The 924 is a stunning work of automotive art from the 1970s, echoing the shift from 1960s curves to the boxy appearance of the 1980s. This is a dependable everyday sports coupe with impressive versatility—not a fire breathing hot rod that you have to get used to its quirks and habits.
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General Remarks:
The 924S is a fantastic-looking, capable, and maneuverable automobile. As long as it is maintained, it is also highly dependable.
However, this is not the inexpensive 924 from the 1970s; rather, it has the same 2.5-liter engine as the 944 and needs the same maintenance as the 944. This includes the somewhat pricey ($900–$1100) timing belt repair. Other than this, though, maintaining this car does not cost as much as you may anticipate. It has only ever malfunctioned once, and the fix was extremely affordable (fuel pump relay).
The other two issues were not incapacitating, so there was plenty of time to save and correct them (motor mounts, sunroof). The benefit of the 924S is that it is essentially a 944 without the flared fenders, which offers you a modest performance advantage as demonstrated by wind tunnel tests.
Furthermore, because the general public is unaware of this vehicle, many 944s currently on the market are being damaged by negligent owners, whereas 924Ss are more frequently owned by Porsche aficionados and maintained in far better condition.
If the previous owner took good care of the car, I would strongly suggest it. You definitely get what you pay for with a Porsche.
Considerations on Why the 924 Deserves the Porsche Label
The car’s engine had four cylinders, which is represented by the designation “924”. By no means was it the most potent vehicle when it was originally introduced; the 2.0-liter engine only produced 123 horsepower. But the 924 was more about driving delight and practicality than it was about power. And it had both in plenty, truly. For instance, its handling was excellent thanks in large part to Porsche’s renowned transaxle setup, which places the engine up front and the gearbox in back, resulting in a weight distribution of about 50:50.
Then there were the appearances, which were strikingly identical to those of its larger sibling, the 928. It had the recognizable hatchback design with a longer bonnet and shorter rear end that was unique to vehicles built during the transaxle era. Additionally, it was always going to be a dependable car with good build quality because it was a joint development between Porsche, Audi, and VW. Prices started at just under $10,000, too, which translates to about $40,000 in today’s dollars, making it quite alluring to prospective customers.
Here, you could get a car with attractive styling, excellent handling, and—perhaps best of all—Porsche insignia for about the same cost as a hot hatch today. Since it found homes for over 25,000 of them in just its second year of manufacturing, it’s really no wonder that it sold so well.
There was some validity to the rumor that the 924 featured a van engine, but that wasn’t the whole story. You see, Audi designed the water-cooled engine for the 924, VW LT Van, and Audi 100 in the early 1970s specifically for us. Perhaps this was all that was required for those ardent supporters to continue their criticism of the 924.
Porsche unveiled the Turbo, an updated, more potent version of the 924, in 1979. As suggested by the name, it had a turbocharger installed in its 2.0-liter engine, raising the output to 168 horsepower. But maybe the best of all came a year later with the Porsche 924 Carrera GT, both in terms of its appearance and its engine. The Carrera GT version of the 924 added wider body kit, bonnet scoops, and those enduring, unbeatable Fuchs alloy wheels to an already attractive car.
A new intercooler was added, and a higher compression ratio was applied, increasing power to 207 bhp, making things much more exciting in terms of performance. However, given that it was a homologation special created for competitive use, the boost in power wasn’t altogether unexpected. It meant that the Carrera GT could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 6 seconds and achieve a high speed of 150 mph, both significantly faster than the basic 924’s 124 mph and 9.5 seconds.
However you choose to look at it, the 924 is an extremely underestimated vehicle. Despite what ardent Porsche aficionados may claim, a car that performs superbly and looks fantastic deserves to wear the coveted badges.
Are Porsche vehicles dependable?
Macan is the market leader in its segment, while Porsche moves up to second position overall in the survey.
According to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which was just issued, the Porsche 911 is the model with the best ownership experience. The Macan was rated as the most trustworthy Premium Compact SUV, and Porsche improved across all model lines to take second place in the yearly assessment. The 911 won the top spot among all models for the second time in three years.
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. President and CEO Kjell Gruner stated that the company “strives to make our clients’ sports car dreams come true.” It is satisfying to watch how our famous 911 and Macan represent our dedication to creating, constructing, and maintaining thrilling Porsche vehicles.
The 32-year-old study counts the problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) that three-year-old automobiles’ original owners encountered during the course of the previous year. A lower rating indicates greater dependability. The study conducted this year used automobiles from the 2018 model year.
In the most recent assessment, American consumers reported 18 fewer PP100 for the Porsche brand, resulting in a score of 86 PP100 overall as opposed to this year’s luxury average of 118. In the prior research, Porsche came in fourth place. The Porsche 911 had the fewest PP100 of any model across the entire automobile industry with 57.
Will the Porsche 924 enjoy?
The balance and simplicity of the 924 will always be admired. Yes, it won’t ever generate revenue for 911, but it won’t be available for free forever either. Good sub-four thousand dollar automobiles are becoming harder to find.
The Porsche 924 is it a genuine Porsche?
Porsche created the 924 for Volkswagen as the replacement for the 914, and it was finally produced in-house starting of model year 1976. The new base model was produced in Neckarsulm by Audi.
The 924’s body was designed with good aerodynamics in mind. The pop-up headlamps and the flat bonnet in particular were designed with this in mind. A black rear spoiler introduced for MY 1983 considerably increased the Cd value.
When creating the 924’s drive, Porsche took a completely fresh approach. A front engine that was liquid-cooled was utilized for the first time. This had a cylinder layout that was in line. The 125 horsepower engine was upgraded by Porsche and taken from the Audi 100. The transaxle principle was used to convey the drive power.
Only the Porsche-built 2.5-liter, four-cylinder, in-line engine of the 944 was utilized in the 924 S, which began production with the model year 1986. The Porsche 924 S represented a substantial technical advancement for the 924 model range when it became available in MY 1986. The 944 served as the inspiration for many parts of this vehicle. These comprised the engine, the braking system, the chassis, and interior components. The 924 S was moved closer to the 944 by the standard “telephone dial”-style aluminum wheels. The 924 S’s 2.5-liter engine, which was based on the 944, initially produced 150 horsepower before increasing to 160 horsepower as of MY 1988.
Are Porsche 924s uncommon?
The Porsche 924 is criticized for not being a “Real Porsche,” yet those who say this are obviously unaware of the powerful Carrera GT models. Porsche produced 406 924 Carrera GTs in order to homologate a wild 924 for Group 4 racing, with Carrera GTS and GTR evolutions following. This 1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GTR, one of only 17 produced, is available for purchase.
UK auctioneer This weekend, Coys will auction off this vehicle in Monaco. With only 109 kilometers on the odometer, it is expected to sell for a high price. Porsche entered the Carrera GTR in the 1980 Le Mans race and equipped it with a wild, 375-horsepower turbocharged version of the 924’s standard engine. The 935 race car’s weight was decreased to little over 2000 lbs, and the front brakes were removed.
The Porsche 944 made its debut in 1982 with massive fender flares, and the wheels are arguably the best ever put on a street car. Seriously, these wheels are more important than your life.
This specific automobile was one of two that were initially shipped to Japan, where it was owned by a man who hardly ever used it for track driving. It only ever left his garage for an annual service, though. We hope the next owner would frequently exercise this car even if it is incredibly uncommon.
Although this 924 Carrera GTR is not a 911 Carrera RS, it is significantly rarer than a 918 Spyder and has a proven racing history. This is the ideal vehicle for a wealthy Porsche enthusiast.
When did Porsche start producing the 924?
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