From Micra Super S to Porsche 924......... do I???

[uncle silvia]

Well recent relationship status has got me thinking...... is a newly single 29 year old in a Micra a good look?? Im thinking not so much lol

 

Well ive been considering the options and it still has to be a sub £500 car, cheap to run, a bit funky or unusual, have a bit of cool factor and cheap to insure.

 

Well my mate has a tidy moss green 1980 porsche 924 up for grabs for not far off that price, to me, with a fresh MOT, for a bit of early 80s retro cool

 

Im no too clued up on these but i know its a 2.0 VW engine and are supposed to be good fun to drive. Kinda like a bigger engined MX5 with 2+2 seats and a hard top lol

 

What do I have to look for?

 

Are the reliable?

 

What are they like on fuel realisticly?

 

What Wheels fit? (Ive always thought they needed much wider wheels)

 

Basicly i needs it to be cheap, reliable and fun just like the micra has been but a little more grown up

 

Any advice would be great and add any cool pics of 924s with nice wheels if u wish.

 

Heres my Micra..........

 

And a simular Porka........... (not actual car)

[steve austin]

A 924S with the 2.5 engine on a D plate just ended at £439 without selling locally to me due to a small clutch problem I believe. It was Mot and taxed too and after contacting the seller the reserve was only £500 and it still drove well with no slipping, just a clunk now and again. Its gotta be a Porker for you next surely?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

[uncle silvia]

Thats cool.

 

The one ive been offered is the 2.0 which would hopefully be better on fuel and doesnt have any issues, everything works and has new MOT.

 

I know the porsche is retro cool but Im more worried about it not being as practicle or cheap to run/insure/fix compaired to the Micra which has done everything perfectly so far.

 

Im between jobs so not majorly flush to run an expensive car atm.

[cort16]

That micra looks great.

I think the 924 gets a lot of negativity for not being a proper porsche but I think that's a load of bollocks. Okay so the engines maybe not that sophistiamacated but that just makes it cheaper to run and look after.

It's cheap to buy, it looks great and has popup headlights ffs. I'd personally rather have a 944 but any sub £500 944 is likely to be a right old knacker.

[uncle silvia]

That micra looks great.

I think the 924 gets a lot of negativity for not being a proper porsche but I think that's a load of bollocks. Okay so the engines maybe not that sophistiamacated but that just makes it cheaper to run and look after.

It's cheap to buy, it looks great and has popup headlights ffs. I'd personally rather have a 944 but any sub £500 944 is likely to be a right old knacker.

 

All my points exactly

 

The 924 is very basic as far as im aware but does it make it cheap when it goes wrong? But do they go wrong??

[dollywobbler]

I'd be tempted for sure. Any car that's widely regarded as crap is therefore hugely desirable.

 

Some warnings. Post-1980, these were galvanised. It doesn't stop them rotting 30 years on. Sills are the main concern. Also, that fancy rear window can leak like a sieve and changing a clutch is probably interesting as you have to drop the rear-mounted transaxle. Not fun on a driveway.

[Pete-M]

924s aren't that good. Yes, they handle well, but they're pretty dull otherwise. They're like an Autoshite GT.

 

944s are better in pretty much every way.

 

Personally, I'd give a 924 the mighty swerve as I've never driven a good one. Driven lots of supposedly perfect ones, but none that I've thought "Ah, so this is why they're good".

 

Compared to a Micra, they'll seem brilliant so yeah, gofer it.

[uncle silvia]

Well my mate who owns it restored classic cars and says its rot free.

 

Im not worried about it being eyewatering fast....... just fast enough and chuckable enough to be a fairly fun drive but being cool to cruise through town in on a sunny day.

 

My micra maybe JUST a micra but if you have never driven a 1300 one they are suprisingly fun to drive......... this is the feeling I dont want to lose. Mine has several tweaks which makes it fun and revvy to hell....... surprises a lot of people

[cort16]

I think cost wise you'll be fine as service parts are cheap and easy to get and there's plenty in the breakers for spares. It only gets really painfull when you have to go to porsche for something but hopefully you'd never have to do that. Apparantly it's 125bhp and 0-60 in 9.5 seconds so about as quick as a modern 2 litre Mondeo. As with many old shiteboxes the handling could have been superdouble awesome out the factory but is now bloody awful thanks to 20 years of bushes wearing out, clipped kerbs and things generally moving about therefore they all handle differently depending on how they've been maintained.

