mark928s

I would like to hear anyones stories about when they got the 928 'bug' or about their 928. I like to read stories like this, I enjoy hearing about others expeiences, good or bad.

Thanks,
Mark

JKelly

o.k.

I "borrowed" the first 928 that I ever drove...without permission. I returned it safe and sound (luckily) before dawn the next day. It did not belong to my parents, nor to my friends, nor to my friends parents, or even to any aquaintances. It just happened to have the keys in it. I will say no more.
This was a long time ago.

I remember thinking while I was driving it what an absolutely cool car it was. I also remember thinking that I expected it to have a little more power, especially when I was trying to do hot-rod camaro type of burn-outs with it. It was a pre-85 model, and not a Euro, but I don't know the exact year. I also thought that the seats weren't the most comfortable, kind of like sitting on a bench. The rest of the car really turned me on and I swore to myself that I would own one someday.

years later..........HERE I AM

I never drove another one until I bought mine in 2001. I knew absolutely nothing about 928's when I brought it home. I saw it, drove it, and had to have it. It was my destiny.

PS. WELCOME TO RENNLIST!

jserio

Don't worry John I am sure the statute of limitations is up on that by now.

Nicole

I just wrote my story for the next edition of David Hemming's book "The Real 928". I expect to have these books in my store around March.

hinchcliffe

My story started out like most. When I was a kid (born in '77) I saw the cars on TV and fell in love. When Risky Business came out I just watched it for the car. Wierd Science, same thing. SO I never thought of it again. I graduated college in 2000 and was given a 1989 325ix BMW with 210k miles. SO with that I ended up buying a '95 Explorer for winter (my mom used the 325 as her winter car). From the explorer to a '90 535i BMW. Then when I sold that BMW I began to look at 928's. They were very reasonably priced (in August 2001). I found one in Tulsa, OK and convinced my father to fly down and drive it back making it a business trip for him to see some mid-west customers. It was a Prussian Blau '86 Auto. The owner sent me a bunch of pictures and it looked good enough for me. At $8000 it was a great deal. Well my father lew down and talked to the guy and bought it. He had a blast driving it back. I called his cell to see how the deal went and he said, I can't believe you want this car I can barely fit in it, but it does drive great at 90 mph. He also got a kick out of his customers when they saw him pull up in it. Well he got it home and I drooled. It was beautiful. I got into it and took it for a spin. I fell in love. SO after some maintenance stuff, tires, brakes and torque tube the car was in great shape. I drove it for two years in the summer, I even did a DE with it at Watkins Glen. But then the unthinkable happened, I was on my way home after a car show and some girl pulled out in front of me. As you can see in my Avatar it was totalled. I was unhurt in the accident. About $20,000 was the estimate. We talked up the car to the insurance company and showed them what the cars were selling for not what Kelley Blue book quoted and got a fat check. I took part of that check to pay for an engagement ring and the rest to buy my first S4 5-spd. IMO the 5-spd was so much more car, maybe because it was going from a S to a S4. Anyway, That was sold one year later to pay for the other S4 5-spd I had bought which only had 40k miles. So now I'm on my third 928 and loving every minute of it. Now if this Spring Season would show up I could strat driving her again. DE season here we come.

Garth S

Exotic car addiction began too long ago to mention, when one could still buy a workable Ferrari from the ads in Sports Car Graphic for a very few months pay: Having served an apprenticeship keeping an Austin-Healy 3000 MkII alive through university, I dove deeper with an 'E'-type briefly - and then read of the design,development, and eventual release of the 928: the virus was implanted!
Many months later with my gf, we flew west for a month of Pacific exploration from BC to Ca: It was arriving in some forgotten area in LA on a Sunday morning that I saw my first 928 - there was a dealership with an astonishing dozen 928s in a staggered row, a memory still crystal clear: the itch began crawling over my skin - the virus had left dormancy.
Five years later, I moved to Calgary: It was there I found a mint, special order, no sunroof, ... '80 that had been in storage for 3 years. The virus exploded into full symptomatic lust, and has never let up: there is no cure!! It fit like a glove, ran the curves up to Banff and Radium Mt (in the Rockies) unlike any other , and filled me with a sense of being one with this example of engineering perfection.
The same sense of excitement awakens each time I fire this car 20 years later. Other that initial oil changes , suspension alignment , and once for a leaking injector - it has never been in a commercial garage, and remains the most reliable exotic imaginable. With the modifications we all seem to do, it runs even better today than when new - I'm hooked!
Ah - yes, there is a second one in the stable - and when the right GT surfaces .... as I said, there is no cure.

