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I have been hankering after one of these for years, and it looks like the possibility of a purchase is increasing. I have narrowed the choice down to either a late 80s 924S or 944S2.
I am more interested in the handling than power, and I am also more interested in not spending too much cash on the upkeep, but I don't mind spending a bit. I'd basically plan to keep it in good condition and maybe upgrade the suspension and exhaust/ filter, that's all. It seems that 944 prices are more likely to appreciate (is this correct?) so maybe in the long-term a 944 might make more sense? It also has 0.5 litre extra engine size over the 924.... Does spare parts availability/ prices differ that much between the two cars?
Can STW please provide some input as I am NOT a 'car' person (in the mechanically minded sense anyway) - I just think they are beautiful cars.
924 is just a VW.
My brother had a 944 Turbo which was fun!
A mate had a red 944 when they were fairly new..... looked great.
944 looks a lot nicer with the flared wheel arches for on thing. IIRC the 924 was mainly VW running gear, (engine block shared with the LT van!). No way I'd choose a 924 over a 944. If that's a common opinion that would explain the likely future values.
Either or.
Buy on condition.
Wish I'd bought one years a go, and a 968...
I am sure... too much cash for good condition turbos though.
And more likelyhood of my teeth ending up in a tree.
@Munrobiker had a 924 IIRC which looked decent.
I prefer the look of the 944 though.
TBH, I'd pay a bit extra and go for a Cayman or a Boxster
Whatever you buy be prepared to throw some cash at it or get handy. Whilst it probably won't depreciate, and may gently appreciate, old Porsches cost money to run. Parts are not cheap. I have a 19 year old 911 and this year I've had to refurbish the brake callipers as they couldn't be bled, replace the electric window mechanism, the indicator and wiper stalks, crank position sensor... It already had new exhaust and suspension components as well as a full engine rebuild when I got it.
i ran a 944 s2 for a few years as my only car - chosen cos it would take a bike or 2 (or surfboards) in the back.
quick enough, felt nice, good driving position. I did a bunch of track days and a ring trip. A little tricky on the limit - I think I prefered the handling of my previous mx5 overall.
the 924 isn't really a 'vw' - thats mostly urban rumour. The block of the engine (maybe?) is shared with a van, but most of the bits are porsche specific. The late 924s has a 944 engine with the lighter weight chassis, and I think would be my choice.
I paid £2500 for mine and sold it for similar (8 years ago). A good mate bought one at the same time (think he spent £3k, his was slightly nicer). its now worth ~£10k - and he's spent probably £1-2k per year keeping it in nice condition. So yes, they are appreciating, but its not free motoring by a long way - the youngest are 30 years old, and tend to rot.
Couple of videos of mine
Well covered on pistonheads Porsche forum, now 30 years old at best lovely cars though. As with any classic don't be fobbed off by seller claiming it's only surface rust.
Have a look at glenmarch for auction sold prices.
All assets have gone up in price during covid, only pay top money for a top pampered car.
944 every day.
924 GT would be the exception.
944 is one of the nicest coupes ever made.
If you really have to I'd save some pennies for a couple more years and wait for the economic wheels to fall off. The toys are the first things to go.
924 is just a VW.
The 924 was originally designed by Porsche for VW that was to feature a VW engine, but was Porsche transmission as transaxel and longitudinal layout, but because the production costs were too high VW ditched it and designed their own car which eventually became the Scirocco. Porsche ultimately went their own way with it, initially retaining the VW engine but then built their own engine for it that was introduced in the 934S. Alot of parts are shared with VW's of the time...but that is no different to modern day Porsches with their v6 and v8 engined cars featuring VW engines albeit breathed over by Porsche. They've always been very collaborative companies through their history.
For me the 944 is the car to have, but don't discount a decent 924. The later 944 models had the face-lifted dashboard which is much nicer than the 924 dash and early 944 dash with the classic Porsche dial layout - though 4 dials instead of 5. The S2 is probably the best model. I had a turbo and loved it, but its very laggy so takes some getting used to. The S2 is probably a bit easier to drive. Also the turbo and S2's have the 'wrap around' front end which is far more attractive to my eye.
