HELP - 924S values

[chrishak]

I'm considering buying a 924S at auction, if the price is right but as prices seem all over the place I'd like to hear the opinions of the experts on here.

It's a 1987 car with 38.000 miles on the clock - not warranted, but the interior condition (near perfect) suggests it might be genuine. The car was last serviced at 37,000 miles in 2000, then the tax ran out and it was laid up in 2001 (I have no idea why). It's just been recomissioned with water pump, belts and tensioners done. The body appears rust free except for some corrosion evident at the bottom of the "B" pillar seen when the plastic grille is removed (thanks for the tip Tref). Paintwork (nougat brown) is generally very good, but with enough scuffs and stone chips to keep it honest. The wheels need refurbishing.

I haven't heard it run, but will listen carefully when it is driven into the auction.

Any ideas? At what price is it worth taking a chance?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Bertroex]

Hi Chris,

I run a 924S as a daily, 20 000 miles a year all year round. It started as my "winter porsche" but I enjoy it too much so drive it all year....

The rule of thumb usually is: get the price of a very very good condition 924S with similar mileage, and subtract the cost it would take to determine the value of your car.
A 1987 160 hp 924S is quite a rare car, as it was fairly overpriced back in 1987 and it was an old car, full stop.

So, a good condition 1987 car would fetch at a dealers £2800 to £3995 (exceptional), subtract the above and anything cheaper and you have a bargain.

I am not sure what nougat brown looks like, but if it is espresso brown, or something akin to the cassis metallic that is found in the 911 range, than this is traditionally not a popular colour. Which might work out well at auction, price wise.

The waterpump/belts/tensioners (and runners I hope!) replacement is good news, that saves you a good £350 to £500 in parts and labour.
The car might need additionally a decent service (plugs, HT leads, distributor, all filters, oils (inc transaxle), brake fluid and servo fluid. (count another £375)
Geo would require the porsche tool to set the suspension at the rear, so do expect either to buy it at £15 or therabouts from your OPC and take it along, and anything from £50 to over a £100 at a specialist. The geo set up is money well spend.

Tyre wise, I run only the best conti's in 196/65/15/ V rated, which were something like £60 per corner- which is absolutely a bargain: lets call it £260 fitted.
Exhaust back box: £125
B post repair (that sounds like sills to me- you can "patch and repair" but really you ought to consider changing the sills) and mopping of the paintwork and a couple of layers of decent wax whilst-you-are-in-there: £600 to £750.
Refurbishing 4 wheels (is it really necessary or could that be done after winter?) is typically £45 to £65 per wheel, so lets call it £250.
Sundries like windscreen wipers, a battery for the key head (s) or a spare key you take on the chin.

So, lets say £2800 minus all the above (but not with wheels refurbishing) and you come to something like £1190. Anything below that is money in the kitty.

My car consumes 32 mpg, goes like stink, holds the road like a good one after suspension and tyres refresh, and costs me over 20 000 miles per annum 32p per mile considering the petrol prices. 32p per mile all in. Cheapest car I have ever ran.

Rather than refurbishing your wheels, consider buying a set of 6 x 15 teledials and run a set of winter tyres. (your 1987 should have 6 x 15 at the front and 7 x 15 at the back)
I have surprisingly good ground clearance and I always embarrass modern machinery in the snow. Over the german autobahns I am restricted to 190 km/h (118mph) due to my T speed index n my winter tyres, but hey- great fun overtaking a Q7 at 185km/h in The Fatherland.

Make sure the thermoswitch is working super well, and that the radiator is clean of gunk and chalk etc. This is what killed my engine the first time and I have learned my lesson. A proper flush, good quality fluids, and regularly looking after the levels.

IIRC the 160bhp is a high compression version needing 98ron so that means super unleaded, which is a pain in the wallet. I would consider calling Wayne Schofield for a remap. The 150 bhp version requires 95 RON, all unleaded.

If you have the turbo seats and your bum is not of the wide variety so you sit "in" it rather than "on top of it", than that is definitely a bonus.

My local independant has a white 924S in for ...£495. Can't believe prices like that sometimes.

Best of luck,

Bert

 

[Bertroex]

Before I forget....

The odometer has a habit of not registering miles if you try to "zero" the tripmeter whilst rolling. Also, speedo cables have a habit of braking, so do take that 38000 miles with a pinch of salt.

Alternatively, the car could have done 138000 miles and it "still" will be a brilliant car. What is less brilliant, is that it stood still, and that means that for the next couple of weeks and months you are expecting: minor oil leaks from weeping seals, the sunroof, rear hatch and door seals having dried out, the heater blower motor being loud and chirpey, the electric windows not working due to hardened grease on the mechanism and the motors + connectors, dodgy alarm/immobiliser, dodgy earth strap, etc etc.

Basically anything that any porsche dislikes followed by being laid-up or by being a garage queen.

Final note: I drove a 968 sport chipped and dyno'd by Wayne Schofield making 240bhp proper. Apart from less roll due to better anti- roll bars and fresher suspension, it really did not feel that much faster. I stepped back into my car and apart from the dated dashboard, the 924S felt very very competent. I don't pussyfoot about with my car and you could say that I drive it "over 3000 rpm" *caugh* when properly warmed up -as you would with the older 911 models. It makes it a porsche because you can drive it at 8/10 all the time and it likes it and wont break down.

