H2

Shane is right about Autowerks. Leif knows 928s as good as anyone. Hard to book and has more work than most but there are no secrets for him on the 928. I've dropped a couple thousand or so on him...before I got the courage to start doing a lot of the work myself. For complicated stuff, he's very knowledgeable. He recently helped build Don Hanson's race 928 engine...and if that holds up, we'll really know just how good he really is. Don is like greased lightening on the track and will wring all from the engine that it's capabe of. There are a couple of other 928 capable mechanics in Seattle. However, I've not found one (yet) in Eastern Washington who's as good. I dropped money on so-so mechanics in my area and finally gave up and trailered my car to Leif. In one case, the belt light went on shortly after leaving the shop in Spokane and the AC belt came off!

Compared to the labor, 928 parts aren't bad. Try pricing parts on a new Audi. Some of those aren't too cheap either.

Harvey

jserio

Blazin, Welcome and GL. I hope you get a good solid piece of machinery. The 928 is as solid as they come inside and out. If you buy a seriously neglected one then expect trouble and money. If you get one well maintained like one from member owners who did a lot of work themselves then you can expect many happy miles. I have 207k on mine and it still stomps like no ones business. The cars are inexpensive themselves because most people like bringing their cars to their mechanics to fix them and yes labor on these cars is very high for a reprutiable mechanic. And most people want the security of owning a newer car. Like other say, " Learn to do most of the work yourself and own an awesome exotic cars that out performs most cars today". My car is hot. I enjoy every single time I drive it. Most work on this car is nothing more them time consuming becasue you usually have to go through 10 things just to get to one thing. That is where the expensive labor costs come in. Just my 2 bits.

m21sniper

"but the reality is that they were a $100k car and they dont realize the running costs are about the same for a Ferrrari."

Nonsense.

Flat nonsense.

jcb928

"but the reality is that they were a $100k car and they dont realize the running costs are about the same for a Ferrrari."

How many $100K have $6.00 oil filters?

SharkSkin

$6K for a timing belt + Water pump? Jeez... line up two cars and I'll fly up and do 'em both in a weekend for that.

Nicole

$6k is when the timing belt slips and the top end has to be rebuilt. Actually, then it's a little more I would guess. But the idea of maintenance is not to let it come to this.

Nobody has ever told me of even a $2k timing belt - my last one 5 years ago was about $1200, mainly because some of the bolts sheared off and had to be drilled out of the engine block.

The values of the 928s are partly that low because of rumors and BS people tell about them. Few actually know the car, few have ever driven one, few realize it might not be the best Porsche (in the sense of what 911 owners expect), but it's a better CAR than a 911...

Come to the Sharks in the Hood event in September and meet shark owners, talk to us about your concern and hear what our experiences are.

Or consider getting the 928 Used Car Buyers Guide - a $20 investment that can save you thousands by helping you pick the right car. I currently have one in stock at www.hookedoncars.com, and more are on order.

One last thing: Once you have a good 928, you will never want anything else... As us how we know!

Best of luck!!!

Daniel Dudley

My first 928 was a nightmare. I bought a pretty car, and the first mechanic did work that didn't need to be done at twice the price, leaving a lot of things undone. The second mechanic wond up having to do things over and over, and the well known company from Chicago that rebuilt my tranny did such a poor job that it now needs another rebuild - it was better before they touched it. One of the best shops in NY who do 928s all the time told me that they do not reccomend the 928 in general. I now have another car, and another mechanic who loves the 928 ( David LLoyd ). A well sorted car is a joy, but the happiest owners buy good cars and pay to maintain them or do the work themselves. These are not simple cars or cheap to maintain. A great car yes, but not cheap. The trouble free car is atypical, because they sell so cheap that owners who can afford them rarely have the cash to maintain them properly. Small problems build up, and the cars just keep going, being sold on and on until some poor soul decides to fix it right. As with all cars, it is better to find a good car with a good service history. You need to love these cars to own them, and I would reccomend buying a car from a true enthusiast from this site or the owners club... Of course YMMV. Having said that, once sorted a 928 should be as reliable as any porsche and reasonable to maintain. Getting there is the trick.

FlyingDog

Even better than I thought.

