Jim - not intending to present as statistically sound.

Merely trying to offer a POV thus far, as a new entrant into the 928 world. Having asked similar questions and after ONLY 6mos, I have already accumulated this impression. Hopefully, Sfierle can get a feel for what new encounters await him, from an "I don't know very much about 928's" perspective, and take an honest assessment of what he is willing to put into ownership to help determine if the complete picture floats his boat.

 

It seems like the board is unanimous in saying.......go for the 944. I can't believe we are saying that, but its the right choice. Part of the problem as I see it is that you only plan on driving the car 1000 to 2000 miles per year. That in itself can lead to all kind of niggling problems. The more you drive these cars the more reliable they are. But if you do decide to go with a 928, come back and keep us posted.

 

Wow, all these folks are saying exactly what I was going to say. Buy an early $6k car, prepare to spend $300-1000 on parts, and a few weekends getting dirty. A good investment? Only if you really want a 928. If a four banger will do, go the 944 route. If not, prepare to pay the piper.

I say go get the best Miata you can find for $5k and save $1000 for mods. When you can spend a bit more, sell the Miata and move up. I've had a 928 ofr a bit over two years, and I found an exceptional deal. I still spent almost $2k over the last two years to get it pretty nice. I could spend another $4k making it real sweet. A $6k 928 is not going to be turnkey, unless you are very, very lucky.

Doc

 

I, like Heinrich, have a 6k 928 that has quite a bit done to it to make it turn key for at least another 45k. At that point, a new timing belt, some rollers, and a water pump would do for changing.

The 944 route is NOT cheaper as much as some h ere would say. It is a slow, less-then-par car that has TWO complex belts spinning around the front of the engine instead of just one. The belt rollers have excentric centers, and they are quite small and finicky.

All that work, and I better get something out of it. The 944 will be resoundly trounced around these great roads of ours (in turns or not) by any Current family sedan made by honda, acura, toyota, or Nissan.

My 85 Euro auto is turnkey and quite quick. Just did the pan gasket, mms, brakes, rotors, pads, brake lines, brake bleed, coolant hoses, sway bar bushings, cleaned the lower a-arms, and it will have an alignment. Oh, and it has a rebuilt rack, and new tie rods (inner/outer). A couple seals. New fuel lines. Fuel pressure reg. New vac lines. It has a nice Jager tip shifter.

The door lock is a bit screwed up from an attempted break in. Some paint is missing from the fender edge on the driver's side.

95k miles or so.

There are probably dozens of other cars that get sold and change hands just like mine and H's that simply don't get talked about. Ebay isn't the most wonderful example, and the internet, though a very large community, is still not the end all be all.

Good luck with your search, and I think you should buy what you would enjoy.

 

sorry to somewhat agree with most folks here on this one, if you can't wrench, and have limited funds, the 928 is probably not for you... factor in that the last thing you want to do is let the car sit, you're asking for trouble
that aside, the 944, while somewhat less expensive, has it's own inherent problems
timing chain tensioner failure, double belt hassles, bad design on cylinder 2.... and god forbid you have to change the clutch........ and to be honest, the parts aren't THAT much cheaper

 

For $6k total........any P-car is risky.....even 944's can get very expensive quickly if a couple things go wrong (since you don't turn your own wrenches).....in 928's you would be looking for a decent early OB (old bugger-original body) at best....its hard for any 20+ year old car to be reliable...but since you are not looking for a daily driver it is possible...my advice....go have a beer with Andrew and company...they will have plenty of great advice for you + could help you fix any 928 you might buy in the future (a few beers investment will pay great dividends in the future!!) Plus you can probably go for a ride in a couple different 928's to get a feel for the cars!

 

Well said Brian(Ice)...........The Michigan Owners are a really great bunch of very 928 savy guys. You can't ask for a better group. Experience galore..........and they have nice garages too ...... just ask Andrew about the...(garage mahal)...lol..........You won't regret hanging with those guys..........

 

Brian,
Man 6k is a hell of a deal for that car after all the stuff you have done to it. I paid 6k for my 79 Euro and have been up to my eyeballs for the last two weeks doing all the needed maintenance. I still have the half shafts and fuse box to do at another time. In my experience though, I haven't had so much fun in years. I have been in the garauge until 4am on some days. Hope to start it up on Sunday. If I hadn't already bought mine, I would jump all over that 85.

Good Luck
Frank Barnhill

 

Sold my Early 911 for 1/3 more than I bought my 88 S4 for, what shocked me was the insurance is costing me 3 x's of the early 911 because of the "replacement cost" associated w/the parts etc. of the 928 vs. early 911. It was a surprise I was not ready for from my regular carrier, now searching for other avenues of insurance.

 

Insurance on my 928's is the same as on my Fords. Very little.

 

Try to look at it this way: What did a 928 cost new? What could you drive for that cost today adjusted for time and inflation? A 996? A 997? What do you expect maintenance costs on such cars? What is the price of not doing needed maitenance? Consider the speed potential of the car and then consider the "price" of not keeping the car maintained? This car is in a different league. I doubt it is meant to go to and from church. Is that the kind of car you want and will drive only a few miles a year?

I bought my car for $6500. Bargain right? And then drove it from L.A. to San Francisco area the same day. With a smile. But under that smile was a realization the the PPI only skimmed the surface, and I stopped en route at Jim Bailey's store to buy some parts that inspection missed. I installed them that night in the motel parking lot all the while cussing out the PPI joker who didn't know how to make the interior lights and many other things function properly. ( I had paid him without ever seeing his shop to correct some items discovered in the PPI, and he botched that up also.) I won't tell you how much has been invested since then, but the potential of this car demands some of this stuff. It is or should be routine, or you should get a concours garage queen and forget about driving it. Hey, last week I discovered a screw in one front and one rear tire. After changing two rear tires, patching one front, and balancing all of them I was cleansed by about $350.00. But I would not do it any other way considering my driving habits. Another ouch is the AC compressor which I trashed in ...a remote state....at rather compromising speeds as I bottomed out. Cost: $1200 + after all discharge, recharge, replacement unit, mounting and adjustments, etc. and time. Hurts. But it was a fun run ! You play, you pay. And pay, and pay, and pay.

And what has rationality to do with all of this anyway? If you were so rational, why wouldn't you buy a Prius and put all your money into some sound investments, or move to a city with a good mass transit system and save the planet? Because you would then need a shrink to keep sane, and the money would go to him anyway.

Aw, just go drive the 928 and the 944 and then decide. You'll find the money somewhere. And cut out all this analysis paralysis. Save some cash for a Valentine One, 'cause you'll need it with either car. Happy motoring.

 

I'll echo the thoughts above about upkeep. If you strain your budget to pick one up for $6K, what happens when it needs a $1500 repair?(easy if you pay labor). If you have to let it sit for 6 months while you find the money, something will suffer from sitting -- you may find that after fixing the one issue, you now have a main seal leak, a PS leak, your AC no longer blows cold....

Letting these cars sit kills them. If your budget is that limited you may fare better with a 944 -- though they are not necessarily cheap, it's easier to find people to work on them simply because there are more of them around.

 

I appreciate all the advice. Everything everyone is saying makes sense. I like that the 928 is more unique then a 944. I am afraid I would get bored with a 944, because of the fact is only has 150 hp (and a 951 would run the same in cost and maintance as a 928, I would guess). I can wrench some and can get help when necessary, but having two small children and working full time will make it difficult. I have driven both a 928 and a 944 before, both are a lot of fun to drive, but the 928 is my favorite.