924Board.org

[uffie.]

I found a seemingly ideal Porsche 931 around me for the mere price of $2000. The engine itself seems well maintained with a new timing belt and fuel system, so mechanically, the car isn't much of a concern for me. Cosmetically the car is great for being 30 years old so that's not a concern for me. My concern that totally threw me off embarking on a car as a 931 is daily drivability. Now, I have a little bit more than $1000 left over after the purchase of the car. At first I was becoming somewhat skeptical, but thinking about it more, reading The Gold-Plated Porsche, and finding a good Porsche mechanic that's been working on 9xx's for a very long time, I really started desiring the car again. Long story short, I'm purchasing this car with the intention of making it a daily driver. Now, I'm very meticulous with maintenance schedule of my current car so honestly I wouldn't skip a mile over any maintenance procedure needed. I'm 16 so I'm not going to rank as many miles as some of you do when you go to work, probably 250 miles a week at the maximum.
a: What does it take to make a 931 a daily?
b: Do you guys use yours as daily? I know some of you do
c: How many miles do you drive every day on average?

I hope it doesn't seem like fantasy to have a 931 as a daily..I just believe cars should be driven properly

[Rasta Monsta]

If it has good compression, servicable clutch (easy visual inspection - ask if you need instructions), shifts well, and has no signs of blown turbo (rattle, smoke, etc), buy it*. Then have the wur rebuilt, replace all rubber in the intake, and refresh the shocks (should come in under $1000).

Then enjoy!


rasta

*Less than 5% of 931s for sale will display all these attributes.
_________________
Toofah King Bad

• WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

[Paul]

And NEVER shift without fully depressing the clutch.
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.

[ideola]

My eldest son (now 22) has been driving a 931 as a daily driver for almost two years now. The only time he was ever stranded it by it was when the alternator (original to the car when I got it) went bad. Of course, we went thru the car pretty thoroughly up front to get it in good reliable condition, but aside from that, no issues.

My two boys both learned on a 1981 NA. Once I rebuilt the top end, that car has been solid reliable. My middle son and I drove it to Texas and back on a major road trip last year. My dad is now (temporarily) using it as a daily driver, with a ~44 mile round trip commute, not including his commutes to on-site jobs within a 150 mile radius of Farmington Hills MI. We're doing some scheduled maintenance on it this weekend (oil change and brake inspection).

Since completing the restoration on my "941" (a 931 under the sheet metal), I've been using it as almost a daily driver for the past 6-8 weeks. I drive it 4-5 times a week (~300 miles a week) between work, band rehearsal, and church on Sundays. No issues yet.

With proper preventive maintenance, there is no reason these cars can't be as reliable as a modern car. The strategy that has worked for me is to repair what is obviously in need of attention at the outset, then drive it HARD for a few weeks to see what else needs attention. During that first 2-3 months, you should expect some break downs. As long as you have a financial cushion to address the odd things that will come up, you should be OK. Don't expect it to be reliable from the outset, but you can definitely get it there.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[Rich H]

Mine is a daily and the drive is 10 miles each way. It's thirsty as it's doesn't get properly hot but it gets regular long runs.

Not been stranded by it (yet) but it did eat it's head gasket after 2 weeks due to a PO being a cock (Not the one I bought it off the one before that!) not the car's fault. (He failed to re-torque the head bolts after the last HG change)

Since then it's been used almost every day and has taken me+her to France and back (1200 miles) without missing a beat even when stuffed to the gunnels with booze on the way back (the car not me+her)

Sure there has been a list of minor repairs but not much serious.
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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

[Mike9311]

I drove my 931 for a long time on a daily basis. For me it requires more attention than a NA. I always kept an eye on the oil pressure and water temp. You sort of get in tune with the car after a bit. You know what the cam and tappets sound like as well as the exhaust (I eventually had a loosening turbo from the manifold which made it sound like a lawnmower). Just take care and use good oil on a regular basis. As mentioned above slow shifting is good. Clutch, pause, shift....
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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

[Joes924Racer]

As mentioned above slow shifting is good. Clutch, pause, shift....


Kind of a get low to the ground kind a feeling that is pleasurable as

speed increases and turns are made. Learning to pause.

Way to go
you found a car.
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1979 porsche 924 Na
1980 porsche Turbo 931GT Replica
Have u ever driven a turbo.

[uffie.]

Fantastic guys, thanks!

Ideola, I think driving it hard was the first thing on my mind. I think i'll set up cones in an open secluded parking lot and run the car as hard as I can until something gives in/ I can listen to the car and listen to whats wrong.

I'm not so great at stick shift yet so that clutch pause would have been done without you guys telling me anyway haha

Do you think I should be safe and get an entire hose kit? Or just the intake hoses?

Also, how can I tell of a serviceable clutch? Thanks

[smart931]

I use my 931 as a daily driver, 10 miles each way. It works fine for the most part. I'm chasing some faults around. It's as reliable as any 28 year old daily driver, i'd say. Slightly more reliable than my 45 year old daily i was using.
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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)