joseburnay

Ello everyone. I have to decide to buy a 964 C4 1989, or the 928 S4 manual 1988 USA version that i prefere!!!
They hare both on very good condition and have the same price(23.000 $)
My problem is the runnig costs.
In my country ( PORTUGAL) the gas is very expencive-1,3 $ per liter!
Because they have the same price,i need more opinions of people that have both cars.
José Burnay

hinchcliffe

Depends on condition and maintenance records. If one has 'em and the other doesn't well.......

Depends on who will do you work, you or a shop that doesn't know 928's.....

Big Dave

My advice is to ask about the 964 on the 911 forum. Don't let them know you're considering a 928, too, or else the discussion will be biased. Just ask them about the potential problems that 964s have and what you should expect for annual maintenance.

As for a 928, your costs will vary greatly depending on whether you are willing to do the maintenance yourself. If you are paying someone else to do the work, costs will double or triple.

A pre-purchase inspection will give you a good idea how much, if anything, the 928 needs. You should assume that a timing belt replacement (including water pump) is necessary immediately unless you have receipts showing it was done very recently. Doing it yourself will cost less than US $500, but paying a shop to do it will add about US $1,000 or more.

Other big expense items to watch out for (and check as a part of the inspection):
motor mounts
steering rack
transmission
radiator leaks
air conditioning
electrical problems

Assuming no significant mechanical problems, 928s are relatively cheap to maintain. However, it would be foolish to assume that a 17 year old car will not have mechanical issues.

Good luck!

slate blue

A 928 wont be cheap to maintain in Portugal, I bet nobody even knows how to work on one there. A french fellow contact me, about his 928 GTS, it had lunched two motors through timing belt failures, this happened not long after having the job done. Different repairers too. He then couldn't find anybody in France to put his engine back together.

heinrich

The C4 will be more expensive to maintain. It will be more expensive on petrol. There are fewer used parts for them. 964's have a few well-known engine weaknesses, make sure you find out if that has been corrrected. That said: If I had to choose between the two listed cars I would take the C4. Much more expensive but so unique and so sexy.

joseburnay

Thanqs Heinrich.The problem its that i'l prefere the 928 S4, and normaly it is cheaper than the C4, but in Portugal they have the same value! If the C4 its more expensive on petrol and in maintenance i´l chose the S4.
José Burnay

heinrich

I wouldn't call that a problem .. GO FOR IT!!

hawk993

I can't agree that a 964 is more expensive to maintain then a 928 and to say a 6 cyl(964) is more expensive on petrol than a V8(928) doesn't make sense at all. I know when I had my 928S in Virginia Beach, VA, there was only 1 shop I felt comfortable taking it to, only 1 shop that really knows how to work on 928. The 928 and the 964 are specialized cars and it will probably be hard to find a good maintenance shop for either one. That being said, I would go with the one you prefer, which appears to be the 928 S4, that is where your heart is and you will probably be dissapointed if you "settled" for the 964.

mark kibort

sharks can get 22mph on the hyway, and thats pretty good. i dont think the 911s are that much better, even though they have a small engine. (did i mention, small engine!)
plus, the 964 is 4 generations old now, where the S4 looks like the last car made ( except for the GTS, and there are way more similarities) when i see a 964, I think (old car, old technlology) when i see an S4, i see leading edge tech, even still!!! the only 911 worth getting now, would be a 993, now that was a nice 911. and fast. Now, as far as practicality, the 928 is amazing and more comfortable.

parts?? heck, this list, 928 intl, devek, 928 specialists, etc etc, no problem getting parts for the 928.
mk

Drmark

No comparison between 928 and C4 consumption - having owned both I can vouch for the fact that the C4 will do 22 - 26 mpg while the 928 rarely gets above 18 mpg (at least in my hands). Very different cars and driving experiences - share a badge and that's about it. Both need expert mechanics.
Nice choice to have though!
Mark

hawk993

Bias aside, I think you should go with your heart. If you really want a 928 and get a 964, you will always wish you had gotten a 928 and vice versa. We can debate 928 vs 911 all day, 6 cyl vs 8 cyl but the 911 weighs a lot less than the 928 etc...but what do you really want?

As far as MK says, yes tons of parts are available(I use DEVEK myself) but can you do the work yourself? I would get the model that you really want.

ebs

I am not a 911 expert, but 964s are known for oil leaks and head studd problems, aren't they? There is some relatively major design flaw that has needed to be attended to - usually outside the warranty period from what I've heard. Look into this issue as many cars would have already had this problem attended to.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll love whatever you buy. I love both of my Porsches but would welcome a 911 into the family tomorrow if I could. I still think the front engined cars provide much better value for money.