What to do with my 1987 924S

Stuttgart924S · 07-02-2013, 02:44 PM

What should i do? I'm asking the opinion of all of you experienced Porsche guys out there. I have a great Porsche 924S automatic i got about 3 years ago and i have driven it all over. Im going to be a sophomore in college and have to decide now if its worth it to me to sell the car, part it out, or keep it and repair it later on after i have the money to do so! The repairs it needs is a new flex plate (which i was quoted at a Porsche dealership $2300 and yes i did laugh a bit), the A/C compressor, timing belt will need to be changed in a few hundred miles, the paint is a bit faded, the dash has some cracks in it, but other than that it runs great, shifts like its new, and still has a lot of years left in it. I would love to one day repair it but I also have to keep the financial situation in mind. The cars located in North Jersey!

What do you guys think?
Worth parting out? Selling whole?

Sorry to be asking so many vague questions, just looking for a general idea of what you all think or any offers you may have because I know you guys have a lot more knowledge than me!

Thanks in advance!

SolReaver · 07-02-2013, 03:02 PM

WOW. It needs the equivalent of a clutch AND timing belts. What a shocker!! These cars hardly ever need THAT.

AND, I am Laughing With you my friend, not at you.

Depends on what the car is worth to you. You will not get rich parting it out and the resale on them when they need that amount of work is unimpressive. If you want encouragement to do the work....yaaaa! go for it!!! and yea, financial constraints are pretty cold equations.

If you are not a mechanically inclined person, Bail now and sell it to a motorhead at a fair price.

Stuttgart924S · 07-02-2013, 03:20 PM

Sadly

that seems like it may indeed be the best option.

SolReaver · 07-02-2013, 03:55 PM

You could always fix it. I mean the parts are not that bad. however, I am not going to lie to you. It is a great deal of labor and it is not a great deal of fun. We can walk you through it. Hit Clarks Garage and see if this is something you can do. OR build a warchest and find a good mechanic. There are prob some Porsche people in the area and I am willing to bet you can do better than dealer prices if you shop around.

Gawernator · Gawernator's Garage

If you don't have either money for parts and ability to do your own work/time or a lot of money to pay shop labor then I'd sell it. I'd do it yourself... you can teach yourself!

curtisr · curtisr's Garage

I was always grateful for having a diversion during college; that is, something to look forward to, something (else) to have and hold. Imagine telling your friends that you have a Porsche waiting for you back home. :-)

I sold a rare-ish guitar and a Sunbeam Alpine to help pay for college. Both of these choices I regret and wish that I had merely taken a larger student loan or two jobs in the summer. Wait, I did have two jobs in the summer! Well, one summer anyways...

mike leborgne · 07-02-2013, 08:04 PM

Seems from your listing that you like the car and have been enjoying it for several years. I would opt for putting it up on jack stands and work on it as time and money are available. I have 87 924S that needed a lot of work when I first bought it, after 3 years of replacing many of the same parts you need to replace, I have a Porsche that is running well, and quite frankly turns a few heads out at the club auto cross. The 924S is not the fastest car of the blocks, but it is great in the corners and you will really appreciate the car when you are done.

944fanatic · 07-02-2013, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuttgart924S

What should i do? I'm asking the opinion of all of you experienced Porsche guys out there. I have a great Porsche 924S automatic i got about 3 years ago and i have driven it all over. Im going to be a sophomore in college and have to decide now if its worth it to me to sell the car, part it out, or keep it and repair it later on after i have the money to do so! The repairs it needs is a new flex plate (which i was quoted at a Porsche dealership $2300 and yes i did laugh a bit), the A/C compressor, timing belt will need to be changed in a few hundred miles, the paint is a bit faded, the dash has some cracks in it, but other than that it runs great, shifts like its new, and still has a lot of years left in it. I would love to one day repair it but I also have to keep the financial situation in mind. The cars located in North Jersey!

What do you guys think?
Worth parting out? Selling whole?

Sorry to be asking so many vague questions, just looking for a general idea of what you all think or any offers you may have because I know you guys have a lot more knowledge than me!

Thanks in advance!

Porsche dealer will charge you SO much compared to any local German repair shop. get the timing belt done, and just keep it at that. shop around man.

jeffrsmith · jeffrsmith's Garage

That worn automatic damper plate can be replaced with a used static clutch set up for a whole lot less money. This involves removing the damper and flywheel and replacing with a manual flywheel, clutch and pressure plate (sans throw out bearing). Where the damper will cost you approx $1300-1500 new, you can pick up the manual conversion parts used for approx $300 if you shop around.

Many people have made this change, including myself, and it works well - especially if you don't want to spend a lot of money.

SolReaver · 07-06-2013, 11:18 AM

yes, +1 on the above modification. But. you still have to get all the way to the RMS and that is a good deal of labor. Plus, there may be other issues WYAIT, such as halfshafts, torque tube bearings, and who knows what until you have it all apart.

Not trying to deter you, just giving you the facts and letting you make your call. IMHO, for the money you spend, you can't get a better deal if the car is what you want to drive because they just don't make cars that perform and handle like this anymore. AND you have pop up headlights!!! How cool is THAT??!!