But as far as handling is concerned the 924's and 944's are a joy to drive. 944 turbo's and S2's you need to look out for corrosion around the sill and bottom of the wheel arch. They have, or had, plastic trims along the bottom that captured water and cased corrosion. Most cars have probably had those removed by now and they are hard to source from Porsche now as they are discontinued parts, but probably better off with them off the car. Not super expensive to have the body work put right if the corrosion is not too far advanced but definitely an area to look at. Other than that my car was pretty rust free as they are fully galvanised body's (I seem to remember 924's were only half galvanised but don't quote me on that).
You could go for a Cayman or Boxster of course. Probably the more sensible choice. Though I'd have a decent 944 over the early 2.5 Boxters though. A 944 is quite a practical car - hatchback, reasonable room in the back for luggage and even can squeeze in a couple of kids and I got adults in the back on a couple of occasions, but not quite the same with Boxster or Cayman. Can't really compare them other than that. Completely different cars and concepts.
No idea what spare parts are like these days. Some parts are shared with VW cars of the time, but alot are not. There used to be a Porsche breakers near me were I sourced alot of parts but hey are no longer there and their supply of 944's and 924's was drying up doing my 944 ownership 10 years ago or so now. I actually go alot of parts direct from Porsche. The dealership near me always gave me a decent 10 - 20% discount which made them more than cost effective cars to run, but some parts were out of stock and production. However alot of aftermarket companies out there re-manufacturing parts especially for suspension, brakes, engine.
But if you're not tracking the car then it'd be pretty robust and reliable. I'd get yourself onto the Porsche Club GB forum and speak to the 924 and 944 forums on there. They'll give you the real lowdown. I'm a good 10 years out of date so I'm sure alot has changed, but I think its still a strong scene out there.
I'm by no means an expert, but I ALWAYS wanted a 944, I never really warmed to the 924, I don't care about how much is VW etc, they've always enjoyed a cosy relationship and a shared history.
I couple of times I had the opportunity to buy a 944 when they were cheap, but always chickened out, now I'm in my 40s and could actually keep one as a 2nd car, I'm still too chicken and spunk all the money on a PCP instead.
I personally wouldn't enjoy a 924, I'm sure they great little cars for their era, but I can't see past the almost box arches of the 944, given the choice of any model of the 2 I've have the latest 16v S2 944 I could find that hasn't been messed about with too much, ideally without one of the wild interior colours they did at the time, no one wants a brown dashboard in 2021 do they?
That said, if I had the choice of that whole line of cars, I'd want a 968 Sport, but they're all mega money now, in fact original 944s aren't cheap. For the price of a reasonable S2, you could easily find a nice low mileage mid-2000s Cayman S which is a whole different thing, they're all protentional money pits of course.
If you really have to I’d save some pennies for a couple more years and wait for the economic wheels to fall off. The toys are the first things to go.
You mean if ?
You'll have a long wait as well. low end classic prices are rock solid and have been for years.
High end classics aren't toys either. They are pensions.
I’ve have the latest 16v S2 944 I could find that hasn’t been messed about with too much, ideally without one of the wild interior colours they did at the time, no one wants a brown dashboard in 2021 do they?
I loved the interior of mine. extremely 'of its era'..
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If you really have to I’d save some pennies for a couple more years and wait for the economic wheels to fall off. The toys are the first things to go.
You mean if ?
You’ll have a long wait as well. low end classic prices are rock solid and have been for years.High end classics aren’t toys either. They are pensions.
Don't worry about it, there are always corners of STW where 'the end is nigh' crowd like to hang.
I don't know what camp Del is a member of, but we enjoy a large number of card carrying Socialists who are praying for the day when *this* all comes crashing down and we'll beg Uncle Len and Grandpa Corbyn to save us.
If the OP was talking about spending £100k on some bit of garage queen air-cooled 911 hoping to double his money in 5 years, you might question it, but 944s are enjoying a more 'natural' rise in value as people who were kids when they were current models are getting to an age that they can buy daft cars and most of the cheap/rough ones are gone.
