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Final Assembly Required: 1987 Porsche 924 S

This 1987 Porsche 924S looks like a ghost car, sitting in the empty warehouse building where it’s been a partially disassembled project for God knows how long. The 924 is the low man on the Porsche totem pole, but that just means you can get into one for short money as the current bid amount shows. This 924 will need some work performed under the hood to wrap up whatever job was started and left undone, which is always a risky point in which to inherit a project. Still, anything under a certain price point can be justified, and this 924 is going for just $400 at the moment here on eBay, where the seller states it just needs the engine head re-assembled and it “….should start right up.”

I always wonder how sellers reach that conclusion when describing a vehicle: just put it all back together and turn the key, it will be fine! I mean, I know when any of my projects have been taken down that far by a professional, I still get slightly worried it won’t do what it’s supposed to. But perhaps the seller has been in the thick of it himself, knowing exactly where he left off so all you have to do is finish what he started. I really doubt that, as if it was so straightforward, why isn’t the seller just taking it across the finish line? Regardless, the photos taken of it outside the haunted warehouse appear to show a 924 S in good condition with no obvious rot and the correct phone dial wheels still mounted.

The interior isn’t too bad either, although it’s not optioned with the desirable factory sport seats. The standard buckets, with their mediocre bolstering, will do for now, but I’d be on the hunt for the hip-hugging sport buckets if I ever found myself in a 924 or 944 project car. The seats show some signs of wear and tear with a split seam and general soiling, but you can live with that for the time being. The 924 is equipped with the preferred manual gearbox, which isn’t always a given considering the number of these we’ve seen over the years with a slushbox (that has to be a fairly miserable car.) The dash doesn’t look cracked but I can’t tell for sure; hopefully, years of indoor storage have paid dividends in that regard.

So, about the engine: heads removed and not put back together. That’s never a good sign, and the seller isn’t exactly effusive with the details in terms of why it was torn down in the first place. The listing also doesn’t detail whether there were any repairs made in the interim, like a new head gasket (and all other related while you in there repair that are typically done at the same time.) It’s a risky proposition but the rest of the car looks solid enough that I’d roll the dice if I needed to have a red 924 S and had the ability to re-assemble it myself. That said, there are always a boat-load of 924s for sale at a given time, so this one will have to go cheap to justify the work needed to finish it.

Comments

  1. Avatar alphasud Member

    I’m going to take a stab at what happened. They were driving along in their 924S when they hit something or someone. The shunt broke the timing belt and now they have bent valves. I would say bidding on this car from a seller who has no feedback and a car that has been patched back together and given the rattle can treatment to at least the hood and fender which has had its head removed of god knows how long is a bit of a risk.

    Like 9
    • Avatar Ralph

      Great points. The front end does look like it’s perhaps sourced out of a wrecking yard, and rattle canned paint work. It looks like another of hundreds of these where the owner is perhaps both financially and mechanically challenged. But yeah, the less obvious issues are what would be of major concern here. YMMV

      Like 4
    • Avatar Alan Nichols

      Yeah, I was interested until I saw the salvage title and major accident report on the listing. And the seller implying that the engine was the only issue…

      Like 0
  2. Avatar Mike

    These ghostly warehouse pics looks like they were taken from a camera found by detectives processing a missing person case.

    Like 3
  3. Avatar Terrry

    Two words should suffice-“parts car”

    Like 3
  4. Avatar angliagt Member

    Located in Wichita Falls,Texas.

    Like 1
  5. Avatar mrobin

    As Wichita falls, so falls Wichita !

    Like 3
  6. bobhess bobhess Member

    The first generation 944 engine does make for a light, fast car but missing pieces makes this car even lighter. Doesn’t have a lot going for it for this Porsche veteran.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar t-bone BOB

    Located in:
    Wichita Falls, Texas

    Like 0
  8. Avatar TCOPPS Member

    The dash is definitely cracked.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar t-bone BOB

    Ended:
    Oct 05, 2021
    Winning bid:
    US $620.00
    [ 24 bids ]

    Like 0

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