VW Vortex - Volkswagen Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Good buy: Porsche 924 in local yard?

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
P

petebee

· Registered
Joined
·
1,733 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
There is an 81 Porsche 924 in a local yard that seems very salvageable. I was amazed how much MK1 VW stuff is under the hood/inside. Owner wants $1K which is not realistic, but I think $700-800 seems fair. He has the title.

Here's the bad:
Won't rev past 4K (k-jet likely running out of spec)
Non-matching aftermarket hood
Cracked windshield (from old hood slamming it probably)
Cat converter cut off :screwy: but hey it is in a junkyard
Some funky coolant hoses; missing top center hose with bleeder valve
A/C compressor sitting in passenger side floor
Mangled the front valence as the ground it sits on is uneven clay/chunks of old concrete foundation (rear wheels off car)

The good:
Decent paint
Nice interior
Looks like recent tuneup work (fresh oil, cam and head very clean under filler cap)
Supposedly ran/drove when it arrived about a month ago (car has 10/12/12 marked on it)
85K or 185K, but by looks of driver's seat I'd wager 85K

I know this car is under powered, but the near 50/50 weight distribution leads to pretty superb handing.

Wife is pissed at me (just unloaded my E30 and MK1 Scirocco to "save money"), but I feel that it is fate. I was at the yard looking for a 5spd to swap into my Volvo 240 sedan. Figure for the same amount of $$$ I could buy a Porsche (but darn it they did have a wrecked M47 5spd 240 wagon in the yard).

Gonna go look at it again today and I'll take some pics.

What do you think? For $2k all in I think it might make a nice little weekend car.
 
#2 ·
This thing is going to cost you way more than it's worth in the end. The early 924's Audi engine is more forgiving of deferred maintenance than a 944/924S motor, but it still screams "don't touch" to me.

In the end the 924 falls into that bucket for me along with the E21 320i or older Saabs and Volvos in that the engineering is robust and the car seems like it'd be fun to own but it will never, ever have any real value.
 
#4 ·
grounded87 said:
these are not worth enough nice to be worth your time and effort from that starting point.

For $2K all in you can likely just go buy something like this.

http://delaware.craigslist.org/cto/3423254535.html
Click to expand...
Yes. Unless you're fixing it up to save it, or for something to do, there's no value to be had in fixing a junkyard dog over buying a good driver.

They are good driving cars though. I've never driven a later model with the 5-speed. Are they dog-leg shift pattern like other 5-speeds of the era?
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Yes Scirocco was better :(, but I sold it to keep the bill collectors at bay.

Bottom line, junkyard owner is a d#$k, wouldn't budge on his $1K price ("stop wasting my time"). I did get one of the old timer worker dudes to let me pop a battery in it while mean boss was at lunch. It fired up and idled decent.

Here are some pics

Image


Image


Image


Image


Image


Yeah I get it that this car is not worth a bunch, but if I could have snagged it for $700 or so, it would have been a fun driver. It is a Weissach Edition (350 out of 400), which I've learned is just a trim package deal from 81.

Cooler heads have prevailed, this car will be junked. I'll post in the 924.org board as this car does have some very nice parts on it...like I said the cylinder head was immaculate under the oil cap.
 
#9 ·
The 1981 924 has a lot of potential. That specific car I would be wary of. There are much better condition 924s for sale. Avoid this one.

obin :beer::beer:
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#10 ·
It is sad to see it junked, because other than its current dismantled state, the overall condition of the car looks like it was pretty good.

If I was closer to NC, I might give it some thoughts myself.
 
#12 ·
A Porsche is a Porsche is a Porsche. Of course you buy it. Offer as little as you possibly can in cash. Have fun with it. maybe even flip after you enjoy it for a while. Is that the Scar Face /Tony Montana car?

By the way your wife is going to be pissed at you no matter what you do anyway, might as well get some kicks.
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
Mike! said:
It is sad to see it junked, because other than its current dismantled state, the overall condition of the car looks like it was pretty good.

If I was closer to NC, I might give it some thoughts myself.
Click to expand...
That's the only reason I even stopped to look at it. It actually fires up and idles well, but I thought I smelled coolant. They wouldn't let the car idle long enough to watch water temp and smell for the leak. That is probably why it ended up in the yard.

