1987 Porsche 924 S 2.5L N/A from North America

Summary:

Modest and reliable

Faults:

Since the car was bought from a secondhand owner, the shock absorbers (dampers), fuses, hood damper, positive battery terminal, power window switches, ignition wires, distributor, front passenger side control arms and belts were worn or defective.

Muffler and muffler mounts corroded after 2 months of ownership.

Minor oil leaks coming from the oil cooler, but no coolant and oil mixing (phew).

Headlights were incorrectly adjusted the first time the car was bought.

Minor leak on the rooftop due to clogged drain holes.

Tires wore out after 10,000 miles of use.

Leak on the passenger side of the car coming from the carpets.

Upholstery leather on the rooftop were peeling off.

Radiator coolant was tested acidic after 8000 miles of use.

Coolant drain plug from the head gasket corroded.

Rear brake calipers and axle studs replaced and tightened, respectively.

Front sway bar bushings are wearing out.

General Comments:

Like every secondhand car out there, my Porsche 924 S was seriously lacking the necessary maintenance it needed from its owner. The car was bought by my dad as a project car for us to work on. We fixed most of the problems stated above except for the oil leak and the interior leak on the passenger side.

Overall, the car is pretty quick and averages about 23-25 mpg on both highway and street driving. It handles almost as well as most sport cars of today, which is fun on any road with lots of apexes and corners.

I used to drive a BMW 325e as an everyday driving car until it was stolen and crashed after a police pursuit.:(So my dad decided to give me the car, which I admit, a bit better than my late Bimmer cause it's faster and lighter (2670 lbs/1211 kg). Better power to weight ratio, better handling, I just LOVE IT!^_^

Interior is a little more roomier than the 944 (I've been in a 1989 turbo and the back seats are terrible since the dashboard protrudes more toward the front seats). Yet my passengers (as long as you're not over 5'4 ft) feel uncomfortable at the back after 2-3 hours of driving which is why I gave 8 on the comfort marks. But I can't complain since there's about only 7500 of this 924 model all over the world.

The body, well... it's OK. It's got its share of small dents and scratches, but I can't complain cause it's rust free and still has that nice red paint on it. I'll take care of it later.

The damper rubber plate on the differential housing wore off after three years of ownership. Luckily found the part for $500 on ebay, new! It is regularly priced for $1200 in Pelican Parts. Up until now, it's still running great, with all the usual maintenance and fun driving on the hills and highway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd March, 2008

7th Apr 2008, 10:24

What year was your BMW? I just bought an 87 924 and I think it's cool if that car actually handles better than some bimmers.

9th Jan 2009, 20:51

My BMW was a 1987 model. Currently I switched back to another BMW. It is a 325i e30 with an automatic transmission, and all I can say is it is WAY BETTER than my late BMW and my 924S.

I decided to switch back to BMW after my 924S had a malfunction with its flywheel, which would cost about $3000+. I don't know if you can call it totaled, but for that much... sadly, it was no longer a practical investment.

I am much happier now with my BMW that is as powerful as the 924S, more fuel economic and for its practicality. So, be wary of the trans-axle setup with Porsche 944s and 924s, because the repair costs may cause you to reconsider... I miss my Porsche.: (

15th Sep 2009, 11:03

Earlier 924's had a problem with the battery acid getting on the fire wall and eating small holes on the passenger side. Any water from the wind shield would get into the carpets on the passenger side. Could be the problem with wet carpets.

12th Oct 2010, 01:44

I am the writer for this car review. Last Spring my 924S was put to storage after my transmission had failed. I did change the fluid three years ago, so I think it was because of age. It's going to be fixed sometime as soon as I get a hold of a used transmission in good condition.

I did not find any holes from the battery terminal. I suspect it is a weatherstrip from the door...

In reply to 9th Jan 2009, 20:51

6th Jul 2011, 23:47

$3000 to replace a flywheel? That has to be dealer labor rates.