[uncle silvia]

I think cost wise you'll be fine as service parts are cheap and easy to get and there's plenty in the breakers for spares. It only gets really painfull when you have to go to porsche for something but hopefully you'd never have to do that. Apparantly it's 125bhp and 0-60 in 9.5 seconds so about as quick as a modern 2 litre Mondeo. As with many old shiteboxes the handling could have been superdouble awesome out the factory but is now bloody awful thanks to 20 years of bushes wearing out, clipped kerbs and things generally moving about therefore they all handle differently depending on how they've been maintained.

 

This is what i was thinking........ shere should be plenty of secondhand parts out there for these models.

 

My Micra is probably about 80bhp so 125bhp should still be good fun particularly with RWD

[nigel bickle]

Got an auto stuffed high up in the barn - hauled out & used when the left legs knackered.

 

Dull & reliable kinda sums it up. Fuel pump relays seem to be the main issue -under the battery trasy that rusts out & leaks on them. That aside- better than most 'sportscars' of that age.

Dont buy the auto though -dull, dull, dull.

 

PCD 4 x 100 -so plenty swoppable. Bigger engines go to 5 stud

[uncle silvia]

Got an auto stuffed high up in the barn - hauled out & used when the left legs knackered.

 

Dull & reliable kinda sums it up. Fuel pump relays seem to be the main issue -under the battery trasy that rusts out & leaks on them. That aside- better than most 'sportscars' of that age.

Dont buy the auto though -dull, dull, dull.

 

PCD 4 x 100 -so plenty swoppable. Bigger engines go to 5 stud

 

The one ive been offered is a manual and i wouldnt consider an auto anyway.

 

The 125ish bhp must be as much fun or more than the 80 ish in my Micra???

 

I thought the PCD on these were 4x108 not 4x100??? http://www.alloywheelsinternational.com/wheelfitmentguide.html

[John F]

The Porker will definitely be more entertaining than the Micra, yes. It's always amazed me how overlooked these cars are.

 

Typical problems include electric window motors burning out and slop in the drivetrain caused by worn halfshaft rubbers (easy enough to change on a driveway) - both problems shared with the bigger 944. Parts are fairly cheap and readily available from specialist breakers.

 

With regard to the engine, I had an 1982 LT28 with the same 2.0 lump and it ran faultlessly in the three years I owned it with just rudimentary servicing... gets full marks from me.

[uncle silvia]

Thanks for that input

 

also............

[Station]

924's are great, I didn't realise how such a heavy thing would handle as it did. 2.0's don't accelerate well (find a car that did in the late 70's), but have a lot of grunt, and they're really reliable. You only have to go over everything in the engine bay, transaxle and suspension just to see how tough these are. My interior didn't fare too well, but 30 years old, and the previous owner had -taken it all apart- for -no reason whatsoever- (and also failed to put it back together again come sale time).

They're also not great on fuel (I got about 25mpg), but better than every other carb'd 2.0 from that era. I didn't find any bad points about the car and that colour looks amazing.

[uncle silvia]

924's are great, I didn't realise how such a heavy thing would handle as it did. 2.0's don't accelerate well (find a car that did in the late 70's), but have a lot of grunt, and they're really reliable. You only have to go over everything in the engine bay, transaxle and suspension just to see how tough these are. My interior didn't fare too well, but 30 years old, and the previous owner had -taken it all apart- for -no reason whatsoever- (and also failed to put it back together again come sale time).

They're also not great on fuel (I got about 25mpg), but better than every other carb'd 2.0 from that era. I didn't find any bad points about the car and that colour looks amazing.

 

Ah all sounds good apart from the fuel economy really!? have to consider it!

 

I think the actual one ive been offered is a darker green than the one pictured above!

Maybe this colour I think..............

