1987 Porsche 924S - Good Buy?

[Ken Lord]

I have a co-worker who is looking at a 1987 Porsche 924S with 70,000 miles. Car looks good as far as rust and so forth. The sellers wants $2,500 as it just sits in his driveway.

Does anybody have any experience or thoughts on the reliability of this car. I doubt it would be used for autocross, so that factor should't come into play.

Thanks for any input

Ken

[Keith Brown]

Nice cars, but it seems every repair is $500.

when was the timing belt done?
water pump?

AC is not particularly effective (if it has it)

[Doug Kott]

Seems like pretty low miles for that year. Clutch job is about $1500, because with the transaxle/torque tube setup, you need to first drop the final drive, and pull the tube/bellhousing back to get at the clutch. They handle very well...loved my 944 S2!

Sometimes the balance-shaft belts can jump a tooth and cause rough running. The 924S' 2.5-liter Porsche engine is much better than the Audi 2.0-liter that was the standard 924 powerplant.

[Lisa Severy]

My husband had a 924 when we first met in the mid-eighties. I don't recall what year it was. He had bought it "used". I had my '82 Z-28 at the time (and was autocrossing it) and when he let me drive his car, I thought it was a real "dog". It might have been a "lemon". He didn't have it too long after we met because it needed multiple repairs, including, at one point, a leaking head gasket. He got it fixed and sold it before the next issue cropped up...
Of course any car that old, especially one that has been sitting, would need a lot of work - and may not end up being such a bargain.