T Colvin

I was a kid when I saw my first 928. My dad was driving th family back to Sierra Vista From Tucson. Our desert roads are long and straight, so it was a boring drive. On this paticular occasion, my dad said to the family, Look at this nut coming up with his sports car. I saw him pass us and with in seconds, he was just a dot on the horizon. That's when I felt in love with a 928. No other car makes me feel the way I do when I'm looking at a 928. Maybe that's why I can keep looking at pictures of 928s and can't get enough.

Bill 86.5 928s

My occupation exposed me to my first 928 about fifteen years ago. I had a service call at an older german gentlemans home in a tiny hamlet called Meaford. The entrance to his home was at the rear next to his garage. Parked on the drive was his 928 and inside the garage was his Mercedes wagon. When I first looked at the 928 I didn't know what it was. I saw the emblem on the hood and I honestly thought it was a ...(gulp)... a...a....don't get angry..........Ferrari.....yes ..I saw the horse in the sheild and that was what I thought it was...we don't see too many exotics around here so please be nice....anyway...I did the work in his home and I mentioned that I saw his...Ferrari in the drive and the gentleman was quite polite and proceeded to correct me, and asked me if I would like to go out and sit in it....didn't have to ask me twice, I was off like a shot to the driveway. He started it and the sound from that V8 was wonderful, a real mellow rumble from a 1983 16 valve 4.7litre engine. I can still hear it , and I'm still impressed with the sound of these autos. This vehicle was a champagne gold colour, everything in leather, standard transmission and pristine, a real work of art. That was my first experience with the 928. I swore that I would have one someday and I kept my promise. I have my best friend to thank for the ownership because his death at an early age woke me up...."Live for today,as there might be no tomorrow" is what he would say, so I took the plunge and I'm not looking back...it's just too bad he isn't here to enjoy it with me.....Thanks Mark for the thread, it's a good one...and Good-luck to you ......
Regards, Bill

bigs

I saw my first 928 in Phoenix, AZ back in 78 or 79.

You'll have to remember that back in those days, basically all cars looked like bricks. And malformed bricks at that.

I drove past a Porsche dealership and glanced into the showroom... and just about caused a multi-car pileup right then and there. My wife was with me, and I vaguely remember her screaming as I drove across three lanes of traffic to get to the very next corner, at which time I raced around the block, parked, and went in.

I'm pretty sure I just stood there and gawked for the first 10 minutes. I had never seen anything so beautiful. I think I looked at it from every imagineable angle, including getting down on my haunches and sighting along the side from front to rear and vice versa. It might just as well have been a spaceship.

I don't think I even dared touch it.

I finally bought one brand spanking new in '84. Like some others, I was a little disappointed at "off-the-line" performance. But on the highway, it was exquisite. And the sound was amazing. Not to mention that wondrous spider sitting on top of the engine!

Well, I've had a total of 6 Porsches of various varieties, and when the 928's started climbing up into the stratosphere price-wise, at about the same time my kids were getting to the real expensive stage of life, I thought maybe I'd never get the chance to own another one.

Until I started browsing eBay a couple of years ago and saw a gorgeous '86.5 - and it was in Phoenix of all places! Well, you just can't ignore that kind of fate! So I "bought it now."

I kept that one for a year until I saw my current GTS on eBay. Sold my '86.5 to a great lady here in UT and bought the GTS.

I have not been disappointed.

Mike LaBranche

My first car, at 19 in '79, was a Datsun 240Z with a 327 small chevy and BorgWarner Super T-10 4spd. lol Absolute blast but primitive and fragile. Had 3 or 4 more after that over the next 15 years. Used to run up to Virginia City outside of Reno on Saturday mornings on motorcyles as well as the Z. I met my first 928 on that hill... and then he left me like I was standing still. Wow. Fast forward 15 years. Get a 944 (after finally tiring of wrenching on v-8 240z's) and drive it a few years. Fun car. Underpowered. Zero wrenching. Remember the 928 from that day on the hill after seeing one in a parking lot near work. Start looking and buy the first one I go see. lol The black 84. After that, it was all good. Put 80k on the 84. Silver 78 off ebay. 83 Weinrot Euro. Wrenching on buddies 928's for beer.

