Rob Edwards

Apologies, I meant find an easier 1st 928. You've come to the right place for advice, this is a good community of enthusiasts who would like nothing more that to have another happy member- the advice you're getting about this particular 928 is sound, please don't take it as an insult to your intelligence or knowledge. We look at 928s in 3 big chunks- paint, interior, and mechanicals.

Paint: From only 1 picture we can see this car has a significant right front hit, the right end of the front bumper channel got pushed back about 2 inches. So at the least you need a RF fender, a front bumper cover, a bumper channel, a bumper shock, a $300 928S spoiler, a headlight pivot arm, and likely the central headlight bar. Did the fender get pushed back into the passenger door? How's the alignment? Any RF suspension damage? All unknowns until you confirm. That big ding behind the fuel filler door will require the window out and the rear bumper cover off to fix. The cheapest I can get a car painted here with me doing all the disassembly and reassembly is about $7K. Since you'll be painting the entire right side, you might consider a complete repaint.

Interior- if it's mint, that's awesome, and avoids a huge additional cost. As a parts car, if you can find someone that needs an '85-ish interior in whatever color it is, you might recoup your investment on that alone. But that's a lot of work.

Mechanicals- Totally unknown on a non-runner. Totally. All the advice is buy a running 928, unless you have a lot of experience with the marque or unlimited funds and time.

We don't want to discourage you about this car. Hell, I'd like nothing more that to be dead-*** wrong, and you buy it, it needs a battery, marvel mystery oil and fresh gas and safe tires and you're good to go. That would be a best case scenario outcome. But based on a bunch of experience, it's an unlikely one.

docmirror

I'm a bottom feeder. This is the type of project I get into from time to time. Plan to require updating of almost everything(except maybe int?). Brakes, shocks, struts, driveline, and all the engine catch up. You can never get upside right on this car unless you do every scrap of labor yourself, including body and paint.

Most parts are not hard to get. We have 3 or 4 very good sources for 928 parts. Go to 928sRus.com, you'll find Roger's number. He will get you started with a list of things to safely start the engine including a TIMING BELT before you even turn the engine over. These cars are interference, and with a 20YO belt, it may survive, or it may not. If you are in eastern WA, it might be dry enough to have survived, but don't test it without a new timing belt.

It should be a 4sp auto trans. $2000 is about right for price, provided you get clean title. If you dive in, plan to wear a wetsuit. You're likely going to know every inch of the car before it's done right.

drscottsmith

^^Doc is spot one...and this is why I bought a non-runner...I wanted to become so familiar with MY car that I knew all the nuts and bolts of it - and had a heck of a lot of fun going through it and learning. Still working on things, BTW, and it will never be "finished", but it is a lot of fun both to work on and drive.

Good luck!

Shawn Stanford

Yup and yup. I absolutely bought mine as a project, and it has been one. I've been noodling with my car for several years. Sometimes it's frustrating as hell, because I'm not a good wrench, but when it runs after I fixed it, I feel like I just climbed Mt Everest.

I think Doc is about right on the price, based on the body damage. However, if the interior is as nice as you say, then the car is worth it for the interior alone. There are plenty of people on this list who have parts cars, so you can probably pick the parts you need for $500, and if you ask around you can probably find a good paint guy who can match the existing color for a lot less than $7k. I had both sides of mine repainted after removing the rub strips and it cost me $1,800.

Ultimately, though: F* the paint and the minor dents. Get it running and the get basics working and drive the snot out of it. Deal with the paint when you get the chance.

And if you take a pass on it, let us know where it is. Someone might be looking for a project.

checkmate1996

After recently restoring an 84 that sat for 20 years but body was straight and paint was already done, I can tell you for certain you have about 400-600+ hours plus about $12-$15k in costs...to get her going..

928 GT R

Never ever, Ever, EVER! Underestimate the time, money, blood, sweat & tears that a restoration costs!

That said, spending $5,000 and tons of time to make this a "runner" with its body left "as is" could be interesting. It certainly has the scars of battle, neglect and abuse.

As for my .02? Run away from that car. Do not walk away... RUN!!!

DeWolf

Then if it's the right price....go for it. I bought a car that a lot of people knocked back. It is now running and drives excellent. Did all the work myself with a lot of help from the great folks on this forum. We've seen pretty sh$tty cars on here returned to service. Again..go for it. You get maybe 80 summers on this planet, maybe a few more, maybe a whole lot less. Driving a nice 928 on a beautiful summers day is one of lifes great joys. Don't let it pass you by.

Shawn Stanford

Well, now, if we're talking about summer drives, then you want to spend some time in the 'Buy A Boxster' thread.

Billu

SRaouf

Im currently restoring a smilar car and can tell you there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche. You need to be either time rich or cash rich. I'm the former and and have put about 500 hours into the mechanicals and am only about half way through even though the car was a runner when I bought it. Every single rubber component/gasket/seal will need replacing as a minimum and- due to the extensive use of aluminium- bimetal corrosion is a big issue so loosening every bolt will be a battle (full disclosure it is my first Porsche although not my first resto)
Having said that any unrestored 928 no matter how well cared for will need this work done by now so you might as well buy a scruffy one as long as all the parts are there and it hasnt suffered from anything terminal like thrust bearing failure (If the seller gets it started and you hear any unusual noise between the transmission/torque tube and the engine then walk away)

DeWolf

Been there, done that. Had a 996 Cab as well. Still prefer the 928.

JHowell37

Straight up, that's a parts car. Take it from me. I've returned a basket case 928 to service. It's not cheap. It's time and labor intensive.

karl ruiter

Extreme bottom feeder perspective:
If indeed he can get it running to your satisfaction (possible, if doubtful) and then sell it to you for 2K running, and the interior is nice, then the question is about the extent of the body damage. Don't worry too much about the fender and bumper cover themselves, as they are available and not super expensive used. But the big question is the straightness of the unibody. The unibody construction means that the 'frame' on the front right side is a complicated assembly of a lot of pressed sheet metal shapes welded together. If it gets bent it can be hard to get straight. If it gets bent past a certain point or torn or kinked it is pretty much curtains for the car since replacing a section of the unibody seems to be almost impossible. Also hit in the rear, it looks like, and that whole section can also go diamond shape, but I cannot tell from the photos if it is that bad or just a dent. In any case you would want to be checking out rear section from the inside for any sign the rear end is out of shape, and also looking the front right unibody over VERY carefully.

Mrmerlin

Well if your going to start with 2 K then,

I would offer 500.00 for that machine you have pictured.

Take the other 1500.00 and buy another one with a good body and possibly running,
swap in the interior from your 500.00 parts car,
and then your half way home.

Now budget another 6 k for everything else and you should come out with a pretty nice driver