I loved the interior of mine. extremely ‘of its era’..
I really like that, I've seen chocolate brown with matching vinyl dash which wasn't my cup of tea at all, equally some sort of purple ones and sandy / cream sort of ones. I'm quite boring I suppose. Black would suit me.
I had a 944 S2, and I wish I still did.
Sold it to pay for a kitchen.
The only negative aspect was the lack of air conditioning which, combined with the ratio of glass to interior volume made it unbearably hot in the summer even with the sunroof open.
I nearly bought a 968 Sport for about £14,000, and I wish I had.
I would also like a 928.
so maybe in the long-term a 944 might make more sense? It also has 0.5 litre extra engine size over the 924…. Does spare parts availability/ prices differ that much between the two cars?
the 924S and the first 944 have the same engine and are virtually the same under the skin. the 944 is a re-panelled 924S if you like. the 924S is more different to the 924 than it is the 944 under the panels.
the 924 and the 924S are 500cc different if that's what you're thinking. the 924 is and Iron-block 2.0 from the AUDI 100 and the 924S and 944 are 2.5 alloy Porsche-developed engines.
the first ones were proper mules, the front suspension is 1303 Beetle, the rear suspension and gearbox is AUDI 100, the bonnet release is a rear brake cable from a tandem bicycle, the electrical system is shared with the original Golf GTI...I could go on. Those winter nights just fly by when you get me onto my subject!
You mean if ?
You’ll have a long wait as well. low end classic prices are rock solid and have been for years.High end classics aren’t toys either. They are pensions.
Agree with this. Prices of anything remotely classed as a classic is only heading one way: up. Even things like Nova's, Micra's and Fiesta's from the late 90's are rising steadily.
Personally I'd go for the 944 if you can find a good one in budget. The 924 may well be a good car but it'll forever be stigmatized by being the VW that VW didn't want.
I would also like a 928.
That's got to be the bravest of the brave Porsche buys hasn't it? I mean I know certain 911s (and Boxster / Caymans) can ruin your finances with bore score, IMS bearing issues and lots of smaller but still tear inducing problems but I'm sure the 928 is the worst isn't it?
We own a 944S2 and drive it every day. We've owned it for the last 20 years now and I doubt we'll ever part with it.
There aren't many good ones kicking around now so you'll have to be very careful when you are buying. The sills are a particular weak point and a good paint job and filler can easily hide a potential MOT failure and a serious repair bill. We've really looked after ours and its garaged every night but eventually we had to get the sills and front wings replaced and it was a hefty bill.
Personally I'd get a 944 if you can find a good one. I'm biased of course but we love ours and it still turns heads.
924 is just a VW.
They all are. 😉
As for the original question: neither. 928s. And an early one. Much classier.
I would get:
A) An early 924, chrome trim and early colours look awesome.
or
B) A late 924S has the 944 engine with the power the chassis deserves but the sleek 924 aerodynamics and lighter weight.
or
C) A 944 S2, a cut price 968 with pop up lights.
968 prices are ridiculous now. A 944 or 944S is a bit hairy chest - not enough power for the extra weight. The S engine is a bit of a lame duck.
I drove both 944S2 and 2x 968 sport about 15 years ago when they were unfashionable but bought something else instead. Shoulda bought them both and garaged them damn it.
As for the original question: neither. 928s. And an early one. Much classier.
Lol. Only an insane person would buy a 928 and throw money at it. Get a 996 over a 928.
WobbliScott covers most of it.
TBH, I’d pay a bit extra and go for a Cayman or a Boxster
Have you seen the price of decent 944s lately?
Ive owned an early 944 (1982) basically the 924 interior, the lightest 944. No power steering and least refined. It caught fire after driving it to southern Spain. Electrical fault I believe.
Also had a late 2.7 944, that had the much more refined interior, was a nice place to be. A bit dull and heavy compared to the early car, much better when I put a 968 engine in it.
Rusty sills and the offer of a cheap Turbo in bits ended that one
Still driving the 86 Turbo with the 3 litre 968 bottom end and 2.7 head. Its awesome but in bits as the 37 year old turbocharger has lost some of its newness.