I have the pleasure of 'commuting' to a gig 550 miles away from home. Been doing it in a 928 the last couple years. I much prefer it over a 757. 7.25 hrs of pure bliss. Power, handling, comfort, tunes, A/C, triple digits. Arrive and put in 8 hours. 20 year old stuff. Looks as sleek and fast as anything coming out today and outperforms most of it. Finest car I've ever driven.

worf928

I saw my first 928 in '78 in Germany. My uncle took his 'American' nephew along with his daughter to some attraction in Koln. I don't even remember what it was - maybe the zoo. I do remember seeing a green weird thing with four wheels. I asked my uncle Anulf what it was. He said "Oh? That? That's the new Porsche. Nine eight and twenty. Ugly isn't it? The 911 is the real Porsche." At an early age I'd decided that my uncle's tastes were usually pretty far from mine. So, I figured that if he hated it then there was probably something very right about it.

Years later I started pulling out the multi-page ads from Car and Driver and hanging them on the wall. I remember, the ad where the 928 was compared to aircraft. Then I saw Weird Science and Risky Business. A few years later - probably mid-'86 - I read an article in R&T or C&D in which they tested on a superspeedway a hand-full of exotics, the Esprit, some kind of Ferrari, a Countach, etc. along with a 928. The one comment I remember was penned by a well-regarded racer. He wrote something like, "Of all the cars we drove, the only one that I would want to drive 6 inches from the wall at 150 mph is the 928."

That did it.

If the 928 was - above all the 'exotics' - the only car a real racer trusted at low sub-sonic speeds close to a wall then that was it. End of discussion. Esprit? Pretender. Countach? Pretender. Ferrari XXX? Pretender.

Enter many years of hard work. An early-life start-up with an office in the same building as my wife's company. No reason not to share the ride to work. Then one day in early 1997 as we roll into the parking lot I see a 928. Brilliant color. Is it Green? Blue? I cannot really tell. The color shifts. In the morning it's green. At night it's blue. It's parked in one double wide space at the end of a row. Always. It obviously moves from day to day. But the owner always arrives early enough to get that space. It's always clean. Who owns it? The Wife says (innocently enough - but I would soon learn better...) "That's owned by our new V.P."

Every morning, for a few months I'd walk around that car. Look at it. Then one day The Wife calls down from the 5th floor and says "Hey, Dennis is selling his 928. Why don't you give him a call." Evil woman. I called Dennis. I was thinking it was an 87 or 88 and that - as Kelly Blue Book indicated - I might be able to swing it. Nope. 1991 GT. 28,000 miles. Kelly - and Dennis - let me know that it wasn't going to happen.

Months pass. The Evil Woman calls again: "Dennis' car is still for sale." I ask "Why hasn't he sold it yet?" The Evil Woman answers "Because he's waiting to sell it to you. Go buy it."

That did it. End of discussion.

It turned out Dennis had owned three 928s. He loved them. But, his woman was far, far, more evil than mine. They'd bought a house on the ocean with a one car garage and she wasn't going to let him keep his Porsche in the garage. That was the biggest check I'd yet written in my life. I think Dennis was as excited for me as I was. He checked up on it once in a while for few years to make sure I was taking good care of it. (A few years after that he retired, cashed out his stock, got a divorce, and moved on. Good for him. I hope he found another 928.)

The moral of this story is:

I married the right woman!

Deb

In mid 97' I had been looking for 3 yrs for a good Austin Healy 3000 or, hang on, a Jaguar XJS convertible, saw a few Jags but no Healys that were in decent shape. my brother phoned me from his business partner who owned 6 up scale cars and 2 of the more expensive Harley Davidsons and he needed to make room in his over stuffed garage for a new purchase. My brother said he wants to sell his 84' 928S and I said what the hell is a 928? Any way out of curiosity I drove the 200 miles to have a look. His garage could have served as a neurosurgery suite, his cars and bikes were primo so in spite of the fact that I couldn't quite equate Porsche and the 928 I bought it on the spot based on how he maintained his cars. At purchase time it had 26k miles on it and other than a few stone chips on the hood there was nothing that wasn't in great condition. From the week that I brought it home I've been a 928 afficianado and can't wait for Spring every year when it comes out of storage so we can tour around the coast road that circles this island for about 55 miles with very few cars and lots of hills and curves.

jpitman2

I picked mine up in Saudi Arabia (ex prince of course) - took a while to agree a price, as interest was low, it being a RHD in a LHD country. After getting it going well and starting to drive around at the weekends, I got pulled up by incredulous police who couldnt believe it was legally registered. Sometimes they would radio for their buddies to come and look, and I just had to wait until they got bored. One guy whose cruiser radio didnt work even drove off with my registration to check it out and left me standing by the car. He did come back in the end.
jp 83 Euro S AT 49k

