mdj577

Seriously considering a 928

I have a 951 and am very happy with it. I have always thought the 928 was/is the most beautiful Porsche. I have read the "buyers guide" it is great advice for sure and very similar to advice I would give someone looking for a 951.

But I am hoping to get more insight from your personal experiences. Does it make you happy? What advice would you give a new guy looking to purchase one. What would you do differently now if you were to buy another one.

bureau13

I think it depends on what you are looking to get out of it. Do you want a project? Immediate concourse winner? Immediate daily driver? Or something in between (obviously, any 30ish year old car will be something of a project).

I was recently trying to decide the same thing. In my case, the "low buy-in" with the ability to fix things as I learned how and my budget allowed, made the car especially intriguing, in addition to it's own qualities of course. The fact that it's NOT going to be my daily driver made this possible.

I personally like the idea of a project car, but I didn't want something that needed so much work to be done before it could be driven that it would be overwhelming. I lucked out, finding a car for sale by someone fairly well known on the forum, a car that needed a lot of work to be perfect, but was in decent running shape with a solid drivetrain and mostly decent paint. Fixing things, while learning the car, to me is rewarding. The first time I got it out on the highway, after putting in a new distributor and inspecting/adjusting the timing belt tension...wow. For me, it was far more rewarding than buying a perfect car from the start.

tl;dr: I love the car with limited time in it so far

davek9

Select if you want an Airbag car, what body style you like, do you want an Auto or Manual, find one in a color you can live with, buy the best example w/in you budget.

Have a local club member or 928 knowledgeable tech check it out (before/after).

Get ready to spend $K if it has been on a deferred maintenance schedule, as these are old performance cars and parts and labor are not as inexpensive as the entry price of a car.

What makes others happy is not relevant, its what you want, right.

SteveG

MDJ: A broad question you have asked: Well, we're mostly the converted here, so you'll get praise of the car from us. It is the most beautiful; it is a comfortable tourer, it has power and eats corners. It's been called fat by 911 guys, but that is relative. You can't do donuts b/c of its tendency to understeer, some see that as "forgiving" and love it on the track, others not so much. The engine and drive train are very durable, some say bullet proof. There is a lot that can be done to the engine if you have deep pockets. There are some very knowledgeable people here who can answer most any question you have re technical issues or hp enhancement. It can have electrical gremblins and the aforementioned help here is invaluable.

Financially it is like any exotic that is 15-20 years out of production. Is can be cheap to obtain and expensive to maintain. There are well maintained cars and lots that have major deferred maintenance and need $5K to 10K just to make them a daily driver. HTH

Tom in Austin

It's quite a wonderful car, really. My first Porsche was a 968 but I would say the 928 is in a whole different class ... you can tell why it sold for almost twice as much.

To me, the rarity of the 928 really sets it apart. Unlike a 951 or 968, the shark will have people approaching you at the gas station to ask about it, look it over, or tell you about the one(s) they used to have. If you choose a GTS or GT, you'll own one of just a handful of examples ever made for North America, and you'll realize how rarely you ever see one go by on the road.

I think the point about the expense & effort of ownership is well-taken. If you want it to look good and run the way it's meant to, you will be making a significant on-going commitment of time and money.

MainePorsche

+ 1 to Tom's point here.
Mine was a well cared for car owned by someone here. Things wear on these older vehicles and continual preservation is a must - from diagnostic checking to therapeutic intervention. If you're going to do do your own work the fiscal cost will be less, and I think it will be a more rewarding endeavor. Also, membership and incorporation on the 'List' will be very helpful to you.
Best Wishes.

MainePorsche

Also read the NEW VISITOR thread at the top of the page.

oldfrat

See if you can find a 928 owner near you who will let you drive his/her car so you can compare it to your 951. It will help if you add your general location to your profile. You might be surprised at how many there are near you since you don't see them on the road that often. I was amazed to learn how many are in the DFW area, for example.

