Styln928

Jason . . . Good luck trying to pry Mary out of the drivers seat. She took it to work again. Everything that was mentioned here the PO & I had done. I'm thinking about having the paint done & fixing the A/C and selling the BMW. The 87 at this moment in time is gas & go. When these cars are running well, it will put a smile on your face that will be hard to remove. Good Luck in your hunt.

ROG100

Hi Ron,
Sorry I did not mean to step on your toes - I guess I did not put two & two together.
Roger

Bill Ball

The engine is of relatively little concern beyond the basics. It would be nice to have a compression test on any used motor, but if the car screams to redline like most do, and there is no oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil, I could skip that. The 86+ AT cars are subject to rare but serious failure of the thrust bearing from lack of attention to the front flexplate on the torque tube. Crank endplay can be checked in 30 minutes, and I would like that done as part of a pre-purchase inspection. MT cars do not have this issue (at least often enough to be of any real concern). Now, if this is a known seller who is a 928 nut like us, he will have checked this.

Get the shop manuals and a ton of other tech documents on CD from Jim Morehouse. I trust someone will provide his email addy.

To paraphrase one of the top 10 Truths, the only ignorant question is the one that is not asked. Ask away.

Styln928

Rog . . . No harm no foul. Jason has to find a car he's happy with. If not mine, maybe yours? If not yours maybe someone else's. It's a journey we've all taken before. Roger, you off today?

ROG100

Ron,
I'm pleased to say I'm off most days.
Roger

Bill Ball

docmirror said:
"I usually advise people who are not familiar with car work in general to start with something like a Miata, or early Celica. "

Egad! Isn't there SOMETHING a little more exciting than that to offer as an alternative?

I think that is the crux of the issue. In the words of Tom Cruise as he remarked while driving a 928, "Porsche, there is no substitute."

Styln928

Will you adopt me?

Jim_H

I am glad I have not had the experiences docmirror has had. My 928's have been very reliable. The only parts I ever 'had' to replace were the in tank fuel pump. An easy job for everyone but me.

Mike LaBranche

I agree Jim. The only true leave you on the side of the road failure I've had in 8 years has been fuel pumps. Once on each beast. I've had poor running of course, but they kept saying "I'm not quite dead yet... only a flesh wound" so they got me home. Granted, 3 fuel pumps set me back $750 but I should be good to go for another 20 years.

Ron_H

Someone said: "It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all". And someone else said:" Gather ye rosebuds while ye may".

We all speak with our objective hindsight, particularly Garth and Docmirror, and we all know they offer valuable considerations. However.......
There will be a point when you may never see another rosebud on the horizon....!! Sterling Moss once said in response to criticism that he has a death wish: " I have a life wish", and he lived more than all of his critics combined in the short span of his career. And he has survived. Despite his pain and compromises, most of them self inflicted, he relished life to the highest to the point of almost losing it many times. Go for it....with your eyes open widely.....knowing the risks and accepting the occasional rewards that only a few will ever know.

For what I have spent on Porsches, I could have bought new cars and sat around bored to death for years. But I have experienced parts of life many would never attempt, and would not trade one minute of it despite all the bruised and bloody knuckles and late nights covered in grease and one other aspect of P car ownership you will discover if you make the plunge (some on here know of what I am speaking...hint: buy a V1).

The counter argument to this is ignorance is bliss...you'll never miss what you have never known. Hey, the rational thing to do is save your money and spend time in the library learning. Right????

docmirror

Er----- Fiat X1/9, Datsun 240Z, 914, any MG-B? Am I going the right way, or the wrong way. And I haven't had any really bad experiences with my 928, just all the deferred maint crap. I'm just worried that a novice will start to hash up his car rather than spend the duckets to do it right, or have it done right. Price/performance ratio on the 928 is spactacular. Maintenance is a real concern for a guy who self-admits he is a greenhorn under the bonnet(that's the aluminum thing up front that covers the engine).

No offence Vader. You may be technically inclined to learn the work, or you may be all thumbs. Who knows? The good news is if you can't keep up with the car maintenance, there's a pool of potential buyers for you to get back out of the car without too much pain.

The few previous posts bring out the joy of trying something you're not sure of. About stretching yourself to see if you are capable, and enjoying the fruits of the experience. However, what I hear is real concern about taking on a car that may be too much to handle. That's the only reason I suggested something a bit less complex.

Bill Ball

Doc:

Your general warning is certainly reasonable. The alternatives just make the point - there isn't anything to interesting out there, unless you get into big buck supercars, and they all have problem too. Maybe a new Corvette.

Vader

Hey Doc and everyone else that has contributed to this thread. I certainly appreciate everyone's honesty on here. Like I said before I am pretty green when it comes to the more advanced maintenance required for any car. The cars that I have done oil changes on have been little 4 bangers so I am sure doing the oil change on the 928 will be slightly different. I am willing to learn but my wallet may not be able to produce.

Stylin928 how did your potential sale turnout? Roger, I emailed you a couple of times but I seem to be having difficulty with my email account so I don't know if you got them or not.

Thanks again for all the advice and please keep it coming if you can think of anything more to a novice like myself. Take care all.

Jason

bigs

How will you know when you come across a good one?

The three most important aspects of choosing the right 928 are:

1. Get a PPI
2. Get a PPI, and
3. Get a PPI.

Seriously, you really should get a "Pre-Purchase Inspection" from someone who is REALLY knowledgeable about 928's specifically. It might cost you some money, unless you've got a good buddy who will do it for a few beers, but in the end, it will pay for itself many times over. I cannot over-emphasize this.

I too am not a mechanic. I have been blessed with sufficient resources to get my car fixed and maintained by guys who are great. But even so, it can be somewhat of a financial challenge.

I've seen other advice posts that suggest you have at least $2K available over and above the purchase price "just in case." I would second that motion.

I've had three 928's, and I think the most vitally important issue is to be patient enough and careful enough to purchase the "right" shark.

Styln928

Stylin928 how did your potential sale turnout?


Just waiting for the guy to set up a PPI.