SecaBlue

paalw

If it has digital dash it is MY 89 or later. Along with timing belt, fuel lines is probably the most important thing. Then of course all fluids(and probably filters). Probably rebuild the belt tensioner.

Mrmerlin

I would add a master cylinder and new flex lines

Captain_Slow

Add water pump to the timing belt job...probably the rollers for the timing belt, too. As grease ages it loses volatiles and becomes more like wax. Expect the cam cover seals (between covers and heads) and all the rubber thrust washers....well, you really should just do a top end refresh on it because all the rubber bits are probably dry rotted and cracked. The crank position sensor and knock sensors might be in surprisingly good condition because they haven't been cooked for 30 years. I'd mainly be concerned about rubber bits that keep oil inside the engine. Depending on the storage environment the grounds could be not bad, or really need cleaning before the car will run right. Same goes for the fuse panel. Pull some fuses and you will know right away. Problem with storing a car in a non-climate controlled environment is the car can be chilled over a few days, then a warmer and more humid air mass arrives - and condensation occurs everywhere on the car, even where you can't see it. Normally this wouldn't be a problem because driving the car regularly flushes air through all the nooks and crannies...evaporating the condensation before it starts oxidizing grounds or more causing rust in other places. 18 years gives this type of deterioration many opportunities to occur. None of this would discourage me from buying the car if it looks very clean...I'd just anticipate having to deal with these kinds of problems that are unique to a car that's been stored for many years. Hopefully the battery was removed.

FredR

These cars do not like being stood still and sad to say unless appropriate storage preservation measures were implemented [I take it that was not the case] it will be a complete crap shoot as to what is ok and what is not.

Besides the items already listed things like the in-tank fuel pump hose, the fuel pressure controller and dampers, fuel injectors [can be u/s cleaned] are the more obvious candidates. Tyres will be no use if stuck there all those years and the a/c compressor seal will most likely be useless as may the O ring seals. I would be somewhat surprised if you found any gas pressure and you may need to do a R134 conversion to get the system working.

Engines that have sat idle for years can also exhibit corrosion at the top of the cylinders on the water jacket side if the coolant was not drained or replenished every couple of years or so - short of removing the cylinder heads I suspect there is no easy way to determine whether this has happened- probably best to assume everything is Ok until such time as you know otherwise- same goes for the head gaskets. The cooling system header tank also seems to be time based degraded and cooling hoses need to be replaced every few years as do the ignition cables but they may fare better without the usage factor.

You may also note that items with roller or ball bearings do not like to be stood still for long periods of time as they have a tendency to flat spot so you may find thing slike noisy cooling fans and blowers.

I dare say there are other items that do not immediately spring to mind..

Shawn Stanford

OK, I'll start...

THIS

merchauser

IS

EC928NC

USELESS

R.Pires

WITHOUT...

Captain_Slow

PICTURES...


A lot depends on the condition. You want this car to look near perfect, knowing there's all the hidden stuff Fred and others will mention. If the interior and paint are no less than VERY GOOD +, then it could be a very good buy - even with all the parts you'll likely need to replace. The market now rewards refurbishing (not as extreme as restoring), especially if you can DIY a lot of it AND document all of the work with photos. I'm not a car flipper, but I do like knowing that the money and time I put into a 928 is rewarded these days. The old adage about buying a $5000 928 then spending $15000 in parts and deferred maintenance and still having a $10000 928 are pretty much over IF you buy the right car.

Speedtoys

All brake and fuel return hard lines..and soft lines of course. The larger fuel lines may not have corroded nearly shut..

SecaBlue

funny guys... can't get photos of the parts that you most likely want to see :P

However the interior and exterior looks immaculate... it has been stored in a climate controlled garage for the 18yrs. It starts and runs well now, so they say. Naturally this does not mean that everything mentioned above won't still need replacing.

I am trying to let them down easy on the possible condition

All great info posted so far!

Red Flash

Hej på dig och willkommen tillbaka!!!

^^^This is the big danger for me.

Consequently, the first things on my list (assuming that it's 5 speed) would be the following:
1.) headgasket (to catch corrosion)
2.) water pump and belt

If it were a North American car, I would add fuel lines to the list. However, European cars seem to not have the same number of catastrophic failures related to fuel lines.

Captain_Slow

If it's been in a climate-controlled garage and is immaculate, then they may be well aware of the present market and will be quick to let you know. The thought of starting an engine with an 18 year old timing belt with all the bends near permanently molded into it...makes the hair on my neck stand up.

SecaBlue

With additional information, the owner is saying that he started and ran the vehicle in the garage every two to three months... I have also sighted the original service book which states last service was 140,000 km in 2000... and it now has 146,000km today, so evidence it has been driven every now and again during the last 18yrs... even if only a few hundred km a year. I have also heard the vehicle running via a WhatsApp call... hard to tell really, although there is no smoke or colour to the exhaust. Also everything electronic seems to work.

On light of this, I am feeling better about it, at the right money

Oh, and it is an EU car.