Tom M'Guinn

I have been thinking about a 928 as a daily commuter car. I have a 30 mile drive to and from work everyday, on a nice wide sweeper kind of highway (280 up the Northern Cal pennisula).

Does anyone still drive a 928S4 as a daily commuter? Is that realistic given their age?

What kind of gas mileage could I expect?

Compared to a 944 turbo, how often do things break on an S4?

I imagine a 928 is a good highway car -- cruiser -- is this true?

How long will a well maintained motor/drivetrain last?

What else should I know before buying one for this purpose?

My 951 is my toy car, where the modifiations go. The 928 would remain as stock and reliable as possible. Any thoughts?

Nicole

A well maintained 928 can be very reliable - given the age of the cars you might have to have rubber and other parts replaced, but once that is done it should be OK.

We have heard of engines that lasted over 300k miles without rebuilding. It all depends on the maintenance, especially the timing belt.

Gas mileage varies from about 15 mpg around town to 22 on the freeway. It depends a lot on your driving style.

You might want to stop by at DEVEK in Belmont (www.devek.net, 650-592-5287) and speak with Marc and Susan. They have lots of customers who use their 928 as a daily driver, so they know what to look for.

Oh, and go to www.norcal928.org to connect with lots of other 928 owners in the area. Watch out for the upcoming "Sharks in the Park" event!

SharkSkin

I just looked at norcal928.org.... site looks to have been deserted for the past 4-5 months?

D

pgs928

Tom

I have used my S4 as a daily commuter for close on 10 years. Combination of freeway and city driving. No major problems apart from regular wear and tear replacements - have run up close to 300,000 km.

Regards

Old & New

Tom,

I used my 81 euro as a commuter for a few years on a hundred mile round trip. Driving the 928 made the trip effortless; it was a beautiful fast hilly road through Connecticut. I put about 75K on the car in a hurry, which did not change the car a bit in my eyes. It was reliable, never let me down; if I had to commute again, I would do it the same way.

heinrich

Commuter cars are excellent buys. Usually low miles, and regular leg-stretching, and almost never hard driving. A commuter 928 is a healthy 928. I commuted for 4 years 25 miles each way every day, much in heavy traffic. No problems, only a very relaxing ride. It's very satisfying to have enough torque to keep people from closing ranks when you want to change lanes etc.

ViribusUnits

Miles don't seem to effect the drive train of the 928 much.

It's time that does all the dammage. Time is the same no matter if your driveing alought or a little, so you may as well drive it alought.

I use my 928 as a commuter car. It works well. Always starts on command, and for the most part makes me look good.

Ed Taylor

Mine has been a daily driver for the almost three years that I have had it. Only stranded once when the MAS died. Back up and running 24 hrs later. I have always driven my cars. Peviously owned: 396 Chevelle, restored 65 Chevy pickup, 57 Chevy Impala, 65 Ford 289 Mustang.

Bill Ball

Yeah, sorry - I've been super busy. The group will come back to life, at least at my end of things, in April and we will have Sharks in the Park, free to everyone who can make it, on May 8th.

Sorry about the winter hibernation but it seems to happen every year for me now sine my son skis every weekend and work is nuts this time of year.

Bill

Bill Ball

I bought my 89 S4 3 years ago with 70K on the clock. It now has 121K. It is my Winter commuter, if you can call what we have Winter here in the SF Bay Area. I have a 40 mile each way commute (Alamo to Milpitas). I love driving the car, although I ride one of my motorcycles as weather allows - otherwise the car would have over 20K on it by now.

I've had one breakdown on the way to work - LH brain failure. Was diagnosed and fixed in less than an hour (thanks to Susan and Marc Thomas of DEVEK), and I made it to work OK that day. The only other issues I have had would probably be expected in any car at 100K plus miles. Oil pan gasket leak, rear wheel bearing, rear main seal leak, heater valve rupture, and I need an A/C chage/leak test. None of the problems left me starnded and I have done almost all the maintenance and repair work myself with help from DEVEK and other expert help here.

Bill Ball

Tom:

Oh, the rest of your questions...

I get 18 MPG overall. Highway is 20+. Yes, the 928 is a supreme highway cruiser. You will have trouble going slow. So, I blow off steam and exercise the car the way it was designed to be run 2 or 3 times a year in open road racing (legal high speed driving on back country Nevada 2 lane "highways"). 280 will tempt you.

The drivetrain is very relaible. The engine internals are very sturdy and should go well over 200-300K before needing anything. The common problems are the usual wear items, like suspension, steering parts. The electrical system is a bit of a Rube Goldberg design, so there are relays for relays and they can give you fits. I've never had a problem with electricals, but others have. If you familiarize yourself with the common issues they become minor issues that you deal with by preventitive maintenance. The major maintenance item is the timing belt every 45-60K miles (or 5-7 years) which I have learned to do myself.

I agree with keeping it stock. The only thing I have done is slipped on a RMB, a Momo steering wheel and Euro H4 headlamps. I use a DEVEK rollbar (in and out in 30 minutes) when I open road race.

CMW

Tom,

Before the accident my 89 S-4 was an Amazingly comfortable daily driver.
MPG was 19 on the nose no matter how much traffic or spirited driving I did.
I averaged at least 50 miles round trip. ODO had 149000 on it. I plan to get another very soon.

CMW

blau928

Tom,

The S4 is an excellent car for commuting. Mine has over 200k, and my recent commute takes me 200 miles per day. I don't look at fuel economy, because it is useless. This car will have you driving much faster than many others in zippo time. You wil have to make an effort to slow down. It is also much easier to drive quickly than a 944t, and more comfortable in my opinion. The importane thing, is that you MUST keep up the maintenance, if not you will have a big heap of expensive broken porsche..

I have no back pain, nor feel tired after my daily commute. It is actually more comfortable than my 500 SEL, and previous 740i, and S500. It is also more rewarding to drive.

Marc and Susan at Devek are great, and can point out things to consider. It is not an inexpensive car to maintain, but the rewards of driving more than make up for any expenses in my mind.

Cheers,

Richard

Perx

I agree... My S4 has been my daily driver for the last year and I LOVE IT. Truly comfortable at highway speeds. Can't say much for reliability only having it for one year, but so far so good. I've done alot of preventative maintenance (eng oil, trans fluid, timing belt, diff fluid, battery, etc). Not that it needed it, I just wasn't sure as the PO didn't keep any records, and just wanted to be on the safe side. I've owned a 2001 Audi TT, and a 1992 300ZX, and this is by far my favorite commuter.

Kaz

My 88 was a daily driver for two years and crossed the country under its own power on three seperate occasions. Only when I bought a new car and let the 928 sit did it start getting cranky.