Rixster is correct it is a 1980 USA spec the sixth digit in the vin 1 is USA ...the 78-79 the FIFTH digit 1 indicates Euro Row ....My error it is a USA spec car .

 

Someone above quoted $300 for a leather shift ****. Replacements that look original can be had for a lot less.

 

Dave,
Thanks for the photo proof (though I'd believe you anyway).

Last night driving ast night I was paying more than usual attention to my lights - because of this thread and - well - they do look like nipples...! I thnk its the full effect thing - pods & all. Never even considered it before....

I also thought the car looked more US spec - no obvious Euro feature & side markers front & back like US spec... a lot of work to change these if it started out a Euro...

Alan

 

From the pictures on 11-8 at 5:25pm on pg 1 it looks like the voltage is a bit low for a car idling without lights on, or possibly the AC on, or any other accessories (the Alpine remote is slightly obscuring the AC controller).

Rich

 

I just gots ta get inta this.

Several cautions have been advanced in this thread about realistically anticipating the maintenance costs of a 928, particularly an older one. If I were buying this car, knowing what I know now, I would pound that advice into my head. How many times have we all heard the "plan" that the entrance fee is "reasonable" for a car of this caliber, and the car will only be driven a few miles a year and then sold?

For starters, this was Porsche's flagship at the time it was created. Porsche builds superior GT and performance cars. This one cost considerably more than a modest price though still a bargain for its performance. Maybe $60k to $70k at the time (significantly more in today's dollars). If you expect to escape maintenance costs close to what Jim Bailey advised, forget it. Not going to happen unless you own and operate your own P car facility. Did you really expect to do that? At the risk of boring everyone else here, that's the problem with these cars that have depreciated to the point that people on VW budgets think they are such great buys and end up shocked at the costs of maitenance and then defer such care until the damn machine is trashed.

Second, once you drive this car, you will NOT want to get out of it. And if you have an economy car, you will sooner or later find reasons not to drive that in favor of the 928. I know, 'cause I have a Rabbit I said I would use in town and grocery getting, saving the 928 for occasional blasts cross country. Ha! Ha! Ha!
I am beginning to hate driving my Rabbit which I never thought could be so uncomfortable, and I have driven it across this nation more than once. No more. I lust for the 928 just to go to the gym and to listern to the rumble. There is no cure for this disease, not even buying a 911, or even higher gas prices. If you think you are being honest about keeping it for occasional driving, see a shrink; you are not being realistic.

But the advice to expect to dump $3000 dollars into this car the first year is sugar coated. If you must drop your torque tube or replace your steering rack you'll be shocked. This is not an economy car and it is not a good idea to operate this car in the manner for which it was designed to be operated without maintaning it properly. I put at least $7000 into mine within the first year and a half and guess what? I have a car that originally cost $70k to $80k that is in good condition for a price of much less than that and still capable of performing as it did when it was sold. What do you think it would cost you to maintain a new or nearly new 993, 996 or 997? And I'll bet that if you had one of those cars, you would prefer the 928. You won't realize that until after the 3rd or 4th hour at speed in it. By then it is too late. Drinking won't help. I suspect dope won't either. Unless you can have sex and grin at the same time for hours on end, it won't help either; most people simply come and go. Maybe a shrink will.

 

Many of us have different time zone settings... do you mean post #8 at 9:25am?

 

Sharkskin - Yes that one (post #8). It does look low though, yes?

 

Yes, it does, though I had to squint at it a bit -- mine is offset 90° CCW from the way it's oriented in that car.

 

I did not buy this car, I will fill in details over the weekend as to why as I just got back and it is late. Suffice it to say nothing drastically wrong, but several things not right and some items will need to be replaced sooner as opposed to later so the $$$ were only going to increase. Anyway details to come, bummed out it wasn't worth buying IMHO and seller even came down quite a bit, I just couldn't stomach what it would cost to get the car into the shape I would want it in.