Bert

 

[chrishak]

Wow, thanks for that Bert. The guide price is £900 - £1,500 and looking at the car through open eyes, it's definitely closer to a 38,000 miler than 138,000. The corrosion at the base of the "B" pillar is internal surface rust and I'd be very surprised if it's even close to serious enough to warrant new sills. I'm aware of the pitfalls of buying a car that's been laid-up for twelve years and I'm certainly of the "Porsche's are meant to be driven" school of thought. However, I'd be more than happy to do anything that needs to be done to get it recomissioned properly if it's a solid, honest car.

You might have guessed that I'm after something reliable, practical, dependable and fun (with a Porsche badge on the front), which I can use as a daily driver. It will get the occasional run out in crap conditions when I've committed to use a Porsche for an event - then the 911 can stay tucked up in the garage!

Thanks again,
Chris

 

[John H]

I too recently bought a 924 (2.0 n/a) with a similar mileage showing on the clock (36,000). I have partial evidence that this is true, but not conclusive, so like you I have been a bit sceptical. I also have proof that it has done less than 500 miles a year in the last 15 years (from old MOTs) and I also knew that it had been all but unused for the last two years or so. It is not concours, but the general rust free condition of the shell, and the fact that the seat fabric is all but intact suggests to me that the mileage is correct, or near as dammit. On hard used older cars with high miles (and I have looked at lots) you will almost certainly be able to tell as the overall condition will not be so good (especially the interior) so don't worry about trusting your instinct.

Bert has given you an excellent run down above and I agree with all of it. I would add that you can expect the usual stuff you will find on all old cars (brakes, tyres, shocks, exhaust, etc etc) but also be prepared for mysterious electrical gremlins. The 924 (and the S too) predates any sort of computer circuitry (which good) but dry joints, creaky relays, wonky fuses and the like are almost certain to give you headaches. The good news is that they are all easily fixable, once you know where to look, and an older independent specialist who worked on them back in the day is worth his weight in gold (like Brian Miller Motors in Edinburgh) who has saved me hours by going right to the source of the trouble through experience.

These are tough, well made cars, but they don't respond well to inactivity, and I have found that the more miles I have put on mine to bring it out of hibernation, the better and sweeter it has become, so don't be afraid to use it ... they like it! And lastly, no offense intended to PCGB 924 owners, but this forum is very under-used, and joining the 924 Owners Club forum is worth the effort.

As to the value of the car, I guess only you have seen it so I'd be reluctant to say outright, but it sounds good to me..

 

[John H]

Oh, and you might enjoy this ... http://www.arthurlea.com/Stories/924/index.htm []

 

[chrishak]

ORIGINAL: John H

Oh, and you might enjoy this ... http://www.arthurlea.com/Stories/924/index.htm []

Inspiring story John and I can visualise my hand going up at the auction - when is the next instalment?

 

[John H]

ORIGINAL: chrishak

ORIGINAL: John H

Oh, and you might enjoy this ... http://www.arthurlea.com/Stories/924/index.htm []

Inspiring story John and I can visualise my hand going up at the auction - when is the next instalment?

That was actually written for the 924 Owners Club magazine, and is about to go into print. I guess as soon as it does I'll need to think of a follow up. As for your hand going up at the auction, sounds like a plan to me. []

 

[chrishak]

Just returned from the auction. Car made £3,100 plus commission - way beyond my budget.
Thanks for your input - I'll be back soon!

 

[John H]

ORIGINAL: chrishak

Just returned from the auction. Car made £3,100 plus commission - way beyond my budget.
Thanks for your input - I'll be back soon!

Whilst I am disappointed for you, as it was beyond your budget, I am actually quite heartened to hear that this made sensible money, for what sounded like a good car. All 924's have been undervalued for too long, I suspect folk are waking up to what good value they are, especially as other Porsches of this age are going up in value quite quickly.

JH

 

[vitesse]

That certainly cheered me up as well-club value on ours is £2650-but might not get that in current market with 96k on the clock-Hope you are luckier next time--the fleabay track car cost £950 complete with new brakes all round ,new door,hatch,sunroof seals,new carpets & mats, re-trimmed front seats, newly powder coated wheels ,and a set of new crap Chinese tyres(well they drove alright as long as it wasn't wet.
It also had a new SS twin pipe rear exhaust but proved to noisy for motorway use although sounded great.

 

[chrishak]

Another punter had driven down from Derby specifically to bid for the same car and was willing to go up to £3,000. He had a dealer waiting to buy the car as is, for £4,000!

I think a rethink on values is in order.

 

[pse_SC]

And lastly, no offence intended to PCGB 924 owners, but this forum is very under-used, and joining the 924 Owners Club forum is worth the effort.

Good advice [] They are all mad about the 924!

 

[John H]

ORIGINAL: pse_SC

And lastly, no offence intended to PCGB 924 owners, but this forum is very under-used, and joining the 924 Owners Club forum is worth the effort.

Good advice [] They are all mad about the 924!

Which is all well and good, but what are we going to do to get some 924 action going on here? []

 

[vitesse]

Well I will start posting on here rather than the 944 section-I only do that because their comments spark an interest.

For instance,having just changed the waterpump,belts,adjusters & rollers on our grey 924S,I still get the funny squeal which had become evident in recent weeks & which started me on the complete renewal once it warms up but which seems to disappear when it gets hot enough for the fan to cut in.Am going to remove the alternator/power steering belts tomorrow to see if any of those items inc the pump/alternator is the culprit.

Any thoughts welcome.

Also I ended up making a crankshaft lock & thought about doing a sketch to share with others.

 

[pse_SC]

Which is all well and good, but what are we going to do to get some 924 action going on here?

I'd say this is more than we've had for a while anyway.
Also take a look at.........

http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=782863

All 924's have been undervalued for too long

Hear, hear