924Board.org

[quart]

About a year ago, I almost grabbed my mechanic/buddies '88 as a project car and sat on my hands and life happened and my disposible income dried up. Fast forward to earlier this month andi it again is on the table.

In a decision I will forever regret, I traded my 2008 Audi S4 in on a new car for my wife... we've been together for 10 years and I have had 3 new cars, she was still driving the same one from back in 2002.

To make a long story short, she now has a new GLK and I am driving her old SUV. I am not an SUV kind of guy and am finding it hard to find a lower mileage used car for what her old Nissan Pathfinder is worth. I've been looking for an early Boxster, a Mini Cooper S, another Miata (had one before we married) or even a Toyota MR2 but to no avail.

My buddy, the mechanic still has his '88 924s and I have calculated that if I sold the old SUV I would have a few thousand to spend on fixing up the 924s at his current asking. The two biggest expenses would be interior and body, since he has recently redone the entire fuel system (Tank, lines and injection system), it has new clutch, tires and koni's.

He is in the process of checking whether or not the AC just needs charging or would need to be replaced, which would facilitate swapping over the the new system and would change his asking price a little.

It really is a clean car as far as history and he specializes in VW, Audi and Porsche cars, so he isn't a Ford mechanic just fiddling with another car. I trust him and his work, my big issue is even with an entirely new interior and paint would I be spit-polishing a turd or could I have a good solid daily that wouldn't need more than regular maintanence.

As a side note, I am fairly mechanically inclinded and while I do not know my way around a 924 at the moment, would not be afraid to get my hands dirty and have a pretty good teacher in the before mentioned mechanic who would humor me on the weekends and when I am in need.

All in all, how many folks drive their 924's as daily drivers, what sort of issues come up, whats the mileage and insurance when doing full coverage? Thoughts, and Feedback are appreciated and please don't tell me how crazy I am to either get rid of an S4 for a GLK, or get out of a Nissan for a 25 year old Porsche, I've heard enough of that over at the VWVortex forums....

[ideola]

As much as I hate to say this, after 17 cars and 9 years of ownership, I have finally come to terms with the reality that no 924 is a good choice as a daily driver (or 944 or 924S or 928). For the same initial cost and lower maintenance headache, you could buy a 10 year old VW on which everything will work and will cost less maintain or repair.

My perspective may be skewed somewhat by living in the cold north...you might have a better experience in the south...but you *will* want the AC to work, I pretty much guarantee that. The 88 924S is a great package, and I'm sure you'd enjoy it. Just go in with your eyes open, and be prepared to be stranded every now and again. Get a AAA membership for roadside assistance, and have a plan for transportation when you have to put the car in the shop and wait for parts to come from the Fatherland, and you might be OK.

Best of luck.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[quart]

Thanks for the input. While I could counter everyone of your points with justification in favor of how it would work for me, I won't. You do bring up some good things to think about and I will need to really weigh my options.

The reality for me is for this amount of money, it doesn't matter what I end up with, there will be a chance it strands me on the side of the road from time to time.

Regardless of whether it's the 924s, a '98 Boxster a 02 MIni or GTi, or anything else I could swing in my price range; I'm looking at 100k plus miles on them all and due to my before mentioned stubborness that we won't discuss, grabing a reliable economy box just won't do.

So I guess it boils down to me determining if knowing one high-mileage German car intimately as I more or less do with the 924S is better than a new high-mileage German car that I have to take the word of the sales person at the local 'stealership on it's service history. Sounds like I am rolling the dice anyway I look at it.

Gotta love the exercises we go through to find a car as car lovers.

