SailorJeff

Looking at buying a 928 that I am assuming it has sat for 6 years at least, I love these cars and would love to see it back on the road. I know about the buyers guide book, but I am more interested in a recent perspective. I have no history on maintenance, I haven't been able to talk to the owner yet but its a friend of a friend and I want to have perspective on what I'm looking at. I have been on YouTube all afternoon so I have a base line. Anyone that can shed some light it would be appreciated.

-Cooke Out

Hilton

Given the condition, the model year, and the price, definitely a buy.

Adk46

There's much to study in the New Visitor thread. You might peruse the Cars for Sale thread for how we evaluate cars. You'll want to provide us with more details and more specific questions. We need to know more about you, too.

SailorJeff

Thanks for replying, I am well versed in mechanics and cars are a massive passion of mine. I like to find neglected cars that still have some life in them, love them, then move them onto a good home or keep it. I have experience in most makes and currently finishing a 84 Mercedes 300CD that I picked up off a hoarder. I have always loved the 928 since I was a kid the back end is one of the sexiest car asses ive ever seen. This is however my first Porsche and I wanted to pick owners brains on picking on up that's been sitting for so long. I have brought myself up to speed on evaluations and have a good baseline to go back and really go through her.

On to the car, she's a 83 928S with around 137,000 miles on the clock. I read that these cars don't like to sit, and that's what this one has done. Last inspection was in 2010. I haven't been able to talk to the owner just yet, but I imagine I will go into this with out service history, which is considered a big no-no. The engine bay looks indicative of the age and time spent alone, paint is toast and so is the interior. The stitching on the seats have dry rotted but I imagine I can just condition the leather and sew it back together. Dash and doors need to be refurbished as well. But she looks straight and all there.

Let me know if you need anything else.

SailorJeff

I guess my questions are what steps are recommended for trying the start the engine after so long? The fuel system obviously will need going through.

Are the seats recoverable?

Is there anything I really need to look for?

If I were to go further with the purchase what value range do you think I should consider? Going on the mileage, not running, no service history, a respray and interior work.

Before I purchase I would like to try and get the engine to at least kick on so I can diag a lot more.

Taguid

Posting pics of the areas you identified earlier will give a better idea of condition to be able to better assist you.

linderpat

It sounds like a candidate for the crusher to me. Yes, an old rotted 356 is worth the restore, or a long hood 911, but the value just isn't there yet (if ever?) for what it would take to restore what you've described. An 83 is just not in the sweet spot of the 928 model. As to the seats, for instance, they will not be fixable, even if you treat the leather. The place where the stiches were are presumably torn, so that's that. You can go to Classic 9 Leather website and price new seats or new covers. And that is the very tip of the iceberg. The motors in these cars are fairly stout, and can usually be brought up to snuff if you know what you are doing. It sounds like you know your way around cars, so this motor should not be too much of a challenge. Assuming a US spec car, it is non-interference motor, so if the timing bely history is not known, at least if it breaks, you should not have piston valve contact. So yes, you can get it running - turn the crank by hand to make sure it is not frozen, a few drops of oil in the cylinders, clean out the tank and the fuel system, etc.
But the real concern here is the electrics - which will need a real sorting, the rubber in all of the bushings in the suspension, the rubber on top of the engines, including vac lines and all of the various hoses, the body work, and the rest of the interior. You can be $50K into this in a heart beat, even if you are doing a lot of the work. Best bet is to find a better starting platform, and go from there. Also, as others have said, to give you a good idea of what's involved, read the New visitor thread at the top of this forum, in the sticky section. Do that before you do anything. The collective wisdom is unmatched on this board, and even if you decide to take this project on, you will have lots of help here.
As to what you should pay for it, if it is a non-runner in the condition you described, I would not pay more than $500 for it. Lot's of these around in this condition.

Wisconsin Joe

Did you read the "New Visitor" sticky?

I hate to say it, but Ed (linderpat) is likely correct.

Paint done correctly isn't going to be cheap. Even if you shoot it yourself.

Interior done correctly isn't going to be cheap. Again, even if you do it yourself. Classic 9 (Robert Budd) is the "go-to" interior guy around here. Very nice stuff, as close to original as you are going to find. But not cheap. Check out the site for some info.

Mechanical is actually going to be the cheapest of the three. And that won't be "cheap". SItting that long, it will almost certainly need a TB/WP, intake refresh, MM/OPG and a few other things (Look up the abbrevs in the sticky). There's also a very real possibility that the coolant has deteriorated, turned acidic and eaten away at the heads.

And then there's the electrical system. Not terribly expensive (wires, connectors, relays, ect). But lots of work.

You could easily spend $15k+ in parts alone to get this one 'decent' and end up with a car worth maybe $8k. Maybe. The 80-84 US is the least popular and least valuable of all of them.

That's a fun hobby, and with the right car can be rewarding.

But I highly doubt that the example you described is the "right car".

Personally, this would be 'scrap value." Whatever the junkyard is paying.
And that might even be too much.

