Boy racer 924

[PaulHere]

Why don't we see boy racers buying all these cheap e-bay 924 cars?
It's always puzzled me.

OK the thought of reams of blinged up 924s roaming the streets (and Club events!) may not be to everyones taste but it would keep a few more examples on the road - and a good deal of these cars are actually well loved and very well sorted.

Why aren't they being snapped up?

 

[Guest]

Is it an insurance question?

 

[andymarsden1]

Nope, i was insured on mine at 17. I think its the fact that people are inimidated by the name, i went through a boy racer stage for about a month when i was 16 and i wanted an escort cabriolet! I ended up buying a 924 and came second in the chatsworth concourse in the first year of ownership. The only modification i have made to my car is a new set of door sills because the old ones said monarch on them. When i brought my car it was as if i'd made the decision to become a proper car enthusiast from day one and the whole boy racer concept went straight out the window. Why would you want a 1.2 corsa when you can have a 2.0litre porsche?

Andy

 

[geoff Ives]

I tried to get insurance cover for my daughter (18 years old) on the 924 Lux that is usually driven by my wife. No hope I was being told that it was a high performance car!!! On our Ford Escourt 16V .. no trouble.

 

[Alan Woods]

OK the thought of reams of blinged up 924s roaming the streets (and Club events!) may not be to everyones taste but it would keep a few more examples on the road - and a good deal of these cars are actually well loved and very well sorted.

It's hard to see life through the eyes of an 18 year old (thankfully) but I am sure a base model Corsa with clear indiciators and a dustbin* exhaust is far more appealing to them.

* oldscool cylinderical steel not square-plastic-wheeley obviously.

 

[andymarsden1]

GEOFF: My pearent had no problems insuring me at 17 with Zenith insurance, who i am currently with and i now pay £1600pa as i am 19.

ALAN: Life is fantstic at 18, but obviously you don't remember it! My girlfiend has a corsa and it's a very reliable litte car, and very affordable to run. Im at full-time university, work part-time and generally flogg my guts out to run my car and keep it in A1 condition. Not all 18yr olds are interested in "clear indicators and dustbin exhausts".

Andy

 

[shad]

I think the 944 appeals more to them and also there are no obvious things like the "whale tail" .

Shad

 

[Christopher Brown]

Andy

Glad to see that you are still enjoying the 924 and still as enthusiastic as ever. We bought (your) 924 in 1990 from Monarch Cars the then Official Porsche Dealer in Warwick - that's why it had Monarch on the sills. Didn't stop us winning many concours though and glad you are keeping up the tradition. There really is nothing like a Porsche in Guards Red... so guess what, we have ordered a new Cayman S in Guards Red with black interior! [] Regards to your Mum and Dad - Chris and Angela

 

[Guest]

I'm 23 and they still won't insure me for a decent amount! It used to be that you had to be 21 before you got a proper car, now it's 25, when I turn 25 they will probably put it up to 30 just to annoy me!

 

[andymarsden1]

try his one paul, http://www.moneysupermarket.com/motor/. Welcome to the forum.

Andy

(i swear my posts are invisible sometimes...)

 

[924nutter]

Clue; dont set the font colour the same as the background.

 

[MacSami]

Apologies for bringing up an old thread, but I think the insurance and possibility of repair costs are major factors.

Boy racers can insure their 1.3 Corsa's or Nova's for relatively little, and usually they don't declare their modifications.

In comparison, a Porsche 924 costs a lot more to insure, especially for young male drivers, and whilst parts appear to generally be cheap, I can't see many boy racers wanting to tinker with it. Also, with older cars, there is the possibility of more to go wrong (although this may be a common misconception!)

I wish this weren't the case - I'm looking to get a Porsche 924 myself, but at 21, with 3 years driving and 2 years NCB under my belt (no accidents, just the policy offers NCB from the age of 19), the best pricing I can get for insurance is around the £1500 mark. My location is the killer - if I were still at home, it would cost me half of that. I guess that's the price you pay for living in Birmingham!

Of course, if there are any other young drivers who have managed to get a better deal, please let me know!

Thanks.

