EMan 928

Driving with my cousin and saw a 1978 on the side of the road. Serial number 9289101728, white with tan Pascha interior.

It has Euro light in the back and side markers. Owner said it had the 300hp 4.5 motor, but I thought the Euro motor had twin distributors and this engine does not.

manual trans

Interior is really rough, needs a Rob Budd makeover
Exterior has some rust, specifically on the hatch.
Car starts but doesn't move

Is this a survivor worth saving?

77tony

If it's the original motor, it should be 240hp. Scroll down a bit on link below. T

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_928

EMan 928

Thanks, Tony.

EMan 928

What do you think it's worth? Owner said $4500, which is way too high.

Randy V

$1500 tops.

Then you will be $10K away from having a $5K 928.

EMan 928

So, if I hear you right, might not be a car worth pursuing?

Was cool to see it just on the side of the road, though.

James Bailey

Fine as a toy for fun, part of a hobby, a journey as opposed to a destination. But if you want a clean reliable automobile to drive, far better to start with a nice one....

linderpat

BUT, if you assume the values of these early cars will start to rise, and they most certainly will, then get it, for as little as you can, and sit on it and fix it over time - let the market catch up to you. It will happen, just don't know when.

kawi825

Any idea on the mileage, and if the odo works? I paid some money for my 78 euro but its only got less than 30k on it. Interior doesn't look terrible to me? If its been sitting outside, i'd imagine dry leaky seals everywhere. Any wetness inside?

danglerb

No, its a parts car with few parts that could be used except by another pre 80 owner pulling them himself.

Vin is 79, except I don't think that is a correct Vin, the start 9289 says 79, but next digit should not be a 1, should be 8 if I remember my vin stuff, and that calls into question the whole vin a somewhat.

I doubt 79 will ever be a restore to great value year, its not the first year 78, but it has almost all the same issues with vacuum controls, CI$ injection, very low MPG, lowest hp, and generally most abused for the longest time.

Special issues; Grey market car in MN may have no federalization, no real USA title or registration, and the owner thinks it is a Euro S which it is not, and that its made of gold, and it is not. Paying $500 would be a great gift to the owner.

James Bailey

You know..."BUT, if you assume the values of these early cars will start to rise, and they most certainly will, " I have been hearing that hope for the LAST 20 years.... all that has happened is many of the S-4s have drifted down to nearly the same depressed values.
But I have been wrong in the past selling an XKE Roadster for something like $3,500 , 1959 XK150 for $4,000......
The typical comparable cars like Mercedes 350, 450 SL or XJS Jags, 630 BMW coupes "Gran Touring" cars which are complex, expensive to fix, and not thought of as terribly exotic are still waiting for a comeback........
When you see decent looking 914s bringing $5,000-10,000 it just shows how fickle and unpredictable the whole collector car market really is. The most recent 911 I bought for a friend 79 SC was 10 K and a good deal even needing paint or in other words about 4 times what a comparable 79 928 would bring ! That alone may bode well for future 928 prices as those not willing to pay market values for a nice aircooled 911 ( 20-25 k ) might see value in a 928 at half that price.

karl ruiter

This is not an opportunity to make money, but it might be the start of a fun hobby if you could get started at the right price. I tried to by a slightly worse car for $100 and walked away at $500. Much nicer cars available quite often at $1000. 300hp motor was 4.7 and did not appear until '80.
But still, does not need to be $10k away from anything. Buy it for $500. Resolve the clutch or brake issue that is keeping it from driving for $300. Replace the hatch for $100. Wash the hell out of it. Put $500 in tires on it. Then do what you want with the interior and enjoy. A fun hobby for under $2k? Not bad at all. Nice color combo IMO.

Landseer

Yes. Absolutely.

But at about $1.5K max


BTW, #1 was found very close to the outer banks.

danglerb

914's in nice condition have value because of the car collectors friend, RUST. Porsche didn't get their process down until about 1978 or so, and conveniently locating the battery at the top of the middle of the 914, makes a low rust car a nice one. Any decent bug shop can work on them and plenty of essential parts are VW cheap.

928's in nice condition can be found without that much trouble for less than what the parts would cost to fix this one.

The object of our hobby isn't putting more cars on the road, it is increasing the number of happy owners.

Randy V

It's not working.