Barry Johnson

So my little brother sent me a link tonight of this Texas S4. The description says that the tranny shifts a little rough and the engine checks out okay. Hmm, also mentions electrical problems, but that doesn't surprise me. In the seller's other auctions, he's listing cars for well below book value, and they are all parked in front of what appears to be his house. The visual appearance of the car seems to be very good, so their has to be some catch 22. Its less than 100k old and its a red on black auto.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...473553732&rd=1

Good deal or good thing I didn't hit buy it now?

sweanders

Looks a bit rough.

Bad paintjob.
Parts missing and extra wiring in the engine compartment.
Cracked windshield.
Missing interior parts.
Dent in sunroof.

Remember that these cars can cost more to get up to shape than the buy it now price, better to get a car with all maintenance done.

Nicole

Good catch, Anders! Here are the things I noticed:

Weird door speaker installation, lose door panel insert, missing **** for rear AC, missing tool cover, rear wiper out of position, cover for smog pump air filter missing, paint crack under Porsche crest, bent glove box door, damaged rear AC cover, beading missing between roof liner and body where the door opens,... I wonder who gnawed on the steering wheel.

The car might be rescueable, but you'd be a good customer at the big three until the car is right.

Zandramus

yea but that carbon fiber t handle makes all the difference, lol

MikeN

Cracked dash.
No covering over cowl.
Radiator flap connection just hanging there.
Weird red paint on trans cooler lines?....

On and On and On.....

Unless you want a lot of work ($$$) and downtime........find something in a little better shape.......not even worth the Buy It Now price in my opinion.

zmandan

But it does have a freshly painter intake manifold!.............who will be the lucky buyer?.......or will it slip over the edge in to parts car land?

dan z

Old & New

"This vehicle has had previous owners and is now ready to be pampered by a new owner."

Previous owners? Really?



"All available personal records will prove the odometer reading correct."

Logically, they can prove it incorrect, but cannot prove it correct.



"It seems as though the previous owner was a smoker, but the interiror could be cleaned to remove any remaining odors."

Good luck. Yuck!



"There appears to be no damage beyond normal wear on this vehicle."

Normal for a car which has been neglected and abused, maybe.



"No collision damage evident."

Not if you keep your eyes closed.



"Feel free to run a report on this vehicle."

Thanks for the permission, a$$hole.



"It is evident that this vehicle does have some door dings. Not garage-kept, but still a beauty."

And some roof dings, and hood dings, and probably some engine dings... all since the crappy repaint job. "It is evident" that this seller isn't going to say anything very meaningful about this car.



"The transmission on this vehicle appears to shift a little on the rough side."

Maybe it doesn't, it just *appears* to?



"The engine has checked out okay."

...says the same guy who so convincingly assures us there is no body damage.



"This vehicle appears to have some of its electrical system not functioning..."

Like maybe everything between the battery and ground?




First of all, anyone buying this car (even for parts) without a thorough PPI, including checking the thrust bearing, is nuts. This is probably the scariest, most BS-ridden eBay ad I have seen in a long time. If anyone bothers to ask this guy any questions about this car, please post his answers here... I'd love to hear more.

heinrich

At 6k this is still a good deal.

aircooler

The way I see it, there is 3 types of 928 buyers:

1) The buyer who wants a perfect car, and will pay top dollar for it. The car must be in good to excl condition, service up to date with history and receipts, low miles, and ready to just drive home. The price of this car is usually in line with its condition. A dirt-cheap car here is almost non-existent.

2) The buyer who wants a good project car that can be brought back to excellent condition. This car can be in rough, damaged, or incomplete condition, with little to no history. This is a good option for those who don't mind trailering the car home, and breaking it down to rebuild/restore it over the course of months to a year. Great car for mods and other fun stuff. The main thing here is that the major high dollar components are not a risk (severe structural damage, valve damage, water damage, rear end, rust). The condition of the car, and the work that will be done MUST be reflected in the price of the car. If most of this work is not done by the new owner, and is paid for in a "good" shop, it is not worthwhile.

3) The buyer who wants a cheap car, but has no more money to spend on proper repairs, and wants to just drive it home. Sometimes this buyer thinks he/she might be "type 2", but doesn't have the means or money. Unfortunately we see a lot of these cars around. It's just bad news. With some luck, they are picked up by the "type 2" buyer (above), or eventually go to a dismantler.

My point is that we see a lot of links to 928's for sale here on the list, and when they are not pretty, people often jump all over them. Well... have a look at the price first! There is a lot of diamonds in the rough out there "If you enjoy turning a wrench". I personally had much more fun bringing my car back from the brink than simply writing some guy a check for $10-16K. Now I probably paid near the same in the end, but I had a lot of fun, and know every inch of my car.

Cheers,
Mike

SharkSkin

Agreed, watercooler. I lean toward type 2 myself, though I drove the car home and didn't tear it down completely. I'm doing bits at a time...

Porsche5050

Old & New,
You're right on point.

aaron3

Watercooler is spot on. IMHO you can't answer a question like "Is it a good deal" with a yes/no. You've got to answer that question with about 10 other questions, like "Is it your only means of transportation, will you do some wrenching yourself?" etc. etc

Unfortunately, there's alot of type 2 and 3 cars out there. Taking the 'unless it's perfect' attitude would unnecessarily send alot of these cars to the dismantler.

Scott Turnbull

Watercooler:

I agree with your categories and suggest there are two more.

4. The parts car buyer. This is often, but not always, also the #2 buyer.

5. The track car buyer. Looking for and inexpensive core platform from which to build up some level of track shark. May often become a #4 buyer to maintain his habit.

aircooler

Hi SharkSkin,

I'm type A and type 2. They seem to go together

Hello aaron3 and Scott,

Good points.

Once I finish the eternal renovation , we should be selling the house and looking for that place with space. I can tell you now, if it doesn't have a 3 car, I will already have the permits filled by the time we move in. That 3rd bay is going to be the Porsche bay (flag and all, maybe even a floor like Tony). No G D snow blower, or mowers, and I will be looking for another good project 928.

I want an 87+. Silver with dark int (blue if possible). Now of course I will be looking for the best car for my money, but I won't be looking for that pristine, low mile, one owner 928 with dealer receipts because I want to screw with it. I will be buying new wheels, Aero mirrors, a new rear wing, GTS rear flares and bumper cover, and I would love to bolt one of Murph's big F'in screws on the front!

So for this kind of project (100% fun!), this ebay car may be spot on, but the perfect 928 would be a shame to cut up, and a waste of money.

Cheers,
Mike

PS: Scott, is Der Yeti a new car for you down in the sand box? How about the 87, any parts left? I love the RMB. I had it chrome plated.

Jim_H

Old and New don't hold back