One of the junkyard dudes claims he ran it up to 70mph before they "parked" it in the yard. It's too bad as it was probably worth the 1K with the cat converter still on the car and the wheels on it. If I'd been a few weeks earlier I likely would have found it parked right outside the gate (that's where they park the "runners" before the junk them).
 
#16 ·
petebee said:
That's the only reason I even stopped to look at it. It actually fires up and idles well, but I thought I smelled coolant. They wouldn't let the car idle long enough to watch water temp and smell for the leak. That is probably why it ended up in the yard.

One of the junkyard dudes claims he ran it up to 70mph before they "parked" it in the yard. It's too bad as it was probably worth the 1K with the cat converter still on the car and the wheels on it. If I'd been a few weeks earlier I likely would have found it parked right outside the gate (that's where they park the "runners" before the junk them).
Click to expand...
Too many red flags with this 924. Sadly another one lost to unscrupulous owners. Here's a MUCH better 924. Actually this is one of the best kept Porsche secrets. The 924SE is probably the best handling street legal Porsche from the 1980s:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1988...24s-Special-Edition-Jubliee-/190758104934?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2c6a11af66

If I had the space and the time that 924SE would be in my driveway. I'd choose one over a 944 or 944 turbo even. They are true sleepers and ultimate drivers for anyone who loves a car that can handle. You can drive over a dollar bill and tell which side is face up.

obin :beer::beer:
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #17 ·
Obin how difficult is the timing belt on the Porsche-engined 924? The Audi engine on the 81 looks just like a 4-cyl watercooled VW, so the belt seems pretty easy. I've heard the belt on the later 924 and 944s are much more labor intense to replace. Have heard horror stories about clutch replacement, too.
 
#18 ·
petebee said:
Obin how difficult is the timing belt on the Porsche-engined 924? The Audi engine on the 81 looks just like a 4-cyl watercooled VW, so the belt seems pretty easy. I've heard the belt on the later 924 and 944s are much more labor intense to replace. Have heard horror stories about clutch replacement, too.
Click to expand...
It's stupidly easy on the early cars. It's no different than doing it on a Mk1 VW. The early ones are really, really easy to do. I did it on my 1979 924. The later ones are a little tougher and require a special tool. On the plus side you only need to do it once every 5-6 years with normal driving. The clutch? Not that hard. The transaxle is in the back of the car. There is lots of space to remove the clutch. The nice thing about the 924 clutch is that it is fairly durable and even stronger replacements are availablet. Chances are you will only need to do it once a decade unless you beat the crap out of the car.

obin :beer::beer:
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#19 ·
I thought you had to drop the entire exhaust, transaxle, and torque tube for a clutch job on a 924/944/968? It looks like there's at least a lot of room to work, but this article describes a LOT more steps than a typical RWD clutch with the trans attached to the engine. And I know it's always been a $1000+ job at a shop, even before the era of internet forum scare stories.
 
#20 ·
AKADriver said:
I thought you had to drop the entire exhaust, transaxle, and torque tube for a clutch job on a 924/944/968? It looks like there's at least a lot of room to work, but this article describes a LOT more steps than a typical RWD clutch with the trans attached to the engine. And I know it's always been a $1000+ job at a shop, even before the era of internet forum scare stories.
Click to expand...
Dropping the exhaust doesn't take long at all. Everything you need to reach is well within grasp. Disconnecting the torque tube isn't too time consuming either. I paid to have the clutch done on my 944 about 11 years ago and it was ~$900 back then for parts and labor. The 924 clutch was not that difficult. I remember it being about as tough as one on my friend's Camaro. His was maybe a tiny bit easier but not by much.

obin :beer::beer:
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
About this Discussion
20 Replies
12 Participants
Last post:
.LSinLV.
VW Vortex - Volkswagen Forum
posts
85M
members
1.5M
Since
2001
A forum community dedicated to all Volkswagen owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, builds, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, new releases, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
The Car Lounge Golf IV & Jetta IV Golf III & Jetta III Golf II & Jetta II Golf IV/Jetta IV Parts