Gretch

When I was young, raising a family, building a career, paid like a slave, worked like a rented mule and burried in debt, I saw a black 928 in the parking lot next to work. I went to a poster store and bought a 2' x 3' poster of a black 928 and hung it on the wall in my office. To everyone that asked, I responded that purchasing one was my goal, once I fullfilled my obligations to my family. It took a few years........I was 42 when it finally happened, but I found an 89 GT in immaculate condition with 10,000 miles on it. I paid $42,000 for it........I have had it for 12 years and have no intention of parting with it.

We were both suppose to retire 4 years ago......Gretch made it, I am still working..........Turns out she has a better disposition for light duty than I do......The old "rented mule" in me is apparently genetic.....

Still, it is pretty rewarding to see the reaction from the young bucks at work whan the "old man" brings the "hot rod Porsche" in. They are mesmerized by the Supercharger, the RMB induced sound, the FAT low profile racing slicks and the rocket ship acceleration..... Nobody wants to believe this car is 16 years old, 'cause it looks new.

heinrich

I never considered the 928 something I would like. As a child the family doctor drove one and I remember thinking it looked like a Ferrari. My dad always drove 911's and I got to ride in many supercars, an Urraco was one, couple of Rolls Royces, Aston Martin, DeTomaso Pantera, etc etc.

My dad always said a FEWC Porsche is not a Porsche, and where I came from the 914 was a Volkswagen. I think my dad would have happily torched a 924 if he had the chance, and would not be caught dead in one. So, the stage was set for me to hate 928's.

Coming to the US, and after I had finally started recovering financially from the immigration (I was very young too) I bought a used 944, mostly because it was a beautiful thing, a Porsche and I found many in my low-low price range. I happened upon a very special 944 that was like new, and had the records to prove it. I loved that car. I don't miss it now, because I have so many other wonderful cars that do everything better. Anyway, I remember as a child flying down the freeway with my dad in his targa T, loving the incredible wind and engine noise, and talking much with him about it (or shouting). I learnt to drive in that car too.

So, back to the US .... I drove the 944 for a couple of years, now realising that I could afford 2 or 3 of these, and why not ... so, I looked carefully around, started reading everything Porsche I could find, discovered Bill Underwood's site (it was much cooler back then) ..... and Pelican Parts. I fixed the oil cooler seal for a dastardly sum of 40 dollars, did all the work for myself and it felt GOOD.

In my search for knowledge, I came across a picture of a guy in a wheelchair getting into or out of, his red 928S4. WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT WAS THIS!!??? A 928 with a sexy, sleek tail like that?? Can't be. I remember having seen one or two on the freeway as a youngster, but they had always disappeared so fast that I never had realised they were actually 928's!!!!

I .... had .... to ..... have .... one.

Looking on ebay and elsewhere I discovered a very gorgeous Riviera Blue S4 in Georgia or Louisiana, I forget which. Spent much time talking with the seller and almost bought it when I discovered that the crankl case had been sealed with JB Weld (first time I had ever heard of that stuff)..... and so, I kept looking. Finally found my white 5spd '87 in Albuquerque, belonged to an Intel whizz kid who I think really did not understand the car at all. Brought her home to Seattle, and fell in love with her to the point where I don't think I could ever sell her.

And so began the sickness. Today I have 4 928's and a 911, and 50% of my time is spent on Porsche stuff. My dream is to find a woman who loves Porsches as I do. But of course, that is rather unlikely

intrepidjohnson

In 1977 I was president of a major auto distributor and had to drive my make. When I left in 1977 I bought what I considered the two best cars in the world. A 6.9 Mercedes for my wife and a 928 for myself. I am now on my third 928 (all purchased new) and a 928 has been my daily driver for over 27 years. After many different makes over the years, wife is back in Mercedes.

chaadster

I'm 34 and grew up in the USA, so the 928 has been in my consciousness for a long time. I rember Risky Business, and when the 928 was the Fastest Production Car in the World according to Road & Track back in '87 (I think). My family went to Europe in '82 and we picked up a Volvo over there and spent three months driving around, which was when I saw my first 928 at speed.

The car dropped out of touch with me for awhile, until about a year and a half ago. I was riding my bicycle down the road when I heard this killer exhaust rumble behind me. When it overtook me, the sound vibrated my body and sent a tickle down my spine! And that rear view... wow! It looked lethal, and that day, as soon as I got home, I jumped online and started the search.

It took me about a year to find the right one, but I'm glad I took the time and got reacquainted with this great car. I'm constantly surprised by the impact it has on people; inumerable people have rolled down their windows to ask what it is or say something like, "Beautiful car, that's a 928, right?" and almost everyone who sees it can't help but smile, even if they don't say anything.

