HELP! Is there anyone who knows 924's better than I do?, 924 Martini Edition + complete project $1,500 Options

[Ace Le Count]

Okay fellow Porsche enthusiasts, I've recently come across the opportunity to buy a 924 Martini Edition for $1,500 and I was wondering if there is a way to know for sure that it's an authentic World Championship Edition (equipment code 426) and not a standard 042-equipped car?

It comes with another car for parts. Needs a few things as it's been sitting since 2003. It is missing the plaque, but has the red interior and side stripes that it's supposed to have. The seller was driving it and cracked the head due to an air bubble. It was replaced but the fan belt snapped on the way home. After that it just sat. 17 years later, the seller claims that mice have chewed up the plug wire. What do you think? $1,500 for 2 924's. The second car appears to be pretty complete, too. Is there a way to authenticate the martini car? How can we know for certain that it's the real deal? The VIN is 9247210022

The cars are in another state.

I've posted a thread on 924Board.org, but it seems to get less traffic than 914 world, so I thought I'd reach out to the 914 guys and gals for advice.

I'm 17 and can't afford to buy a halfway decent 914 at today's prices. The unicorn deals are getting harder to find as we speak.

(That's why I'm looking at 924's in addition to 914's)

What do you all think?



THANK YOU!!!

[VaccaRabite]

PLEASE don't take this the wrong way.
Buy a different car. One that you can drive and enjoy now and not spend 5 years and 10 grand restoring. Wait until you are a little older, out of school, and have dependable income to start tearing into old cars. There is a lot of fun to be had with more modern cars that are a good bit cheaper and a LOT more reliable and have things like decent audio and air conditioning.

Zach

[JamesM]

PLEASE don't take this the wrong way.
Buy a different car. One that you can drive and enjoy now and not spend 5 years and 10 grand restoring. Wait until you are a little older, out of school, and have dependable income to start tearing into old cars. There is a lot of fun to be had with more modern cars that are a good bit cheaper and a LOT more reliable and have things like decent audio and air conditioning.

Zach

This is sound advice, having gone down a similar path with 914s in the 90s I can attest to there being zero logic in owning a fixer upper Porsche as a teenager, at least not as your daily driver like I did.

BUT

That being said there really is no point in your life where owning a Porsche will be the logical/responsible choice. Zero, nada, never, at no point will owning a Porsche make sense. You do it because you love it and if it is within your means and its what you want to be doing, go for it, enjoy your life the way you want to.

Dont waste your time with a Boxter, they are soulless hot garbage.

Back to your original question though, I actually own an 80 924 Turbo that i purchased not running a few years back so I have some experience in this department.

So some thoughts:
Be glad its not a turbo. Seriously i think 931s are probably the most insane Porsche to attempt to own for reasons i wont get into here because you wont have to worry about them.

These are relatively simple cars to work on but mostly like you will have to do everything yourself as you will be hard pressed to find a mechanic that knows these cars (or knows these cars and is still willing to work on them)

The used parts market and network of support for these cars is FAR less (practically non existent) than with 914s or 944s as you have seen. 924s are the true unloved Porsche. That being said you will have a VERY unique car. Seriously, other than my own, I have NEVER seen another non "S" 924 on the road... like ever. I have seen people show up to meets in 959s and Carerra GTs, never seen a 924.

Probably even more so than 914s, 924s were severely neglected by their owners so expect to go through literally everything. Starting with the timing belt (which is stupid cheap and simple on this car compared to a 944) and the entire fuel injection system (old gas really likes to gum up mechanical injection) I believe there is a post on the 924 board about resurrecting one, but out of the gate budget on at least having to buy a fuel pump, fuel accumulator accumulator, possibly injectors, in addition to the timing belt and all the normal tune up stuff.

Are you happy with the cosmetic condition of the car? Speaking from experience here, unless you are capable of doing this yourself, decent paint/body work on the car is usually out of reach for most younger people so expect the car is going to look more or less the same for a long time.

My biggest concern would be the mouse situation. Thankfully the mechanical injection doesn't have much wiring to chew up, but that doesn't mean that they cant cause crazy damage to the car still. The electrical systems in these cars had a lot of issues to begin with, adding mouse damage on top of that might drive you insane. Get a REAL good feel for where they have been before going any further.

Negotiate the price down. Don't be afraid to low ball the crap out of him, and don't be afraid to walk away. I promise no one is beating his door down to buy these cars. When I picked up my 924 the only reason I even went and looked at it was because it was a Porsche for sale within walking distance of my house. He was asking $1500 for the car. I didn't really have an intention to buy a 924 but given he took the time to show me the car i figured I would at least drop some offer. Jump to 10 minutes later and im pushing my $600 Turbo Porsche home. Point is, get it at a price that makes good sense to you and dont be afraid to ask. I think that was my biggest mistake buying my first Porsche as a teenager, getting to excited about it and just buying what was being sold. Slow down, take your time, shop around, get familiar with what is out there. Maybe work on the seller a bit, he has basically yard art at the moment and you are an excited kid(short on funds) wanting to bring them back to life, use that to your advantage.

[jmitro]

Dont waste your time with a Boxter, they are soulless hot garbage.

I'd have to seriously disagree. Mine is more fun than most of the Porsches I've owned (including three 944s) and I track it also

OP - check the forums on rennlist.com and pelicanparts.com. they both get a lot of 924/944 traffic

[JamesM]

Dont waste your time with a Boxter, they are soulless hot garbage.

I'd have to seriously disagree. Mine is more fun than most of the Porsches I've owned (including three 944s) and I track it also

OP - check the forums on rennlist.com and pelicanparts.com. they both get a lot of 924/944 traffic

Fun sure, but mustangs can be considered fun too. Boxters lack soul, ride/feel just like any other modern car. When i sit in them i am overwhelmed by the feeling of cheap plastic, they completely lack the rawness of any pre 90s Porsche, and then there is the matter of repair bills/working on them. They are quick and comfortable, but i just dont see the appeal. Nothing in the world would make me trade my 944 Turbo for a Boxter.

A friend of mine had a Cayman, I thought it was an amazing car, but he wound up letting it go for the same reasons and dumped a bunch of money in his 914 instead. They just lack the feel of being anything special or unique.