IcemanG17

$6k timing belt...only if it broke! I would say that 928's are expensive to maintain (in comparison to a honda)....but are far more reliable and cheaper to maintain than a Ferrari (no scheduled $10K engine out service on a Porsche). If you do the work yourself (a daunting idea, but not so bad once you start doing it....I did) its not that expensive. A well maintained & documented 928 will cost more intially, but save you thousands in the long run. By todays standards they are still very cheap....a really nice S4 (87 & newer) can be purchased for $14K & up....that might buy a base honda civic today! Anything with near 928 performance (nothing close to refinement) will cost around $25K (some turbo FWD 4 cylinders or a mustang V8) but don't have the luxury of a 928? Just remember to set aside some $$$ for repairs (more if you don't do your own work) and you'll be fine! My advice is find a properly running local 928 (lots of them here) & ask for a ride! You won't regret it!
Brian

Big Dave

Poster child do-it-yourselfer here...

1. Prior to owning a 928, I had no car repair experience. Zero.
2. Rennlist is a VERY valuable resource....the best 928 mechanics in the world are here, in my opinion.
3. I was able to rebuild my own engine by myself using this website and the workshop manuals following a timing belt failure for less than $2,500.
4. Do your own work. It's cheaper and you'll know it's being done correctly.

T_MaX

I hate Trolls that know nothing about cars!

If you have to ask,...!



Yea, ok, right

BlazinBWF

I have never worked on any of my cars before. I would love to learn how but I am not really sure how to go about it. Dont you need expensive tools and a lot of time? I will look into a 928 S4 some more but I am pretty sure if I work on one I will cause more problems than cure.

kshipp

Dave, that just blows me away! Very impressive. One of these days I'll get there.. My issue is time....I just don't have enough of it to do the things I (need) want to do.

m21sniper

A basic metric tool kit and time are all that's required for the majority of 928 service procedures.

As far as not knowing, between 928s4vr, rennlist, and the nichols do it yourself site, almost everything you need to know is out there for free.

cobalt

I have to agree with Nicole on the price of timing belt work. A friend of mine just had his GTS's belt changed and it cost about $1200 although it took them 6 weeks to complete the job. The other expense you need to consider is that it needs to be checked after 2k miles which is another expense for about $3-500.

No offense but I cannot agree with this comment. I have owned a few 911's over the years and only 2 928's. My 94 turbo cost $115k brand new and the GTS which had more options only 3 months earlier build date cost $92k. In 94 that was a big chunk of change. I admit IMO the 928 was a much more expensive car to build than the turbo but to say one is better i have to question. The 94 turbo is an exceptional automobile if not one of the best Porsches ever built IMO. The GTS is an outstanding car but it is still one step behind the turbo for pure excitemant and driving input. Both are uniquely different and both excel in their areas of expertise even 13 years later.

The Turbo is simply a raw sports car as sports cars should be. It is rough riding is a waste on open highways and is at its best on back twisting roads. It can run circles around the 928 GTS. It handles better, responds quicker and easily out accelerates it in every aspect including top end. IMO it is one of the best sports cars ever made and I wouldn't trade it for any modern sports car built today.

The 928 on the other hand is a GT. IMO It is quite simply the best GT ever made. It is far heavier than the turbo, although roomier it has less storage space. The car is incredably comfortable, user friendly and is a pleasure to drive anywhere, anytime, it is simply a great car. It can be pushed hard or driven slow, it has gobs of torque and a manual can feel like an auto in heavy traffic.

To say which one is a better is just not fair. It is like comparing apples and oranges. They are both great cars each in its own right and I feel very fortunate to have the privilege to currently own a perfect example of each. It all depends what you need from the vehicle. For an all around car yes the 928 is better. For a sports car the 911 is better. What is best is up to the individual driving the car.

After working on both I would say they are comparable. They can both be a PITA. Yet very rewarding when the job is done. The timing belt is an issue but no more so than a valve adjustment on a 911 engine. Any good mechanic should be able to handle everything external on these cars. But like the turbo you want an experienced 928 guy to work on the internals. A well maintained 928 is no worse than a well maintained 911. You will find that because of the $ value of these cars that many non-enthusiasts that may have owned them cut corners on maintenance or did poor home modifications that can really cause huge expensive problems but if maintained properly these cars are no worse than any other Porsche.

Good luck in your search. Do your research find a well maintained car and have a PPI done by a qualified mechanic and you should be set to go. They truly are great cars and the world lost something that may never be recreated when Porsche cancelled production.