Thaddeus

I am intrigued with the idea of 931's. Especially ones that look like GTR's. Toying with the idea of finding one.

Every car has its weak spots, and the secret of having a happy experience with an old car is to find one where the weak spots have already been addressed. So what's the weak spot/expensive fixes on a 931?

thanks in advance....

924RACR

www.924board.org has all your answers. Short version, gearboxes on the '80 cars, ignition system on the 81-82, fuel injection (mainly gumming up etc) on all 3 years. Weak base brakes on the 80.

emoore924

I'd add to that the cams and followers wear. On the turbos, the exhaust manifolds often crack. The turbos have oiling and bearing problems. The hvac and interior is pretty primitive. The seams in the seats are always ripped (typical of 924/944 of that era) and all the dashes crack. The odo fails (always!) so buy on condition only if mileage isn't documented from day 1 (and it never is). Also, some parts are getting hard to find.

That being said, good examples of these cars are cheap to purchase, relatively inexpensive to maintain when compared to the 911, 928 or 914, don't suffer badly from rust worms, and are a joy to drive. They're balanced and easy to drive fast, just a great entry-level p-car. I've owned two 914's and a 911 and the two 924's I currently own (one turbo and one n/a) have been a lot of fun and have proven to be much less expensive to fix and upgrade than my previous p-car experiences.

Currently pricing has placed good examples of the 931 as comparables with the early 944 n/a (pre 85.5) and slotted nicely beneath the 951. My advice would be to go with the latest, best condition car you can afford (944 85.5+, turbo, 88 924S), but if you're in the market for the early 931 **and can find a good one**, choose carefully and you will be rewarded with membership in a close-knit community of avid (dare I say rabid?) 931 fans. As Vaughan said, stop over to 924.org and see.

Thaddeus

Thanks!