[the_mad_electrician]

It's probably better you didn't get a Mini. My brother had a Mini, it was constantly in the shop. He put less than 40k miles on it and put it in the shop seven times.
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81 924 N/A

2004 Ranger "Edge"

2005 Mazda 6

[Luvmy80-924]

I can totally relate to the SUV thing I was driving a GMC Yukon back and forth to work, all back roads not fun in that truck. I always loved Porsche's and never owned a brand new car. So I decided to buy my 930 instead of a new car and it was the best decision I could have made. And as the old comercial goes "once you own one, there is no other". I started looking for another Porsche as a daily driver. I found a 80 924 NA on craigslist and bought for $900. The guy was useing it as a wood storage shed. I even had to come back a day later so he would have time to get all the wood out. I really don't know why the 924 gets such a bad rap. I had to do the normal fuel system cleaning and wiring/ground problems from the car sitting, But I absolutly love that car. I drive it everyday and it has never let me down (besides the rubber damper coming apart - Auto Trans, but that is fixed now also) . I changed the oil a few times, put a set of front pads on it and other than that just gas. It even gets 20+MPG, which I think is good for a 30+ year old car. From what I understand the 924s is a 944 in a 924 wrapper which is supposed to be a "better" car. I would go for it.
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1980 924 N/A Everyday Driver
1986 930
And now a 1980 931

[Rasta Monsta]

I daily'd a 931 since 2006 (yes, a few months down here and there) and my wife daily'd a 924S for five years before we turned it into a race car. NO downtime.
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Toofah King Bad

• WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

[Paul]

I've been driving a 924 of one type or another as a daily driver since 1977.
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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.

[9xx]

I've used 944's and 924 Turbo as daily drivers and they haven't left me on the side of the road, for example because of mechanical failure. Just drove to work with 944 one morning and it was -28 degrees celsius outside. If a car works in arctic conditions every day, I think it is a well made car.

Some guy drove his 944 across Africa and made it!
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Mikko

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

[Nobbi]

I drove my 1977 924 N/A for 20 years as a daily driver.(350000km)
Cheapest thing in total over the years.
Since 20 month i drive a 944S2 Cabriolet as my daily driver, in that time i drove 120000 km on german autobahns.Believe me, there is no substitute!!!
I drive it for 80000 km now on LPG so it is cheap as hell and even makes fun like hell.Brakes were good for 100000km also the rear tires...front changed after 150000 km.
For long distance travel there is nothing better.(Maybe a road shark...?)

Go for it - youre the typ of man.
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NA 924 - april/1977- 4-speed-audi gearbox.
500.000 km with fun.....and new toy:Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet.Other car Daimler c-class cabby,brandnew..Plus : DEUTZ 4005 tractor Built 1967

[quart]

In conversations with my mechanic friend about the car, as well as his other vehicles (several 914's, 84 GTi, 93 Corrado, Rabit Truck, 96 Vanagon).. he likes to tell me that the great think about the '88 924s is that it came from an era before all the manufacturers started putting in so many electronics. Being from that era myself, I can sort of relate...

That being said, the big hurdle for me is to decide if investing $3k upfront and 2-3 months to get it to a condition I wouldn't mind crawling into each day and still having a couple grand in my pocket for other issues with the car or just have a couple grand in my pocket.... or wait until I find that perfect newer used car for the whole stack, which could take forever if ever.

All of this is assuming after spending $400 to fix a torn seat and doing a minor repair on the Nissan I can get between $6500 & $7500 for it.

I think I will go crawl around inside the 924S this weekend and serious look at it from this perspective. The last time I spent anytime with it, drove it etc was a couple years ago when I was considering buying out right for a project.

[morghen]

only daily driven a 924 NA for a bit more than half a year...no probs....but i had an unmolested one.
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Supercharger and EFI kits
https://www.the924.com

[edredas]

I've had my 924S for 10 years now. It was my daily driver for most of that time, and had been extremely reliable.
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'84 944 -White, Brown interior
'84 944 -Red, Automatic
'86 944 -Garnet, Fully loaded, Koni suspension
'87 924S -Red, 300hp 951 swap
'87 924S -Red, Project Car
'88 924S -Red, Daily Driver