I'd either go early 944 or 924S, nice and light or S2/Turbo.
The later standard 944 is a bit dull in my opinion..
Some of the parts are incredibly long lived but also very expensive, there's loads of buying guides online,
Top tip when looking:
Open the door and pop the plastic vent out.
You can then see into the sill and check the condition. Put your phone torch on with video camera and stick it in there. Don't drop it.
and I am also more interested in not spending too much cash on the upkeep, but I don’t mind spending a bit. I’d basically plan to keep it in good condition a
Boxster owner here (late 986S). So merely a 15 year old car, not nearly twice that. Expect a constant, continuous, dribble of cash. EVERYTHING seems to be £300. I'm pretty mechanically minded and do most of the maintenance myself, although I get the "proper" biannual services done by an Indy to keep the history going. If you want to protect your "investment" there's always something that needs TLC. Mine really needs new dampers - £2k in parts to stay OE; new exhaust manifolds - £800+ as the bolts seize into the block and shear off; a constant fight to stay on top of corrosion. You get the picture...
On a good day its the best thing ever. A lot of the time it's just a car (albeit one that makes a nice noise). on a bad day it's an anchor around my neck...
there's a 600bhp 944 s2 on pistonheads at the moment. I recon that'd be a bit of a handful..
Not sure 600bhp suits the car, it's not a drag racer. There's no driver aids at all, aside ABS on the late offset cars and they struggle for traction on rough roads.
Go for a 944.
A well looked after one may well be better than an cheap Boxter that's just old.
There were quite a few sitting outside Bespoke offroad in Enstone if you want to look at some.
https://www.bespokeoffroad.com/
Practical and nice to drive. If you get one that's been looked after and budget for £1000 - 1500 pa for tyres, service, etc you should be fine.
Porsche parts are not expensive for top end sports cars. For example I needed a new rear speaker for my 911, I assumed that would be an eye watering amount, it was £29.
My dad had an immaculate 944 S2 in guards red when I was growing up. He traded it in for a Boxster Just after they got released. The Boxster was nice but didn't feel anywhere near as solid or high quality as the S2. I'd definitely have one (but doubt I'd be tempted to pay the ever escalating prices they seem to be commanding).
Can STW please provide some input as I am NOT a ‘car’ person (in the mechanically minded sense anyway) – I just think they are beautiful cars.
Someone not mechanically minded fancies buying a +35 y/o Porsche - good luck!
C) A 944 S2, a cut price 968 with pop up lights
A 968 also has pop up headlight 😉
If a 944 is a face lifted 924 (sort of is but a bit more than a cosmetic facelift) then the 968 is definitely a facelift 944. Apart from the external panel changes and 16v head its a 944S2. Not saying that is a bad or a good thing it is just what it is. If you want a car to drive then get a decent 944 S2, if you want a car to stick in a garage and save as an investment then that's what 968's are becoming. Not seen a 968 out on the road for many years now but still see the odd 944 and 924 buzzing about.
Sticking up for the 924 I think they would be a hoot to drive. Probably a better option for hooning around British B roads - a bit lighter, same excellent handling. Often overlooked and underestimated, but a decent 924S might just be a little cracker. The good thing about the VW engine in the non S ones is that the engine is bullet proof. Several people have got silly HP out of them for not alot of money. Quite a few Carrera GT copies around too. Tuning the proper Porsche engine is alot more involved and expensive. Don't seem to be particularly tuneable - if that's your bag.
928's are lovely...but it would have to be a manual GTS for me. Not many of them around these days and one less since Clarkson abandoned one in Argentina. Great shame...he could have easily just got a knackered normal 928...but I guess it wouldn't have had the right reg on it.
I remember a bloke across the road from us getting a 924 brand new back in the day.
I do remember watching something saying a 924 was never really a ‘proper’ Porsche and that’s not related to VW!
How much are you spending?
I would be looking at something newer Cayman!
That's great chaps! STW always produces the goods!
I'll have a read through and respond later....
Budget is 10K-ish.
