nidmatt

I have an opportunity to purchase a 1988 924s with 32000 miles. Mechanically it drives and sounds beautiful, but needs new paint. Asking price is $3200. Should I purchase this? I have never had a Porsche. I have read many articles about the cost of repair and about the timing belt. Should I have any concernes about these items? This is not going to be a daily driver for me, just a fun car to drive when the wether is nice.

ernie9468

If the car has no serious issues the price seem rigth,but you'll still have to ask for maintenance records concerning the TB/BSB/WP ect,& have an idea when last time done , every 35K miles or 4 years which ever come first is the name of the game when it come to belts replacement.32K miles I doudt will be the real mileage on an 88,are you sure the odometer is still working and your not looking at a 132k miles car.Also the clutch on them is a very time consuming & expensive job to do even if you DIY & if it still has the original rubber puck disc that clutch has probably seen the best of it's life ,so you want to make sure it was done recently.The golden rule before buying any Porsche including 924S/944s is to get a PPI done by a shop or mechanic independant from the peoples your buying from before you hand out your hard earn money.GL

ernie9468

If the car has no serious issues the price seem rigth,but you'll still have to ask for maintenance records concerning the TB/BSB/WP ect,& have an idea when last time done , every 35K miles or 4 years which ever come first is the name of the game when it come to belts replacement.32K miles I doudt will be the real mileage on an 88,are you sure the odometer is still working and your not looking at a 132k miles car.Also the clutch on them is a very time consuming & expensive job to do even if you DIY & if it still has the original rubber puck disc that clutch ihas probably seen the best of it's life ,so you want to make sure it was done recently.The golden rule before buying any Porsche including 924S/944s is to get a PPI done by a shop or mechanic indepant from the peoples your buying from before you hand out your hard earn money.GL

Arominus

If it passes inspection, yes! the 88's are sweet, hell my 87 was sweet! Do you have the ability to work on it yourself? if so you'll be ok, its really no worse than working on a fwd car. The clutch replacement is about the worst thing to do on the cars and really its just very time consuming. If your going to pay someone work on it for you... well i hope you have a decent war chest. It adds up fast.

Butters944

Auto or manual? Make sure the odometer works... Only 2000 of those were made in 88

sydneyman

these 924s's are little gems in my opinion. with similar power and less weight they are a little faster out of the box than your standard 944. having the same engine as the 944, it will respond the same to modification(the r and d has been done...) and lower baseline for lighter weight (read: you can make it reeeeeeeally light!) it is a truly great option!

carlege

seems a little high.

nidmatt

New clutch was installed by the owner because the rubber was detriorated. Drives wonderful. He bought it froma wealthy guy that bought it for his wife, the wife passed on and it sat for many years in his garage. I would be considered the second owner. I thought the same thing as far as the milage. I do believe it is original as the underside of the vehicle shows no oil or even a spot of rust. I only found a mouse nest.

I can do some work, but the clutch is beyond me. I figure with a new clutch I should be good to go.

I figure i'll offer him $2500

nidmatt

Butters944 - it is a 5spd

pkt1213

Finding that mouse nest make sure every switch and button, electric wire, hose ect is in working order. And hope there's no half chewed wire you missed.

On that note I'd love to have an 88 924S.

John_AZ

Just how bad is the paint? How can the paint be so bad if it was stored in a garage for years?

Great to hear the clutch was replaced.

Tires, shocks, alignment, new power steering rack (seals probably bad) tie rod ends, miscellaneous front bushings and all vacuum lines and intake boot (deterioated)----figure about $2000 or so in parts the first year ---usually more--especially if you need a mechanic.

ernie mentioned the belts and water pump. You need to replace the original pullys and rollers----they cracked and failed.

There was a recall on the short fuel line hose on the fuel rail. check to see if it was replaced,
http://nhthqnwws111.odi.nhtsa.dot.go...-90V061-NN.PDF

I will never sell my '88, enjoy it too much.

Just be prepared to pay after you buy.

GL
John

nidmatt

John_AZ
Paint has a lot of scratches from bikes going in and out of the garage, kind oflooks like one of my vehicles in the garage. Other tha that it does need a good cleaning.
Good to know about vacuum lines, i'll look those over as well as the pulleys and rollers.
I did drive it and it drives like new. Pulls nice and idles perfectly

I'm going to take a second look and offer the guy $2500

zerMATT951

I loved my '87, and I believe there was a slight power upgrade to '88 (150 to 160hp?), so that should be a really fun car. Those cars have the late offset suspension/wheels, so there are plenty of upgrade options if you want to go that route. I upgraded the front sway bar to 26.8mm, added a 19mm rear, added a coil-over kit and 250lb hypercoils on the front, and added poly bushings to the bars... that car was tight and lots of fun to drive on the street without being harsh.

As others have said, you'll want to replace the timing & balance shaft belts right away, along with the rollers to be safe, and you'll have a sweet ride! I don't think $2,500 is out of line at all.

Butters944

I think even $3200 is quite a steal. Especially with only 32k miles, even if a few buttons and such need to be fixed, still a deal.

jtsporsche

DO IT