[Station]

Fuel economy is good, but I wasn't working at the time, so fuel economy was bad. On a run I got over 30mpg. Do it though, they're decent, reliable rust free cars.

[barefoot]

I have a 16v 944s & that always does 30mpg & on one occasion did 32mpg.

I have a friend who bought a cheap 924 & still has it 3 years later.

 

After a Micra a 924 will be great & if you get one for £500 & you turn out to be a bit of a hairdresser & don't like it,

You'll be able to sell it on & get your money back.

 

All the used spares & advice you'll ever need can be had from Kirkmans - 01332 792086.

Admittedly they're not exactly local to you, but worth a phone call.

[Negative Creep]

Are you referring to that dark green one with th crap exhaust just over the road?

[Pete-M]

if you have never driven a 1300 one they are suprisingly fun to drive

 

I can do worse than that.

 

[Station]

if you have driven over 1300 Micras they are suprisingly "I fucking hate them"

 

[warren t claim]

Get the 924 and if you don't like it I'll swap you my K11 Micra for it1

[uncle silvia]

Hmmm Seems to be a lot of love for this and the 30mpg isnt to bad after all!!!

 

Ill have to do my sums with insurance and see what I can come up with!!

 

And NC...... yes it is that one but apart from the exhaust its supposed to be good

[eddyramrod]

At the price I don't think you can turn it down. It'll be an experience, good or bad, you should always be able to get your money back and in later years you can slip into conversation "well when I took my Porsche to..." or even "it's funny, my first Porsche didn't do that..." Who's to know you only had the one?

[HillmanImp]

is a newly single 29 year old in a Micra a good look??

 

I really depends on what kind of woman you are trying to attract. If you like the larger ladies you will be onto a winner with the Micra as she will think you deliver curries for a living.

 

I like the 924 but cant see it being popular with the girls, even with the pop up headlights. However for personal gratification (which you are probably going to be doing more of going forward) its a good choice. Uber cheap pretty cool motoring.

 

That green on in your first post is sexy as.

[Station]

Hmmm Seems to be a lot of love for this and the 30mpg isnt to bad after all!!!

 

Ill have to do my sums with insurance and see what I can come up with!!

 

And NC...... yes it is that one but apart from the exhaust its supposed to be good

 

I paid 120 quid with Lancaster classic insurance on my 924 a couple of years ago. It's a win-win situation, and as someone said, £500 to own a Porsche is a bit of an opportunity, even if you sell it within a couple of months. I had no idea what it would be like as a car, but it was a great car, and I think the best interior I've been in.

I'm deffo going to buy another one when I'm on good money again, even a below standard car is going to be decent. There's an abandoned 944 down the road from me I've got my eyes on.

[warren t claim]

Hmmm Seems to be a lot of love for this and the 30mpg isnt to bad after all!!!

 

Ill have to do my sums with insurance and see what I can come up with!!

 

And NC...... yes it is that one but apart from the exhaust its supposed to be good

 

I paid 120 quid with Lancaster classic insurance on my 924 a couple of years ago. It's a win-win situation, and as someone said, £500 to own a Porsche is a bit of an opportunity, even if you sell it within a couple of months. I had no idea what it would be like as a car, but it was a great car, and I think the best interior I've been in.

I'm deffo going to buy another one when I'm on good money again, even a below standard car is going to be decent. There's an abandoned 944 down the road from me I've got my eyes on.

 

Where's the abandoned 944?

 

The 924 is the only car I've had a constant lob on over for the last 5 years. The first bookmark on my pc is an Ebay search for them. I'll get one soon, in black, white or silver.

[eddyramrod]

As it happens I have a friend here with a really nice red 944 auto, which he recently announced he'd like to sell. My love of automatic is fighting with my antipathy towards German cars as we speak... it's probably just as well I haven't got any money spare!

[Station]

It's here. I suppose abandoned is the wrong word.

 

It's been here for years, nobody lives in the house.

[RoadworkUK]

I'd have a 924 like a shot, if it was in any way practical for me to do so.

 

Mind you, for useability, roadability and longevity I'd probably try to aim for a 944S. Grey, ideally. With Teledials.