We had a 944S2 for a while as for us was the best of the bunch. Looks that age well, low end torque and high end power, to be honest 3rd gear could cover standstill to 100. Good balance and traction, not hard and skittish like new stuff.
We bought a roughish one when they were low, over £2k of work done (belts very important) and some other steering and brakes stuff. Broke even on it about 2 years later, sold it before I lost my licence or disappeared through a hedge very fast trying to find it's limit.
Check sunroof seals and motors, sills as mentioned and gear linkage slop will be noticeable if hunting for third. Ours had the optional sports seats that are really good, but you need to slide them back to get in and out past the bolsters. As an early S2 it didn't have a cat' either.
If an investment, needs to be low mileage, low number of owners and original parts. Ours was slow to sell as 12 previous owners, despite low miles, new sills and mechanical overhaul.
Can be reasonable to run if you can find a good specialist that knows where to source the parts. Never found tyres expensive as standard fitment was similar to big family cars from 2000.
There's a 924 for sale in our village which is tempting, but having had the 944S2 I think we'll just find it lacking.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153635742@N07/51103189204/in/dateposted-public/
Late 944 2.7 lux with rotten sills. Hard to spot from the outside but a gentle thump that results in a crunching sound is the rust that's holding the Wurth stone chip in place falling away.
I cut it open and the rust went up the b Piller. As above get a camera in the vent.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153635742@N07/50908324142/in/dateposted-public/
Early 944 turbo with missing fog lights and sills full of cavity wax.
Be handy with spanners at 10k
Can you buy a 944 for 10k? Probably.
Should you? Not sure I would tbh.
But, it’s an old car, buy on condition, don’t be seduced by the porscheness of the situation.
Suddenly the 924S is looking more appealing.....
I gave my mate a 944s years ago and had sold a 924 for peanuts.
I’d get a boxster or a cayman tbh, just got rid of my boxster 6 months ago as I left the country.
The biggest problem is that the 924/944 are really old and odd things will start failing on them. The one I gave away had the engine self destruct due to the plastic timing chain guide deteriorating.
924 and 944 were both great handling cars but the 924 was underpowered but actually a very pleasant drive but I think the boxster is a lot of bang for your buck and also has superb handling and if it does go bang your not going to be crying as much.
I think I’d throw my money at something more modern tbh, nostalgias fine but the modern stuff is great. boxster/caymans all the fun of a 911 without the price tag.
Thinking about I actually replaced the 924 heater fan which was a dashboard out jobby a lot of work involved and I wouldn’t want to pay for that.
There was a horrible hack people used to do where they just cut it out from under the bonnet 🙁
And I’m sure I used to spend a lot of time on the leccy windows.
(Also had the dashboard out of the boxster to put a leather dash and glovebox. No creaking from it after either 🙂
Stealth ad -
Anybody potentially interested in a very usable 944 S2 cabriolet in guards red, please get in touch
I was tempted by this recently....
https://porsche924.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=92&t=35954&sid=06e733f39da32e180d5cef05ab4f82e0
That would probably be a good buy if you can live with the colours. My first 944 was the same combo.
The mileage on on these cars is less important than condition. The early cars click over to zero at 100000 and the late cars are easy to clock. So unless there's proof take claimed mileage with a pinch of salt.
They will get into the 200000's and beyond.
They're getting on for 40 years old, are reasonable on fuel and like being driven, so will have plenty of miles.
When I had the white one with the 3 litre 968 engine, it would do close to 40mpg to the Nurburg ring, happily run round the track all day, then drive back. That was 2009 so not a young car then.
The Turbo feels like it's got a hole in the tank and will empty the 80 litre tank alarming quickly.
I think the 2.5 and 2.7 were around 35 mpg on a run.
Have a look on www.porsche924.co.uk which has a good buyers guide and other info on all models.
I have an '85 924 which I bought when living in The Highlands. It's a lovely thing to drive and the handling makes up for any lack of BHP. Easy and relatively cheap to maintain. As a budget classic it's great but if I had the money I would go for an S2.