SailorJeff

GT6ixer

Ok let me shed maybe a more positive perspective that I personally have experience with that may help you make a decision. If you get this car our entries into 928 motoring will be very similar. I also have always admired these cars. I also have a bunch of old car wrenching background but never a Porsche. I bought mine (my first 928) a couple of years ago through an online estate auction in Tennessee. I live in Seattle, so sight unseen. It had zero maintenance records and the auction house knew nothing about it. After I got it I found out it had last been driven 10 years previous. But with the help of this forum and about $5K in parts, and many hours in the garage, I got it running and driving. I now have over 3K miles on it. It's a blast to drive. Now it is not perfect by any means, but I plan to slowly restore it as the years go by. I don't need it to win beauty contests. Here is a thread I started about my car...https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...t-928-and.html

So here are the 3 main areas I did that at a minimum I suspect you will need to address on your car.

1.) Fuel system. It is likely gummed up with varnished fuel. So new fuel pump and filter. All new flammable fluid lines (or risk a fire). Send out the injectors for refurb. Clean fuel rails and possibly new fuel regulators.

2.) Electrics. As mentioned above these cars can be a pain with the electric, but its not overwhelming. At a minimum clean all the grounds (info is in the New Visitor Sticky) and remove and clean the CE panel. And relays, relays, relays. They go bad and this car will be no exception.

3.) Top End Refresh. Do a search for that term on RL and you will see what is generally involved, which includes but is not limited to, cleaning the intake, replacing all the vacuum lines, new cap and rotor, new coil, new green wire (look it up here..very important), new spark plugs and plug wires, new air filter, heater control valve and more.

Finally get to know the parts vendors on here and develop a relationship. They will be your best resource for getting the proper parts.

As for the TB/WP, after some research I decided not to replace mine before I tried to get it running. My car, like yours, is the 16V non-interference motor so a timing belt failure should not ruin the engine.

Here is an old post from Hilton (above) that I used before starting my car and his advice worked out great for me and I highly recommend following those steps.
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...ml#post8556884

Adk46

If you are content with the way it looks now and are mechanically inclined, go ahead. It probably won't take a ton of parts to get it running well, and reliably. It might have been something trivial that made the current owner park it, or a vow of "I'm never taking this to the dealer again!"

If you want an attractive 928, it will be much cheaper to buy one that's already pretty. That car will likely be easily improved mechanically by someone like you to a high state of quality.

You need to be in love with the car, regardless - you'll be spending a lot of time with it.

Wisconsin Joe

Parting it out may be a viable option.

If you can get it cheap enough.
And it's complete.
And it hasn't sat outside so long that everything is trashed.

And you are willing to dismanlte, advertise, negotiate prices, deal with idiot buyers, package and ship all the parts.

If you've parted out other cars before, you know what I mean. If not...
Think long and hard about it.

OTOH, parting out a car is an excellent way to 'learn the car'. You get to take stuff apart and see how it's all set up without worrying about getting it back together again. Ever.
Which, unfortunately happens to far, far, far too many cars where the owner intended to get it back on the road again.

STRIKEMASTER

Like I said: The Rattiest 928 you've ever seen....at 2016 FRENZY...


Like I said....RATTY.. 2016 FRENZY


"Man Yo car so UGGLEEYY" "Yeah, But is sure does run fast..LOL"


Even UGLY from the back
Vin# on the '83?? If it starts with "WP0ZZZZ*****" then you have a 300+ HP non-interference engine..either M28/11 (manual) or M28/12 ( automatic) A 'ZZZ' car will also have Bosch K-jet F.I. and no computer.. I've got THE RATTIEST '83 928S you've ever SEEN!! The paint is "Terminally Sunburned"..But it made it to Frenzy twice and the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix....Is it 'worth it"? That depends on your intentions: Build it up and then sell it? Maybe No....Build it up and "drive it till it dies"? then YES. Mine sat on a used car dealer's lot for about 5 years (that I know of) and has over 164K+ miles on it...Paid $3500 for it and was originally going to 'Wheeler-Dealer ' it...All ti took was the 10 mile drive back home to change my mind.... "NO! This one's a keeper" I've got about another $6K in parts in it, and eventually I'm going to wrap it in Gloss Blue Raspberry and Arctic White...."BEST $3500 I EVER SPENT ON A CAR!!"

hacksaw

I second Nate (GT6ixer). I got my 84S under similar circumstances to his. With help from this forum and a lot of hours and a few thousand dollars, I have a car I enjoy driving. An 83 is not an interference engine. You can check for fuel leaks,clean out the tank, put clean gas in it and with any luck it will crank. Then you will have a better idea of what you are up against. The 928 is an amazing machine. The closer you get to it the more you can appreciate it. If that doesn't work, you have gained $500 worth of experience. You can let someone else, maybe one of us, have a go at it.

drooman

I got to meet this guy in Pittsburgh and see this Euro S ripping around town ... this approach is as important to the hobby as preservations and restorations. There's plenty of cars left that are great candidates for this. Every one we throw away now because the restoration numbers don't make sense are gone forever.

Our cars are meant to be driven. Not polished. -Ferry Porsche