GregBBRD

Correct. VW actually did not care....at all.
The financial penalty had zero long term effect on them. They simply passed it forward to existing owners of their vehicles.

husker boxster

This video wasn't meant to be a documentary on 928s. With the proliferation of car shows on Motor Trend and other cable channels and the numerous YouTube channels dedicated to cars, viewers get the impression it's easy to buy an old car, tear it apart in 30 min, put it back together in an hr, and then sell it on for huge profits. The Wizard was trying to throw a cold bucket of reality on those dreams. Yes, there can be some profits to be had IF YOU DO YOUR OWN WORK, but he rightly points out there will be 0 profit if you have to ship your car 1/2 way across the US to his shop and then have him do all the work. He mentions the 928 because it's been off in the corner of his shop for a long time and peeks out in most of his videos. People (including myself) have asked about it or mentioned seeing it in the corner and wondered what the story was. He was just giving a tour of his shop in this video and the various cars that are in it. He fixes everything from Chevy pickups to Lambos & Ferraris. He had a recent video where he fixed a Ferrari 550 Maranello by using logic in addition to what the computer codes said. Yes, he's mild mannered in his approach (he's no Ed Bolin) but he's not a hayseed.

docmirror

I had a big nasty rant all queued up. Eff it, why bother. It's a 40YO car, from a small batch production foreign mfg. Get one cheap, work on it yourself, keep Roger on speed dial and enjoy your work product.

Shawn Stanford

^This.

This guy is a good mechanic, he's done some pretty amazing things over the years with the raft of crap exotics that Hoovie has drug in to him. But, as Dr. Bob mentioned, he's pragmatic. He's not into exotics as an owner. He's driven every type of exotic out there, but I only remember him going on about how much he loved the ride and build quality of an 80s Bentley (or Rolls?).

Yeah, he's terrible on camera. That's a shame, because I think he's very capable. But, I'd rather watch J.R.Go, Ratarossa, or even Dylan McCool.

worf928

Word —^

It’s going to be increasingly expensive to keep 928s in tip-top shape using only OE/OEM parts. Add-in the lack of ROI in a small market means that after-market custom-developed parts won’t be any cheaper. “Hodgepodge-ing” parts from other cars will keep them on the road but will continue to push the fleet into a bimodal distribution.

Adk46

Owning an old car is fundamentally irrational. Owning any Porsche is irrational. Owning anything more expensive than a four-year-old Toyota is downright silly. The cheapest and most versatile vehicle is an old Dodge Caravan.

Damn, there must be a fault in that logic somewhere.

The cold way to look at it: Any optimization problem requires that you first decide what it is you want to optimize. Stay cold, and enjoy your minivan. Warm up, smell the flowers, accept adventure, and you might find it truly makes sense to own something more entertaining.

Hoovie would smile at this, but the Wizard would frown. That's OK - I bet the Wizard collects old beer cans or something like that.

dr bob

Consider that the fraction of the population even willing to consider "project" cars is minuscule. In the neighborhoods I've lived in for the past 50+ years, I can think of exactly two others who shared a car project passion, and that was in the 1970's. One had a muscle-car passion, the other flowed 1940 Fords through his garage. Since then, none. It could be that I progressed to places where people were smart enough to stay away from projects. They were able to buy their more interesting cars new, and rotated them as soon as a warranty was up. My rides have consistently been the oldest and needed the most ongoing attention. My current neighborhood looks the same way, with even more white-hairs. Other end of the spectrum has folks who have project cars by necessity; for various reasons they are behind the financial curve, where high costs keep them from getting ahead. Or maybe it's under-earning. The effect is the same though. I can sort of relate, as I had an alternator failure on an otherwise very reliable mid-life car that I'd purchased new. I was commuting to a project in the California central valley from our home just north of Los Angeles at the time. That one lost day cost me almost $4k in fees, plus the cost of the alternator. I should have just driven the 928. I tend not to lose jobs for missing a day, but many folks do. Cascade effect of a $100 alternator failure can be devastating to some, especially if you don't have the $100. Payday loans to the rescue, and you are further down the slippery backside of that financial curve. Consider how blessed and wasteful/piggy we are, throwing valuable time and money into our ancient clunkers.

I call it therapy, and save big on the pee-sycho-logical costs that Medicare won't otherwise cover. Plus I get to hang with this wonderful gang of fellow mental patients in the forums.

bureau13

So I'm not the only one! :-D

j.kenzie@sbcglobal.net

It's kind of like the word "irregardless".
Dave

docmirror

I would love to turn him loose on a 70 year old single engine Beechcraft. I seriously doubt he has any knowledge of aircraft systems. Whiny bodger.

Wisconsin Joe

Nope. Not in the least.

Refer back to...

To the original subject -

Almost no classic car is worth the costs. At least not if you count the cost of the labor, or have to pay a pro to do it.

There are a very few exceptions. Big block muscle cars, cars that 'start with "F" and end with "erarri"', a few others. And those pretty much can't be driven, lest the accumulated miles affect the value.

A used Toyota or Honda provides economical transportation.

But they aren't 'fun'. They're just a way to get from point A to point B.

The smile I get from driving the Porsches makes the ownership costs & efforts worth it.
To me anyway.

I'm sure others have different opinions, which is fine. They can drive different cars.

GregBBRD

I did play the video, from 14:30 on, last night.
OMG

WTF is the guy that owns that 928 thinking?
Mo is in Kansas City, right?
Why pay someone to "learn" how to work on your car, when Mo is right there, in town?

And the damage from the "building falling on it?" If I tossed away 928's that had that minor of damage, I'd never restore a car. A used hood and a left front fender....they cost more to ship than they cost to buy, used. The dent in the roof? My dent guy would have that out in about 30 minutes. Straight drip rails can be tough to find....easy to ruin, taking them off. That might make it junk.

Warped dash? That's what makes it junk? Yes, it is badly warped and needs to be redone...but warped is warped....and almost every single 928's dash is warped.

In the end, I did somehow feel reassured that I finally found someone I could sublet work to......slept much better.

linderpat

I love 928's probably more than just about anyone else I know. I think they are one of the best driving cars ever made, but did you take a look at what else was in there? No way that car in the vid drove better than any of the other cars that were in that shop. A low miles GTS? Maybe it is in the same company as the Bentley, Benzes and Lambo, but those cars drive better than just about any older 928.

GregBBRD

Agreed that a lot has changed in 40 years.
You need to drive an "early car" that I've "updated"....the ride and handling is "light years" better.

linderpat

I can dream Greg! I'd love to send you Blumaxx for a spell.