924Board.org

JoonTae · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 42 Location: MS Gulf Coast

Hello. I know if you buy a 924 or a sports car you don't were about gas mileage but I was wondering what kind of mileage people are getting on stock or minor modded 924's. Also Are there any younger people here in the states who own a 924? If so please post how much you are paying for US insurance and age. Oh and if this is in the wrong place please move it.

Thanks,
Derek

-nick · Joined: 16 Nov 2002 Posts: 2699 Location: Cambridge, MA

Fine questions!

Gas mileage is quite good. I remember getting around 25mpg average city/highway with a slightly tuned up motor (~130hp). The 931 gets about 22/26 city/highway with ~185hp.

I was only 20 or so when I got my first 924 (thinking back...). Insurance was no more than any other car of that vintage. Something like $600/year for basic no-frills insurance with a clean record in MA (which is a little steeper than other places).

These numbers are probably in the ballpark of what you might expect.

-nick

JoonTae · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 42 Location: MS Gulf Coast

Hmm ok. I'm looking at getting one at 16. I have to commute a good 60 miles to work each way and was seeing if this would be practical or not. I love the 924 but my folks are saying that at 16 insurance will be too high

. hopefully I can get them to change their mind. I wonder if anyone has ever tried to put a diesel engine in a 924...

Chrenan · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 3903 Location: Canada

My insurance for this year (full year) cost $91 (Canadian) based on $7,500 appraised value, 5,000 km per year, and the 924 must be a second vehicle, for pleasure use and stored in a garage. You have to have at least 10 years of driving experience for this policy. I am 28.

My guess is you will be paying more than that for insurance if you are 16 and plan to use the car as a daily driver.

Not sure what gas mileage I get, I have never recorded it. But can't you just find out the gas mileage from a car with the 4A-GZE engine you are planning to swap in? The gas mileage for your 4A-GZE equipped 924 likely won't differ that much from the car the 4A-GZE engine came from.
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan

JoonTae · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 42 Location: MS Gulf Coast

Well. I keep getting steered away from swaps till I know what i'm doing. Which is reasonable so now I'm trying to find a cool car that I can drive. CBass said to go for a Swift GTi for a nice car I can drive hard but I'm not sure if I wanna go that route. I have it narrowed down to a few cars. The 924 depending on insurance. A 4 door Golf TDI for the 50MPG and newness of it. Or a classic mini for a nice rebuild. I still haven't decided yet and have a good year till I can drive. I also get a Camry to trade in or do whatever to in a year. What do you guys think of the choices?

Chrenan · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 3903 Location: Canada

Ummm....am I missing something here? You will be driving in a year, and you get a Toyota Camry in a year? Why not just drive the Camry? Reliable, good on gas, that's an ideal first car. The 924 and the Mini will be a lot more work and spend more time being repaired than the Camry (especially the Mini, my Dad had one in England and had nothing good to say about it). My first car was a 1980 Toyota Tercel, on the whole Toyota's are reliable, and they will let a new driver like you spend lots of time on the road doing what you should be doing, practicing your driving skills.
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan

Phogphire1 · Joined: 05 Apr 2003 Posts: 293 Location: Portland, OR

hexen84 · Joined: 21 Dec 2003 Posts: 24 Location: Detroit, MI

I'm 19 now and paying about $100 a month on no fault last year I was paying about $130 and I don't think it will be that much more for you. I love my gas mileage around 250 miles a tank all city driving and about $20 bucks to fill up.
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1979 N/A 924

AndyFranklin · Joined: 07 Oct 2003 Posts: 184 Location: Novelty OH

A late-model TDI is about the cheapest car to run that there is. I carry complete coverage on the 2004, which, admittedly is a little pricey (about $1200/year for an old guy like me). Complete coverage on the 98 was $900. (YMMV - I'm trying to remember costs off the top of my head.)

However, there are lots of 98-2001 models available. They all seem to go on eBay in the $6K range. We have been looking for one for the Endurance Racing project since my 98 got stolen. (BTW - we have gotten unofficial word that they have found the engine!) It was still going strong at 200K.

Part of the cost of ownership is that, in addition to the cheaper fuel and 45+ mileage, there are no tune-up costs. Change the timing belt every 30-50K and be done with it. We were not even going to open up the motor on "Project D" before the hotrod upgrades and racing it.

Collision can be expensive to repair due to the extensive use of crush zones. But you weren't planning on running into anything anyway, right?

One important note on the new ones - they require a special oil that is frightfully expensive - about $8/quart at the cheap places. Dealer oil changes are $99!

5150 · Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2004 11:48 pm Post subject:

I wish you guys in the States wouldn't mention the price of petrol when there's Brit's around

With the exchange rate and current price of petrol here, $20usd equates to £10.80gbp (approx) which would buy me about 13 litres at current prices

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Mars Red '78 Euro 924 n/a
http://www.cardomain.com/id/5150_uk

Graphite? Grey Metallic '85 (late model) 944 2.5

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

Mannghi · Joined: 11 Nov 2002 Posts: 99 Location: Allentown, PA

I'd go with the Toyota. Learn to drive first.
The 924, as nice as they are, most of them are 15 to 20yrs old(or more) and don't make very good daily drivers without a lot of attention, and the more you use them the more attention they need. Which is fine, time and $$ provided.
You'll most likely spend more time and money on repairs that you want to.
However, if i were 16 again, i'd probably want the 924 too.

Insurance is going to be pricy no matter what you drive, at least you can look forward to turning 25.

JoonTae · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 42 Location: MS Gulf Coast

Thanks all for the input. I'm still trying to decide. I still have a year though.

Lizard · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 1:57 am Post subject:

JoonTae, if you are looking into getting a car right off the bat when yo turn 16 and if you dont have any higher speed driver training or havent been driving for awhile around other items, I dont care what the experiance is dirtbikes, gokarts at a track with bumperbumper driving, or who knows maybe a lucky person whos parents got him track time, I must say that I recommend that you get a POS something like a dodge omni/colt, or hyundai pony/excel, maybe even a chevette, you want something slow as a first car, something you wont care about if you hit someone or have an accident,

the 924 is by no stretch of the imagination a rocket, but it is still a fast car for a inexperianced driver I would recommend driving for at LEAST 1 year before purchasing one, or buy one and fix it up but dont drive it for a year,

with that being said the insurance for the 924 is cheap, it is actually cheaper to insure the 924 instead of a VW rabbit (which is why I am using a 924 chassis to drop in a 928 engine

) up here with 0% deductable you would be looking around $140 a month to insure that is a 0% deductable and will get cheaper the longer you drive, if you are looking for something for max gas milage however I recommend that you start looking for a Diesel jetta or volvo, or merc, or something along those lines,

I also recommend that if you are working and have a source of income that you go to a local track and look into a drivers ed course and learn how to control the car and how to actually drive it, I know that you will probably have a need for speed but learn from our mistakes (most ppl on the world) and take it to the track to release it, however WHATEVER you learn at the track dont try to show your friends on the street or you could wind up in serious trouble as the pavement is different as is the suspension setup esp if they supply the car.
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3 928s,