Thinking about I actually replaced the 924 heater fan which was a dashboard out jobby a lot of work involved and I wouldn’t want to pay for that.
They always failed, and what a bitch of a job. I had a "temporary" fix for that issue that ran for years.
The one I gave away had the engine self destruct due to the plastic timing chain guide deteriorating.
16v model? That was the myth that was perpetrated by the S2 owners that because they had a chain driven cam there was no maintenance vs the belt drive of the 8v heads, but the slipper pads would deteriorate over time and alot of S2 engines were trashed that way, probably more than the 8v heads where everyone knew about the 40k or so mile belt service interval.
Seem to remember the heater system was pretty complicated. But my turbo had A/C which was working, and there was a hose that fed air to the glove box, so you got nice A/C air in the glove box. Nice touch.
Wasn't so long ago 924 were £500 cars. I nearly bought one with MOT for £350 in 2008.
The 944 was equally unloved, you could score one for a grand.
So these cars were unloved and unmaintained. Porsche parts are £££££ but there are alternatives. Even the 968 sport I looked at was ~£6k and the 944s2 ~£5k (kicking myself).
924s is the value choice right now.
The 924 still looks good in my view. Looking at london sales adds most sellers say it's the ulez non compliance that's triggered the sale. It's a rolling 40 year exemption so I would get an early 80s one, quite an attractive proposition if tax, mot and ulez free.
To the 944s2 owner on here you could probably run it for free offering rides on here. I once did a wedding in a beetle cabrio.
Lol. Only an insane person would buy a 928 and throw money at it. Get a 996 over a 928.
This is a thread about buying a 1980s Porsche. Where does 'sanity' come into it? 😉
I had a bog standard 924 that I bought in 2017 for a massive £1400. It was very brown, very slow and very enjoyable.
It was very practical for a car like this - we were comfortable in it for a week driving around Europe with camping gear and two bikes. I used it as my bike car for a while. It was a great handling car but you'd never be able to light up the tyres. It was more of a "nice day out enjoying yourself" type of car.
As a classic, the 924 is cheap to buy, cheap to repair and reliable. The rear shocks went on mine so it made me seasick driving it - the repair was an hour and £35 for new shocks. Engine bits were cheap and plentiful because it's basically an Audi 80 engine (alarmingly attached to a mostly VW Beetle rear axle).
The 924S is much expensive to fix - the 2.5 engine, being a bespoke Porsche unit, has much more costly parts. It will be faster though, and more power and grunt would definitely work with the 924's handling. It'd be a lot of fun. And relatively affordable compared to 944s with the same engine (and parts, in the grand scheme of classics, aren't THAT expensive). Even since I had mine prices have gone up - the cheapest normal 924 I can find on Facebook is £4,000. A 944S you'd actually want to drive will be north of £10k.
Ooow turbo look wheels
Tbh only two cars I regret not buying was a 924 turbo, was offered it said no, slept on it but it was gone the next day 🙁 and a 1980s 911 cab said no to that as I was saving for an’ouse.
I actuallly saw someone’s diy 924GT that they’d turboed back in the day which was interesting.
The 924 was a vw lt van engine but I still think it was underrated back in the day.
I enjoyed them back in the day but still wouldn’t want one over a boxster or cayman at inflated prices and as an investment dunno I think it’s got to be the 944 turbo s 🙂
I would ignore all those saying get an old Boxster. I had a Boxster for 70,000 miles. It was great when a few years old but when it got to 8 years old it was costing me a lot of money on a monthly basis. A Boxster is nowhere near as cheap to run as a 924. Everything about it is more complicated, the engine is hidden etc,. A 924 would be a joy in comparison
16v model? That was the myth that was perpetrated by the S2 owners that because they had a chain driven cam there was no maintenance vs the belt drive of the 8v heads, but the slipper pads would deteriorate over time and alot of S2 engines were trashed that way, probably more than the 8v heads where everyone knew about the 40k or so mile belt service interval.
Yep slipper pads...he’s fixed it but it did require another head which also had problems so was quite a drawn out affair to remedy, I have a feeling that issue tends to make the 16v heads hens teeth.
