mavfan

Tonight i had the fortune of walking by an auto shop with a mid 80's 928 (non S or S4)for sale. as stated it has 45k on the clock, it is auto and all they told me is that it would run, but then cut out and they'd have to clean the relay's contacts and it would run again but then cut out. the car is listed for $4500 and they suggested that the car would need all new relays and possibly fuel pump. all-in-all i'm a big 944 guy and dont know much about the problems of a 928, so what do you guys recommend? the body is straight, but its evident that its been sitting on the lot for a while, they said about 2 months but i suspect more.

edit: and BTW i forgot to ask what year it was and believe it to be a mid 80's because of that front lower valence lip thingy added to the later cars. also interior was pretty straight as well, but what kind of mechanical things should i be asking about? belts, leaks, etc.?

Nicole

It's worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

The question is: Will somebody want it?

That depends on the overall condition of interior and exterior - if the car had sun damage or is an ugly color, it's less likely for someone to jump on it. But if it is very nice and clean, it might be well worth getting back on the road. It'll probably need a few thousand in fixes from sitting too much, but in perfect running condition it could be worth up to the low 5-digits.

As Bob Doyle said when he was asked whether he prefers boxers or briefs:

Depends.

Mike Frye

Kirk,

No expert here, but you should do some more investigating. You want to know at least as much as the dealer on this one, preferably more. Find out the year (pre-'85 US and there's one type of engine, '85-'86 and it's another, '87- it's still another type, it could be a Euro or ROW also...).

As Nicole said, it's worth exactly what someone is willing to give the dealer right now, no more, no less.

rickjaffe

I think the car is worth at least $13,750 and I wouldn't offer him a penny less.
Sure, he's only asking $4,500, but these cars are horribly undervalued, and it's really worth at least two and a half times what the seller mistakenly thinks he wants.

I'm getting sick and tired of all this low-balling for such an amazing piece of machinery, and it's high time that us rennlisters do something about it by stepping up to the plate, putting our money where are mouths are, and actually start buying all these tragically underpriced cars at their real and true market value, especially these diamonds in the rough.

The car you're looking at cost new 50 thousand plus. It's only twenty years old, so anything under 20k is an absolute steal. $13750 is almost a crime. That doesn't include the premium most addicts would want to pay for an example like this which has had the benefit of aging outside (like road killl), and acquiring the patina of oxidation and disuse. Goodness, all the brittle, cracked and deformed hoses, rubber and tires are probably worth thousands of dollars (to replace).

As I write this, I realize that 13,750 just won't do. How much more? Not sure, but I'm sure the guying asking 70k for his GTS who is beating away guys who are begging him to take $120 k for his car would have a better idea. I say go for it; someone has to be the first to start making thinks right for all of us here, and I think you're the guy to do it.

minority opinion: why would you pay 4500 for a car which can't keep running for 2 minutes, when for the same price you can buy a car you can actually drive home? Maybe the guy is right about the cause, or maybe he's wrong, or maybe that's only part of the problem. Right now, the operative point is that it's HIS problem. And you're going to pay him money to make that piece of crap your problem? And you're not handy to boot? Big premium for a car with relatively low miles. Stick with a higher mile car which is driven frequently, where everything works and which you can actually drive out of the dealership.

good luck

Mike Frye

Rick,

Having a little sarcasm with our corn flakes this morning?

MGW-Fla

is that what it's called?

rickjaffe

As major ?? (robert duvall) might say:
"Ah I love the smell of sarcasm in the morning."

MGW-Fla

Bottom line if you're seriously considering a 928, especially if you're unfamiliar with what to look for, is to have a ppi done on the car by a mechanic with specific knowledge of 928s, not just any mechanic & not even just a porsche mechanic. A car like that could go from one end of the spectrum to the other, from being a decent car that just needs some basic tlc to a money pit that would make you hate the day you ever considered it.

MGW-Fla

oh yeah, & don't trust anything the people on the car lot tell you either! Serioulsy doubt they are 928 experts. Now if it was Willhoit, that'd be another story. If they are so certain it was just a fuel pump & some relays, they'd have had the work done & be asking even more $$ for it yes? Not that they'd tell you anything they thought you wanted to hear to sell you the car of course........

AO

I guess the question is, how much are you willing to pay? An intermittent fault could be as simple as a new relay, coil, or a number of other things. It just takes someone with the time and patience to track it down and fix it. The nice thing about an issue like this is that it's probably nothing too expensive (relatively speaking of course).

If they're asking $4,300 and the condition is decent (mechanical and cosmetic), I might consider offering them $3k as a starting point for negotiations and go from there, but then I'm pretty familiar with 928's and feel confident that I could find the problem.

Namvet

I paid 2K for my 84S, and think it a bargain.
Best to Ya!
Your Shot!.........

Daniel Dudley

45K is not too soon for the second gear syncros to have issues, the timing belt is probably an unknown, and if you can't drive it, who knows what else ? 3 thousand would be a generous offer, or they should get it running. I bought my 80 on looks and mileage, but could not drive it, and boy, did it need a lot for a low mileage car. The seller knew it too.

Are you looking for a project ?

docmirror

This sounds suspiciously like thrust bearing failure. It needs to be checked before any money changes hands. If the car will just die, and still crank, maybe not, but it has to be ruled out. Verify the condition of the paint and interior, the rest of the stuff is fixable as you go. Unless of course, you can do body and paint yourself. Like others, I would say $3k would be a good deal for it if he body and interior check out.

If you have them fix the quit problem, then the price would go up, but the way it is, you could have a bunch of other stuff wrong that could be very costly.

Any questions you ask of the lot would be useless, they haven't a clue about 928s. Just year. Look under the rear carpet for the build tag, and get the option codes if possible.

rickjaffe

seems to me the obviousa answer is to walk away and search elsewhere.

Charley B

Are you kidding me? WALK AWAY!!! The chances of that car actually having only 45,000 miles are slim on the one hand and none on the other.