I posted recently about a 1982 928 that I was interested in. I had someone from this board check it out for me today and he said it looked and ran great. I originally thought it was a euro but turns out to be a US car that the owner went over to take delivery on. It has 64,000 miles on it, is a two owner car with most of the service records, always garaged and regularly serviced. I spoke to the mechanic who has been maintaining it for the last 5 years and he says the car needs nothing and the owners have always had all recommended services done and always did any suggested repairs without question. The timing belt was done last year. I asked the mechanic (who is also a member of this board) about taking it somewhere for a PPI and he said that I really didn't need to do that because he basically did that a few weeks ago and the car needs nothing and is in great condition. Now on to the question. The car is a nine hour drive from where I live. Based on the word of the two members of this board would you take a chance on purchasing the car without travelling to see it first, get a PPI from someone else or go look at it yourself? I do not know much about these cars so if I went to look at it I would probably take it somewhere to be looked at anyway.

 

That would depend to a large degree on which members you are talking about... Without that info I'd want to see for myself. Reserving my vote for now.

 

See the posts regarding the community of people here. I would have a pretty high degree of trust. But, then again, one mans "MINT" condition is another "fixer". So, with photos and an honest appraisal from independent members of the list, I would do it. You only spending a few thou, if it turns out not to be what you want ebay it, and try again.

 

Assuming you've been sent a bunch of good photos and like the appearance of the car, and are comfy with the asking price, I'd suggest you arrange the deal on the strength of the rennlister's look-over and the servicing mechanics input. Particularly in the case of the mechanic, who's also a rennlister, his reputation is on line, and that's about as good a guarantee as you're likely to get for a 928 purchase.

I don't know what an '82 might be going for-- $5k to $8k?-- but with a backup cushion of a $2k, you'll be in pretty good shape in case of some unexpected, major failure. Maybe you could even use the absence of a PPI to get the price reduced by a grand or so; that'd put you great shape!

As you said, you don't have any mechanical experience or expertise with these cars, so there's no point in going down there unless it is to get the car. If you can get a recommendation from someone here on a nearby shop that can do a PPI for you, I'd suggest you drop the couple hundred to have it done, if only for the additional peace of mind. However, if you can't find a recommendation for a shop, I wouldn't take it to some outfit of dubious ability.

It sounds like a fine car-- only two owners-- and remember, it is only a car. These things do not require a Phd in Mysticism to maintain and keep running. Parts and info are easy to come by, and this place is the greatest resource imagineable.

I only got into my first 928 a few months ago, and while I've had a few little issues that I resolved myself with help of Rennlist and personal web pages, it's been totally worth it! I love to drive it, in a way I've not enjoyed driving a car ever before.

I say relax and enjoy the ride!

 

Lets see - current owners follow their mechanics recommendations, and have done so for 5 years: The Mechanic is knowledgable - and a member of Rennlist: Another Rennlister independently gave a thumbs up after viewing and driving the car. IMHO, it doesn't get much better than that in the used car business - for that is what it is. ( would you expect the same history/review with the maintainer, etc. if buying a Chev or Ford?).

If you want an opinion, it is time to initiate purchase - call the owners, strike the price, and agree to buy conditional on your visual inspection: drive the 9 hrs, and if it is less than you expect/ a case of cold feet/whatever, you can always depart.
It appears that this is a 95% buy/5% walk situation.

 

I would get a ticket to fly out there, look at the car, and then decide whether I'd want to take it home or not. I purchased a '91 GT based on a PPI, and it was nowhere near as nice as I had expected.

The mechanic thought a difference in paint color between the resprayed left side and the rest of the body was minor - I thought it was major. The mechanic did not notice that a bolt for the drivers seat rai was missing, that both door panels were lose, and the "provessionally installed" stereo included big holes in the doorsheet metal, while the heavey speakers were mounted on the panels themselves and losened everytime someone slammed a door. The engine did not get full throttle; the cable was misadjusted.

In addition, when I picked up the car, the AC did not work, which cost me a few hundred Dollars to fix on the way home.

Haveing said that, the car you are describing sounds very good, and you should pursue it further. Worst case you have lost the cost of the tickets. Best case you got a wonderful car that you can enjoy for a long time.

Best of luck to you!

 

Kaz

You are obviously not 100% comfortable with the recommendations of the people involved, so go see the car. If this car is a great deal you shouln't expect the seller to wait for you to finish your poll.
One concern - a 20+ year old car that needs nothing????

 

Always check a used car out yourself before buying it, then you will be happy with it.

 

I'm echoing what's already been said, but if good pics seem to line up with PPI by these folks, I imagine a tentative arrangement on price could be made. I'd wait to commit to anything until you actually eye the car though. Unless it's too good a deal to pass up, naturally.

 

Listen -to Garth -He knows all!!!

 

Great to have others opinions and the PPI but I'd strongly encourage you to see the car yourself. Look at the bodywork, listen to the engine, look underneath, take it for a good drive etc. etc. etc.

Buy a one way ticket and fly there and drive home if all's well; if not fly home and find another.

 

What is the asking price? If it's a steal of a deal, may be worth the risk, but if you are paying top dollar you should perform complete due diligence - including a PPI by another mechanic.

 

I would definitly check the car for myself, as Nicole said one persons nice is anothers yuck.
Good luck and post some pics if you get it. YOU should be the deciding factor. Paint can sure look
great on the pics, but it can be much worse in person.
Andy

 

A nine hour drive is a one hour flight. Take the cash and go look at it and if is what you want, buy it, and if not, take the greyhound home

 

This is an excellent board .... but there have been all sorts of ppl here. Some have been banned, some have been shouted off, some have cost fellow listers thousands of dollars. So, membership here does not necessarily imply worthiness. Personally I'd make a judgment based on pictures and price, and THEN if I decided I wanted the car based on all the data I had, I'd fly out with a ticket in-hand and drive back. If it's not what I wanted, I'd fly back and eat the loss of the ticket.