It was the 2.7 16v s which they only did for a year but the the power delivery’s all wrong for the U.K. tbh
55 posts and no one has fallen out yet!
That's really great everybody, I didn't expect such a big response. Thank you. Some very interesting info here and some great pictures.
Having had a think I think I have developed a clearer picture of the way forward....
- The 928. Ah yes. My favourite. Until Bitcoin goes up more one of these is sadly out of my grasp. I tell you what if Porsche re-released this they'd be onto a winner. Such a beautiful car.
- More modern cars (Boxster/ Cayman) are to me nowhere near as appealing visually as the older ones. Like most modern cars they are all slowly morphing into a similar boring shape. I mean you'll not really notice a Boxster or a Cayman driving about. I realise it's all subjective but to me they just don't have the same appeal/ character as the older models. However if you want a car for performance of course it's a different story. The most important issue here though is the fact that neither the Boxster nor the Cayman have pop-up headlights.
- The 944 is a nicer looking car than the 924 hands down. Having said that, some of the 'sportier' 924s look great, and I could quite easily live with either!
- Value-wise you are paying a premium for the 944 now. The 924 is available at better prices. Stating the obvious here but putting it down for clarity of thought.
- Performance wise there doesn't appear to be much in it, if it's a 924s. Interesting also what a previous poster said about the ease of modifications on the standard 924, so I am not going to rule one of these out.
- If my budget was 20K instead of 10K then the 944 would probably be the one to pick. But it isn't. So the search for a good 924 starts...... One query here, as a non-car person I am not really qualified to inspect a car of this age. What does one do in such situations, apart from taking a 'mate who knows about cars'? Take it to a local garage for a once over? Hire a local mechanic?
Way to go Munrobiker. Love stuff like that.
Enjoyed following this on YouTube. An interesting project.
My '87 turbo on a PCGB 944 forum rolling road day at Silverstone. Think Jamesoz would have probably been there:
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Was completely standard when I got my hands on it. Wish I'd kept it that way. I ended up replacing the rare 16" Turbo Teledial wheels for the 996/Boxter ones and a KWv3 suspension, 928 GTS Big Brake kit, and a stage 2 turbo kit. Was a fair bit quicker, but looking back I think I'd have preferred to have kept it standard. Especially lament selling those 16" tele dials. I had no idea how rare they were and let them go way too cheap.
Bought it for £6500, ran it for about 6 years as a daily drive, sold it for £6500. Last time I looked it would cost me about £14k to buy one as good back, even more if standard. Oh well!
If I were to buy another, and had money to modify it, I'd definitely do an overland thing like that. The stock 924 would be an amazing 12 car rally car, or light off road cocking about car.
It was the 2.7 16v s which they only did for a year but the the power delivery’s all wrong for the U.K. tbh
There was never a 2.7 16v.
2.5 16v, was supposed to be a bit peaky.
2.7 8v, not much of an improvement from the 2.5, the cylinder head is often used to build 3litre turbos and 968 turbo replicas.
One query here, as a non-car person I am not really qualified to inspect a car of this age. What does one do in such situations, apart from taking a ‘mate who knows about cars’? Take it to a local garage for a once over? Hire a local mechanic?
Not sure who you could hire? Maybe book it in at an indie for an inspection. Depends where in the country you are?
They are just old cars so the same stuff applies to any old car.
Visit owners forums such as TIPEC or PCGB. Its free to sign up, you might even find a lead on one. If it's a bit dead, try Facebook, I know the 944 groups are pretty active I assume 924 groups are too, although there will be Americans.
Rust and paintwork cost a lot to put right. Take a magnet wrapped in something soft.
MOT history can be looked up on line, see if it's been dragged through the last few by the skin of its teeth.
They will all have fuel line and brake line advisories, unless it's been done. Pain in the arse job.
