is very much the centre of my universe.
Not bad for £500!
I've always had a strange and uncontrollable desire to purchase pretty lacklustre cars, 50 or so MGB's, and one simply awful TR7 testifies that. But this one though, this one has me fizzing with pure unadulterated excitement! Never has a car, so cheap mind, given me such pleasure to drive and own. Even after one week of ownership has me utterly smitten! I have no greater pleasure than going the long way to the shops, I think a Shell card is needed, as refuelling is to be quite a frequent occurrence it seems!
I present you, with one of Porsche's finest, the 924S in Summer yellow no less. I've had two 924's in the past, they didn't work very well mind, but this one worked without any intervention post-purchase to actually drive it home! With 10 months MOT, and pop up headlights very much in front on me, I was a rather happy man!
It's going to be very much a working progress, for now I'll have to live with it's foibles and indiscretions as I just want to drive the thing.
Disgusting is the only word to describe the interior, in fact the covers covering these were even worse! The steering wheel had a layer of slime that only TFR could dispell and the gear knob had it's own ecosystem.
I'm a bit of a sap for taking photos of my cars together, and although somewhat biased, I'd say these pair look rather good together. You could almost argue the photo was taken 20 years ago with the correct number plate fonts an all!
The red Merc 190E I've had for 18 months, it's been an absolutely incredible car, never let me down, still it didn't stop me spending close to £5000 on new parts for it. My local Mercedes dealer knows me very well! It does everything a car needs to do with such class. It was such a pleasure to work on with any job easily done, due to it's superior engineering.
What makes owning a car such as the Mercedes a pleasure; not only are they built so well, but Mercedes are pretty damn good at supplying the parts still, incredible for a 25 year old car. I imagine Ford Sierra restoration(heaven forbid) is thoroughly frustrating due to a lack of genuine parts.
I very rarely buy aftermarket stuff as it's usually naff that's made to a budget, and with the dealer supplying for not much more, why bother?
I do have more photos of that if anyone is interested?
Back to the yellow peril. The previous owner(who I got the impression knew very little about car maintenance) mentioned a service not 6 months ago. A pinch of salt was taken with such a statement, as it clearly hadn't. Still it didn't bother me as out of peace of mind would want to carry one out anyway, I just wish he'd not bothered lying and kept his mouth shut. It was good I did, as the air filter had graced the car for the past nine years. The spark plugs were worn to say the least, with it taking a fair old while to start, and the oil filter well rusted.
A swift phone call to Porsche Nottingham, and £80 later had a service kit in my possession, and all is well.
I've already compiled a list of to-do's, some trivial and of minor irriation. The engine mountings are pretty bad, the suspension would benefit from fresh bushings, and I'll stick on some new discs and pads all around. One slight issue being the transaxle whines like a goodun. This appears to be quite a common 924 trait, however this will not be left as such and will be removed to sort correctly.
I will get a new set of boots as the thirteen year old Goodyear and Avon at the front, with ditch finding Chinese black rubbery things at the back, make handling a thrilling white knuckle ride. I'll get the wheels refurbished at the same time and will stick on a set of Michelins or Pirreli's.
Now the elephant in the room, the body kit! This is a genuine Porsche creation, however it lacks any satisfying qualities whatsoever. It makes it look fat, rather like a double chin. What I prefer on this car, over the 944 is the body. The 924S had to be de-tuned as it was quicker than the 944(in base spec) due to less weight and more streamlined body. You may well disagree with me, but I think the 924 looks agile and light on it's feet, unlike it's bigger brother.
Enough of my admiration for the poor man's Porsche, but a thorough undercarriage decontamination was in order. It had not seen the receiving end of a Kärcher for many years, and subsequently the front wings have taken a bit of a battering, they have rusted behind the plastic sills due to a what was a never ending amount of silt and mud trapped.
After a thorough clean all appears well as the arches look incredible for their thirty years! Yellow everywhere. You won't see a Landy looking that good after three decades, in fact barely one!
Anyway thanks for looking at my current love affair, I'm sure a younger model may take my fancy soon enough, but this Porsche is very much the centre of my universe.
Not bad for £500!
Edited by jahbrown on Monday 8th August 22:45
Next time I hear someone complain about the classic car price bubble, I'll point them in this direction - a 924S is very good going for £500!
Good luck sorting it out, sounds like you're on the right track. Bet it'll be lovely to drive once the bushings are renewed and the tyres replaced with proper ones.