 

[jr2015]

Hi Paul & others,
I guess the cost of getting an ebay 924 through an MOT and the insurance costs would put most youngsters off.
I had a 924 for 5 years and it was a great drive.The running costs were very reasonable, but I was in my thirties and capable of doing the maintainance myself.
Working on it compared to Fords and Austin/Rovers was a joy, and I would recommend one to someone studying engineering and interested in getting their hands dirty as its well-designed and goes back together in a satisfying way.A good metric socket set covers just about everything , though I had some trouble finding a deep enough valve spring compressor when I rebuilt the cyylinder head.
As far as insurance goes, ask about limited mileage ,off-road parking,lockup garage in a cheaper postcode and third party as any 924 or 944 will be written off by the insurance for what ammounts to very minor damage as they calculate the cost of repair at OPC rates.
Lastly, it`s sensible to have enough money left after purchase to fettle it up (new discs and pads, better tyres etc).How many teenagers have bought a nail and then found this out the hard way?
regards,
jr.

 

[MacSami]

Some good points jr.

I think the 924 is a car that requires time more than anything when repairing it. The boy racer can easily fix his Nova's broken neon glow lights, but would probably find the innards of a 924 daunting (I'm not trying to stereotype here, just I think it's daunting and I'm thinking of getting one!).

The insurance; you might be surprised to hear that third party saves about £100 at most. I found out that insurance companies regard boy racers as a high category anyway, and when they get a 2 litre sports car and go third party insurance, it won't make them much safer drivers, hence the small saving. This is perhaps bizarre logic in one sense, but I can see where they're coming from. I am looking into renting a secure garage in the city, I have heard of some good discounts as a result of garaging a car (something I cannot do at present, as I don't have a garage!). If I could get the insurance below the magic 4 figure £1000, I'd seriously look to get a 924! (My Dad had a 924 when I was a kid, think we even took it to a couple of Porsche Club GB events, although my memory's a bit hazy from all the student drinking meantime).

I think if the person looking for a car is knowledgeable enough in what common issues / faults to spot before buying a car, they won't end up with a dead donkey, and it can be quite reasonable to run. I notice quite a few 924's have 12 month MOT's - not that it is any guarantee, but it's one less cost for the buyer at that point in time.

Not sure if this has been posted before, but a useful resource I found for 924's and 944's on the various models, chassis numbers, common faults, repairs etc. can be found at http://www.connactivity.com/~kgross/FAQ/944faq02.html

For me, though, the insurance is still the killer

 

[andymarsden1]

Well, i insure my car as being at home in notts, and its currently £1050pa. I take it up to sheffield and keep it in my mates undergroungd carpark, which is pretty safe. How much are you thinking to spend on a car though?? Don't buy a cheap one they can be a money pit, it took me adges to find mine, but it was worth it in the end.

Andy

 

[MacSami]

Hi Andy,

I'm looking at spending aroud £1000, plus just under £1000 in insurance.

 

[jr2015]

Its really important to check out the state of the fuel lines,brake lines and whether the torque tube bearings are noisy-they`re all fixable but you won`t get much change from a grand if they need attending to, and they will.
A good shell is obviously important so check for crash damage that`s been fixed on the cheap and take out the ventilators in the rear of the door jambs and shine a torch in there-they come out easily if you lift gently from the bottom, obviously ask the owners permission first.The fuel tank straps are another area that can fail an MOT as well as the mounting points for the suspension.Seat belts need checking, another potential MOT problem and check the seat mountings.
This all sounds depressing I know but take your time and be prepared to walk away from anything that doesn`t look or feel right, it pays in the end. After my 924, I took 6 months to find a 944 to replace it, but I`ve had that car for 15 years now, and its still in sound condition.
Don`t get depressed, just be patient.If you get a good one in should be worth more in 5 years than less, as good ones will become very rare.
jr.

 

[MacSami]

Thanks for the advice jr, much appreciated.

I'm not someone to have a rigourous budget - if the car warrants the money, then I'll spend it, within reason. As you say yourself, there are few good condition 924's around, so if there is one and it's slightly more than 1000, then I'd be prepared to spend the little bit extra.

To be honest, second hand car hunting can be a long process, to ensure you get the right car. Of course, with classic cars, more attention and care needs to be paid to various parts of the car.

 

[colinb1]

My son in 13 and a Porsche nut. He would like a 924 now so he can fix it up and bring it back to how it was originally... over the next 3 years or so. Trouble is we don't have a spare garage for the car to live in!

As for youngsters preferring tarted up Corsas....? My lad has said he'd rather walk! [] He wants a proper car.

 

[MacSami]

Good to hear you son has good taste in cars!

I'm going to be making a couple of calls tomorrow, but I think I've come across a broker who can actually provide comprehensive insurance for a 21 year old in a city based on limited mileage for under 4 figures (believe me, it's been a struggle to find someone who'll offer that!).

Hopefully if I end up getting the cherished 924, I'll certainly post some information and tips on the insurance side of things.