At $9,000, Is This 1988 Porsche 924S Worth The Lightened Wallet?

Rob Emslie

July 5, 2023 at 8:00 AM·4 min read

Today’s Nice Price or No Dice 924 comes from the last year of production and with the ’S’ model it arguably went out with a bang. Let’s see if this slightly tired edition still offers some good bang for your buck.

You’re in the Army now. You’re not behind a plow. You’re digging a ditch, you’ll never get rich. You’re in the Army now.

Yesterday, in honor of Independence Day, we looked at a 1977 M151A2 ‘Army Jeep’ that had been fully restored and was ready for parade duty or just cruising around while people thank it for its service. At $20,000, few of you were thanking its seller for their pricing acumen. That price tag came in at a loss with a 66 percent No Dice vote.

Do you know who we really should be thanking? That’s right, Volkswagen. Yep, if it hadn’t been for that major German manufacturer telling Porsche “just kidding” when it came time to poop or get off the pot on the purpose-built sports car for VW’s upscale brand, Audi, that Porsche was developing we likely wouldn’t have gotten the 924 and hence the 944. And, if VW hadn’t decided to stop production of the 924’s 2.0-liter van engine in late 1985, we wouldn’t have been blessed with this 1988 Porsche 924S, the last of the 924 line and the model that shares its 2.5-liter SOHC four with the brawnier (and, heh, heh, heavier) 944. Yessiree-bob, thank you, Volkswagen.

Now, not only does this 924S share the 944’s mill, but in this model year it also shared the same 156 horsepower output. Earlier S models had 148 horses, nominally so they didn’t embarrass their bigger brothers. Porsche simplified matters in the last model year, likely for emissions standards.

While gaining the 944’s motor, the S is otherwise still a 924. That means a lack of the 944’s bulbous hips on the outside and it still keeping the ’70s dash on the inside.

This one, in Guards Red over black leatherette, sports a modest 58,200 miles under its belt and comes with proper phone dial wheels and a five-speed transaxle in the back. According to the ad, this is one of 2,000 non-U.S. spec 924S’s, which is puzzling since the pictures obviously show the car wearing U.S. market bumpers and side marker lights. Regardless, the VDO speedo does read in kph with no secondary markings. Maybe this was a Canadian car?

Aesthetically, the car looks to be a 20-footer. The paint pops nicely in the pics, but is marred by some chipping on the nose and scrapes under the bumper. The ad describes “minimal rust” in the rockers, but there’s nothing obvious in the photos. A rubber ducktail spoiler—standard on the S—dresses up the big glass hatch in the back, and there’s a sunroof.

The interior is an equally mixed bag. The dash is plagued by several cracks and the glovebox door seems to have given up the ghost. The upholstery is ok save for the driver’s seat. That is splitting at the outside seam and probably needs rebuilding beneath to be comfy. The shifter oddly looks like a 5th Grader’s science fair exhibit on how volcanos work and also needs attention.

Mechanically things are much better. Per the ad, the engine has recently enjoyed a full front-end service including the timing belt and water pump. The Yokohama tires have less than 3,000 miles on them and, with the exception of the wipers, everything is said to work as it should, even the old-school A/C. The air cleaner lid is missing in the pics and should be mentioned to the seller upon review of the car.

Title status is also not apparent in the ad—thanks, Facebook Marketplace—and there are no plates shown on the car so we can’t visually confirm it has current registration. We can assume it’s ok since not mentioning it being tainted would be a glaring error for the seller. The asking price is $9,000, and that’s a recent $1K reduction in the ad. The seller also claims to be flexible on that price.

Let’s see just how flexible you all are in voting on that $9K asking. What’s your take on this 924S and that asking as the car is presented in the ad? Does that seem like a deal? Or, does this Porsche’s price tag need to lighten its load?

You decide!

Facebook Marketplace out of Phoenix, Arizona, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don R. for the hookup!

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