Thanks for the reassuring comments. It's nice that the car has had such a good reception from everyone. I think the stigma of it not being a 'proper' Porsche has somewhat diminished, as I've read Porsche were in some financial difficulties during the 70's so had to be thankful they had the 924 to be back in the red, so they could keep selling the beetle
The fact that I'm not able to do everything on the car at once frustrates me. I chucked a fortune at the Merc all at once, but I didn't get to drive it from some time. Financially it would be quite a heavy burden all at once, but I want to enjoy it instead of having it off the road for five or six months only for winter to be here and not use it as I'd like.
The interior really is shocking, I sometime wonder about a previous keeper, who'd let such a thing get to that state without being slightly concerned that they're might be something wrong and it needs fixing. The same could be said for other areas, such as the diff whine, and something so trivial as the hatch struts which have long since been useless. Just bloody fix them
! I very much doubt the belts have been done so that'll be done soon. The parts aren't exactly expensive and sometimes the consequences can be catastrophic. I see this on Land Rover's(i'll post some pictures of a Defender I'm working on atm), where they have a reputation for unreliability, but on the contrary, its quite often the owners' lack of simple maintenance, although granted Rover era stuff is a a bit pants.
I've not seen another 924 in the shade of yellow, Summer yellow LM1A appears to be quite a rare on all models of Porsche, and short lived. It is more of a pastel shade than the more common, speed yellow, but I love it all the some, it's probably the main reason for buying it. The price certain helped seal the deal also!
The car would be perfect in my eyes if it was finished in the rather fetching Signal green. It was this car, after going to the Porsche Museum in Germany this year that made me wan't another. It's stunning!
I'll sort the paintwork in due course. It should benefit from a compound but'll always be slightly washed out.
The fact that I'm not able to do everything on the car at once frustrates me. I chucked a fortune at the Merc all at once, but I didn't get to drive it from some time. Financially it would be quite a heavy burden all at once, but I want to enjoy it instead of having it off the road for five or six months only for winter to be here and not use it as I'd like.
The interior really is shocking, I sometime wonder about a previous keeper, who'd let such a thing get to that state without being slightly concerned that they're might be something wrong and it needs fixing. The same could be said for other areas, such as the diff whine, and something so trivial as the hatch struts which have long since been useless. Just bloody fix them
! I very much doubt the belts have been done so that'll be done soon. The parts aren't exactly expensive and sometimes the consequences can be catastrophic. I see this on Land Rover's(i'll post some pictures of a Defender I'm working on atm), where they have a reputation for unreliability, but on the contrary, its quite often the owners' lack of simple maintenance, although granted Rover era stuff is a a bit pants. I've not seen another 924 in the shade of yellow, Summer yellow LM1A appears to be quite a rare on all models of Porsche, and short lived. It is more of a pastel shade than the more common, speed yellow, but I love it all the some, it's probably the main reason for buying it. The price certain helped seal the deal also!
The car would be perfect in my eyes if it was finished in the rather fetching Signal green. It was this car, after going to the Porsche Museum in Germany this year that made me wan't another. It's stunning!
I'll sort the paintwork in due course. It should benefit from a compound but'll always be slightly washed out.
Edited by jahbrown on Tuesday 9th August 10:04
smudgerebt said:
Carlack or Glare is what i would go far.
Increase the gloss with little to no loss in paint depth.
All depends on paint depth really, but if a rare colour then i would accept swirls and keep oe paint.
I might give carlack a try, I use a mixture of poorboy's and Mequires for compound and polish, it just doesn't last too long I find. The yellow is quite a forgiving colour.Increase the gloss with little to no loss in paint depth.
All depends on paint depth really, but if a rare colour then i would accept swirls and keep oe paint.
Unfortunately it's seen a few litres of paint in it's time. The photos are quite flattering, and it could really do with a pair of front wings, and front valance. The problem being now the availability of new and good used panels with it being a relatively rare car.
smudgerebt said:
To be expected with its age.
Are you buying different seats or looking at getting them fixed?
Always liked yellow (and green) cars so more than a bit jealous of a 924 in yellow at such a price.
For now I'll source a pair of 944 seats, they're easier to locate than some decent 924 seats and they have more support. The yellow is it's USP and I never thought I'd find one it such a colour. My previous two were red and white which is rather common, but this has so much more character. Are you buying different seats or looking at getting them fixed?
