1987 Porsche 924 S from North America - Comments

The OEM upper radiator hose cracked in Nov. of 2003, not bad for 16 year old rubber!

Engine mounts are shot, and car idles rough at idle. Once you rev it though it smooths out.

Power-steering resevoirr leaked due to loose clamp.

The 924S is the little brother of the 944. Has the same transmission, engine... everything short of the wide body fenders. I hope to hold onto this car for years to come, its pure driving pleasure.

-The Good.

Though its not the fastest car out there, with a 0-60 speed of 7.5 seconds, it more than makes up for its braking peformance and ability to handle even the most twisted roads all at high speeds, with a slight (very slight) hint of understeer.

Though quick, its not overpowered, a great first car. Its very neutral in its handling, a 48/52 weight distribution keeps the car in contact with the road at all times. You need to seriously try, and have poor tires in order to get them to break lose.

Its interior looks like a 80's sports car. Everything is laid out very neatly and organized, no clutter, no fumbling for any switches, no need to take your eyes off the road.

Seats are comfortable even after 4-5 hour drives, although could use a little better lumbar support.

A surprising amount of cargo space available.

Engines are not as complicated as you may think (though look below).

- The Bad.

When doing repairs, you may often find yourself thinking "Who the hell designed this thing?".

Parts from the dealer can be very expensive, best too look for on-line sellers.

The car can have a high 'startup' cost if there are no maitenance records. Timing belt, water pump, balance belt and all rollers should be replaced. This can cost as much as $1500 with labor, figure $500 if you do the work yourself.

Engine is of the interference type. If the timing belt breaks, the pistons will crash into the valves causing $1500+ dollars in repairs. Belts need to be changed at 45K miles, and re-tensioned at intervals of 2500 mile and 15000 miles.

Though it has rear seats, its really a two-seater unless you have children in the back.

I also own A PORSCHE 924s. I never drove anything like it before in my life... it's not a drifting car not at all it's hard to brake lose, unless it's raining then it's very fun to drive once you get it side ways you can keep it going very well.. I love my PORSCHE I wouldn't trade it for the world..problems.. so far the radiator falling back into the belt pulleys causing the radiator hose to come in contact with the alternator rubbing a hole. it was like that when I bought the car. drove home and then notice a leak..that's all...

I also own a 1987 924 s in white color. Only about 60,000 miles, but I did not pay attention and the timing belt broke. I live in PA and the quotes I am getting is around $6,000 for the job. Being 70 years old I do not think I want to try to do the job. Any suggestions what to do?

Once fixed this car would go probably an other 100,000 miles.

I drove a friends 1987 Porsche 924S a few days ago...

I feel like I have been BLINDED all my life and now my eyes are WIDE OPEN to what a REAL QUALITY car feels like. I was BLOWN AWAY!! A Porsche feels SO GREAT when you drive it!! I cannot begin to explain how great it is to drive these cars! It's like someone handing you $100,000 in cash, yes that's how great it feels. Like you're FINALLY driving the car you DESERVE to have in life.

The build quality of a Porsche is OUTSTANDING!! My friends 924s is 20+ years old the body has ZERO rust and feels amazingly solid. The engine has this amazing German Exhaust note that is just so wicked!! My friends Porsche has over 140,000 miles on it and it runs like a brand new car!!

I cannot get the feeling of driving the 924 and the SOUND of that exhaust out of my head!! I'm going to buy one as soon as I can! The best part, they sell on eBay for only around $3,500 for a beautiful example!! WOW!! What have I been thinking all these years buying stupid Hondas, VW's, Toyotas and other BORING CARS that feel SO CHEAP when I could have been driving a PORSCHE!!

The timing belt and valve rework should be on the order of $2000-$3000 not $6000 unless there was more damage.

Finally at the age of 52 I indulged myself and bought a true "Sports Car". It's a 1987 Porsche 924s. And it's the most fun I've had on the road since driving APCs in the Army.

The car is in need of some minor repair work. I'm replacing both the timing-belt and water pump along with the old hoses.

From talking to a couple of Porsche mechanics I'm told that these are the major threat problems to an old 924S and once replaced I can drive mile on end with basic impunity.

As they also told me "Hey, it's a 20 year old car. Be good to it, but don't be afraid to turn up the sound and drive fast!"

Mid-life crisis? What crisis?! HA-HA-HA.

Hey I am looking to buy a 924 s and was just wondering if it is worth the buy... sounds like it would be a good investment and it is going for only $3500. any advice or things to look for?

If you have the opportunity to buy a 924s, DO IT! I owned one for 2 years, and it was the most fun car I've ever driven. I agree with the commenter above... that driving a Porsche for the first time is like having your eyes opened! A very solid sports car, and has a timeless Daytona body style. I picked mine up with 88k miles in Northern California for $2200, so if you plan on spending $3500, make sure it has meticulous records, lower mileage, etc to justify the higher price.

924S OWNER SINCE 2006.

This is a really a machine in a respect of how well balance it is. How can someone can think of this in 1987.

Upper Canada Porsche Club

Pfaff Porsche.

Vincent Ho.

I owned a black 87 924S and it was OK, I mean the body was in pretty good condition. It was also a true import the VIN number was WPOZZZ instead of the American WPOAA.

Here is what went wrong with it...

Blown head gasket, corroded head, worn out valves... total job: 3K.

Fuel pump went out: $500.

Fuel pump relay went out: $45.

Radiator auxiliary fan switch went out: $70.

Speedo started bouncing at 108K: that would have ran about $400.

Wrecked it in to a pole bending an A-Arm on the frame... I gave it away to someone else who had the time for it...

It was my first car I was 17 when I got it, wasn't the fastest thing, but it wasn't the slowest either, considering it only had 147HP stock, but when I got my head job done, I had the cylinder head milled and the valve ports, ported and polished.. Never had it dynoed because I was not really into racing... It has damn good acceleration considering it is a 4 cylinder, but that is with the help of the 3.89 final drive ratio; the major difference in the tranny of the 924S and the 944 is that the 5th gear is not an overdrive in the 924S, so it has the power and gearing to go all the way to the redline, which is I'm guessing 150mph, I did this when my speedo was bouncing so yeah...

As far as the poor wet traction; trust me, I know, I LOST MY DRIVERS LICENSE FOR THIS WHILE IT WAS RAINING AND I WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF A COP... YEAH.

It was a good car, expensive maintenance though, but that's what it takes to own a Porsche.

I've been reading your reviews and am really impressed with how this car sounds. It has been a life's dream to own a Porsche and I never thought it possible to get one for 3000-3500. One question: I live in Canada. Is buying this car just going to give me trouble or is it a good idea.

-Craig Hartmetz (16) Edmonton, Alberta.

I'm proud owner of '86 Porsche 924s since 1998. That's the best car I've ever drove, whether you're driving it in the city or using it for racing.

I live in Europe where streets are small (smaller than those in states), and that's the real Porsche's playground; its precise steering and good torque will give you certain pleasure that you won't forget soon.

I changed the whole engine on my car (it wasn't problem to find one in Germany) and tune it a little bit. It goes like bullet, you just have to have good tires and be careful with over-steering.

The only problem I had was regarding lights (relay was fried). If you buy it in good shape you won't regret it. And remember: YOU CAN'T TREAT YOUR PORSCHE AS A PERSON, YOU MUST LOVE IT!