Brad

Darien

I've had both but have stuck with the 928 over the years...nothing like a V8 You can look for similar big ticket items that should've been replaced for starters.

jheis

As of last May, I've had my '82 for 20 years. I've had my '89 for three... They are my only vehicles.

My first purchase after I bought my '82 was the 8 (now 9) volume factory shop manuals. At ~$300 - they paid for themselves the 1st time I used them. With the shop manuals and the resourses available here on Rennlist, there is little a reasonably competent DYI'er can't do.

The 928 was a "clean sheet of paper" car - aimed squarely at (and surpassing) Ferrari and other "super cars" of it's era. So, nothing on a 928 is cheap. That said, my 928s have been the most reliable, economical cars I've ever owned.

James

erioshi

Having bought my second 928 earlier this spring, I can offer some perspective on what I did differently the second time around. I'm sure there will be quite a bit of information here that doesn't apply to your situation, but I'm going to include it to hopefully help someone else considering their first 928 purchase in the future.

The first time around, I made a list of the elements that I felt would make up the "right" 928 for me. My original goals were an early car, no rub strips, no sunroof, and preferably a euro. I was flexible on paint and interior color, but had a preference for a black interior. I also wanted a car that was well maintained and a solid driver that wouldn't require much work.

Over the course of roughly four months, I looked at five local cars. Most had issues with cracked dashes, damaged seats, poor paint and other condition issues. The car I ended up purchasing was in the best condition of all the cars I had looked at, but was only a partial match to my original list. It was a Petrol Blue euro with no sunroof, an automatic, rub strips, and a blue interior. It ran and drove well, and the paint was stunning. The car was in much better condition than the others I had seen. I owned it for about three years, and then sold it.

Why did I sell it? It came down to not holding out for more important (to me) items on my original list. While I (mostly) loved the car and the great condition it was in, those list items became irritations that I had to deal with every time I drove the car. The blue interior was probably the largest for me. I didn't really like it when I bought the car, and the more I lived with it, the less I liked it. The second largest issue for me was the automatic transmission. While it worked well and drove well, I've always liked having manual transmission in my fun cars. I live in a part of the country where I'm lucky enough to be able to make good use of a manual, and not having one really detracted from my driving experience. For me, casual recreational driving and a manual transmission are inseparable. The third issue was the rub strips. While they didn't impact the car's function at all, every time I looked at the car I wanted them gone. Every trip into the garage, every time I walked up to it in a parking lot, every time I washed it, etc. Again, not a problem, but just something that didn't fit my sense of aesthetics.

The second time around, I was specifically looking for a project car. I have the garage space, an acceptable collection of tools, and don't mind getting my hands dirty. This time my list was an early car, preferably a euro, manual transmission, manual seats, no rub strips, preferably no sunroof, dent free, rust-free, decent paint (but open on color), decent interior preferably in black, but willing to possibly consider another color (but it must be a color I immediately like), running or non-running would depend on price.

It's been mentioned on here (probably hundreds of times) that most project cars will eventually cost more, and frequently much more, than just buying a well running car in very good condition with a good service history. This is typically very true. I went after a project because I want to go through the car myself, and basically touch every sub-system and make sure it either meets my approval or is brought up to spec. I wanted a real hands-on project despite the known costs.

Initially I spent about three months looking for a car locally, and found three that I went and looked at. In every case, the condition was much worse than I expected, and the asking price more than I felt was fair for the car. I did make a casual offer on one car, but it was much lower than the seller was asking. Basically "I know you're probably not interested at what I'm willing to offer, but here's where I'm at. I appreciate why you're asking what you are, but I'm looking at the work that needs to be done." I spent the next two months looking nationally for a car, but mostly wasn't finding the right combination of colors and features. I say mostly because there were two cars that seemed to be very good candidates, but both sold very quickly. Eventually the local seller I had made an offer to contacted me, and countered with an offer for the car at a price that was about half way between what he wanted and what I had offered. We went back and forth for another couple of weeks, and I eventually caved. To me, it seemed that the pool of available 928s had shrunk considerably over the last ten years or so.

