924Board.org

[Highwaystreets]

hey guys! first off just want to say hi to everyone.

i am looking at buying a 1979 Porsche 924 Sebring Edition from a relative of mine. it has only 12k original miles and it is in overall pretty good shape, it does need a new clutch, muffler and a speedo cable from what i can tell just by driving it a bit. He wants around 3000US for it and i just want to know what i should be looking for and if this is a fair price. Also how much will those repairs cost me? Thanks.

[Paul]

Welcome to the board. Please add at least what country you are from to your profile.

Finding a 79 all original 924 with 12k miles is a rare find. Are you sure it's not 112k or even 212k?

What kind of shape is the interior in?
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.

[Highwaystreets]

[Paul]

Dashes cost about $900 to recover, or $100 for a plastic cover. New ones are no longer available.

Clutch job will cost around $1200 to $1500. (Parts only around $300.)

Bottom line, to survive owning one of these cars, you will need to do the work yourself.

It is difficult to bring a US car into Canada, but you probably know that.

Nice 924 Turbos go for $2500 to $3500....
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.

[Highwaystreets]

[Paul]

924 Turbos aka 931s were imported into the US and Canada for Model years 1980 to 1982. 1982s had the most desirable features.
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.

[Chrenan]

Are you in Alberta? We have a few members in the Province that may be a good resource.
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan

[Highwaystreets]

[Chrenan]

Nice to see another local guy interested in the 924. There will be a gathering in the spring in Edmonton for the 924 folks as well as other Euro cars, you'll have to bring it if you buy it.
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan

[Highwaystreets]

[JB 924]

Hey Highway,

I think it is highly unlikely that the car has 12k miles on it and needs a new clutch, unless the owner really, really drove it hard. It must either have 112k miles on it, or the clutch is just out of adjustment. It'll be mechanically adjustable, and only takes a few minutes.

As for the price, 3k US seems steep to me, considering you'll have to pay whatever amount on top of that to convert it to Canadian standards. If the car really is in excelent condition, maybe, but you'll probably end up with a CDN $5000 car. I would rather save up for a couple of months more and get a 944.

If you really want a 924, though, and decide not to buy that one, try to look at 1980 or later. They are galvanized, which is a huge plus in this climate. Don't ask how I know...

If you're in Calgary, here's one, and a 924S project car.

http://www.buysell.com/search/resultsvr2.aspx?r=26&pshcat=keyword&qu=924&id=2002,2004,2030,2146,3006,3018,3302


Jens

[Neil924]

Show us pictures of the car and we will tell you how many miles are on it.

Show the pedals, paint, seats and engine bay.

That's all we need.

Also, I'm selling my car for $3,000 Canadian to 924 board members and it's all ready to go. I'm guessing it's worth about $5,000 Canadian, in the spring "season".

[JB 924]

Neil, if I lived near you 1 year ago, I would have bought it. Would have saved lots of time and money! Exactly what I didn't have back then.

[Chrenan]

Well, I like the Sebring version, red with a stripe, nice plaid interior, very late 70's, so that is cool. I love the black rims with polished outer they came with. In fact, I love them so much I have a set on my car.

1400 Sebring versions were built in 1979 out of 150,000 or so 924's in total. It was mostly an appearance package loaded with items that had previously been optional extras (sunroof, three speaker stereo, electric mirrors, fog lights). Nicely, the Sebring did come with both front and rear anti-roll bars, most 924's only have a front bar. The five speed Porsche gear box (with dog-leg first gear) was an option, but this can be good and bad as parts for this box are becoming more rare from what I undersand, whereas the 1980 and later Audi 5-speed is more common. Rust proofing was improved in 1980, but if your Sebring is not coming from the rust belt in the US, and has no existing rust, that shouldn't be a big concern.

Something doesn't seem right with the car you are looking at. Why does it need a new clutch at 12,000 miles? That doesn't make much sense, there is no way a clutch should be worn out after such little mileage (despite the passage of time) unless the car has been heavily abused for those 12,000 miles. Keep in mind these odometers roll over at 99,999 so it could be 112,000 or 212,000 etc etc. The odometers are also very prone to breaking, so they often stop. The speedometer cable drives the odometer, so if the cable is broken then the miles aren't accurate. Clutch job in Edmonton will be around $1500, around $400 if you do it yourself.

$3000 is steep unless you are emotionally attached to the car since it is in your family. For $3000 US you should be getting a top condition normally aspirated 924 ready to go with no repairs required. Being a Sebring doesn't add much to the value. The market has shown that the only thing that increases the value of a 924 are performance gains in the model. So, a 924 is worth less than a 924 Turbo (931) with is worth less than a 924 Carrera GT which is worth less than a 924 Carrera GTS which is worth less than a 924 Carrera GTR. The various appearance packages are nice, but not worth much more at this point.

That being said, I love my plain jane normally aspirated 924. It is easy to work on and relatively cheap for an almost 30 year old European hobby car. It is not a powerfull car, nor is it quick off the line compared to today's cars. But, it will cruise very comfortably at 160 to 170 km/h, although I've never had it to its 200+ km/h top speed I have no doubt it would get there. The handling and balance is amazing, the best I've ever personally driven. I've been much happier with its performance since rebuilding the engine with a few power upgrades and refreshing the suspension. Of course, a lot of other work went into the car just to get it reliable, but that's another story.

I'd say haggle on the price, which can be awkward with family. The clutch job is expensive, you'd have to get it back to Canada, so that adds expense, and the price is already high. You can get a cheaper 924 in the province, however, the biggest problem is finding one. You just don't see that many around, and the ones that do come up for sale have usually been horribly abused. However, since nobody wants these cars in the land of the pickup truck and muscle car, the price is usually right.
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan

[JB 924]

Did that take you 20 minutes to write? Cause that's pretty much what I said. You even used the word steep at the same point as me.

Personally, at that price, I would say wait a little longer and get a 944, or wait for an excellent 931 to come by. Welcome to the board by the way!