porsche 924 2.5s review

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Picture courtesy of timbo_roberts.

Average Ratings

Performance	9/10
Practicality	8.5/10
Reliability	9.1/10
Value for Money	9.8/10
Reviewer Rating	9.4/10
Overall Rating	9.4/10

100% Recommended11 out of 11 Reviews

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By keithrose on 28th Nov 2004

keithrose's Ratings

Year Manufactured	1981
Length of ownership	11 Years
Performance	7/10
Practicality	10/10
Reliability	8/10
Value for money	10/10
Overall value	8/10
keithrose's recommendation

Good Points

Fully galvanised body (1981 on) means zero corrosion, well balanced 50/50 weight distribution means a good neutral handling chassis with high levels of grip. Economical esp on longer journeys very relaxed cruising at the legal limit. Evolution of the design means timeless classic looks, practical to use with large boot deck once child rear seats are laid flat, mainly VW parts = cheap to maintain, classic car insurance.

Bad Points

924 2.0 litre. 1978-1984 (not 924's)
Performance is more GT other than SPORTS car. Interior switchgear ergonomically miss-matched, consistent idling heater fan and large rear glass can make interior stuffy, no power steering, notchy gear change and clutch can be heavy for some.

General Comments

This review is based on a 1981 Porsche 924 lux Sports Car which I owned from 1988 to 1999. The car was passed on to my father who still drives it today.

History. (Hey, it's not a real Porsche!)
The 924 was never intended to be a Porsche but was meant to be an Audi.
Back in the 70's Audi was an independent company who decided to add a luxury sports coupe to their range of mostly VW sourced salons. Porsche were commissioned to design a modern fuel-efficient sports coupe, which could be manufactured using stock Audi and VW parts. Being around the time of the fuel crisis, which had crippled sports car manufactures, practicality, and long-range autobahn cruising ability was to take priority over outright performance. Porsche were given an almost free hand with the actual design and the result was a superb rear wheel drive chassis with the engine and clutch (inclined 45 deg to allow a low bonnet) at the front and the gearbox and differential in a large transaxle unit sitting over the rear wheels. This arrangement gave a near perfect 50/50 weight distribution.

Porsche were paid very handsomely for their development work but before the coupe reached production Audi were suddenly bought out by VW.
Volkswagen had ideas to produce an Audi coupe to go rallying (Audi Quattro) and the new design rivalled head on with their already established sports car.
In the end the project was offered back to Porsche at a fraction of what they had been paid to produce it and they jumped at the chance. For Porsche it made perfect sense as a replacement for the 916, which had only been a lukewarm success. Also with the rising cost of fuel an economical small engine car would sit very nicely opposite the big V8 powered 928.The interior was given a work-over using both 911 seats and steering wheel, however the sourced VW switchgear remained.

Before the take over Audi had already sealed a deal with VW for a large supply of 2.0 ltr cylinder blocks which Porsche decided to retain instead of producing an in-house design. Unfortunately the same blocks also were used by VW in the new LT transporter van, which gave the press a field day claiming the new Porsche, was to be fitted with a VW van engine. This was of course untrue but alas the damage was already done. This was laid to rest with the much later 924,s which had a true 2.5 ltr Porsche 944 engine.

The final 2.0 ltr engine had a true Porsche designed cylinder head, pistons etc and was fitted with Bosch K Jetronic mechanical fuel injection. It produced a max output of 125 bhp at 6500 rpm and with the help the slippery 0.32 cd coupe's body would push the 924 to a claimed 125 mph top speed yet still return over 40 mpg on a run, which even today is very respectable. So despite what many think the 924 was and is a true Porsche which just happens to use some sourced VW / Audi parts (much like early 356's).

924 turbo and 924s
Porsche took the 924 racing and the result was the turbo version for the road. When I was in the Porsche club (1988-94) the turbo held a mixed review. The performance was certainly good with 0-60 mph in just over 7 sec and a top speed over 140mph but the car suffered terrible turbo lag (like most early 80's turbo's), which could make smooth driving very stressful. Turbo chargers had a habit of vaporising their oil after shutdown which lead to most failing before 70,000 miles. The car was also fitted with a ZF race gearshift pattern with first being on a dogleg of second. This helped the car on the track where first was only used at the start but could become a pain in traffic. Because of these facts many felt, that in real life, the standard car was actually quicker from standing to 40mph.

The 924's was the last model produced and used a "true" Porsche 2.5 ltr engine, which came from the 944 and was de- tuned (but was still quicker). The performance was similar to the turbo but the power delivery much more smooth and usable.
Although slightly more expensive to buy and maintain the 924's is, in my view, the best of the bunch.


Driving & performance
The 924 is not a 928 but is a well-built if not heavy car and with just 125 bhp on tap was never going to be a drag strip racer. 0-60 mph comes up in 9.5 secs with an outright top speed of just over 120 mph. The car performs its best in 3rd gear in the mid range speeds where the torque of the fuel injected engine gives its best punch.
Motorway cruising is very relaxed and the car pulls strongly at the legal limit and well beyond. The suspension is fairly hard with minimal body roll, but smoothes out as the speed increases; levels of grip and traction are very high, handling and brakes are firm and safe.

Day to day
The opening rear glass tailgate accesses a large (but shallow) boot area, which makes the 924 very practical as an everyday car. The rear seats are tiny and only usable for small children. The heater is a little weak on early models and with such a large amount of glass can quickly result in steamy windows. The seating is low which although gives a nice sporting feel can result in poor visibility for shorter drivers.
The non Porsche VW sourced parts are quite cheap (924 water pump £30) but the other true Porsche bits (gearbox etc) can cost an arm and leg.

Owning and buying a 924 today
All post 1981 cars are fully galvanised and therefore should be totally rust free. Expect a respray or two but any sign of rust on the body indicates panel replacement or repair. Engines can sound a bit "tappy" around 100,000 miles as the valve guides wear (new exchange lead-free head around £600) but will run on to a good 180k if reg serviced.
Early 79-81 models (only floor pan was galvanised) are identified by the two-spoke steering wheel and four-speed gearbox are presently the cheapest to buy. The quality took a big jump in 1981 with the "lux" pack introduced and continued upwards until the car was discontinued with the 924s in 1986.

The one-piece vinyl dashboard splits around the windscreen vents and is to be expected. The cloth seats tend to rip on the side bolsters but are compatible with later 944 seats (as is rest of interior except 944 oval dash) which can be sourced from owners clubs or picked up on Ebay for around £150-250 a pair.

Prices vary (2004) and are based very much on condition but £2000-£3000 should get you a nice well looked after 2.0 ltr example with plenty of life left.
A later 85/86 2.5 Porsche 924,s tends to sell for about £1000-£1500 more.

Total Respect: +3