What I purchased is an early mocca braun five speed euro with a sunroof, no rub strips, manual seats and a cork interior. The paint was very rough, but since it wan't a clear coated metallic color, I figured there was a chance the oxidation might be able to be buffed out. The interior is also very rough. While I like the cork color, the seats, window areas, and much of the carpeting are very faded and sun damaged. The mileage is indicated at 38k, and despite the neglect issues, there are strong signs that is probably the car's actual mileage. There seems to be very little mechanical wear on any of the components, and the electronics and connectors seem to have minimal corrosion. While the interior and paint are beat, the car mostly seems to be suffering from non-use and neglect.

So far I have managed to mostly refurbish the paint with many hours of hand washing, clay bar work, and hand polishing using a medium grade cutting compound. I still need to go over the car with a fine grade finishing polish and then a good sealant to protect the paint. That said, the paint will need a bit of professional touch-up in a few spots and I'll need to find a good PDR guy to deal with a couple of tiny pings. Rescuing the paint has been a lot of work. I have also started working through the mechanical bits and wiring a bit at a time, slowly bringing the car back to life. I'm leaving the interior for now, but eventually I will need to either restore or replace everything thing that has sun damage, it will be either a lot of time, a lot of money, or a mixture of both. The car rescue process is time consuming and sometimes frustrating. With every problem that gets fixed, the next hidden problem becomes apparent. Basically two steps forward, and then a new step added. All project cars tend to be like this, it's just part of the rescue process. Realistically, it will probably be a year or more before my car is anywhere near where I consider it finished and reliable enough for a trouble-free multi-state jaunt.

Were I looking to buy a good driver, I'd make a realistic list of the must have features, make a list of the "absolutely not" features, sort out my price range, and then start shopping. Shopping locally will likely limit your ability to find exactly what you want. Shopping nationally means risking a plane ticket or long road trip to look at a car you may not buy. Lots of pictures and communication before you travel can reduce the risk, but don't be too surprised if you find a couple of minor issues you didn't expect when you first see the car in person. Not that the seller is typically hiding anything, it's just almost impossible to describe and disclose every little detail about a car. Buy the best car you can for your budget, stick to your list, and be patient. A search for the right car in good condition could be a very long process.

mdj577

erioshi:

Thanks for taking the time to recount your experiences. I will not rush the search process and be mindful to take advantage of a good opportunity if one is presented. I think lurking out of my element here will help as well.

Thanks to all you guys for helping out a 951 owner! I am really on a quest for the "perfect" 928 for me. Someday.....

Ninjaxz750

Take the time to research all the different years/ models (IE 928, the different S models, S4, GT, GTS)
I ended up getting the 86.5 for my personal tastes, but you could end up liking a particular feature that only certain years had. I also wanted to have a fun weekend car instead of a DD so it didn't have to be perfect. Perfect adds $$$$

rnixon

I bought my 928 so that I didn't have to drive a soulless car to and from work every day. Yes, it does make me smile. It's not that fast compared to modern sports cars, but is fine for commuting. It's the sense of occasion that I really like. It's also very comfortable - I recently drove 400 miles non-stop (to a 928 specialist), more than doubling my previous record (I'm British), and felt relaxed when I arrived.

Where are you located? With such old cars, you either have to enjoy working on them, or be close to a specialist and be able to write the cheques. If well looked after, there shouldn't be too many unpleasant surprises, but it's wise to budget for the unexpected on any old car. We are supported by fantastic parts vendors, so most are still available.

They are rare, particularly if you're not after a project car, so it will probably take time to find yours. Good luck!

oldfrat

While you are studying this, start keeping a regular watch on the sites where these cars show up and are easily searched. Hemmings.com and autotraderclassics.com are two good ones. That will give you a good idea of the kinds of cars that hit the market and their prices. I'm a 928 newbie and have been amazed at the wide variation in asking prices, though the experts here can probably understand some of these. It looks to me like many sellers don't know the true value of their 928s.

I did not do this with the 928 I accidentally found and bought, but was using these sites for the American muscle cars I was seeking and found them very helpful.

Brad