Interior and trim
Essentially a 2+2, the rear seats in a 924 are tight to get in and out of. Realistically four adults would struggle for a long distance although three can be done with an accommodating passenger pulling their front seat forward (it has an exceptionally long footwell).
Inertia front belts are standard and the threaded fittings for rear belts were on all 924s (albeit hidden under upholstery where the option wasn’t ticked). Rear belts were static lap belts (for most 924s), inertia lap belts for later NAs (rare) or 3 point inertia on the S with a specially designed mount in the boot (standard to the S).
Each model year had different trim levels, materials and options. Commonly the UK cars were upgraded to “Lux” spec. This too varied from year to year but is commonly electrically operated windows, electrically heated and operated mirrors, a cassette holder armrest and a stereo.
Original stereos were National Panasonic as standard in the UK but there was the option to upgrade to a Blaupunkt equivalent. Early 924s had a centrally mounted speaker behind the grill on the dashboard while later ones have door car speakers and rear card speakers too, depending upon how many option boxes were ticked.
Dashboards are the area of a 924 interior we get asked about most. They are prone to cracking, sometimes terribly. A good dash is worth seeking out. Dash replacement is easy, finding a good used one is not. New dashboards are available but are in excess of £1000. Alternatives are to add a plastic dash capping, a carpet mat or recover in some way.
Interior materials are good quality but they are aging. Stitching on seats deteriorates over time and splits. The materials used are available but are expensive. Good seats are worth a significant premium. If you are lucky enough to find one with the optional deep bucket sports seats these are worth a lot of money. Good pairs of these regularly exceed £1100 when sold. Rear seats, so seldom sat in, fair better but the top of the seat can fade in the sun.
The rear blind should move freely on its spring and retract well. If not the spring needs retensioning which is not a big job. What is more of a problem is if the hooks on the edge of the blind have torn free. These hold the blind in place and are hard to repair invisibly.
Carpets are really nice quality and wear well. Often a good vacuum and shampoo will revive a tired interior. Black carpets fade but are easily redyed.
If a sunroof is fitted, check that the leatherette bag is present and in good condition.
Early cars, including the S1 Turbo have metal indicator stalks. These are rare but equally rarely cause problems. For the S1 Turbos though it is very important to make sure they have the correct green numbered dials. These are unique to this model and are very highly prized.
