Porsche 924 shite purchase

[Station]

Managed to miraculously sell my Starion, which left my finances open for a new runaround that actually works this time. Had seen a Porsche 924 on Retro Rides for sale for a few months that I really wanted (Rustybus' one). When the Starion sold I didn't look anywhere else, so headed up the 200 miles to Newcastle on a swelteringly hot National Express (which broke down on the motorway just before Leeds), then another one, and then 20 quid taxi journey (left my house at 8.30 in the morning, got home at 2am next morning).The car itself is better than I expected; the paint isn't bad at all, and I've already sprayed the bonnet to black with £1 black rattlecans.The only faults I can find are random electrical things. All in all, I am very pleased with it, with a bonus of getting abuse twice off pissed scallies claiming it was 'an old Porsche'. Boo-hoo.And the big one - the steering. Are these cars meant to have really heavy steering? It doesn't even self-centre when coming out of a corner. I'd like to say it's the ball-joints. Anyone any ideas, and any places on the interweb I can get some wiring diagrams and maintenance stuff?

[MrRegieRitmo]

with a bonus of getting abuse twice off pissed scallies claiming it was 'an old Porsche'.

and their point is??

[Torsten2001]

I had a beige V reg Auto, got it off an old lady but fuck me the steering was heavy, she must've been a retired hod carrier.

[ashmicro]

Managed to miraculously sell my Starion, which left my finances open for a new runaround that actually works this time. Had seen a Porsche 924 on Retro Rides for sale for a few months that I really wanted (Rustybus' one). When the Starion sold I didn't look anywhere else, so headed up the 200 miles to Newcastle on a swelteringly hot National Express (which broke down on the motorway just before Leeds), then another one, and then 20 quid taxi journey (left my house at 8.30 in the morning, got home at 2am next morning).The car itself is better than I expected; the paint isn't bad at all, and I've already sprayed the bonnet to black with £1 black rattlecans.The only faults I can find are random electrical things. All in all, I am very pleased with it, with a bonus of getting abuse twice off pissed scallies claiming it was 'an old Porsche'. Boo-hoo.And the big one - the steering. Are these cars meant to have really heavy steering? It doesn't even self-centre when coming out of a corner. I'd like to say it's the ball-joints. Anyone any ideas, and any places on the interweb I can get some wiring diagrams and maintenance stuff?

What's the year and model, Station?I had 2 of these back in "the day", I'm sure I have some stuff left.Bus breaking down on the way to get some shite=win!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Sounds like a fun mission Station. Good work. I enjoyed watching the saga of the sale of that car over on R-R... you'll have to post some pictures taken with a camera that does not translate everything into blue & white, so we can see what it actually looks like.

 

Might as well lob up a couple of shots of the fugly nub-arsed 924 prototype which I saw in the Porsche museum in Stuttgart.

 

 

[Station]

It's a Y-reg/83 2.0 "Lux" model. It needs a new wheel bearing on front O/S.

The glorious thing about these are there are a couple of old water pools in the common leak points, and there is no corrosion. The paintwork isn't bad at all, and I've sprayed the bonnet black (it was half burgundy for some reason). It's about to turn 60k, new exhaust system, new OE windscreen (£550!), and complete engine rebuild two years ago.

 

Here we all are on the 'highest motorway in England!' says the sign.

 

 

Sorry, it's blue photo time!

 

 

"Better" one:

[trigger]

Think that's the first half decent picture i've seen of it!, It doesn't look as bad as i thought it would, what with Rustybuses keeness to sell it, and that it nearly got written of due to the windscreen mishap.How long until people start telling you how it's just a VW LT underneath?!

[Milford Cubicle]

How much was it?I often see them temptingly cheap, would like to try one at some point before they become more valuable - if they ever do... They seem to be tarred by that 'VW LT' engine.

[Station]

That prototype orange 924 is beautiful from the front.It was 450 quid, it actually feels like driving an LT van. After a couple of days of driving this, I've realised it's -too heavy-, I'm worn out and I'm looking at my Astra jealously. It's almost agricultural, and similar to a Land Rover Defender we had in work.

[outlaw118]

Is there nothing that can be done? Did the later ones have PAS? Or will a 2nd hand 944 one fit?Or can you not be arsed?!

[Milford Cubicle]

Stick some 155 section tyres on the front wheels.

[Station]

I can't be arsed tbh, I can live with it. I think the main problem is the window runners have rusted out and I can't open them, so it's basically an oven on wheels. Just don't want to have to get on my back once again when it doesn't really need it at all. :)I have no idea what tyres they are, but I reckon they might be 155/75!

[RENOMAD]

Now me being a Renault head, their is one question that I have always asked and a few people agree with-----is the Rear window in a 924 & Fuego the same???????

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I dont know the answer to that one, however I am going to say no its definitely not.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

There must be something wrong with it I reckon. i'm sure these are not known for having super heavy steering, and if its got no self-centring action at all that suggests something is wrong somewhere, theyre supposed to be a pretty classy drive these things as far as i can see. Maybe the bearings in the strut tops are cattled? Does it have struts? Jack the front end off the ground and try to operate the steering by wrestling the wheels. you should be able to wang the rack from left to right OK. Its no good having an interesting old motor if its too much of a ball/arm-ache to drive it.

[mattblack]

As said above, check for something/s being seized, if not then get the alignment checked.