Bill Ball

About 5 years ago I was entering my early 50s driving a nice 77 MBZ 6.9 (I like older cars) when I got the sportcar itch. I had only one problem...My wife insisted the car must seat 4 and have an AT so she could haul the kids around in it if needed. Argh! There really wasn't anything too attractive that was sporty but met my wife's criteria. Then I discovered the 928. Way ahead of any other sporty 4 seaters I came across, especially in the HP department. I knew nothing about the car, so I spent months online gathering information. I watched eBay auctions for 6 months.

One day I saw a non-descript ad on eBay for an 89 S4 that said "nice car - like new." One small, fuzzy photo. Being curious, I sent an email to the seller and learned he was the original owner, had every piece of paper since new, and had done all the right maintenance. After a bit more questioning, I decided this was a nice car being marketed poorly. I actually offered to help the guy post some more pics and improve his ad. In the end, I bid and won. The next weekend I flew the 500 miles to Bend OR. The seller picked me up at the airport. I had never even been in a 928 before, but I was sure this was the right model car for me. The car was just as described - like new. I checked a few things, decided the deal was good, handed the seller a cashier's check and marvelled at the high speed stability of this great car all the way down I-5 back to home.

I quickly discovered a passionate, dedicated community of people who understand and appreciate the greatness and the quirkiness of this car at the same time. It's been a great ride for me, and I don't see that changing.

jheis

My first car was a five year old, 3 cylinder, 2 stroke SAAB 93 (taught me all about handling and conservation of momentum). Went through a couple of Volvo 122's and had a pristine Jaguar 3.8l Mk II when I was 19. Not an E Type, but still a pretty good crumpet collector (to borrow a phrase from the late Henry Manney).

Over the years I've owned every thing from Alfa Romeo's to Zagato's (almost).

When the 928 came out, I thought they were ugly (the early cars looked too bulbus and really needed the S spoilers - not to mention the "op art" interiors). Anyway, over the years the design grew on me and I came to appeciate it.

I had never reallly considered buying a 928 until I received my December, 1989 issue of Road & Track. The cover story was "Bargain Exotics - How to buy these cars for only $15,000." The "exotics" under considertion were the BMW 635CSI, the (then relatively new ) C-4 Corvette, the Jaguar XJ-S, the MB 560SL, and the PORSCHE 928.

As a newly minted attorney I thought - hey, wait a minute - I can almost afford that. Of course, as a sole practitioner, it was merely wishful thinking, but the spark was lit and I started looking - pointing out good prospects to more affluent friends - "you really should buy this."

Finally, in 1994 I had some discretionary cash and started looking seriously for myself. I was looking for an '85.5 or an '86, but everything I saw advertised was an automatic and I wanted a manual. I eventually found an '82 - mit comp package, took it for a test drive, thought "I can live with this" and have had it for almost 11 years now.

It's not unusual for me to park at the post office, walk in to pick up my mail, walk back out and find a couple of people looking at my car - even old ladies. Most people think it's brand new.

Last summer I went to watch the Ferrari 360 Challenge at Sears Point. I had my 20
bucks out to hand to the ticket taker, but she said "that's OK, Ferraris get in free today." I said "Ok...." and drove on. When I got to the gate where you had to sign the release, the fellow asked me if I was running on the track today. I said No... I'm just spectating. He said "fine, just follow that red car" (a 355i). I did, and they waved me into the Ferrari/Maseratti parking corral.

Can't really see driving anything else.

By the way, the only American car I've ever owned is my 1933 Franklin Olympic. (Hate to see myself coming and going, ya know.)

James

Kaz

I visited Parcars in New Rochelle NY dead set on purchasing a 911 Turbo. Problem was, when I got there and folded myself into one, I didn't fit. It was just not comfortable and I was heartbroken. Paul suggested I take a look at the blue on blue 928 he had in the middle of the showroom. I tried it out and didn't really take to it. I returned three days later and he unburied the car from his showroom again and after another test drive I liked it better. I made my offer and bought the car three days later.

