deliriousga

Since being discontinued, it seems the 928 is an automobile that so many find "by accident" and not so much as new off the showroom floor, advertised to heck and back. I was wondering what the different stories are.

It was my "dream car" when as a teenager I first saw it in "Risky Business". Don't know if it was the car first or Rebecca DeMornay on the hood, but both were hot. I never thought I'd actually ever own one, though, since at 16 years old $70K was a fortune and all you thought was "It's a Porsche so it will never come down in price."

I hadn't thought about the 928 for a long time. My wife and I had been so busy keeping our heads above water being married at 19, first baby at 20 and second at 26 that it never crossed my mind except as a fantasy when I saw "Risky Business" on HBO.

After years of practical cars (able to avoid the mini-van altogether ) and the kids now being teenagers, we were finally in a position to get my wife a car she could just enjoy. She always wanted a convertible so we decided that's what she would get. She saw the Boxster one day and loved it and that "oh yeah, like we can afford that" feeling came about. We were mostly concerned about her fitting into a convertible since she's tall and it turned out there were only two convertibles with the leg room she needed. One was the Toyota Solara and the other the Porsche Boxster. I checked the pricing and found out a two year old Boxster was the same price as a new Solara. We drove the Boxster and she loved it so after looking awhile she got her speed yellow Boxster and was very happy. The PO told us it would not be our last Porsche and we would never want to be without one ever again.

We drove the Boxster for a couple of years and it was the best handling car I had ever been in. I read all of the articles talking about how there would never be a turbo Boxster because it was so well balanced it would out-perform the 996 and boy would they be PO'ed to pay twice the price for lesser performance. I thought that was the best drive I would ever have since, even if we could afford it, I wasn't willing to pay more than $30K for a car.

Then came last fall. I was driving my Jeep and the difference between it and the Boxster was very annoying, especially to passengers in the Jeep. One day I saw this beautiful black 928 in the Kroger parking lot and those feelings came back. I said to my wife "man that's a gorgeous 928, now that's the best looking Porsche they've ever made". She said "I don't know if I like the bug eyes." (Btw, it turns out that was John Pirtle's little beauty I saw at Kroger) I thought I'd love to have one of those, but don't want two car payments at once so I'll start looking and think about getting one when Lisa's car is paid off.

I started researching and decided I wanted an 32V '87 S4 or later and a 5-speed. I wasn't concerned with the color as I liked all of the colors I had ever seen so that wasn't a big deal. Then it turned out I could buy one for about the same price I could sell the Jeep. I asked the wife if she was ok with me doing a swap, sell the Jeep and buy a 928 and she said sure so off I went. I found a few 5-speeds and most were half-way across the country. The one I decided on was in Virginia so I rented a car, drove up there and picked it up and drove it home.

When I took the 928 to the mountains the first time I could not believe the feeling!! It handled as well or better than the Boxster and shoved you back in the seat!

Now every day I'm in the 928 I think "it just doesn't get any better than this". My dream came true and it has definitely exceeded expectations.

bcdavis

I had a lot of 280Z sports cars in my early car days, and I ended up getting too many tickets, and so I had to lay low for a while. So I got a boring car for 3 years, to get my record clean. Then I was in the market for a sports car again. All my Z cars needed massive amounts of customizing to make them look cool, and have enough power. So I decided I wanted a car that looked great and had enough power, without having to modify it. So I just started looking in the Sports Car Trader. I was looking at Eclipses, 300ZX, etc... And I came across the 928. It looks great. It has a V8. So I went looking. I drove and looked at several 928s, and some were horrible condition. But they were all fast. So I just waited around until I found a euro, that was in really good condition. Only one previous female owner. It was in such good condition, I bought it, even though the color was not ideal. But once I had the car, and drove it, I was sold, and kept that car for 9 years. It has been a blast to drive, very comfortable, and fast. It is the best handling car I have ever had. Such amazing neutral balance. But yes, I came across it by accident. I was looking for a fast, beautiful, practical car, with power, and I found it...

