924Board.org

Mclaren924 · Joined: 13 Oct 2021 Posts: 171 Location: California

The car seems very nice in the photos, getting one of these cars to a level where it is truly capable of being a daily is no easy task and is usually done by slowly replacing basically everything as most of the stuff on these cars is either neglected or left to rot, sometimes mix of both. I think anything over 10 would really be pushing it for a 4 lug with tan interior and it being just a base model. I will be asking 12-14 for my 79 Sebring with 5-lug and fully resealed engine/ trans and all new running gear. Everything mechanical has been replaced, repair, or inspected and cleaned . Interior is about same with drivers seat having a rip.It has long term paint issues with small patches of rust coming through where PO didn't pull trim to paint it but easily an 9/10 at 5 feet. If i got 10-11 for it I wouldn't be mad but I can see it realistically selling for less depending on market. I can find a base 924'S with no service done and overall 7/10 car for about 8000$ out here in socal. The Supercharger would make these cars what they really should have been from factory.
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1980 931 "Salt" Bucket wannabe racer (not started)
1979 924 "Pepper" Restoration (almost done)
1980 924 "Donnie" (Parts car)-DEAD
1977 924 Slicktop "Pennie" Bucket turned Silver Spoon

Legitimate Salvage · Joined: 19 Dec 2023 Posts: 14 Location: NC, USA

From the research I've been doing and the conversation here, it seems that $9k would be top dollar... hmmm.

Mclaren924 · Joined: 13 Oct 2021 Posts: 171 Location: California

Beartooth · Joined: 05 Apr 2022 Posts: 206 Location: Roberts, MT

It's a very nice car, and probably worth the money if it's REALLY what you want. If it doesn't speak to you though, and the seller is pretty firm, I'd move on. It's in great shape, but even a car with no blemishes (like the cracked dash and ding in the back) would probably have a hard time fetching that price. A 931 at that price would probably be worth it, but it's also easy to see one ending up like mine mechanically (burning oil like crazy, shelled out turbo that'd been R&R'd by someone who should have stuck to Chevies, no preventive maintenance) but looking that good - eating up a ton of value when you consider how much time and money it takes to fix.

Anyway, I'd say the US 931 is about the power level the 924 should originally have been (it's kind of sad that was only 140ish, but at least it's got decent get-up). The US models were especially anemic, but this is the era when a V8 Mustang couldn't crack 140 HP (and we saw cars like th "King Cobra" that was all spoilers, scoops, and decals with no more HP). Even cars like the Trans Am and behemoths like Cadillacs and Lincolns with 6.6-7.5L engines barely managed 200 HP in the late-70s. I'm not sure how much Porsche could have done with what they had, but it's a shame they couldn't have eeked out a bit more power; I guess they saw the problem, based on the 931 and 944. The lack of power probably wasn't a shock back then, not when there were a lot of cars being sold that couldn't draw a speeding ticket on the highway no matter how long you kept your foot in it. Now it's either a part of the car's charm (if you like being able to hold your foot to the floor and hunt for redline just going to get groceries), or a huge liability if you crave at least a little push-you-in-the-seat action. That's where things like morghen's supercharger kit are perfect. Forget chasing modern sports cars, but at least it gets you out of the minivan/econobox range. It's too bad there isn't much room for improvement with a NA motor: if you could hit 150HP without going crazy (and expensive) with head/valve work and so on, that would be nice. Just probably not going to happen though, not without spending crazy money (given the likely results). Ultimately, the car is what it is: it drive and handles great for how cheap it is, and the engine either a solid, simple piece of engineering to you, or it's a roadblock.
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1980 931 diamond in the rough

Mclaren924 · Joined: 13 Oct 2021 Posts: 171 Location: California

morghen · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 8883 Location: Romania

Thats a lovely 924 (the one in the link from the first post).
Great spec as well, but as a reminder in regards to the SC kit, it is not compatible with the AC, you cant have the factory AC compressor and the supercharger at the same time as they share the same mounting space.
If you want to keep AC, you have to install an electric AC compressor.
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https://www.the924.com

Legitimate Salvage · Joined: 19 Dec 2023 Posts: 14 Location: NC, USA

Story short, there aren't any later model 924's within a reasonable distance... there aren't even that many 944's. And I just can't bring myself to buy any car, sight unseen, and have it transported.

Out of the 9 or so cars (all 944's) I've inquired/called about, most don't have ANY maintenance records, 4 were "salvage" titles, another was advertised by the seller as a "Florida" car (but the carfax shows it lived the first 20 years of it's life in Pennsylvania), another was clearly a "flip". There's alot of crap out there is what I'm saying... and I don't really like 944's.

I'm looking into one final 944 (1984 model, 2 owner with alleged maintenance records back to 2001). If that turns out to be dud, I'm going to pick up the 924 I originally posted. If I can get it for $10k, budget another $5k for interior/cosmetic stuff and Ciprian's SC kit, I believe I'll have a car that I'm happy with.