History is great for proving mileage but really nobody cares it had a full service in 1992. The last few years are most important. Don't be too afraid of owner maintenance, I'd rather see loads of euro car parts and Porsche receipts than a visit to a garage for the bare minimum every nown again.
overlanding - uk to cape town in a 944. looked like a laugh - the same guy took a corvette and a roller to vietnam..
when I had a 944 there was someone offering a fixed-price service-and-repair thing (i think after an inspection). If i were non-mechanically minded, that'd be the route I'd follow. Or just buy a really cheap one, accept it'll only make it through 1 further MOT and stick it on ebay for parts once you're done
There was never a 2.7 16v.
2.5 16v, was supposed to be a bit peaky.
Yep me being old and not remembering.
would ignore all those saying get an old Boxster. I had a Boxster for 70,000 miles. It was great when a few years old but when it got to 8 years old it was costing me a lot of money on a monthly basis. A Boxster is nowhere near as cheap to run as a 924.
That’s not comparing apples and apples tbh and if your not spannering it yourself that’s always likely to the case.
I did speak to my m8 who I gave the 944s to and his take on ownership of a 944 is pretty much same as mine and bear in mind his entry cost of ownership is from free other than a fuel pump and lifetime beers for me.(it also wasn’t a terribly bad example)
When it breaks its a week of the road figuring out the broken bit and how/what to replace,then a week or more trying to source a part,then time actually fixing part to car.Rinse and repeat.
His next big job is now the rear brake lines after 30 his are too far gone. It’s just come back from some welding around the back panel as even with the galvanised body there’s rust coming(known issues thou round hatch latches). So not unexpected.
His closing line was “if you like driving get a boxster/cayman but really just get Cayman(shows link to 10k immaculate black cayman), if you like tinkering buy a 944 as it‘ll probably spend more time on the drive broke’
He really loves the car thou (which is why I gave it to him tbh as I knew he’d appreciate it.)
We have been discussing a plan of action of just going thru it and replacing every time critical component,it’s not they are unreliable it’s just 30 years is old in car terms.
I don’t hate em just think it’s what it is and I quite like airbags in a sports car.
I’ve linked to m8’s Instagram he’ll like the likes 🙂
There’s pics of it in its various broken phases unfortunately he’s a roady sort of chap so there’s some g’roady pics there as well.
We have been discussing a plan of action of just going thru it and replacing every time critical component,it’s not they are unreliable it’s just 30 years is old in car terms.
Yep old cars, did the engine mounts on mine the other week. Drove it a bit, noticed some smoke, doing a 3point turn on the way to Pedalhounds. It’s now in bits again waiting for me to put a refurb better turbo in. Also all the other parts ‘whilst I’m in there’. Just paid Over 80 quid for some orings, 4 locking nuts, washers and studs from Porsche.
Normally I’d try and find alternatives but I don’t want to do the job twice if an oring fails.
What is impressive is most parts are available from Porsche and cheaper than other suppliers mostly.
944 looks a lot nicer
944 for me. I just love those arches!
But I would chase power and modify because I am an idiot. I would also be doing all my own maintenance.
I would suggest going in eyes wide open with regards to maintenance. They are old cars, will have a range of issues. A good independent garage is going to be invaluable if you are not doing your own work.
They are in that sweet spot of 80/90s cars that are modern enough to be useable/reliable (if in good condition and maintained), but simple enough to fix. Involving enough to drive, but modern enough road holding they are not suicidal. IF you come from esp/traction control cars it is going to require some respect.
In the spirit of recommending something take the 924.
But I would chase power and modify because I am an idiot. I would also be doing all my own maintenance.
That's fair enough but if you were to do that then do yourself a favour and ditch the 4-pot Porsche unit. Its a pain to modify and very costly and you'll struggle to get any significant power gains. Some have done it with extensive and expensive modifications but really you'd be much better off just doing an LS1 v8 conversion or even a decent more modern 4 cylinder turbo conversion with an engine form the VAG stable. Apparently the bell housing hole pattern has not changed in the VAG group ever so in theory you could take an engine out of a Golf GTi or something and bolt it straight in. Far better for overall power gains and performance improvements compared to trying to modify the existing 944 engine.
In the spirit of recommending something take the 924.
Do a bit of a 924gtr with a more modern engine and the nice wide body kit to give the stance of the 944.