924Board.org

[uffie.]

is such an awful candidate as my first car and primary daily driver? please? I finally got in one yesterday (as the passenger), and if I never knew what love was before, I think this is it. Please remove all this optimistic thoughts out of my head before I make a (potential) mistake and buy one

[flosho]

Because it is a 28+ year old German car that will leak, have electrical problems, be neglected in general maintenance and cost you an arm and a leg in parts because it carries the Porsche crest.

Not to mention it's probably been sitting for a while, which means the fuel system needs to be gone through and if the CIS air meter needs to be looked at you'll be ****ed. Additionally CIS does not like to work well after two decades because every damn vacuum line is brittle and has cracks which will cause you many headaches.

Finally, you'll pay more than its worth, spend more than it's worth to get it daily drivable and still lose the stop light race to any new Hyundai and get out handled by a dodge neon.
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[This Space For Rent]

[Rasta Monsta]

[JMALONE26]

Don't forget since its your first car and the fact that its 28 years old, the clutch is going to go and thats not a small task. And the likelyhood of people local to you who know and understand these cars instead of fu**ing it up when it comes to normal maintainence. Oh, yeah, the ditc, if that goes due to the fact it leaks water because its old, you are royaly screwed!
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93 Mustang
87 Fiero
88,89,89 Daytona Shelby
80 924 N/A
84,89 LeBaron
89 Pulsar
87 Merkur XR4Ti
86 Corvette
72, 74 MGB GT
86 Audi Coupe GT
82 Porsche 931

[sbarc]

You'd be better off getting a newer 924 or even a 944. They have roughly the same power as the 924 Turbo with fewer problems and power steering to boot. 924 Turbos are best suited as second or third cars that are driven in nice weather and always parked in a garage out of the weather.

If you really want a 924 Turbo...buy a 1987 924 and install the turbo hood and vented nose piece. But make sure you spend $1500 to $2000 a year at the dealer getting proper servicing done.....timing belt etc.

Get a 931 when you have a house and garage space and always have some normal car as a daily driver.

My daily driver is a Toyota Previa minivan.

One of my first daily drivers (late '70's) was a worn out MG Midget. During the first year of ownership that car never got through a tank of gas without leaving my stranded. And I knew nothing about cars and that thing bled me dry and left me very frustrated. Older cars can very very cruel........this is why you don't see many older cars being used as a daily driver.....been there....done that.....still wake up screaming in the middle of the night.
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1981 931 (Canadian car)
1981 931 (US car)
1990 928GT (ROW car)
1991 Toyota MR2
1989 Toyota MR2 Super Charged
1985 Toyota Supra
1973 Triumph GT6
1971 Opel GT

[Min]

If your looking at 28+ year old vehicles, the 924 turbo is a good choice. All old car's have the problems that people have mentioned above. You can't get away from that if you go looking for a older car. Just go into it with your eye's open. Don't expect it to never break down. Sorry, all car's break down even new ones (like my roommates 2006 Honda that broke its alternator bracket and caused 1700 dollars worth of damage to the front of the motor, or the brand new Volkswagen golf my parents purchased that had a cracked block from the factory) older car's just break more often. Save for it, expect it, and have a backup plan for when something goes wrong.

Min
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Custom means it didn't come from a box.
1980 n/a with EDIS and Megasquirt II Injection. 7 different colors and counting.

[smart931]

Pretty much everything written above is accurate.
I've had a 931 as a daily driver for two years now. It's been a lot of fun, but, It let me down twice. First time was and still is a mystery. The second time it just stopped in my drive and refused to start. It took two separate mechanics scratching their heads and lots of wasted money before i found (curtosy of the helpful people on this forum) that it was simply the DITC connector had come away from the control box!! duh. Months wasted that i could've been having fun.
It's a great car and can be very reliable. But it is 28 years old and probably best as a second car. I just bought a Mazda3 as my daily so i can spend more "quality time" with the Porsche.
Whatever you decide... enjoy.
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1982 Porsche 931 (Sold)
2000 Smart Fortwo (Waiting for import)
1972 Opel manta (Left in England)
1965 Chevrolet Corvair (Left in England)
2010 Mazda 3 (Ex got this in divorce)
1974 Triumph TR6 (sadly gone)
1968 Ford F250 Camper Special (Daily)

[Rich H]

Get an N/A first - they handle the same, cost a load less and don't blow up.

If your commuting then the turbo is a waste in traffic and will eat through expensive bits in traffic (Clutch) where as an N/A will run forever with minimal fuss if looked after. OK it's not a quick flat out but the N/A holds it's own in the twisties.

A well sorted and driven N/A will give modern rubbish a reasonable run for it's money, as long as there are a few corners

Also you can spend what you save on repairing the worn out bits.

2 Turbos I know intimately (Mine and NWNS's) ate their head gaskets within 2 weeks of purchase due to sitting for extended periods. Both initially survived 400 mile journeys then blew up...
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1994 Lotus Esprit S4 - Work in progress...
1980 Porsche 924 S2 DITC Turbo - Original spec
1978 Homo-Sapiens - Tired spec
1953 Landrover S1 - Pensioner Spec

[flosho]

[Slam]

How many other 28-year-old cars do you see on the road?

