Down but not beaten....

[Guest]

Just received some disappointing news in the post this morning. My mortgage lender, with whom I am currently in the throes of re-mortgaging with, have informed me that the finances being made available to me through this venture will now be received early in January 2004 and not within the next 2 to 3 weeks as planned. The small proportion of funds left over after we've extended our house were to be used to purchase my very own wee Porsche - this will now delay the procedure.

This would not be a problem, only I've gone and fallen in love with a wee silver thing I came across on another site. I've been in touch with the owner and gave him a list of questions which have been answered most satisfactorily. I had planned on taking the next step of getting the car inspected and then heading down to Essex to have a wee test drive myself and hopefully conclude negotiations and have my very own Porsche. These plans now have to sit on the back-burner until after the New Year and all I can do is hope that no-one buys it in the meantime. I'm a wee bit gutted, but if it's meant for me then I'll get it - that's my philosophy. I could afford to go ahead with the purchase now if I wanted, but that would mean missing a couple of vital bill payments and my two young kids being deprived of their Christmas presents - not something I'd contemplate for anything; even a Porsche.

The car itself is a 1985 Porsche 924 2.0 litre (Audi Unit) Lux?(I'm not sure about the Lux bit, but I could swear he said that). It is Silver in colour and has almost a full service history. There's 94000miles on the clock, a private plate, Thatcham cat-1 alarm/immobiliser, 10 months MoT and 5 months Tax. It has a R/C and all the electrics work. The cam-belt was changed recently and a spare one is supplied! The dash is unmarked and free from cracks. There's no bag for the removable roof and it is in need of a new battery. The asking price is £1400 ono. Seems a real bargain to me, but then again I only have the owners word for it. I've seen a few snaps of it and it does look really good.

In the meantime I'll content myself with the knowledge that in 6(ish) weeks time I'll have my pick of Porsches to choose from. If by some miracle this one is still available then I'll be a happy bunny. I've dropped the owner an e-mail and informed him of my predicament and asked that he informs me if he sells the car. Not alot else I can do really...life's a bitch at times, it really is.

Cheers....

Paul.

 

[Guest]

Hi Paul,

1985 Porsche 924 2.0 litre @ £1400 - sounds a bargain!

To compare, I have a 1984 (silver) 924 2.0 litre (mileage £92k at the time) which I purchased June last year for £2150.

No alarm, no bag for sun roof. Two of the interior seats are the same pattern but black pinstripe, not burgundy! and the inside, although not 'perfect', is very tidy & clean.
(This isn't a sales pitch!!! I'm not selling it)

The car in very good nick all round (varified by independant Porsche specialist). Engine is in sound condition - very clean, no leaks, no rattles.

I knew when I bought the car it had had a re-spray, and I have the pictures to support this - this was a fully stripped respray, which I've since been told could cost £1k+ if done by a garage. The body work is 98% perfect order.

I did get a full service by a third party Porsche specialist immediately after purchasing the car, which also included lots of small jobs & little extras I wanted doing to bring the car up to a high standard. This (including VAT & labour) cost £600 - they even offered me a coffee! Total cost after of purchase including full service - £2750.

Insurance is through a classic car insurer (plenty available in classic car magazine or Porsche Post if you are Porsche Club GB memeber - £50 p.a.) and set me back £320 full comp on limited mileage of 5000 p.a - I didn't shop around, so am guessing this could be too much.

Now, my original budget was £2000! However, when I saw this car, I knew this was what I was after, and as mentioned by someone else I think in another forum entry, this will have good residuals.

Although it's been valued at £3000 for insurance, I do realise this doesn't really mean much in real terms - A car is worth what someone's willing to pay for it as we all know.

It could be that I have paid over the odds for mine, as £1400 does sound like a real bargain! I hope when you get yours you too find why owning a Porsche brings a smile to the face

Good luck.
Mark
& MWW

 

[geoff Ives]

The car itself is a 1985 Porsche 924 2.0 litre (Audi Unit) Lux?(I'm not sure about the Lux bit

1985 was the last year of production for the 2 litre cars and the one you are looking at is almost certainly a 'Lux'. One givaway is the sun roof the other is electric windows.

94K miles is no problem. Our car must be close (or more than) 200K but the oddometer stop working 5 years ago at 99K. All we have replaced is a cylinder head gasket.

Be warned, photographs alway make a car look better than it is.

£1,400 is now good money. Get him to buy the battery and try for £1250.
Good Luck.

 

[Guest]

I thought it sounded good but wasn't quite sure - I was comparing it to others of similar age and spec in Auto-Trader and other publications and it appears to be a wee bit cheaper than the norm. I am attributing this to the fact that the 2.0litre engine it has is the Audi lump - and the car itself has no PAS. I'd prefer to have a Porsche with PAS as I'm not keen on car's without it now (modern cars have spoiled me somewhat). How 'heavy' is non-power assisted steering in a Porsche - will my arms ache after a good run in one? I remember havin a VW Golf in the early 90's that didn't have PAS - I got shot of it within a year as it was too heavy a car to be doing without it.

Also....I've asked this on a previous post, but what do you think of the Audi 2.0 litre engine? Is it any good?

My initial feeling when I was told this was "it's not really a Porsche then!" I was a little disappointed to be honest. I then thought about it's reliability and wondered what you boys and girls felt about that aspect of it. The way I see it, and this may be a little misguided, is that the Porsche engine may cost a little more to maintain but I feel it might be a better engine overall. The Audi may be cheaper in terms of maintenance, but may require said maintnance on a more regular basis - thus diminishing any sort of saving compared to the Porsche unit. What's your take on that - or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Cheers for now....


Paul.

 

[JohnC]

I have a 924 Lux with no PAS. Your arms will not ache after a long run. Once the car is rolling the steering is light, helped by the narrower tyres on the 924 (compared to a 944). However wives and girlfriends sometimes say parking in a multi-storey is hard work.

On the engine, the 2.5 litre is smoother, but the 2.0 litre Audi unit is cheaper to run, - its a simpler engineer, cheaper to service and does not need maintenance more often.

 

[geoff Ives]

Also....I've asked this on a previous post, but what do you think of the Audi 2.0 litre engine? Is it any good?

Although the engine is an Audi DERIVED unit it is quite different in detail.
I have a Lotus Elan and you could say that the engine is from a Ford Cortina. It is except for the Head, Pistons, Crankshaft, Conrods, Water pump, Cams, Bore and Stroke.

Any good? Why do you think we love them so much?
The 2.5 is smoother because it has balance shafts.
Would you arms ache? My wife is over 50, 4Ft.11inches tall and uses it as her daily driver. Try Wheatabix.

 

[Guest]

I agree, to call the 2.0 litre audi is bull shit the Audi engine was not EFI!

the steering is heavy and even slight chaps get put off.

£1400 is way too much.

2 years ago I brought a 924S 1986 red for £950 and sold it last year for £600.00

I would not pay more than £500 for it. and thats the best offer he will get