macfly4

hey all! new member here. been lusting after a 928 since old enough to fall in love with a car (36 in two months). i know the first rule of thumb is walk away if there is no service history but i decided to make a go of it. perfect color, great shape....seems like a reputable dealer and look at the miles/condition on it.
what do you think? was this a bad idea?

it wont let me post a link since i just joined. its the 1987 928 at nwicars-com

CaseyH

http://www.nwicars.com/07055a.htm

Looks nice. That interior is in excellent shape.

macfly4

i feel a little odd actually...buying something this expensive sight unseen is unsettling. im a bit of a freak when it comes to picking over details but i figure on a car this old with as few miles its probably ok. the dealer is very nice and talked to me for a long time about it. even fired up the engine so i could listen to it over the phone! i guess any 20 year old car is going to look a bit lived in ...need to stop worrying so much.

Mrmerlin

The car look great good luck with your purchase, the intake looks nice too and probably original, it might be time for fuel lines tho

macfly4

he said it was owned the last 13 years by a guy who is about 70 now and retired to florida. was a weekend driver, thus the low miles. im a little spooked that the service records arent there. would hate to have bought a great looking money pit. i had read that just because its low miles doesnt mean it wont need work. if it has been sitting around and not driven that can lead to problems too? how would that work?

Nicholbry

macfly4:
The car looks terrific. Even the paint looks fresh on the engine where it normally flakes. One thing that I can say about these cars is that typically the engine holds up relatively well from sitting unlike many other makes. It is not uncommon for people to start these things right up after 3 years of inactivity (after a decent battery that is) and run them without incident. I think you will be fine.

I would recommend checking the crankcase end play for any signs of Thrust Bearing Failure. There is a thread here somewhere that discusses how to or you can visit 928intl.com. They discuss the procedure in their repairs segment. I seriously doubt you will have any problems; especially with the low mileage. However, your story is similar to mine. I bought the car at a dealership because it looked the part in just the color combo I wanted; it showed beautifully. Someone obviously cared for the car cosmetically. Also, it only had 65K miles. However, the previous owner didn't service the pinch collar on the forward driveshaft at the flywheel. If this isn't done periodically (recommended at every oil change) then serious trouble can result and it doesn't take long. I have only put 1500 miles on mine since my purchase and now I'm looking for a new engine. Also, when you replace the oil be sure to look closely at the pan's contents making sure there aren't any metal shavings or a battleship-gray colored sludge that comes out near the end of the draining. Some people even recommend cutting open your filter to inspect it.

I don't mean to unnecessarily scare you, but it is certainly worth some time checking this pinch collar out and measuring the crank end play. I wish I had!

Some things to know:
1. Resist the urge to install a K&N air filter; use only the orange factory one as too much oil in the filter can cause your MAS to give up prematurely.
2. When getting an alignment done be sure the shop performs it "on the ground" as Porsche recommends; otherwise you will go through a set of tires prematurely.
3. Check your ride height using the correct procedure ("search" here on Rennlist) towards helping to keep you from loosing that nice chin spoiler, starter, etc. These cars settle over time. You'll need a new alignment if you adjust it.
4. Be sure to use the proper viscosity oil (check manual) based on the average temperature in your local. The oil pressure on these cars can be temperamental to this. Us Rennlisters are passionate with varied opinions about our oils so you should be able to "search" and get very confused on the subject here.
5. Make sure the timing belt & water pump has been replaced. Your overdue for one if not. It needs to be re-tensioned at least once a couple thousand miles later as the belt stretches.
6. Keep the sun off your dash, instrument pod, and rear hatch when possible. Our cars are notorious for the material separating/cracking as are all older Porsche models.

Enjoy your new ride. I too am 37 and have wanted one since I was a teenager.

bigmac

Looks like a nice car. In any event you will want to change all fluids and all hoses and lines, timing belt, etc. Figure 3.5K +/- .
I did that on my new to me 90 with 40K miles and have had no problems over the last 2 years. Good luck. Mac

macfly4

wow! thanks for all the great tips...sounds like i will need to find a good porsche dealer/mechanic in the d.c./virgini area where i will be moving. you guys are great! glad to be part of the club. any suggetions on dealers/mechanics i can trust with her?

Ispeed

Make sure you go to the "928 Frenzy" in september or october. Look for info at the 928 owner's club web site
www.928oc.org

Mike Frye

Hey Macfly (resisting the urge to make a 'Back to the Future reference')

There are lots of regional groups that get together and can help you with advice/maintenance/ or just to hang out and BS. There is one in MD/DC/VA that you should be able to get in touch with, depending on where you're located.

That's a beauty of a car, good luck with it.

Do you plan to work on it yourself or use a mechanic? If it's the latter, you should plan on getting references soon. I'm sure the warnings you've gotten so far have scared you a bit, but that car is in great shape and is probably mechanically sound. The problem some people seem to have is deferred maintenance, so if you have someone you can trust that will keep you ahead on the PM (preventive maintenance) you should be fine.
Don't wait for things to break, try to be pro-active about your PM and you'll really get to enjoy your new SUPERCAR!!!

And welcome to the club!

macfly4

thanks mike.
actually the back to the future reference is spot on! i started using that name while on a mac computer forum and got the idea from the movie. no mechanic am i! i wish i could but am too afraid of breaking something or putting something back together only to see that extra screw sitting there and wondering how the heck i screwed it up. lol. i will definitely appreciate any references people have for mechanics in the dc/md/va area. i also think the preventive way is the way to go. ideally, i will take the car straight to a dealer and let them do the once over, replacing hoses, fluids and all. will have to make sure to ask about that pinch collar also (dont even know what it is!)
figured i would go ahead and become a member here. im sure its going to be a long, fun relationship so its worth it!

Mark

NOOOOOOO!!!!

DO NOT take your car to a P-car dealer. Unless you get REALLY lucky, most dealers have no idea about your car. Many stories about dealers doing more harm then good!! (I venture to say that 99% of P-car dealers don't know about the pinch collar, either!)
Post your location and get input from the forum here about 928 KNOWLEDEGABLE independent shops nearby!!!

PS - Welcome to the asylum!!

UKKid35

Don't ignore Mark's advice.

Consider changing the fluids yourself, you'll save money, start to learn about the car, and there are very few things you can get wrong.

Big Dave

Agree 1000%

Welcome to Rennlist!

linderpat

(Mark X 10)*100 = DO NOT TAKE CAR TO DEALER! A dealer will make a pig's ear out of a silk purse!
There are some very good 928 guys around. We have a couple of good ones here in WPA, so there must be more than one or two in that heavily populated area. Also, learn as much as you can from this board, 928OC, Nichol's Tips, etc, and get the manuals on CD. Even if you are not a good wrench (and I consider myself a novice at best), you'll still be able to do the small stuff and feel the satisfaction from that, and you'll know better how to direct and converse with your mechanic when you take the car in for the important stuff. If I had known about this board when I had my first 928, I still might have that one (got rid of it for a very simple DIY job that I could have fixed myself for < $100; thought it was major )
BTW - great looking car! Welcome to the club...