Always liked yellow (and green) cars so more than a bit jealous of a 924 in yellow at such a price.
Have a look here for some 924 restoration inspiration, but only if you want to get really carried away with it!
http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2...
http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2...
gary71 said:
Have a look here for some 924 restoration inspiration, but only if you want to get really carried away with it!
http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2...
Lovely work! That day will come I'm sure. It frustrates me that I cannot do such a resto right now, just a refresh at the moment so I can simply enjoy the car. http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2...
I've got enough on with a full Defender rebuild atm, which in fact I have started the progress in another thread. I'll admit I'm sure there's others that restore to a higher standard, however I give it a bloody good try!
The 924 will be pretty as that defender will be one day I'm sure. I've still got a '66 MGB GT, Discovery V8 and a soon to be acquired '48 Series One Landy on the cards for restoration, I don't think I'll ever get around to a nut and bolt on this!
Commence a little stripping....
My intention was to do the brakes and anti roll bushes, however the more I saw, the worse it got. I've had more than enough old cars so nothing comes as a surprise anymore. I wasn't expecting however as much oil on the under tray. Quite how this was of never a concern to the previous owner beggar's belief! No word of a lie when I say around 1/4 of an inch of nasty oily gunge deposited. I just hope he kept topping the oil up!
A quick MOT enquiry reveals there's been an oil leak for some time so there's no excuse for such a half-hearted attitude to car ownership...rant over, till another.
Every cloud and all, the last 'mechanic' left behind a screwdriver. Again, going by the state of it, it's been there some time.
The cause of the leak is obviously localised near the oil filter housing, which in turn is part of the oil cooler. A gasket set is on order. Whilst I was there I could see coolant leaking from the lower hose. It appears to have a recent(ish) water pump, however there's far too much silicone for my liking, so with access being somewhat easier, this will come off.
When I first got the car I could detect a steering vagueness; not helped by the tyres mind, and I can feel a hair too much tolerance in the rack, I'm hoping rack ends but as it's a manual rack it shouldn't be too financially draining.
As suspected the bushes are well past it. Effectively all of the front suspension and steering is well and truly decrepit, it's seen better days so had to come off.
Porsche's excellent build quality made removal an absolute dream, even after three decades they simply flew apart.
Mk1 Golf owners may recognise certain features, such as the wishbone, after all it was destined to be a VW before the very last minute they pulled the plug and Porsche bought the design back. It was a bloody clever decision as Porsche engineered it with VW money!
The lump hammer of course should never be out of arms reach!
One very worn disc and well used brake dust shield!
The only usable items from the front susp are the aluminium hubs, calipers and stub axle, the rest is too heavily worn and rusted.
My intention was to do the brakes and anti roll bushes, however the more I saw, the worse it got. I've had more than enough old cars so nothing comes as a surprise anymore. I wasn't expecting however as much oil on the under tray. Quite how this was of never a concern to the previous owner beggar's belief! No word of a lie when I say around 1/4 of an inch of nasty oily gunge deposited. I just hope he kept topping the oil up!
A quick MOT enquiry reveals there's been an oil leak for some time so there's no excuse for such a half-hearted attitude to car ownership...rant over, till another.
Every cloud and all, the last 'mechanic' left behind a screwdriver. Again, going by the state of it, it's been there some time.
The cause of the leak is obviously localised near the oil filter housing, which in turn is part of the oil cooler. A gasket set is on order. Whilst I was there I could see coolant leaking from the lower hose. It appears to have a recent(ish) water pump, however there's far too much silicone for my liking, so with access being somewhat easier, this will come off.
When I first got the car I could detect a steering vagueness; not helped by the tyres mind, and I can feel a hair too much tolerance in the rack, I'm hoping rack ends but as it's a manual rack it shouldn't be too financially draining.
As suspected the bushes are well past it. Effectively all of the front suspension and steering is well and truly decrepit, it's seen better days so had to come off.
Porsche's excellent build quality made removal an absolute dream, even after three decades they simply flew apart.
Mk1 Golf owners may recognise certain features, such as the wishbone, after all it was destined to be a VW before the very last minute they pulled the plug and Porsche bought the design back. It was a bloody clever decision as Porsche engineered it with VW money!
The lump hammer of course should never be out of arms reach!
One very worn disc and well used brake dust shield!
The only usable items from the front susp are the aluminium hubs, calipers and stub axle, the rest is too heavily worn and rusted.
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