It's not that bad of a job if you're mechanically inclined... I've replaced clutches on these cars, and it's really not that difficult. Time consuming, yes, but not hard if you have a decent set of tools.

1987 Porsche 924 924S 2.5 from North America

Summary:

A rare and surprisingly impressive alternative to the 944

Faults:

Motor mounts needed to be replaced at 110,000 miles ($480 including labor)

Sunroof cables needed adjustment ($167 including gears)

Fuel relay needed replacement ($40 including labor)

S shaped hose went bad causing it to run really rough ($200 including labor)

Timing belt/water pump/tensioner's, etc. ($900 including labor)

Power steering pump needed tightening ($15)

New alternator at 130,000 ($197 including labor)

General Comments:

The 924S is a great looking, performing, and handling car. It is also very reliable as long as it is maintained.

But this is not the cheap 924 from the 70's, this revamped 924 has the 944's 2.5 litre and requires the same maintenance that the 944 does. This includes the rather expensive timing belt job that runs between $900-$1100. But other than this, this car does not cost as much to maintain as you might think it does. It has only broken down on me once, and it was a very inexpensive fix (fuel pump relay).

The other couple things that have gone wrong were not disabling, so they allowed plenty of time to save and fix (motor mounts, sunroof). The advantage of the 924S is that you are basically getting a 944 without the flared fenders which actually gives you a slight edge in performance as shown in wind tunnel testing.

And the general public doesn't know what this car is so while many 944's on the market are getting torn up by careless owners, 924S's tend to be owned by Porsche enthusiasts and are kept in much better shape.

I highly recommend this car, as long as the previous owner took proper care of it. With a Porsche, you get what you pay for certainly applies.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th February, 2008

9th Jan 2011, 18:10

I entirely agree with the critique above. I bought my 87 924S almost new (just 6,000 miles), and kept it for 18 years before selling it. It is a superb car, perhaps not a tire-burning snorting monster, but a highly refined car, which is now in demand as a base for SCCA racing. This car will do 0-60 in 7 seconds, but more importantly has a top speed of about 150mph, (my car did 255kph), and has immaculate handling. As for gas mileage, I never cared much but it wasn't bad, (my other car was a YJ).

The great things about the 924S is that rust is simply not a problem (unlike the 924). And the quality of the components is excellent, beyond excellent, just superb. The cost of running the car is low, except for the timing belt adjustments, but I bought the belt tension tool ($600, now much cheaper) and learned how to do it myself. It was tough the first time, not so tough the second time, and after that it was merely a slightly challenging afternoon playing with my all-time favourite car.

I also replaced the water cooled oil cooler (get that, water cooled, is that cool or what), which is inside the engine cooling system, and replaced the rear half axles, which was not necessary, because I mis-diagnosed the problem. I had so much fun looking after the car, but in retrospect, most of the stuff I did for fun didn't need done in the first place.

My brother had a 911 at the same time, and I didn't like it as much as the 924S. OK, the 911 was MUCH faster, but except off the traffic lights, you couldn't use all the power and handling. I found that I was going so fast in the 911, but was no-where near its limits, so it was unsatisfying. In the 924S, I could thrash it around and feel great doing it. And on the Trans Canada Highway, you could blast up to a corner and take it at 200 kph, which in the 911 would be simply ordinary. As far as I was concerned, it was no contest, except that the 911 pulls in the compliments, and the 924S is always being compared to the 924. Why didn't they call it the 934?

If you want a great handling car that is pretty and easy on the pocket, the 924S is a great buy. I sold mine for $4000, in perfect condition. I was just getting too old to be blasting down the road at 250 kph. That was it.

Rankjo.

In reply to 9th Jan 2011, 18:10

4th Jun 2012, 19:37

I desperately need to know where to get a belt tension tool, and how to use it? Any help would be deeply appreciated.

My email is sam36274@yahoo.com