4re308

Hey everyone, I'm a total newby to this forum. I have been a 928 fan since Weird Science times. I now have the chance of buying one, this particular car is a 84 928 S, it runs and drives, needs a timing belt service and a paint job. How intensive is the servicing on the car, and how costly are we talking?

I have always wanted a 928, I know there is no such thing as a cheap Porsche, but at the price this guy wants, I might not be able to resist.

Your thoughts?

AO

DO IT!

Al P.

just bought my first 928 (4th Porsche) and I really enjoy the car. If the price is right buy the car, but remember you will be spending a fair amount on maintenance. So if you do the math and you add the selling price and the imeadiate maintenance items that you will be doing before you can begin to enjoy the car (timing belt, brakes?, etc) and it adds up to the cost of a "better" car I'd think about looking for something in better shape.

Keep in mind that this advice comes from someone with four Porsches in his garage all of which were "rescued" and if I had the room and another came along I'd buy it in a heart beat and no I've never done the math and I don't regret any of my purchases.

My name is Al and I'm a Porscheaholic

deliriousga

What is this "considering" you speak of?

Buy the car if you can do the maintenance or have lots of money to pay someone else. The regular maintenance parts aren't too terribly expensive compared to other cars, but paying someone for the labor will kill you. For example, just did my own TB/WP change w/ rollers, idler, tensioner rebuild for $400 and the local P-car mechanic (not a dealer) quoted $1700.

Buy the car....you'll love it!

Good luck!

Shane

Spend a little time looking at the upgrades and aftermarket goodies that are available for the model year 928 you are looking at. Figure out where you would like it to be HP wise some time down the road, then add in the cost of getting that out of the car. Total it all up and you will see, most likely that you can buy a newer model year and be a little further towards your goal without doing a single upgrade.

SteveG

Can non-members search the forums, been so long I forgot? You may want to invest $17.95 just to find out more about the beast and what is available here. This question comes up all the time. Hard to tell from your description the real condition of the car and what you require.

0. PPI.

1. You don't say, how much wrenching can you do yourself? A shop will charge from $1000 to 1600 for the TB. Parts: belt, tensioner rebuild kit and water pump are less than $400 IIRC. This applies to most anything else it needs. Especially electrical or interior. Generally, they know little or nothing about the 928. Most here won't let a dealer (same reason) touch the car unless it is standard stuff like shocks and brakes.

2. Most put a couple thousand in it making up for overdue maint, then a couple thousand/year for several years before car is up to minimum.

3. Rennlist will enable you to do most anything you are capable of and some you didn't think you were.

4. Drive it or have the seller show you what it can do. If you don't love it, (or see what it is capable of when restored) you will hate it.

Opinions here are VERY biased. People don't hang around here if they don't love it.

deliriousga

So true!! I just did my first ever clutch job without a hitch, did the TB/WP with no problems and will tackle the interior restoration soon. Never thought I'd be able to do these things, but with the abundance of info here (plus a little common sense and patience) you can do almost anything the car needs as well or usually better than the mechanic you were thinking about using.

4re308

Thank you all for your responses! Hey John the shop I work at is in Cumming. You should come by sometime for a tour! Maybe you can come see the 928 once I take possesion!? If I do!

Jim bailey - 928 International

I highly recommend that you at least test drive an 87 or newer 928 before purchasing an older 928 which needs some immediate service and a paint job. Shane makes an excellent point about performance. The 84 will not be as fast/quick as your 951 nor should it cost as much to service as your 308 Ferrari , the electricals can be as troubling as your XJ6 maybe more so ,the gas mileage will be much worse than your GTI . Since your newest car appears to be 16 years old you should be very familiar with many of the issues of driving old cars. The high costs of dealer service has meant that many 928s get grossly neglected as subsequent owners buy one for what seems like a bargain only to get sticker shock the first time it goes in for service and they NEVER go back.... If you are looking for a hobby and enjoy doing your own work on your cars owning a 928 is an interesting ,fun experience but still has the opportunity to present you with significant obstacles to overcome. I often talk with owners with 200,000 -300,000 miles on their 928 (perhaps too often for some) and the basic engine drivelines are still going strong. Some people like "projects" others like to drive and some are content just to have one parked in the garage. The only reason why a person buys a 928 is because THEY WANT ONE ! There is no logical , rational reason to have one or an XJ6 or 308 Something about having one simply has to make you smile, make you happy ....and that is an emotion which we all know is not logical or rational.

heinrich

I second Shane and Jim. However, price will be different.

Randy V

Read through the 'New Visitor...FAQ' topic posted at the top of this forum.

All will be revealed.

Drmark

I'm new to 928s - bought my first last November - but am no deeply in love and now have two. A much loved recommisioned 87 S4, and a mint 95 GTS. Very different cars - the GTS was expensive but cheap when you consider what it would cost to get my S4 close to the same condition. Love them both though. Bottom line? Buy the best you can afford - you won't regret it in the long term.
He says hopefully! Anyone want a top notch S4??
Good luck

deliriousga

4re308-What's the shop name?

I'm with heinrich and Jim, drive the '87+ first. When I was looking, I wasn't concerned with year, then after some research I liked the changes in the '87 model. Drove an '84 auto and didn't like it much so I tried the '87 5speed and loved it. I don't know what you're looking at price wise, but for comparison my '87 was $10K and needed the TB change and plug wires. Paint is great, interior has no tears, just dye wear which I will fix soon and no dash cracks, just a few small ones in the pod. With the extras I've done I've spent about $2300 to bring her up to speed including a clutch so it's not too bad for such a great automobile.

If you want to drive an '87, let me know. Planning to have it back on the road after this weekend. I work in the John's Creek area so it'd be a quick trip up to Cummng for lunch if you're interested.

AJK

I just acquired a 79 and am about to start the referb. I went for it, so should you. The questions will start soon.

kary4th

AJK's right.

And AJK, now that you're here, there are three of us here from the Roch area.

I'm doing what you're about to start with a '78 Euro. I got it last summer. Let us know what you're taking on & how it goes.