There is a 924 Turbo up the street from me for $3500. This car IS SHOWROOM!!! I KID YOU NOT.

Silver with black leather interior, wheels are in mint condition etc...

So what do I look for mech wise? I believe the car is a 1980.

It sat in a barn for about 5 yrs. Tbelt pump etc.. will need to be done for sure.

I am told by Weissach that it is an audi base engine and really unreliable.
What do you guys think about this???

Should I skip it or take it. I am telling you its in mint condition! Low mileage from what they said. I will get a closer look when I am there.

Any help is appreciated.

OK here is an update. The guy has never put money into the car.
Its burning oil and he doesn't know why. He has takent the car over 200km/hr Drove it from Vancouver BC to Cali. It used 1lt of oil.
It won't pass aircare. It has 4bolt wheel pattern, non 4wheel disc.
Oh yes the car has 90,000kms

So I am thinking this car is a mistake. What do you guys think?

 

sounds like an awsome oppurtunity! they are pretty unreliable, and could get costly to maintain, but they are a rare car! if you can afford it, do it!
~Eyal

 

i recently abandoned a 924 turbo project. i'm not going to lie, a lot of these cars have issues.

add turbo rebuild to that list of things to do. in '81 porsche added a couple oil scavenging lines for the turbo to help keep the temps down (remember, these turbos are oil-cooled only, no water help). for the series 1 924 turbos (79-80), it's quite common for the turbo to need a rebuild after only 30K.

also, make sure the car has 5-lug wheels, not 4-lug. the 5-lug includes the sport suspension and 4-wheel disk brake upgrade (standard on series 2 turbos).

also, check the option codes for the limited slip diff (code 220). they only had the LSD available in the 80 model using the g31 tranny. if this car has this option - buy it! it's a rare gem and worth every penny of that $3500.

other than that, make sure she runs well before you hand over any money. not that i recommend driving her before changing that timing belt (they are very prone to failure on these cars - take my word for it).

 

Transmission!! Syncros are prob. going to be warn pretty bad if not shot already! (only if it is an 80 - snailshell). The trannys are one of the strongest Porsche makes but hard on syncros.

 

3500 is way high unless it is PERFECT. They can be mechanical nightmares (I would love to have one though!) Check www.924board.org I have seen decent models going for less than 800 dollars. Beaters in the 200-300 dollar range and one darn near perfect one with 24K on it for like 4200.
__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

 

I had an '80 931 for 2 years and all I replaced was a clutch slave cylinder, a fan relay, belts and rear tires. I got it at 100,000 and drove till 125,000. Timing belt is not the huge issue that it is on the 944 b/c of the non-interference desing, iirc. I replaced all of the belts when I bought it, I tensioned them by hand with absolutely zero knowlege of these cars and had no issues. Mine had some kind of aftermarket exhaust and it sounded sweet. It also had 4-lug wheels, but it must have had an lsd because (no flames please, I was 16) it would light up both rear tires and do donuts on bare pavement really easy.

One thing for sure to be careful about is the turbo, b/c they didn't seem to last for my previous owner. I think it was on it's 3rd or 4th turbo! I think they can be rebuilt relatively easily, though. There is even a website devoted to performance mods on the 931.

These cars are getting pretty rare and I'd hate to see it go to somebody who wouldn't appreciate it, so part of me wants you to jump on it. On the other hand, mine was in nearly perfect shape except for faded paint, but I had a hell of a time selling it (at 2200!), people are really scared to buy a sports car this old. I bet this guy will have a hard time, too. Maybe your best bet would be to wait a little while to see if the price drops. Don't forget, there is a good chance that I was just really lucky with mine being as reliable as it was.

 

Oh yeah, forgot about the shift pattern. You have to give your utmost attention to the 1-2 shift or you get a nice grinding sound. Mine never crapped-out on me, but I cringed at that sound about a million times.

 

Yup tranny- The 79 N/A's also had the same problem - see my sig. :P

 

May I remind you that it's $3500 in Canadian funds...

 

oh yea! canadian funds, if you can deal with its maintinance, get it!
~Eyal

 

Well, it's almost 11:00, did you buy it? (waits with on edge of seat)

 

im excited to know also

 

OK here is an update. The guy has never put money into the car.
Its burning oil and he doesn't know why. He has takent the car over 200km/hr Drove it from Vancouver BC to Cali. It used 1lt of oil.
It won't pass aircare. It has 4bolt wheel pattern, non 4wheel disc.
Oh yes the car has 90,000kms

So I am thinking this car is a mistake. What do you guys think?

 

Hahaha why isn't the 924 engine reliable??? That is a very strange statement to me. They are really alot of fun (easy to work on!). Its burning oil prob because of the turbo's seals are gone. I learned alot with my two 924's. I would love to have an N/A to make into a rally car. Check the transmission out. Not passing emissions isn't that bad - just have to find out why. If it is burning oil, I'd start there (turbo).

 

bring him down at least a grand (canadian) and it miiiiight be worht it, but if you're really serious, kepp looking for a better one, buy a 914, or a 944 NA. or save it for upgrades on the S2. I vote buy a 914.
~Eyal