Welcome to Found Around The District, where we highlight fascinating cars we find around a city where people are too busy fighting through traffic and hunting for parking to drive anything interesting: Washington, D.C.
I've you've been reading my stuff on Jalopnik for a while (and if you have, I'm so, so sorry for everything I've put you through) you'll know that I'm a fan of the older oddball Porsches. The 914, the 944 and the 968 are all fantastic to me because of their good looks, fascinating histories and how they stand out against the 911 mainstream. Not that there's anything wrong with 911s, of course.
That's why I was pretty stoked when I ran into this 924S on a recent walk in a Capitol Hill neighborhood. You probably know the story behind the 924: it was built by Porsche but it was supposed to have been a Volkswagen, but when VW decided they didn't want it anymore, Porsche bought it back from them and made it into their entry-level sports car. Some purists like to say that it's not a "real Porsche," but I say that's just ignorant.
What hampered the 924 back in the day was its slow-ass engine, a 2.0-liter four that put out a miserable 95 horsepower in U.S. form. That got fixed when they introduced the 924 Turbo and later, this 924S, which got the 2.5-liter four from its evolved big brother the 944 and put out a more respectable 150 horsepower, later boosted to 160.
This 924S I found was in fair shape, I suppose. The paint wasn't great, the rear hatch area looked kind of shabby, and it had some exterior blemishes throughout. I have no idea whether it runs or not.
Still, it remains a great-looking car. I love the size of it, the aggressive shape, and especially those wheels. Look at them! They're stylish as hell.
Also, have you seen how cheaply you can get a 924 these days? I've seen some really nice ones with low miles on the classifieds for well under $5,000. I know it's not a hustler, but it's still a Porsche. I've heard these are either dead reliable or total junk depending on how they're cared for and maintained. This could be a great sports car bargain for someone who knows what they're doing.
This is the part where I ask you to guess what year this one is. It should be easy since the "S" version of the 924 was only sold in the U.S. in 1987 and 1988. That narrows it down, right?
Do you have any good 924 stories?