Jim Nowak

Look for another 928 or get the SEC. I own both and without a doubt the SEC will be much, much, much less expensive to operate than the 928. I like my 928 more than my SEC but the 928 is more costly to maintain and is not as dependible as the SEC.

G Man

At the very least I would see if you could get the currnt owner to put in a new battery and start it up. Or you could borrow one from another vehicle you own to put in to start it up. Hopefully the gas hasn't turned to varnish. I would want to hear it run just to verify the timing belt is not gone and the motor is OK. Sounds like you are ready to jump in there and get dirty. If it runs OK I would go for it.

tv

As a daily driver for basic transportation you put on the worst type of miles, brief trips, stop & go, heavy traffic. These are the worst on the engine and expose your car to more possible damage. Sure there are exceptional owners that maintain it under these conditions but not many.

Personally though I think it has the chance to change your view of the 928. Instead of driving it hard it becomes a grocery getter stumbling along with all the hondas. I've read a number of people here who lose or never feel the specialness of a 928, It was built to blast along at speed and take curvy, demanding roads with ease. Thats where it comes to life.

I drove mine yesterday and like every other time i drive it, I redlined it many times under kickdown acceleration and let it live. You just can't do that on the way to the piggly-wiggly.

I would bet that 9 out of 10 beaten and tired looking 928's were/are daily drivers. Take a drive in my euro and you will know what a perfect running 928 feels like and LOOKS like.

UKKid35

Since the current owner ran the car a year ago, there must be coolant in it, but if it was stored with coolant in it then you will have to assume that the head gaskets are on borrowed time. They are no fun to replace, as it's an engine out job on the early 32v cars. Not much fun on the later cars either...

slownrusty

Guys - I greatly appreciate all the feedback and comments. My girlfriend was also interested to read these comments late lastnight before calling it a night - she was impressed with the camraderie of this forum. She has been awesome and told me if I really want to buy the car then "go-for it". She also thinks it a beautiful car.

To clarify the car is a Euro Spec car, it has no cats on it at all.

Over the course of the next few weeks I will go by and take a look at the car at more depth and take some pics to share with you all.

I appreciate all the comments about it not being a "good" daily driver and I guess I am torn somewhat. I do not spend much time driving in city traffic, luckily 75% of my driving is done on the Interstate.

We'll see....again I have no problems walking away from this car if it does not check out....

Best regards - Yasin

Imo000

That’s not so. I replaced the head & gaskets on my ’85 32V with the engine IN the car. It’s a bit tricky but doable. I sent this message out once and saved it in case it’s needed again. Here is how I did it.


I removed both heads with the engine in the car on my ’85 4 years ago. Both heads had the exhaust manifolds left on during the removal. The exhaust was disconnected at the end of the manifolds (3 bolts. The passenger side came off without any problems (some of the AC and coolant lines need to be moved a little). The driver side needed a little more attention. The steering coupler has to be removed. This is simple to do, only a few nuts and bolts are holding the part in place. The cylinder head nuts are simple to remove too. The difficulty is when the actual head needs to clear the last bottom stud (fire wall side) on the driver side. The power break booster will interfere a little with the cylinder head. The last stud is about 1.5-2mm too long to easily clear the booster. I used a thin piece of plywood put between the booster and the cylinder head and used some wedges made out of 2X4 to increase the gap between the last stud and the cylinder head. With a little force the engine will tilt just enough to clear the head and the head will slide out.

Upon installation I ground down the last stud by 1.5-2mm. This made the top of the stud flush with the nut when it’s all tightened down, and will not compromise the strength of the stud in any way. Porsche should have done this in the factory, instead of telling the mechanics to remove the engine.

With the stud modified, the cylinder head slides in like butter. Again, some people argue that it’s not possible, but if you use my directions the heads will come off. I did all the work on my 928, so this method is 100% confirmed as a fact.

