924Board.org

Maverick · Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Posts: 55 Location: Olathe, Kansas

I'm currently looking into purchasing a 1981 924 Turbo. I've seen the car once but haven't thouroughly been through it. The vehicle has been sitting for a number of years. After the current owner purchased the vehicle he put new valves in the engine (someone had bent the old ones). He may have done some other engine work, but all I really know is that he put around $1000-$2000 into the engine. Since then it's just been sitting for several years. I'm told the only problems are a pinhole in a rubber coolant hose, and that the fuel leaks out somewhere. You can put gas in it, and it will run, at least until all the fuel leaks out. I however, am not sure of a probable place this fuel is leaking, or how easy this will be to fix. The rubber hose should be easily replaced. The car has been sitting long enough that the tires are rotten, and the paint is seriously peeling. The body is perfect with no dents or rust, and glass is good too. All information I have on the car is accurate (the owner is a member of my church, and family friend). The current owner of the car is willing to sell it to me for $600 (he's dying of cancer and is trying to make things easier on his wife by selling all his old cars). I would simply like to know if you believe this is a good deal, and would appreciate any advice on how to fix the current problem (fuel leak), and any problems I should look out for. If I can't get the car running, I can surely get more than my $600 back out of it, can't I? Thanks in advance for the help!!

Paul · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 12:11 pm Post subject:

The question is not whether you can get your $600 back, but rather can you get back $600 plus whatever you spend to get it road worthy.

Probably not, running examples of 931's have been going for $2000 to $3000.

Porsche's paint does not peel, so the car has probably been repainted.

BTW, if you do part it, I have first dibs on the tranny, torque tube, and shifter!

924 turbo · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 12:12 pm Post subject:

As Paul says, you'll likely need to spend more than is reasonable to get the car in safe running and driving condition, but if you're interested in parting it out, you will make your money back and then some. By the way, I call dibs on the engine.
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Jon Furst

924 turbo · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 12:18 pm Post subject:

By the way, here's a recent picture of Paul and I.

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Jon Furst

Paul · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 12:23 pm Post subject:

LOL!!!

Paul · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 1:03 pm Post subject:

BTW if you do buy the car, replace the fuel, flush the lines, change the oil, and replace the timing belt before even thinking about starting the car.

CMXXXI · Joined: 05 Nov 2002 Posts: 1939 Location: Vicksburg, MS

I think that $600 for a 931 that will start and run would be very reasonable, provided you are willing to put some time and money into it to whip it back into roadworthy shape. If you have the time, tools and facilities, I'd think it's close to a real bargain. - just my opinion though -

Without more details, none of us will be able to give a reasonable guess as to what it might cost to refurbish. Your fuel leak could be anything from a hole in the tank to a loose fitting, thus could cost from under a buck to over a hundred (plus labor) to fix. I'll bet good money that there will be other things that need attention and/or replacement though. It might not be unreasonable to expect to sink another $1-2K into the project to get it into decent shape depending on the extremes you might want to go to. On the other hand, it could be a diamond in the rough, you won't know until you check it out in detail...
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'79 Eurospec 931

numbbers · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2003 10:50 am Post subject:

The "pin hole" coolant leak is not a big problem, but I would recommend that you replace all of the coolant hoses, as they are probably as rotted as the tires. The hoses are not exceptionally hard to replace, but they can be somewhat expensive, as many of them are only available from Porsche. The fuel leak is probably either the hoses connecting the top of the tank to the fuel lines, or the fuel accumulator. The hoses are generic and only cost a couple of bucks, but the accumulator will cost you about a hundred bucks. As previously stated, a good example of a 931 will only get about $3k on the US market. You will probably have to put at least a grand in it to get it back on the road. So, if you are buying it for an investment, forget it. But, if you want a fast car, with excellent handling, that says Porsche on it, buy it.
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1980 924 Turbo