Clint's 944

Hello everyone!

I am in the market for a new P-car and I have been interested in the 928. However, just about every website that has information on the 928 only seem to talk about the performance or the repair costs. Nobody seems to offer real world dependability or drivabilty. So...please help a fellow rennlister!

I am looking for daily driver, will a 928 fit the bill or am I asking for trouble?

What are the annual maintenance costs assuming a good to very good condition 928?


Thanks for any help you can offer!

Clint

Jim bailey - 928 International

Clint if you pay to have it fixed because you need it quickly so you can get to work figure $2,500-3,000 per year on average. If it has been neglected just playing catch up can easily be 25% of what you pay for the car. Blow a timing belt on a 32 valve for ANY reason and it is $4,000-7,000 before you have a car again, unless you can do the work yourself. About the only thing inexpensive about a 928 is that you can buy a used one for very little money. And the primary reason the resale is SO LOW is what it can cost to keep one running. The 928 is an exotic rare high performance "supercar" and the last ones sold ten years ago for about $100,000 when you are buying parts especially from Porsche they think you are still working on a $100,000 car. That being said there are 928s with 200,000 ;300,000 ;as much as 600,000 miles on the odometer. The only way to buy an older 928 is pay cash hold back an additional 25 % reserve and plan on making a monthly car payment to yourself into a separate bank account so that when the inevitable $1000 repairs pop up with a bit of luck you will have the money already set aside. I really do like the 928 ,have a couple, but there have been times I was very, very glad that I have other cars to drive. It also helps to have a "friend" in the parts business

rixter

great advice JB
also take into account your "daily" driving habits, if you are running around town all day gas cost can become a bit expensive, are you looking for a 5spd or Auto, personally I picked up an S4 for a more daily type driver vs the 5spd to avoid the constant shifting in traffic
a well maintained 928 is a great driver in most conditions, yearly avg for maint is in the $1-2k range, some years it will be a couple hundred and then the tb/wp years can run you on the higher end if you don't turn your own wrenches

Jim bailey - 928 International

Rixter I think you are an optimist ... you must remember I KNOW how much money a lot of 928 owners actually do spend on their cars , Like the recent call from an S-4 owner bought his 88 a year ago for 10k , put in a $1,000 stereo, had the auto trans fail his friend did a R and R that cost about $4,000 .... now the thrust bearing failed and the engine seized. His minimum to get driving is going to be $4,000-6,000 that is a quick $20,000 if he fixes it or he cuts his losses and dumps the car for $2,000- 3,000. I do realize that in your case you would dredge up a good block and with a moderate investment of time have a running car again. Most 928 owners do not have the time,place,tools,skills and desire to roll their own.

Jersey928Kid

Well I have had my 86.5 5 speed for a year now using it as my daily driver and I have racked up close to $4000 in repair costs or preventitive maintenence. Though that should decrease drastically now that I can do the remaining work myself. It's great as a daily driver if you live in a low traffic area, I have been able to get close to 20 miles a gallon when being liberal with the throttle.

Clint's 944

Jersey,

What kind of repairs did you make?

I do my own wrenching so I wouldn't take it to a mech unless it requires equipment I don't have or can't rent! When I bought my dearly departed 944, it took a few months and about 2k to put in back into reliable condition. After that, I had no worries about going on road trips or driving around town. However, I do understand that my 944 had half the motor of your 928's!

So, if I treated a 928 in the same fashion, could I expect the same level of reliability?

rixter

optimist? yes, guilty as charged
and I do know the $$$ folks put into these cars, I have TONS of $$$ in the 77 and it isn't done yet, one of the main reasons I sought out a larger space and some parts cars... and yes I am lucky in that I found both rather inexpensive

though I still believe that a well maintained 928 shouldn't cost more than $1-2k in AVERAGE per year to keep up... all models of cars have catastrophic maintenance failures and there is almost no way to avoid them

a good PPI and maintenance records will go a long way in avoiding many failures, best of luck to you on your decision

tammons

Buy a car with records and have it checked out thouroghly. I now work on my own cars, but the first 84 AT 928 I bought used had about 55k on it, in good shape and i figured I spent about $250-300 a month for maintenence tires and repairs. I did a few things myself later on, like water pump and brakes.

I usually expect to spend 1G on anything used in the first few months. With a 928 it could be more. Parts and service are expensive.

I drove my 84 for 3 years everyday and it never left me on the side of the road except for once when the alternator died and I did not notice.

I think a well mantained car with records is most important.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Jersey.."now that I can do the remaining work myself" It is not the remaining work which can get you but the unexpected,unknown basic upkeep of a 20 year old car. I can not tell you how many times I have had a customer say "I have replaced just about everything so what else could fail" only to have them call again in a month or two...and a month or two... and a month or two. You can not appreciate the shock and dismay I hear expressed on a daily basis by owners who are confronted with the costs of repairs. Perhaps that is why I really feel it is important to inform potential new owners what they may be buying into. If your needs are to get from point A to point B reliably and at moderate costs there are far better choices than a 928. If seek the thrill and excitement of driving a unique rare expensive automobile ,plan on paying for it. If you like to tinker a 928 project can keep you in the garage for YEARS !

m21sniper

"though I still believe that a well maintained 928 shouldn't cost more than $1-2k in AVERAGE per year to keep up... all models of cars have catastrophic maintenance failures and there is almost no way to avoid them"

I figure about the same.

I do all my own work though.

Brett Matthews

I personally know someone who uses an OB daily, with 380,000+ on the odometer.

I went from May '01 until last September '04, with less than $3k for all that time, WHAT a CAR! I've now put over $2k in parts/repairs, and she's still not yet running. I'll get there, Rosy's too much fun to let go!

T_MaX

Buy the best one you can afford! Than first thing out of the box, address all the repairs the PO's have neglected to do and all of the PM items.

Invest in:

1. 928 Workshop manuals (Paper or CD's by Jim)
2. Code scanner from jdsporsche.com (if applicable for your MY).

First year of ownership looks to be the most costly, as PO's tend to sell their cars needing work.

deliriousga

Basically, expect it to cost about the same as a monthly car payment to keep it up. If you have to go to a mechanic for all of the work, make it 2 car payments a month.

wds928

Workshop manuals, digital multimeter, Big 3 phone numbers in your cell phone, a major credit card. Actually. my 94 GTS was a daily driver until I bought the Mercedes 500E last December. Now the 928 is driven less often, but still runs reliably and recently turned over 128k miles. Maintenance is the key. When driven occasionally, really check and maintain the electrical connections to the battery and ground points. If you can wrench yourself, then the preventative maintenance stuff is more fun than a chore.

It is nice to have backup transportation though. I know for certain that the '89 Suburban will start any morning, even with 213k miles.

goliver

I use mine daily and it sucks down the dead dinosaurs. I average 13 MPG on a tank in my mostly in town commute. The thrill of driving the beast is worth it to me along with the care and feeding costs. It always cracks me up when in OT someone slams SUV owners for wasting natural resources. My '98 4X4 Expedition averages 14 MPG on my same commute.

If you do your own work and don't mind the occasional time without the car waiting for parts go for it. I firmly beleive life is to short to not have at least one 928 included in the list of cars owned when you reflect back on your life. They are that good.