924Board.org

AndrewR85 · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 4

Hi everyone, i'm a new member here at 924Board.org (received the link from the Automotive Forums message board system). Recently, I found out i'll be getting rid of my '97 Honda Accord and moving on to something better. My dad is buying the car from me to give to my brother, so i'll have $5000 to spend on a new car.

The first thing that popped into my head was a 2nd gen ('86-'91) Mazda RX-7. I've been in love with rotary engines since I saw my first RX-7 back in '93 and i've even worked on a few. I thought a little more about the decision and figured out that with my budget, I might be able to purchase a Porsche 924 and have money for any possible repairs/performance upgrades. I've been in love with Porsches for a long time, but I had some questions first.

The 2nd gen RX-7 ('86-'91) is one of the best handling Japanese cars of its time. I'm not all about drag racing, so handling is a big factor in my choice. How well would a 924S handle compared with a turbo'd RX-7 on the track or a long, windy road? I figure since I'd be a Porsche owner, I could participate in Porsche Cup races (with proper equipment, of course)

What's the reliablity like in these cars?

Gas milage? (a big factor, due to being a fairly poor college student)

If there's anything else you feel I should be aware before taking further steps (the purchase will be in July), please feel free to add them. I've gained some more info on these cars from lurking around this board, but not enough to make a sound decision. Any help is greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance!

Lizard · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 5:28 am Post subject:

please keep in mind the RX7 turbo will have alot more power than the 924, however the 924 will be a much more fun car to drive, imo NOTHING handles like these cars, they are extremely well balanced (unlike the RX7) which really helps,

if you are wanting a 924S 86-88 then keep in mind when you do it you need to make 100% sure that the 60k mile service WAS performed, also keep in mind the timing belt and water pump need to be replaced every 30,000 miles or every 3 years, which ever comes first, if this doesnt happed then the belt can snap and the engine is an interference engine meaning the valves and pistons will colide and it will be alot of $$$$ to fix, the 931 engine is also an interference engine, but they are a VERY fun car to drive as soon as that turbo spools up,

for a college student I would have to recommend a 924 NA with the 2.0L audi based engine, they are much simpler to work on, power is not bad at all (they still go fast just takes longer to get there) you may spend $2k on a decent runnning model which I would recommend replacing the fuse box right away cleaning/replacing all ground points, checking the battery tray for leaks, if it leaks have a new box wleded in, I would also recommend having the exhaust system gone over/replaced, and replace the fuel pump if miles are unknown (average life of pump is about 60k miles) and then give it s a basic tune up, consider looking for one with 5 bolt suspension if you cant find one consider doing a swap over to it
these cars get extremely good gas mileage as well
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3 928s,

AndrewR85 · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 4

Awesome, thanks Lizard. How does aftermarket support fare with the 924? I know there's a plethera of performance parts for the RX-7, and chances are the first thing i'm gonna tackle is upgrading the suspension if possible. Also, the front end of the 924 is a bit iffy...was wondering if there's any mild aftermarket bumpers I could put in place of stock.

Lizard · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 5:49 am Post subject:

when you get a p-car get it running properly first, then look at the other items,
if you want to do suspension I would suggest just going with a set of 220-250lb springs from perfomanceproducts.com, and then install those with a set of Bilstein HD struts, you can get stiffer/adjustable swaybard from perf products and larger torsion bars from them as well,
as for body kits, most ppl own these cars for the heritige and the slimline looks, I do agree that the front end has a "rats nose" look however if you compress the bumper shocks it is alot better, although a euro bumper is also a VERY nice upgrade which cleans up the look of the front end,

however I would also recommend checking out www.alexroy.net and looking at his 924 w/ the gemballa body kit he custom fit for the 924,

if you want one with a body kit already there is a 924 w/ a 951 style body kit in the for sale section of the board right now, it sounds to be a VERY promising car
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3 928s,

Lizard · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 5:51 am Post subject:

here is the car I am talking about http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.php?t=10783
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3 928s,

AndrewR85 · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 4

Yea, I saw that one earlier. Hoping to see the pics soon

I might have to look into that Euro bumper if I decide to get the 924. I don't really want a bodykit, per se because i'd like to keep it looking like it did originally. I just want to take care of that front end. Besides, most full body kits taint a car, IMO

Lizard · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 6:36 am Post subject:

taint is too light of a word, ruin is more like it
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3 928s,

Neil924 · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 4225 Location: Canada

Paul · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 12:05 pm Post subject:

RX-7's are rust buckets, any Porsche built after 1980 is almost rustproof.