BTW, Mark928s, how are those silicone vac hoses holding up; are they easy to clean? (I visited your website!)

Thanks, guys!

1981 Shark

I've been a car nut all my life, but have always been partial to a V8's growl. My first dose of fever started in High School with a 64 1/2 Mustang, slightly modified. However, I was always lead to the sports and exotics and something about the 928 just spoke to me; long before Risky Business. Shortly after I was married, I discovered that my wife's boss had a white 87 S4 and to hear him fire that baby up and "get into traffic" was something else. At that point, I knew I had to have one.

Life and kids have precluded the purchase of my car up until last September, when I found my first, hopefully of many, 928. I began my search on-line and while there were many out there, there were also many out there that were "rode hard and put up wet", so it took a while once my search began. Prior permission from the "War Department" has made the purchase and ownership in this short period of time a pleasure and she's even laughed at the "necessary" gadgets and parts I have purchased since then; fortunately she doesn't keep a running total.

Like Gretch, I get a kick out of seeing the "young bucks" at work and on the street gawk at my shark. While mine is not the "hottest" 928 from a HP/performance standpoint, it makes up for it in uniqueness; you just don't see many of them around here, which is what I really like. Also, the average Joe doesn't expect to hear such a great exhaust sound out of a sports car, let alone a Porsche; I'm hooked for life. I have no plans of selling and will just have to make sure I hide my keys well in the coming years!

My next big conquest will be justifying the purchase of a building to house a collection. After all, the kids can get scholarships, right?!

IcemanG17

Years ago when I was a little boy, my orthrodondist had a gold 928....I thought it was the coolest car in the world (that and the ferrari 308)...then a down the street neighbor got one....this was in the mid 80's and I remember talking with the owner (who was a fairly young guy..maybe early 20's) who said he bought it from his dads friend...I think it was a 78-79...I used to ride my bike past his house almost everyday & always loved it when the garage was open so I could see the 928. My mom even bought me a 928 analog phone...which I still use today!

I always thought 928's were sweet cars...back in 97 a local lawyer pulled up to the gas station in a exceptionally clean 87 S4 5 speed, with only 25,000 miles...he told me he paid 17K for it (very good deal back then)....I loved the sound of it as it drove away (had RMB)....

A couple years ago I started my current job, a fellow employee mentitioned he had a 78 5 speed. We would talk about the cars and racers (back when they let the marks race) often. So I started looking for a 87+ S4...in may 04 I found a nice blue 87 S4 auto....for a good price...I decided to pass...but my friend bought it! So it now lives around the corner from me with the 78! That 78 (only 77K miles) is really fun to drive.....In August Devek advertised my car, one test drive is all it took....it just performed so much better than the other 928's I had driven I had to have it...& now I do!

After joining rennlist and meeting a couple other 928ers I am really glad I bought one! It is a great community to be a part of!

mark928s

Thank you everybody for your stories! I often get bored in the hospital and printing these out will give me something to look forward to read when I go.

Chaadster - The silicone hoses are not easy to clean. In fact I am going to get black hoses, because the red ones don't look very good. They do solve a lot of vacuum problems though.

perrys4

I saw one in a parking lot, (must have been the first year) and was in love. Several years later I started working at Road & Track and came to work one day and there was a 928 in the parking lot. I talked to the art director and told him how much I loved the car. He grabbed the keys and took me for a ride. I had never been in a car like that before. I was just in awe of this thing. Always wanted one after that ride....

Adam C

My father started the whole thing back in the early eighties. He owned a little restaurant and was pretty much broke those days. He visited the local Porsche dealer where they found the time to give him a brochure, which he marked up and looked at in th back room of that little restaurant whenever he could. The page was folded back to the 928 - he would stare at it for hours in lust.

In '88 his dream finally came to fruition - he bought himself a beautiful silver '82 auto with all leather interior. I still remember him starting it up in the spring for the first time of the year - that rumble.
Well a couple years after that he just had to have an S4 and so he traded that one for an '88 venetian blue 5 speed. Then he was sharkless for a while (a dark 911 desire took over). After that a black '87S4. Now he is out of the sports car phase.

But he infected me: I bought a black '87S4 in the mid 90s that was my absolute dream car. I sold it when I moved to CA and bought an '87S4 in diamond blue; sold it had three kids, and wound up buying another '87S4 in black. I'll never sell it.

So between me and my father we've owned six 928s!

Epilogue to the story is the old man visited a month ago. He had never ridden in my newest black S4 so I threw him the keys and said let's go for spin. He was speechless. After nearly five years of his S500 mercedes, he forgot what an animal the 928 is. He had a glazed look on his face for the res tof the day, and a huge smile....