After my first roadtrip in the car I really liked it. After my first cross country trip I really really liked it. After my second cross country trip, I love it.

jim morehouse

I knew nothing about 928's. I'd seen Risky Business and thought the car was pretty cool, but my love was the XKE convertible ever since I'd parked them while working at a restaurant. I even had a '67 for awhile that my brother and I sold to each other over the years as time/family/money dictated. I ended up w it, not running and me w no time and little experience to fix it so it sat in an outside garage, slowly rusting away.

One day I was playing golf w a friend who has a hi end used car business and mentioned to him that I had to get rid of this car before it turned to a mound of red dust and he told me he'd buy it sight unseen for a price that surprised me. So I sold him the car and when I went to his shop to give him some of the shop manuals/documentation I had, I saw this '82 5 spd, all leather, black metallic over tan and asked what it was. Turned out that a guy in the middle of a divorce had put it there on consignment. I took it for a ride and LOVED it, what a great feeling. We agreed on a price and I was the proud owner of my first 928.

My biggest concern was being able to work on the car, since I'd little experience w things mechanical. Fortunately the combination of finding rennlist (and some new friends) and being retired has allowed me to do my own maintenance on the '82 and on the '88 5 spd I traded Earl Gilstrom the burned up GT for (the famous "$50 GT" that Earl now drives).

So the 928 has added a new passion to my life, added many new friends, and given me hours of grins behind the wheel. You can keep the XKE.

Jim

Intrinsicate

In 1989, I went to a high-line auto auction in Blackbushe, England, to purchase a BMW M635 for one of my clients. On the spur of the moment, I also bid on, and won, an S4. Light metallic blue, 5 speed, with dark blue leather. I drove it back to my dealership, and enjoyed it so much that I kept it as my driver for a couple of months, discouraging all attempts by my salesmen to sell it!
I think what I liked most, apart from the superbly balanced driving experience, was the air of understatement - what the Japanese call "shibumi". It was as if the car knew its own capablities, and didn't feel the need to brag about them. I liked the complete absence of chrome on the outside, and the restrained, functional quality of the cockpit.
I have driven a lot of exotic machinery in my line of work; but I have yet to come across a car that is so capable and versatile - a comfortable, composed daily driver that requires no compromise from its owner; with huge reserves of acceleration and handling instantly available.
One of my mentors in the car business advised me: "All cars are just steel and rubber and glass. Never get attached to any of them, because they are all replaceable." It seemed like good business sense; but I have to say that the two S4s I have owned have engaged my emotions in a unique and unexpected way.

hinchcliffe

I'm gonna borrow this and X-post it to the OT forum to see what brings others to their experiences in 911's, 944's.....

H2

I have a dentist friend who collects Corvettes and he took (poor) me along to look at a car he was interested in at an Exotic Car Dealership. While he was looking at the 'vettes....I saw a 928 and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I grabbed the cell phone and called a Porsche collector friend (911s and 356s) and he encouraged me to look at a "different" Porsche that would hold its value better, and which would be "cheaper to maintain." I looked at various 911s but none turned my crank like the 928 body style and sound. I thought about it, looked around some more, and two weeks later did the right thing and bought a low mile '85S that was always garaged. The biggest problem with it is that it's so nice I baby it too much and don't drive it enough for fear of getting ozone or dust on it. I bought an Audi TT Quattro as a daily driver (it looks good but I wouldn't recommend one to anyone...it's like driving a fancy VW. Four-bangers don't do it for me, even if turboed). However, I've vowed that when I die...I'll still own a 928. I'm looking for my second one right now. 88S4 or newer, 5-speed is what I hope to run across, less than 80K miles. Good investment? Probably not since the prices keep dropping...but good for your soul? Absolutely!

Harvey

jej3

I graduated high school in 1989 and my parents had their 86.5 928 for 3 years by then. My parents were way over the top FL residents with the whole home on the water, 3 boats out back, 2 Mercedes and a Porsche 928 bought new thing.

My first spirited ride in their 928 was when my uncle was considering buying it from my dad. He QUICKLY ran it up to 100mph on a 55mph road and I was riding shotgun. Love at first fright.

I rode in theirs numerous times before that and my Dad years later always had regretted not letting me drive it. I solved that when I picked up my s4 a year ago. My 5 year old has already driven it (20 feet into a garage while on my lap and controlling his hands) as has his 2 year old brother.

I won't have the perfect 928 but my 928 in Venetian Blue and Linen interior is perfect enough for me.

Drive it like you stole it (and keep oil and good bulbs in it)

-Trey