wds928

I always wanted a 911S (1973) or a 1970 914/6 when I was in high school. A neighbor had one of each (still has the 914/6, in pieces, maybe someday...). Had a BMW 2002 tii, '87 Mustang 5.0/5-speed, but marriage and kids relegated me to Honda's and Suburbans. After being divorced for a year, I decided the '89 Suburban needed some company. Drove a 1998 993 Carrera S, but the price was really steep. Was looking at a BMW 850i and the owner steered me a Roadfly.org, where I saw a gorgeous 1994 928 GTS. I was not looking at all at such a car. I was also toying with the idea of a new Mitsubishi Evo VIII, with 270 all-wheel drive turbo power. I just needed (wanted) something with WOW power. Drove the 928, drove the Mitsubishi, told the 928 owner that I was going to pass, then after weekend of really thinking about it, called him back and said I had to have his car. Got a good deal on it, for much less than a brand new Mitsibushi Evo. The bank agreed to finance 100% and I was the elated owner of a really, really cool car. I've driven the 928 over 20,000 miles in 20 months, but haven't put 500 miles on it since New Year's. I bought a third car in December, a Porsche collaboration with Mercedes, the subtle, understated 500E. Now it's my daily driver. Just need to get rid of some cooling fan issues and the 928 will be driven more regularly, which I've come to realize is necessary. With an RMB, gottta love the BWAAAAAA factor.

pewter82

I fell in love with the mystic of one after Risky Business and the movie Middle Age Crazy, I had posters of the cars on my Dorm room wall, and I always told people I would own one when I was older.
As fate had it we had an 82 traded in at the dealership and I bought it cheap. That got the ball rolling and I started learning more about them after that. Since then I've owned a S4 and a GT, now a GTS.
But the love affair is with the 928 as a whole, not a particular evolutional designation like S4 or GTS.

Normy

-When I was 12, I rode over to a friend's house to see what he was up to. In Drew's driveway was parked something that at the time I was sure was straight from Star Wars: a silver '78 928. I stopped my bike and just stared at it for 15 minutes. I didn't know anything about cars at that point, but this thing just about changed my life. For once, I was emphatuated by something without wings.

Fast forward 21 years: I'm bored with my Corrado, and run across a 928 for sale on Autoweb. I call the owner and decide to go look at it. It's in average condition and the owner is an epic *******, but the dash is in German, the car has some odd lights, and it is even a color that I kind of like. It's cheap, and when I "hammer" it up to speed on the I-75 onramp...it pins me in the seat like no other. Gotta have it!

Lately, I've had notions of moving up in the pecking order. Randy just changed to a GTS, and I've been bitten by the 5.4 bug too. 5 speeds only please, more on this later-

N!

fabric

I had always liked the 928, although it wasn't really on my list of cars I had to have. But about 6 years ago, my then girlfriend's dad got an '85 with an auto, and after driving it, I realized how great it was, and decided I'd get one someday, as I wasn't really in the position to get one then. About 2 years later, came across a 5 speed '85 that would have been a bargain, and nearly bought it, but a PPI quickly put the kibosh on that, and anyway the financial situation wasn't right - I needed the money for a ring. . So it was on the backburner again for awhile. I sort of decided I'd wait until I could afford a GTS, but turned out I couldn't be that patient. Someday, though.

So I guess I sorta stumbled upon the 928.

Rez

I wansn't even thinking about a 928. My future father in law had the 928 sitting in his driveway, neglected, flat tire.

He said Ryan you want it? It's yours just pay to tow it out of here. It's definately a restoration, but when it's done he'll wish he never gave it up.

nee.dragger

In the mid to late 70’s, I was bitten by the Porsche bug. Reading about 911’s, 930 turbos, 924’s and the new 928, for which the press was eating up, was what got my blood boiling. I wanted a brand new 1978 911SC, but couldn’t quite afford it at the time. So I bought a brand new 924.

