cobalt

My son is a Gen Z. He is a service advisor for a local Porsche dealership responsible for all classics that come in. ( I taught him well and he knows more about these cars than most owners) I am shocked to see how many still use a dealership to service their classics. His observances are that most Boomer's or Gen X customers are fixing up their cars to put up for sale. They have owned these cars for decades and figured it is time to cash in and move on as they find as they get older they have less time to take them out and they just end up sitting. The cars are being traded in for more modern versions and he is seeing a lot of Millenials buying up some of these older cars. They recently sold a 912 and a 928GT both to Millenials and more and more are inquiring. Both sold for money that would have most of us scratching our heads. The GT sold for GTS 5 speed money and needed work.

Sadly I have seen a few 928's in rather nice condition traded in for far less than market value because they can save the tax and possibly get some cash out of them but in all fairness they are unknowingly leaving far too much on the table. They don't do forums and feel their cars couldn't be worth as much as they are these days and just see an easy out. They also put too much faith in valuation listings by some Insurance companies so they accept what they think is a good deal when it isn't. Meanwhile the dealership flips the cars for a tidy profit and more times than not it is a wealthy Millennial who knows little about the car itself but has the funds to pay a premium and more to fix its issues. They spare no expense to make the car perfect or modify the heck out of it.

As far as 400i I have seen a few of those as well sell recently for >308 money so go figure. I recently heard that an AMC Gremlin in puke green that was sold by a friend at the beginning of Covid for $12k sold for $28k. Granted it was 19k mile all original rust free example but it is a Gremlin for heaven's sake. If a Gremlin can appreciate like that why can't these?

I know of at least a half dozen new under 20 944 owners and quite a number of under 25 944/996 owners. They don't have the funds to get into other cars so they buy what they can afford. I don't see the enthusiast dying off anytime soon.

79NINE28

That's nonsense. My family is from Europe and both of my uncles were an avid sports car buyer in the 1970s and 1980s . Many brits bought automatic Jaguars (Salon) for example IF they were able to afford them. Same goes for the 928. There was a lot of interest and desire for the automatic (look at some of the documentation /articles/ car and road test mags/papers etc. from 1978/9) but the reason less were made was cost. The Automatics made the car MUCH more expensive. That and the fact that the MB Automatic transmissions weren't produced in enough numbers to meet demands in some markets.

79NINE28

Nonsense. Many europeans bought automatic cars IF they could afford the extra cost.

Range Rover

To add a data point to the demographic argument, I'm a millennial (29), and the 928 has just about always been my favorite car. Still is. For me, the interest started with a fascination with the aesthetic design, and as I started owning 928s, driving them, and working on them, I began to appreciate and admire the other aspects of the car (the engineering - particularly how sophisticated the 928 was in its day, how comfortable they are on long trips, etc.). Overall, I still think the 928 is one of the most well-thought-out cars ever made.

Landseer

Am getting a tremendous increase in contacts that compliment the 928, give thumbs up on road, or want to jawbone about it in parking lots or at gas stations. Most are sub-30 it seems, othe foreign car enthusiasts, ricer car guys, etc. Mine isnt the best example, but its attracting exponentially more attention than ever. Have owned it about 14 years.

Son has white 944 Turbo S, same situation, actually more intense recognition.

As far as value, bought it for 2k, put about 2k parts into it, ran for 10 years with just liability ins. Has agreed value now, I think I put 4500 on it. Probably worth 10k as it sits. Might need to reevaluate. But at end of day, it's just an interesting choice of car. So am not loosing sleep over it.

Darklands

But the village childs who bought the 928 20 years ago and raped the cars bought 5 Speed and a lot of cars died.

Here on the car portals we have 150 928 in Germany listed and 35-40 are manuals.

hwyengr

And thank god for that. I have such an unhealthy obsession with the Longchamp and QPIII that I'd have a dozen of them in my driveway if they were common.

I think people finally remembered that those still have a Colombo under the hood.

hwyengr

Porsche marketed the first 928s as a replacement for the 911. So 911 buyers bought them right away with manuals to replace their 911s. It ends up that the 928 wasn't the same car as the 911, so the manual market dried up and a different buyer who wanted a Porsche, but not a manual, started buying them all as autos.

You can say your car is the rare variant all you want, but that doesn't mean it's ever going to command a premium over a manual, which IS what people want them in, now.

drooman

the quattroporte III has a beautiful V8 4 cam engine with 4 2bbl webers:




My buddy has the Longchamp spider:

Oslo928

rich, mostly german, industrialist grandpas bought the automatic... those same guys that buy the big mercedes
for them the 928 was as sporty a car as they could cope with and look good in society. aka people with zero interest in any 911

Darklands

Porsche 928, the car of architects and gynocologists in Germany!

belgiumbarry

don't know Karsten , i ever knew 1 driving a 928 when i was younger.... and it was a big ***** house owner .... but , manual !

