FRporscheman

My dad wants to sell the 928S. Just 2 months ago, we finished a decade-long restoration involving engine work, frame work, body work, retrofit/update work, and general diagnosis and repair of several nagging problems. As it is now, the car is running perfectly, has fresh black paint and mostly everything works as it should. There are still some loose threads to tie up but for the most part it's resurrected.

Some of the things we did during the project: TB/WP, PS rack, tie rods, radiator, tranny (x2), alternator (x2), odo gear, sunroof, 8,296 relays and fuses, vacuum lines, coolant tank, fuel pump (x4), frame repair, and a full repaint.

Some of the remaining problems: needs alignment (I just learned the deal with aligning a 928... no wonder the shop I took it to was so confused), needs a replacement antenna, rear wiper broke, etc.

Anyway... He wants to sell it, because the paint came out not perfect. He wanted it to shine like glass... well we can wet sand it until it does, but he doesn't believe me and has totally lost interest. After a decade. Ugh.






OK part 2 of the title - the S4. I did most of the work on the 928S, and I was driving it for a month. I always felt like I had a small stake in owning it. But I wanted an S4 (or wanted my dad to have an S4 so I could play with it) and I've found an S4 I'm thinking about buying. Doesn't seem like a bad idea, except of course the fact that I'd have to start eating Top Ramen to allow the purchase.





And part 3 of the title - who said 'vette???
My dad's friend just bought an '85 Corvette C4 - glass gloss black, 20" chrome wheels, absolutely mint and babied from day 1. My dad likes it so much he wants to buy it from him! When he told me, I was like

"whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa .....whoa ......whoa .............whoa ..............................whoa. No."

He's a 928 man, or so I thought. Unfortunately, I'm awful at making good arguments and stating my case when it really matters, so please give me all the real, factual reasons why a corvette c4 sucks and is inferior to a 928. Please don't tell me about the design, looks, etc - subjective things. I want objective points, like it can pull more lateral Gs, blah blah.

THANKS!

944kid

I think you should send him away for a weekend and wetsand the 928S while he's gone. When he comes back, spring the surprise on him in an "oh look, it's the 928S looking great. Does something look different to you?" kind of way.

Just maybe, he'll see the error in his ways. (Corvette.)


Sincerely,

Rick Carter

Have him go on a Corvette forum and get some info on the 85.

Charley B

Could this be a case where if Dad had just finished a 10 year project on the Corvette and saw the 928 he would be saying, "Wow, I'm gonna buy that 928"?

TheDon007

Tell him if he gets the Vette, he will have to grow a mullet and wear a wife beater shirt to drive it around town.

The 928 simply exudes cool, refinement, and taste. Plus I have seen several that can suck the paint off of a vette.

worf928

Where's blown87? He's got a C4.

fraggle

Corvettes are for old men with no taste. Just look around at the drivers.

Stick with the P-car.

I agree - send him on a trip somewhere and wet sand the car for a surprise.

Cliff Ruckstuhl

On any given weekend driving to the Mall he will see 5 Vettes on the way there and 5 on the way Home. The only 928 he will see will be the reflection of him driving it BY shop widow's.


Cliff 87 S 4 Auto

Charley B

By Wolf Pack Jeez, you could could kill a widow that way.

JHowell37

Well for starters, if he gets rid of it, he'll lose his shirt on the deal. Unfortunately, 928 values don't make them worthwhile candidates for restoration unless it's something you really want to have and do.

If the paint hasn't been wet/color sanded, then it's not shining at it's full potential and probably doesn't look very good. If you read most paint tech sheets, color/wet sanding is a specified step in the process.

Early C4 Vettes kind of suck. For starters, the '84 and '85 models have a ****ty F.I. system that was so bad even GM gave up on it after a few years. Its proper name is "Cross-Fire fuel injection" but is usually referred to as "misfire" or "cease-fire." Those cool glass tops probably are being stolen with the same frequency as they were just a decade ago, but they still suck in their own right. That removable top takes a long time to remove because it bolts in. It bolts in because it's actually a structural member. So in removing it, you're removing structural rigidity. This brings us to another issue with the C4. Getting in and out of a C4 cannot be done gracefully because they have these enormous doorsills to try and compensate for the car being so loose and sloppy. There is no comparison between a C4 and a 928 when it comes to structural rigidity. The C4 will flex and groan over every single bump in the road. Hit a pothole with the glass roof out and you'll be able to watch the windshield move. If he absolutely must make the switch, he'd be much better off with a later model C4 with the LT-1.

heinrich

Get into the nicest one. Get out onto the freeway alone, no cars around. At about 45mph or maybe a little less, drop her into reverse and wait. Call dad ... he'll keep her while you guys spend another 6 months fixing it.

FRporscheman

That is the truest and most logical thing I've read today. Thanks!

I agree the C4 is stupid and the 928 is too cool to even compare it to, but the fact remains my dad is putting them on the same scale. He has test driven corvettes before, and he always told me they are absolute junk in every way except looks. I wanted to have some nice ammo next time I argued with him, like "dude/dad, if you get a vette, you will have to replace the ****ty FI every 3 days".

heinrich

great baby pic in your sig

hacker-pschorr

I know just as many Corvette owners as Porsche / 928 owners. There are very few differences between the two. In fact, I know far more Corvette owners who are avid autocrossers & DE participants than 928 owners.

Any pre 93 C4 better be pretty damn cheap since the later C4's are much better cars and selling for about the same as an S4.

FRporscheman

It's great, I drive the 968, my dad the 928, and my mom the 944. I guess the cars we drive say something about us after all.

And my brother has a VW... the odd man out but still part of the family.

I've tried to take my dad to autocrosses, but his car was never working. And for some strange reason, he has great disdain for any 944. I think he even dislikes my 968! He's definitely not the type of person that would autocross on his own - it'd have to be because I dragged him along. Also, he'd never use a forum or go to a club event. He just likes cruising and showing off solo.

I might do some research on C4s (however much it may pain me to read about nonporsches on the internet). I don't think my dad wants a 'corvette' as much as he wants 'that sexy black car, right there'.

Thanks for all the input guys.