[Station]

I really do think the ball joints on the lowers arms are totally seized. There's a couple of points in the steering where it becomes stiff, like almost as if you are sending the back end out and the wheel has that 'stiffness' where it controls understeer/oversteer. I'm going to change them at some point. It's still nice to drive, I've fixed most of the electrics due to loose connections (the starter problem where you could stop the car was due to the bolt on the starter being loose).

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Somehow I cant help thinking that you might get a few surprise faults on that car. I can imagine old rustybus putting up with a loose starter, (or seized balljoints, broken propshaft etc) for a long time, going round various auto electricians who rip him off with nonsense stories about relays etc before eventually flogging the car with an array of issues for a fraction of what it owes him.

[Torsten2001]

I drove to Tyneside to pick up a moped from him a while back, I left empty handed...

[Guest]

There's a couple of points in the steering where it becomes stiff, like almost as if you are sending the back end out and the wheel has that 'stiffness' where it controls understeer/oversteer.

Has it got a universal joint between steering rack and steering wheel? If thats nadgered it might go some way towards explaining the problemCant say these appeal much to me to be honest. I'd tap a 944 though

[Pillock]

My Polo had no self-centring on the steering but that was due to lowering without any alignment work. That 924 doesn't look lowered in the slightest so I'd get it checked.Without wishing to make you nervous, I had a Beetle that had odd-feeling steering. I ended up having the UJ done - not a big job, fuel tank out and swap it over. The guy at the garage showed me the old one, and then put one end in a vice. Sliding a screwdriver through the other end, he just twisted it in half... the UJ was fooked and had worn away the end of the pins. Had I hit a kerb with it like that, I guess it would have had the same effect or turning the steering column into two shorter and completely independent columns.

[trigger]

If you haven't already Station it might pay to check out this site:

 

http://www.924oc.co.uk

 

and sign up to the forum, It is £15 to join but you get a lot for your money by the sounds of it, Of course, it could just be a waste of time as well though!

[MrRegieRitmo]

Cant say these appeal much to me to be honest. I'd tap a 944 though

Last time I looked there wasn't a lot between them, save for newer reg plates & a designation 20 places higher for the 944!

[pogweasel]

And a much wider more aggressive body style, and alot more power...

[Pillock]

Yeah they're totally different cars.... the 924 was really an updated 914 - parts bin special, entry-level porsching with a slightly suss engine but looks faster than it goes. Still, makes a very affordable classic these days, simple to repair, good laugh to drive. And at the end of the day, it's a Porsche.The 944 is a bit of a beast. Much faster, much more complex. The kind of car you really need to budget a few grand every year if you want to keep it in tippy-top condition.

[pogweasel]

I'd like a 944. *goes to ebay*

[pogweasel]

** been to ebay **A decently maintained 944 Turbo (it would have to be) appears to be around the £3000 mark, whic is not a whole hill of beans in the grand scheme of things. Time for some further infestigationz!!

[peter9000uk]

Yeah they're totally different cars.... the 924 was really an updated 914 - parts bin special, entry-level porsching with a slightly suss engine but looks faster than it goes. Still, makes a very affordable classic these days, simple to repair, good laugh to drive. And at the end of the day, it's a Porsche.

How'd you figure that? One is rear engined and aircooled and the other front engined and watercooled.I would say the 914 is closer to a beetle and the 924 a small engined Audi.I used to work with a bloke who proudly announced he had bought a Porsche and he showed me a brown automatic 924, ultimate shite.It spent moretime on axle stands outside his house than being driven. He scrapped it in the end

[Dead_E23]

Steering bits might not be too expensive - I remember once dismantling the steering column of a 924 for a car dealer friend and making the interesting discovery that all the bits had the Audi logo stamped into them. He told me it was because the 924 was originally intended to be a sporty Audi - Wikipedia says VW. One or other!

[Pillock]

Yeah they're totally different cars.... the 924 was really an updated 914 - parts bin special, entry-level porsching with a slightly suss engine but looks faster than it goes. Still, makes a very affordable classic these days, simple to repair, good laugh to drive. And at the end of the day, it's a Porsche.

How'd you figure that? One is rear engined and aircooled and the other front engined and watercooled.I would say the 914 is closer to a beetle and the 924 a small engined Audi.

It was a joint VW-Porsche venture, although VW pulled out towards the end and their share was purchased by Porsche. VW were just a bit concerned that if it was marketed as a Volkwagen, it would clash with the Scirocco which was just about to be launched when the 924 was in final design stages.I was thinking more of the 914 sucessor in terms of spirit and market placement, not mechanicals really. A cheap Porsche, with mechanicals robbed mostly from the VAG parts bin and with looks that suggested it was faster, at least until the 924 Turbo and 924S later in life, than it was.914s were partly Beetle but also vastly different, there's really not much common especially if you consider the 914-6 with the 6-pot boxer. Layout is really all they share but even then the entire engine and box was flipped 180 degrees, with the box behind the engine.I really didn't mean to sound critical of the 924 - many a Porsche owner started there and cut their teeth with them. You can go quite some way with the 924, the Turbo models are decently quick and then the 924S has the engine out of the 944 - if you compare the late 924S with the 944 that was on sale at the same time, the 924S was quicker by virtue of having exactly the same power output, and being lighter.