Rod Underwood

Good luck and realize that he is asking top dollar for the car. I got one almost exactly the same with new timing belt about two years ago for "considerably" less. That said, if it's the car you want, the chance might not come by again.

We get these because we "want" them. That's reason enough.

Again, good luck!

Rod

Eclise

Ed: Good to hear from you, man. You got a link to the T-Shirts? I once had a 928 T-shirt, back in "the day." There is a Lotus meet up in Pittsburgh tomorrow. I may not be able to make it though, as my parents are in town. Would enjoy meeting you this summer.

Rod: Thanks for the kind words. This car has the most miles and is more costly than the others I am looking at; I will try to maintain composure!

michaelathome

Forgot, you may wanna take a look at bills car too if it is still for sale.

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/336795-for-sale-my-87-s4-a-t-77k-miles-13-500-a.html

Good luck!

Mike Frye

The 928 auto was designed to be used that way, it's not like you're laying rubber up and down the street, but if you're going to be paying that much for a car, you need to know that the tranny works the way it's supposed to, right?

If he doesn't drive it that way it's his fault, not yours.

Anybody got a quick reference technique for him? I have a manual, so I just go by the numbers .

EDIT: Just found this one (search= Automatic Shifting):

DANdeMAN

Yeah, thats me.....Mine is an 84 so shifting may be different on an 87. There as been alot of dicussion on relative auto shift per MY.

If I recal, some said that the 2 position in S4s didn't nesseserly(sp) start in first!!!???

But FOR SURE, start in 3rd and you will defenitivily(sp) have a firmer and later shift, the tranny will not feel slugish.

Panzer9

My .2 cents- If you want a 5 speed, BUY a 5 speed! It sounds like you've already resigned yourself to be disappointed with the Auto. I'm so glad I held out for the Manual trans. It just makes the car that much more enjoyable to drive (for me). You may pay a $ 2-3 K premium for a 5- Speed, but they're worth it! The LS Diff is money, too!

ACG

Hey Eclise,

Friendly reminder....do not go to the meeting in your surgical dips this time. IIRC, you lost your leverage when the seller smelt money-to-be-made

GOOD LUCK!

Eclise

Michael: Thanks again, man. You are extremely helpful!
Mike F. & Dan: I thank you for the info, but I didn't get to mess around with the technique; we were stuck in heavy traffic. I will post more details.
Panzer: I have to agree, I may hold out for the 5 speed. The car seems like it would be more fun with the 5 speed, but I didn't get to try out Dan's technique.
ACG: Thanks for the advice, but the reason I lost the last car was because I bid $5K, and the buyer ended up paying $10K. The scrubs at least got me a chance to talk with a salesman, though!

Eclise

Eclise

Here's my day with a 928...

I met the owner at his workplace. He is a well dressed Indian gentleman who came walking out in the parking lot very slowly. He says hello, and almost immediately looks at the Lotus and says, "if you have that, why do you want this?" I said, "I love sports cars." He agreed and said he also has a C5 Vette. He then gives me a short lecture on how expensive the car is; "you break a **** off and it will cost you a hundred dollars to replace!" I assured him I knew what I was getting into. He soon says, "You ready to go for a drive?" I didn't waste time hopping into the front seat.

The car didn't start immediately, and I thought "uh-oh." After a few tries, it fires up. Stock exhaust sounded very quiet. I put the car in reverse, and the wheel felt very heavy. He tells me the electric controls on the seat aren't working, but I can move it manually. I just decided to leave it in the position it was in. I put the car in drive, and notice that I have to put the pedal down further than expected to get it to go. We get out on the road, and I came to a stop sign. The Lotus is known for terrible break fade, so when I tried to hit the breaks on the 928 as I would in the Elise, I threw my passenger forward. He just had the breaks replaced, and they were very grippy.

I drove the car very gingerly, and he says, "Drive it like it's a sports car!" So I give it a little more gas, but I didn't know the car, so I didn't push too hard. I took a couple of sharp turns, and the tires weren't all that inspiring; maybe it needed a little more contact patch, or maybe I'm just used to a lighter car. Anyhow, the owner says, "You've gotta take it out on the interstate and see how nice it is!" We then head down to I75, and traffic is backed up. I played around with some controls while we waited, and things seemed to work well. He kept talking to me, and I was trying to be polite and maintain conversation, but I really needed to focus on the car. Anyhow, we got out to the interstate, and I said, "I'm gonna punch it a little here!" I stepped on it around 50 mph, and took it up to about 80mph. I now see what you guys mean when you say "Bawwwwaahhh!" LOL. Anyhow, I didn't think the car *felt* all that fast. Would have been nice to have played with it at lower speeds (e.g. 0-60).

We turned around on the next exit, and came back. When we parked, I examined the interior a little closer: not a single crack in the dash. He had some really weird floor mats (had a devil on them?), but I decided to not mention them. The car needed a serious interior detailing.

The exterior looked good. The body had no pings I could see, but the paint was somewhat faded. I doubt the guy ever waxed it. Lots of swirls. Nothing I can't fix.

The engine bay didn't look too bad. No cracks in the hoses I could see. I didn't get down on the ground and look at the undercarriage. I guess the car had sat outside all day, and I didn't see any drips after we moved the car.

Bottomline: I love the 928. I love Guard's Red. The car felt a little sluggish. I think I would be happier with a standard transmission.

docmirror

Okay, this is a pass at $16k. There's the buckling of the rear side bolsters in the back, then the tatty engine bay, and dull carpets.

Keep shopping.

Skeleton walks into a bar and says 'barkeep, gimme 5 beers - and a mop'.

bobbigham

Geeeeezzzzzuuuuuusssss, $16k toooo much?????...... the 928 guys are the biggest bunch of tight asses on any Porsche site except the 924/944 guys.

If the car is nice, and the mileage is 60K, why would $16k seem like too much? What am I missing?

I know, I will take my lumps for this comment at SITM, but really, why is $16k too much for an 87?

I guess I hope to learn something at SITM as respects condition and value. Either I way overpaid for mine, or it is in much better shape than most for a 88 S4 Auto.

bobbigham

I did not get the final report when I made my post. $16k might be a bit much for that one.

atb

eclise,

I agree with docmirror.
Based on your pics and description, this is not a $16K S4.

JMHO.

docmirror

$29,995 Highest price
$7,400 Lowest price
$15,263 Average price

From autotrader. Search from 1 to $50k, more important, there are 50 listings, and 33 of them are lower than $16k, and the rest are higher than that. A car above the $15k average asking price, being sold by a private individual should be nearly pristine. This one is far from pristine.