I decided to let my 944 go, since I bought the 924s earlier. I sold it last night.

I have been eyeing a 928 for quite a while now. I've gone to look at this particular one twice now and wonder if it would be a good use of the funds I just received from the 944. Here are the details:

1990 928S4
automatic
185k miles, but 1 owner and he has a HUGE stack of receipts for all maintenance it has ever needed. Mechanically, he spared no expense in caring for it.
Paint is oxidized and faded, might look nicer buffed out, might need resprayed.
Runs and shifts very well. Very strong and comfortable car.

I think the price he is asking is very nice. I'd rather not say exactly how much, in case I decide to buy it in order to resell it for a profit. Let's just say that I can almost buy it for what I got for my 944.

What would you guys be willing to pay for such a car and would you pull the trigger if you had this opportunity.

If I don't, I'll probably put $1k or so of this money into the 924s in upgrades like MSD, new tires, stereo, etc.

What do you think?

 

Coming from a 928 owner, I would highly reccommend that you have a PPI done. The 928 can get very expensive very quickly if you miss things such as a torque tube, torque convertor bearings, timing belt, waterpump, tensioner roller R&R if needed.

I spend $2500 on a torque tube for my 928 S4 not to mention I had to replace about 4-6 hoses that carried ATF, oil and coolant into the powersteering system, and radiator (the 928 radiator cools both automatic transmission fluid and the engine's oil). Don't be surprised of electrical gremlins. They are there, my doors have the tendency to lock themselves 1 out of every 75 times i start the car because of the aftermarket alarm in there and the dome lights don't work until you hit the alarm deactivation button.

check the 928 forum to see some common problems with the cars and jot down what you need to pay extra close attention too. The 928 is twice the car of the 944, hence twice the price for parts. Good luck on your decision. I don't want to bash 928s, I'm a huge fan of them, but these cars are old and many have traded hands to owners who abused the cars. Once you have a 928 that is mechanically sound, it will be your dearest love in your life and you will NEVER want to part with it, I would know....

 

Having picked up a 928 for my wife not long ago, I have to say that the honeymoon ain't over yet! I love the car and am seriously tempted to get another one for myself.

Stig nailed the important stuff, namely, get a PPI done.

Regards,

 

I'm looking at another one too Scott since my name on the title will be wiped clean in November since I want my own, ownership goes fully to my mom and dad.

 

The 928 is a much more complex beast then the 944 but everything on your deal depends on the PPI. If something goes wrong on a 928 you are looking at a huge repair bill. Check out http://www.nichols.nu/tip598.htm plus do not forget about the Tbelt/WP ect.

I would say the cost of ownership is 3 times a 944 and double a 951 and I have been lucky.

If you decide to pass on the car I know someone who is looking for a cheap 928 and they would pay a $500-$1000 commission depending on the deal.

 

I just talked to the owner. The belts/water pump were done 8k miles, < 2 years ago. There has been no transmission/flex plate/torque tube work done to it, but recent inspection by his mechanic shows it being "rock-solid", so he says.

I think I'll go drive it again and take some pictures this weekend.

 

My 928 has been very good. Yes repairs can be expensive, but if done right there are not a lot of major issues that bite you. And yes the cars do rack up the miles. People lament the TB/WP job but it's something you maybe do once or twice.

Buying and reselling at a profit might be tough. The 928's that get the high prices have lower mileage and excellent cosmetics. The dropoff is pretty steep from excellent to good.

If you have a chance to get a good 928 at a good price, that is probably a better move than spending money modding a 924. 924 mods is money you will never see again. If you get a good 928 at a bargain price and fix it up a little, your cost of ownership over a few years might be very low.

-Joel

 

They are nice cars, but most I've seen have been automatics, and that tells you something about the people who buy them and the way they're driven. I've seen very few at the track.

 

How much does a late 928S4 weigh.

 

S4's weigh 3500 lbs. Aluminum hood, front fenders, doors...

-Joel.

 

Either get a PPI or if your know what you are doing, you can inspect almost everything yourself. Take a look at the bills that he has for at least 5 years back. That should show most of the major issues that were completed.
If he's the original owner, the chances are very good tha the car was very well kept.

What the heck, if the price is right you can't realy go wrong. In the worst case, you sell it for the same price you paid for.

IF you can, talk to the mechanic that used to work on it.

 

If you don't get a GOOD PPI by someone who really knows 928's, you'll be playing the lottery on a 928. If you do get one, you'll still have to shell out $$ to get it up to snuff or pre-empt some sort of failure down the road. I LOVE my under 70K mile always garaged 928...and it appeared near perfect when I bought it..but I still spent over $8,000 on it after I bought it. Mostly replacing belts, rollers, rubber, wheels, tires, key spare parts, etc. Relatively cheap to buy...not always cheap to keep up and run. Also, unless you're rolling in money, you'd be well advised to learn to do much of the maintenance.

It's by far the most satisfying of about two dozen "fun" specialty cars I've owned over the years.

Harvey