8cyl

I think you are generalising here and missing the point; it's a sporty grand tourer and was marketed as a vehicle befitting of both a manual or an automatic transmission. Both work so well because the 928 really is the blend of grand tourer and sports car. What other GT from the period or earlier had a chassis that good? The road feel and handling weren't the foremost priorities in a GT car yet Porsche went against the grain here, partially due to fear of the 911's banishment I would guess.

What you get is a rather confused car, at least the earlier models. Too much noise, both tyre and engine to truly be all that pleasant at hours long high-speed touring, and a ride that can chip a tooth on the wrong surface if you go by the factory spec pressures. That's what I, and I'm sure other owners, love about the 928; it's a flawed yet phenomenal first attempt by a company with no previous experience in this particular segment.

Too heavy to be a sports car, too harsh to be a proper tourer but it is what you make of it! And choice of transmission can tip the scales where you want it.

If those German grandfathers knew what was good for them they would have stayed in the big Mercedes.

icsamerica

I'd agree with this. The 928 has a few critical flaws as a GT that could and should have been developed out. I'm a fix'er so I see these flaws as opportunities to mod the 928 as I see fit but most collectors like things as built. There was some really good development in the early 80's that presented as the 4 cam v8 and revised front suspension, but slow sales and other priorities like the 959 suck'd up what ever development capital Porsche had. Sadly at the end the 928 got a flawed stroker, a shiny bumper bar, wheel spacers and some fender flares. A unworthy end to Posche first clean sheet project.

As for the market, many people get a 928, then it doesn't live up to their expectation and the soon re-sell it. Example... Hoovie. Many auto enthusiasts have done well with this when the rising tide of liquidity and novelty interest peaked recently. Hoovie's recent love affair with the 928 was brief, so was Richard Rawlings. Hoovies purchase criteria was that the 928 was "the last cheap classic Porsche worth buying" No significant mention of the 928's other virtues. He does say the 928 is "wonderful to drive" but his favorite part was the pop up head lamps. And his comments as a driver weren't all that glowing by Hoovie's standards. Fast forward a few months, he stated the 928 was for sale.

Conversely, I recently had a chance to drive and all Original Jaguar Etype. It was phenomenal, great right out of the box as built. It's just all worked as a drivers car. Good brakes, light steering, solid chassis, nimble and direct. I loved it and was amazed it was that good even though it was developed 20 years before the 928. Soon after I got my 928 I came up with a bunch of things that needed fixing, better brakes, crisper steering, more athleticism, quieter cabin. (All done BTW). This is why present 928 values are based on novelty and will revert to the mean as interest wanes and conversely the E-type may appreciate more because it's great as it is. Both cars look great though and that certainly helps.

That's my call... but who really know's for sure where any market is headed?. Some people can make call better than others. If I did know I'd be far more wealthy than I am. We shall see. Time will tell.

cobalt

I always like the lines of the E type but I would never consider it a phenomenal car. The ergonomics and the rest are typical Jag and reminded me of my first car back in the 70's a 74 XJ6. A gorgeous looking car but if it could only get its act together it was a nice sedan but had more issues than a dozen 928's with prior bad owners from the factory. The car was towed back to the dealer the day it was delivered and they were pretty much all like that. Drove a clean 6 cylinder the other day and it was sloppy and I know my GTS could outperform it on every level especially comfort wise. My GTS pulled from an F458 the other day, the poor guy couldn't believe it. He rolled down his window and asked my wife what had been done to it. She told him it was stock. (minus some suspension upgrades that is). He didn't realize that I was in 4th the entire time and if I had to shift he would have had me. LOL. I drive a lot of cars and I can't think of one from that era that can hold a candle as a GT. The TR was another I wouldn't waste my money on and the 456M and others weren't anything I would consider owning and get loosy goosy as they get older and higher miles. The only car I could think of would be one of the AMG Hammers or an 850CSI. EDIT: The Citroen SM was a fun ride as well. People try to equate modern cars with these and they were different times. You just can't get the experience these older cars offer in anything made today.

It took time but most of my Porsche's have appreciated between 500-1000% since I purchased them and still rising in most cases.

I follow many subforums as I have many different Porsche's and for some reason while everyone else is talking up their cars the 928 community always seems to put their cars down. I don't get it.

Try driving a Mura or a F Daytona. They are far from incredible rides but still gorgeous to look at and will continue to rise in value.