A couple of years later, I decided to sell the 924 and buy a 928. Have always like the looks and everything I had read about the car. A friend of mine worked at the local Porsche dealership at the time, took me for a test drive. He drove out of the parking lot sideway, and needless to say, I was impressed with the car. I even drove it for a few hours, and my wife at the time, wanted it too. But it was still a little too expensive. Then a used 911SC came up for sale at a price I couldn’t pass up. So I bought it instead of the 928. Drove it for a few years and then got out of Porsches all together in 1988. Got back into sportbikes (motorcycles for the non-educated), and still am.

But early last year, I got an itch for a quick performance car. I didn’t want to fork out the 40 thousand plus for a decent performer. And I remembered how much fun the previous Porsches I had owned were like. But that test drive of the 928 really stuck out in my mind. Now that I’m a little older and more mature (yeah, right), I had a desire to buy a 928. I looked for 6 months in Autotrader and E-Bay for just the right car. Found it in Autotrader, only 80 miles away. I went to look at it, didn’t even drive it, but rode in it. It was more than I had remembered. Paid the owner cash, and drove it home that day. Now it sits in my garage, calling me to let it out to play every-so-often when the weather is nice.

86.5 red 928S, 5spd with black interior

Ketchmi

The first 928 I ever saw in person I thought was a 944 on steroids. (What can I say, I was a poor kid from N. Idaho and hardly knew what a Porsche was!) I have raced almost everything all my life and when I was looking for a new toy for street use, I started to compare the XJS, BMW 850 and the 928. One drive in an 86' was all it took. After finding out about their outstanding high speed stability and handling characteristics, I was sold. I can make anything put out some serious horsepower and considered the 928 a bit underpowered but couldn't get past the handling and appearance. I have now given up my career/business in electronics and am co-owner of Motorsport. Did I jump in with both feet? It's been 5 years of 928 ownership and probably an additional 1.5 years prior of searching for the right 928 (which is still on the trailer after my black ice excursion) since I decided it was the car for me. It's still the only car I've ever owned that I look back at when I walk away from it with admiration.

dr bob

Mine came to me following a discussion over lunch at a consruction site in the Philippines. Construction manager mentioned that he had the car, purchased with aproject bonus check, and now really wanted another MB. MB dealer laughed at him for thinking the 928 was a good trade, so the car went to storage and the guy went overseas. I looked on the 'net for prices, offered midway between retail and wholesale book, and we started the process. Meanwhile, I saw an OB in thrashed condiion sitting on the street, and decided that it probably wouldn't be that big a resto project. The porschfans and usenet forums clued me in on the TB/WP issues, so I had that stuff done before I picked the car up. There's some more interesting discussion around all this, but in the end I bought the car, sight unseen, paid with a cashier's check fedexed to the PO, made a deal with the dealer in Denver to pull the car from storage and do all the work to it, flew to Denver, picked it up from the dealer and drove it home to L.A.

Did I lust for the car? No.
Dream about it since I was younger? No.
Is it a good car? Yes, for the money.
Best time with it? That first drive home from Denver. Cruising throgh the rockies in the fall, big torquey V8 in a car nobody else was likely to have along the way, etc. I could have driven it straight home, except that the headlights were aimed up in the sky for some reason so I had to stop in Utah when it got dark. A little screwdriver work in the morning, a blast down to Las vegas on on to Los Angeles, the only problem was it was over too quickly. Oh well... Eight years later, it begs for some more long-mile touring.

I even enjoy maintaining it. It's therapy.

kary4th

I've always wanted to restore a 928. For whatever reason, it's the only Porsche I've ever really wanted.

My wife has known this since shortly after we met. When I saw mine on eBay, I asked her if I could bid on it. She said, "Sure honey, up to $1000," with that smile that only a wife can give. You know the one... she playing the generous & giving wife, knowing that it won't actually happen, and therefore won't actually cost her anything.


You should have seen her face when the auction ended & got my 928 for $960!!

Now that I've got it, she's hooked. She hangs out here (on Rennlist) more than I do. She (literally) can't wait for me to get it running. She'd like to buy a runner now - for her.