Chris Lockhart

TV, I think you're out in left field on this one. I have found that 928's that were driven regularly, to be in better condition, and especially better running condition than ones that are driven occasionally. My '89 GT has been my sole mode of transportation for 6 years, and has been one of the most reliable cars I've EVER owned. Yes, I do try to keep up with preventive maintenance, and I generally take good care of her, but I also drive it like I stole it. IMHO, the more a 928 is driven, the less likely it is for gremlins to creep up.

UKKid35

Thanks for correcting me, the last thing I wanted to do was discourage someone from attempting a doable repair. My main intention was to draw attention to the probable head gasket issues in this particular car, I hope I'm wrong there too.

Jim bailey - 928 International

You can be sure that the mechanical aspects are just as neglected as the car covered in dirt,dead battery ,flat tire. The coolant and oil could easily be ten years old, the A/c compressor has probably not turned for years and it is doubtful it will , The timing belt service MUST be done ! This car is a project and as such should be significantly less than a running , driving car. And even then most new 928 buyers can easy find $2,000 to $3,000 of immediate repairs and average another $2,500 to $3,000 per year keeping the car as it should be.That can be significantly less if you do all your own work but that is difficult if the car must be your everyday transport. Owning a 928 for many is owning a hobby filled with untold hours of fun and involvement cleaning ,fixing and sometimes driving. There are a lot of 928 sitting languishing in garages because the current owner is not willing to take it back to a repair shop because their last experience was far too painful so the car gets parked and nothing gets fixed yet things continue to deteriorate. I personally have sold more parts for 928s than just about anyone and am more than willing to help you save this 928 but think it important that you not be too optimistic. Sure it could come to life with a wash polish and battery but what if it does not ? The tires are dead no matter what they look like if more than 5-6 years old.

Imo000

Actually you were more correct than you think, cause the repair manual states that the engine needs to be removed for head removal. However as you can see, this in not necesarry!

tv

Maybe Chris, but i'm sitting in one helluva mint euro. My definition of non-daily driver is 1 or 2 days a week driving it just for drivings sake on open streets for at least a decent period of time. I can't show you all the other comments i have seen in the past pointng out the downside to daily driving but here are some;

Sitting in big city traffic on hot days watching the temp rise HEAT BUILD-UP on an aluminum engine, If a 5 speed all the clutch wear and tear from stop and go, drivers side bolster wearing out from all the ins and outs, and what kills the "look" of one - time in direct sunlight. Not to mention all the extra break wear and potholes.

Maybe my thoughts apply more to densely populated areas but i would prefer one driven harder and faster with fewer start-up, warm-up cycles. I thought most damage to an engine happened in the start-up process. 2 928's of the same age 1 a daily driver and 1 a fun mobile; the DD might have 1200 start-ups/year vs 150 on the fun mobile. Ignition switch wear, LH brain and electrical system shocks etc, oil breakdown, carbon build-up (not for you though).

Its just my preference not some law you have to follow.


PS: I also open the hood after I drive to let the heat dissipate and to look at the polished spider.

Imo000

These cars were designed and built to be driven on a daily basis and not to be constantly babied. If I get a stone chip or two, so be it. It's much more fun to drive the car than too just look at it. To me a car with a "caracter" tells me that the owner actually uses it for what it was intended for. My '85 mechanically is in excellent shape, but the paint is a bit tired. She's a littel rough around the edges, much like me. Then again, I only drive mine on the weekend too!

tv

on the autobahn at 150 with that wind rushing thru the tiny opening cooling the huge V8.

Imo000

I disagree. That opening is really not that small, on top of this, the radiator is HUGE when compared to other cars.

Despite popular belief, Germans don’t ONLY drive on the highways, at +150mph, all day long. Majority of the drives don’t go past the middle lane when driving on the Autobhan. Also, large percentage of “vehicle kilometres” occur on regular collector and arterial type of roads with regular speed limits, much like here in North America. The 928 was designed to operate well in low and high speed alike.

tv

Don't convince me, just convince my engine! I suppose they went to 2 electrics for looks.