If you are willing to give up every Saturday for the next year because you have to work on your car...

If you want to spend all your spare cashish on special A) parts, B) tools, C) tech manuals...

If you actually get more satisfaction taking your car apart than you do driving it...

If you can afford the speeding tickets...

If you're mechanically inclined...

If you heed the advice from the gang here...

If you can love something for what it is and not what you dream of it being or what you can make it 5 years from now...

If you always carry spare change in your pocket for a phone call/cab fare/bus ride when you get stranded...

Then a 931 is the car for you. Mand had one and it broke its crank and her heart... Now she's got a hot, very modified NA that's reliable. I agree about avoiding the 931 unless you've got a bulletproof daily driver.
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'88 944 Auto - may or may not resurrect

[Joes924Racer]

Depends on what you have to pay 4 it. I always thought i couldnt afford one 4 one.
Have it checked out, to know its condition .. more times than not its a simple fix when they go...

Though you dont know it at the time ...this equals things getting out of hand quickly.

Been there with the NA.. good thing I had porsche people living close to me at the time or i would of really gotten frustrATED.

If your not mechanically inclined in the basics ... get there & it might leak on you too when it rains really.
I think you should go for it if the price is right and its a runner.
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1979 porsche 924 Na
1980 porsche Turbo 931GT Replica
Have u ever driven a turbo.

[Mike9311]

Sounds to me like you have the fever...no cure at all

I think it boils down to you and if you can handle all the issues described above. If you want plug and play the 931 isn't the car but it some ways its a great learner for those willing to give the effort.

The best part is there is help to be had here

Best of luck
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1980 931 since 1989
1981 Ideola 931 Club Sport
1982 931 Entwicklungsfahrzeug
1979 924 NA ohne 650 mit 471
1982 931 Red Resurrection - 951 IC
1982 931 parts car / resurrection?
1980 924 NA (R&D lightweight)
1982 931 wana-be GTR race car

[TJC]

I've just read thread your previous posts and I think you really have your heart set on a 931 no matter what but your're at that "practical" stage in your purchase mind set and are now having second thoughts on how to spend your hard earned money...that's a sensible thing and nothing to be ashamed about .

Take heed in the suggestions and comments posted in this thread and your previous ones, but understand that nobody can really make this decision except you, and you'll have to live with it...

You mentioned before that your budget is about $3200.00, so ask yourself, "What will fulfill my needs for the amount of money that I have to spend"? With your budget you are most certainly going to have to get an older car, no matter what make and model, but which car will serve you most wisely or give you the most satisfaction (not necessarily mutually obtainable!) is up to you. And no matter what you end up with you should be prepared to set some bucks aside for the inevitable repairs/service that will be required in your first few months of ownership.

You know your situation best as far as what you require for life's daily needs, such as living expenses, saving for college, school/job transportation, parental support in this car decision and so on. If you can handle the issues that are inherant with owning a 931 as well as your daily and future needs, then I say go for it, however if you have some serious reservations then you may be better served by picking a different daily driver.
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'95 BMW 318i/5 ..."Pearl"
'87 Porsche 944 NA... "Liebchen"
'02 Porsche Boxster..."Sunbeam"
'04 BMW X3..."Xander"
Still on the Prowl!

www.ttrs1.com

[ideola]

Another way to look at it. What's the worst thing that can happen?

The car breaks down, you get stranded : (can you afford road service on your insurance policy?)

The car cost more than you can spend : (you lose your $3200 and have to start over from scratch somewhere down the road)

Ummm....can't think of much else. In the grand scheme of life, $3200 isn't that much money.

The reality is for $3200 you're unlikely to get a reliable car anyway. You might as well have one you enjoy driving (while it runs) and don't mind working on (because it's so fun to drive while it runs). My first car was a Fiat X1/9. They don't get much more unreliable than that. Broke down all the time. But I learned a heckuvalot, and enjoyed the hell out of that car. Never regretted owning it.

You're only young once. Do it now before you have other responsibilities that will take all your time and money. Every young man ought to have a fun car once in his life. You'll be thinking about practical cars and minivans and soccer practice and taking pets to the vet soon enough. This is why BOTH of my boys have their own toofah.

Go get the car and let us know how we can help you keep it on the road.

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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[9xx]

You can use the 931 as a daily driver. I think the problem is that these cars are pretty old and often neglected which leads to the many problems.

All I can say is that when 931 is taken care of, it will take you to anywhere, no matter how the weather is or what the temperature is. From +30 celsius degrees to -30 celsius degrees. I remember I once started my 931 when it was -28 celsius degrees outside. It started with the first attempt. And I had forgot to put the block pre-heater on so it was with VERY cold engine. First turn of the key.
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Mikko

All gone: 931 '82 Alpine White, original option "220" G31 with LSD + 3 x 944