Daniel Dudley

I was at Musante Motorsport yesterday, looking at the poster of the 1972 L&M Porsche Can Am car, when I noticed that it was actually signed by Mark Donahue. I had that poster in 72, and 917s and 911s were THE CARS!!! I fell in love with the 928 right after it came out. However, in my hippie years it was not PC to have a V8, 4bangers and microbuses being all we could afford anyway. A few years ago 928s came up in a conversation about cars, and I ''lost'' one on ebay. The buyer must have been too savvy, for he turned it down, and the owner emailed me saying it was available. He was not that far away, and as fate would have it, I had business in his region that would take me right past his door. Fate ! Destiny ! I could hardly wait. The car was in a new garage under a cover. I was an 80, and it was gorgeous ! The battery was flat, so we pushed it out to where we could jump it. What a sound ! What an engine ! The car was so fine looking my hands were shaking as I walked around it ! The underside looked brand new. The battery was still so flat that the engine died while I was testing the power windows. They worked ! I couldn't take it for a test drive, for fear of stalling. Yes, of course it was perfect. My hands were still shaking when I handed over the check. And yes, it was an awsome car. But that's all for tonight kids, for there were storm clouds looming on the horizon, and I had not yet found Rennlist or BatJim...

F4GIB

Actually, I had never heard of a 928 until I saw it on Ebay. I thought "it's my 1960 MGA on steriods" (or, as I see it, the modern luxury equivalent - roll-up windows!). Rare and beautiful and just, just affordable. So here I am a Porsche owner.



It is a 1995 GTS.

crackerfeet

I always wanted a 911sc with a big fat whale tail when I was younger. Got edumecated and got a job, while leaving work one night I walk right past a brandy new 928 that a local doctor bought for his 18yr old son, still didn't take my mind off of the 911, even though it was a beautiful car. Life carried on, I was in no position to buy a new P-car and knew nothing about auto mechanics. Fast forward to 2004, learned some stuff when I decided to re-do my 23 yr old jeep (body and paint at home in the garage) finished it last summer then got bored. Started looking for a muscle car to redo till I found out that the prices on those were going sky high. While searching on autotrader, I decided to look up p-cars for s*!ts and giggles and was very very surprised to see that I could really afford one of these as easily as a muscle car thet needed body off resto. Looked at 911s then decided that although they were very nice cars they just seemed to be too "common" for an uncommon car. I then flipped the search to the 928 and when the page loaded I just froze and stared, remembering the car I walked right past years earlier. Almost in an instant I got the feeling I "got to have one". Searched for months, missed 2 by days. Kept seeing one show up on in diffrent web sites for sale but the price was "too low" compared to the others so ignored it. Subscribed to the list and went to classifieds and there it was, the same car the same owner, e-mailed, got transport, got car. Leaked coolant (posted for help) and needed tb/wp and tlc. I looked at the car for 2 weeks in the garage trying to find a way to tell wifey that I had to pay 1800 for tb/wp after I assured her the car needed nothing prior to buying. In the post for coolant leak I mentioned that I was going to pay for the first tb/wp job as I didn't feel confident that I could do it right, got a couple of confidence boosting posts to my link and started reading. For little more than the cost of a shop job I got a new radiator, tb, wp, service covers and a garage full of metric tools and got busy. I have only ever driven a Porsche once, when I finished the work. P-tender "I got to have another"

Paul D

I was looking for a project car... A 356 actually. My mom told me her co-worker has a Porsche for sale. I asked "what kind of Porsche is it?" She said "it's a white one." Anyway, one day I meet her co-worker and he says its a 928. I tell him I can't afford it. He says come out and look at it. So I stop by and there was this thing of beauty sitting in front of his house just idling. It sounded soooooooo sweet! I had never seen a 928 in the flesh before and was totally awestruck. I bought it right there. I didn't have a clue what the 928 was all about, I just knew I had to have it. Later I find out that it is a Euro S model with a kick-a$$ engine. It has been my therapy for 8+ years now!