Stu2j · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 1:15 am Post subject:

With your budget, you can afford to buy a 924S with fairly low miles in excellent condition AND get the front end service performed if it can't be proven it was done recently.

You will like the performance of the 924S much better than the 924 and you will have a much newer vehicle.

As you have been told, it will be more expensive to maintain the 924S and they aren't as "user friendly" as the 924 if you like to work on your own cars.

I own both cars and love them both. If you decide to go with a 924, get the latest year possible (in the US that is 82).

Good luck.
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-Stu
924 owner since 1988
924S owner since 2002
Click here to view them:

MAAS · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 72

The 924S compares very favorably to the second generation RX7. A few years ago, I was in the market for a good used 86-88 (non-turbo) RX-7, after my old 82 RX7's tranny bit the dust. Anyway, after driving quite a few 2nd gen 7's, I ended up buying an 87 924S. The 924S's handling was at least as good as the Mazda... perhaps slightly better. It somehow felt better pulling through the corners than the Mazdas did.

And now for the 924S engine. Even though I love (and still love) rotaries, there was no denying that my 924S felt more powerful... and in reality was a faster car (stock vs. stock) than the RX7. Even though both cars' engines have similar power outputs, the 2.5 liter Porsche engine, owing to its large pistons and balancer shafts, simply has a lot more available torque from lower down in the rev range. In fact the 2.5 liter engines produce about 90% of their torque from about 2,000rpms and up. This gives them a very flat torque curve. The Porsche engine also has a better top end "snap" (in my opinion) than the higher revving rotary. This is not to say that the rotary is a bad engine... far from it... it's just that the larger 944 engine in the lighter more aerodynamic 924S makes a really good package.

Performance-wise stock vs stock... most of the 86-88 RX7s do the 0-60 mph dash in the low to mid 8 second range. And the 1/4 mile in the low 16 secs. The 87 924S can do a 0-60 in the mid 7 second range and the 1/4 in the high 15 secs.

A good 86-87 RX7 turbo does 0-60 in the mid 6's and the 1/4 in about low 15's.

Gas mileage: not to good on the Mazda 16-20 mpg (terrible on the turbo 11mpg). Good on the 924S... low 20s to about 30.

-MAS

Jesus · Joined: 05 Nov 2002 Posts: 225 Location: Québec, Canada

Just remember before buying a 924S, it may look good and be fun to drive, but it is costly to maintain on the road. For the reliability, compared to other cars of the same year, its excellent, but for today stadard, not as good.

I would consider many other car before that one unless you love Porsche. As an exemple, you can get a recent Probe Gt for that kind of money with more hp with lower cost to maintain. There's a good reason why most of the porsche on the market have low millage:they are not very good daily driver unless you live in the tropic, definitively not my case!

But if you have a good job, a garage and want a car that flash, the Porsche is the one for you.
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Et la lumière fut...

Lemming · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 77 Location: Birmingham, AL

I've been cruising this board for the last few weeks as I am also looking to buy a 924S. I have a line on an '88 with a good engine and body, interior is bad. However, that's not a problem given that I plan to strip the interior and use it as a track car.

I knew about the "30,000-mile" rule, but not the 3-year for rebuilds. For those of you that are using your S for autoX, DE's and track days, how often are your rebuilding?

Thanks
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Tim
'95 968 (White/Cashmere)
'88 924S? (sleeper

Neil924 · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 4225 Location: Canada

MAAS · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 72

Speaking of "rust buckets":

The 2nd Generation RX-7s ('86 and up) were fully galvanized just like the 944's.

-MAS