According to the seller, today’s Nice Price or No Dice 924S is back on the market after an auction agreement fell through. It now has a lower price, and the seller is open to offers. What should we reasonably suggest?
Based on your comments, the most appealing aspect of last Friday’s 1985 BMW 635CSi was the care and skill its designers took in creating the coupe’s overall shape and minor details. This is a craft seemingly lost among BMW’s current design teams. Such inherent beauty comes at a cost. In the case of our 635CSi, that cost was $12,750, and according to the 56 percent Nice Price win it received, most of you felt that such beauty is in the wallet of the beholder.
Since last Friday’s big German coupe faired so well, let’s see how a smaller, sportier one manages today.
Upon its introduction in late 1976, Porsche’s 924 used a VW/Audi engine, which was shared with the Audi 100 but tweaked with a unique head design. Porsche nursed that mill along over the years, adding a turbocharged variant and bumping power of the naturally aspirated edition along the way, seeking to address the milquetoast mill’s performance deficits. In the mid-eighties, however, Volkswagen decided to end production of the Audi engine. This meant that Porsche had to either scramble to find a replacement or abandon their profitable entry-level model entirely.
As luck would have it, a suitable donor was to be found right in the family. That was the 944; the 924’s younger, more accomplished brother. The result was the 924S, which married the older 924 body and interior with a lower-output (156 horsepower) edition of the 944’s 2.5-litre four and some upgraded suspension bits to help handle the new-found power. That half-a-928 engine could be paired with a five-speed transaxle in the back by way of a long torque tube.
Entering production in 1986, the 924S would continue as Porsche’s entry-level model for two more years before the company discontinued the 924 entirely at the end of the ’88 model run.
This 1987 Porsche 924S is claimed to have undergone a cosmetic restoration, something borne out in the ad’s pictures. However, that work didn’t extend to fixing the odometer, which the seller claims suffers from a teething issue, making the claimed 145,000-mile reading a bit of a guess.
Aside from that minor problem, the car seems to live up to the “excellent condition” claimed by the seller. It also has a good bit of expensive mechanical work under its belt. The description mentions the recent replacement of the catalytic converter, a refreshed timing belt, and the glug-glug of an oil change. The A/C has also been converted to run on modern r134 refrigerant and works as it should.
It’s pretty solid in the looks department, too. The paint is a fresh respray overlaid with the proper decals and badging. Side skirts, gold anodized phone dials from a Turbo, and Euro-style bumpers accent that.
More work has been done in the cabin. There, a new dashboard, steering wheel, and shift knob accompany new leatherette seat upholstery and a carpet kit. All the rubber seals have also been given a going-over, so it should be quiet and watertight, including the factory lift-out sunroof.
Per the seller, the car is reasonably well sorted, but tempers the car’s promotion with the following warning:
The car is not without its quirks, it’s a 37yo Porsche. It still needs some dialing in here and there. It suffers from a lot of the same common issues as pretty much every 944 type on the planet. But overall it’s in just excellent condition.
On the plus side, the car passes its emissions test, carries a clean title, and wears current tags. The asking price is $15,500.
Okay, it’s time to decide this Porsche’s fate. What do you think? Is this cosmetically restored last-of-the-line 924S worth that $15,500 as it’s presented? Or does that price put this “poor man’s Porsche” out of reach of all but the rich?
You decide!
San Diego, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!
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