cdbtx

My 1994 Honda Accord is the cheapest and most reliable car that I've ever owned - but not one time since 1994 have I ever had anyone pull up to me at a stop light and tell me "Nice Car".

I think that the 3 years I drove mine on the street I easily had 30+ people on the street stop me to tell me what a nice car I had. Came out of a cafe north of Seattle to find 20 people standing around the car admiring it.

Here's a good test - park your 928 next to a 911, step back and watch how many people come check your car out.. and how many check out the 911..

Guess I just like the attention..

Jim bailey - 928 International

From another thread...."I have a ’87 928S4 (manual transmission) with 144,000 miles (I have owned the car since 1989, maintained by Don Galbraith Motoring and myself- about US$81,000 in maintenance and repairs since acquiring the car - everything is stock). Having a bit of a problem, ....." That puts him at an average of $4,500 per year. And for several of those years the car was almost NEW ! Mr Chuck "nice Car" at one point mentioned having invested some $30,000 in the care and feeding of his race car obsession Not that there is anything wrong with that ! Realisticly the annual expenses AVERAGE $2,500-3,000 per year after you do all the catch up work that the prior owner deferred toward the end of their ownership , after the honeymoon was over... That said , the 928 can be a GREAT hobby and lots of fun. The ONLY inexpensive part of 928 ownership often is the original purchase price and the cost of a rennlist membership

mj1pate

That sums up the financial dynamics of ownership.

BTW: cost of parts has yet to meet the cost of establishing a proper environment for doing maintainance on a 928. Proper set up included 1) buying more tool storage cabinets, more standard tools, special tools (Porken's Liftbars, wooden wheel stands, jack stands), and several floor jacks of different heights/capacities. Yes, getting the car high enough off the ground to work under it requires investment. I also bought a new shed to store things that were moved from the garage and built a carport for my "other" car (G6 GTP) that has been evicted from the garage. I've got at least $17k wrapped up in the cost of setup. I've got a long ways to go until parts costs catch up.

Mike

F451

In the end, both the 911 and the 928 are going to be relatively expensive to own and maintain vs any of the econo box commuter mobiles. If you're agonizing over the decision on whether or not to buy a 928 vs a 911, I'd go with the one that is going to bring you the most smiles per mile.

Both are going to do that in spades.

For me, I'd love to own both, but since I can only afford one (right now), I'm going with the 928's.

leperboy

I have an 86.5 that had not been maintained or driven for many years before I got it. I have had it almost exactly one year. I do keep track of the receipts. Here is what my first year of catchup maintenance, repair and improvements has cost:

- rebuilt torque tube
- new 928 MS shifter ball cup
- new motor mounts
- oil pan gaskets
- new shocks
- new brakes, rotors, sensors, dampers
- new fuses and relays
- new plugs, wires and coils
- new exhaust, 02 sensor
- new filters
- air pump disable
- new master and slave clutch cylinders, new blue hose
- new PS hose
- new wheels
- new fuel injectors
- new sensors
- new rubber on top of engine (breathers, oil lines, fuel lines)
- rebuilt fan clutch
- new front spoiler
- flush and fill coolant
- oil change
- flush and fill PS
- new timing belt, rollers, water pump
- new accessory belts
- new headlights

Total cost so far: about $6000 in parts and $1800 in labor. Labor included someone doing motor mounts, OPG, shocks, PS rebuild, new clutch slave and master, remove old TT and install new, and remove old exhaust and install new (yes, seriously, I got all that done through two providers for that price).

I have also done a lot of other stuff with no cost associated: cleaning grounds, conditioning leather, polishing paint, minor adjustments to wires, hoses...

Not everything I replaced needed it. Examples: the pads and rotors in the back were good, coils were probably okay, all fuses and most relays were fine, clutch cylinders were okay. If I only replaced what absolutely needed it, I would probably be at about $3000 in parts. But, there were certain parts that I just want to start from scratch with, and others that were worth replacing WIWIT.

Where am I now? The car is a beast and runs very well. I still have many minor things to do: clean passenger window motor connections, clean sunroof tracks, redye driver bolster, redo lights in my pod with LED, alignment once I get new tires, adjust remote hatch motor. I have one potentially major job still to do: air conditioning.

Then, I will want to do paint in the next couple of years.

At this point, the only major cost upcoming is paint and tires. A/C will be a big job, but I plan to do it myself. I budget $250 a month for feeding the Porsche. I hope the next few months are less thanks to winter and all the work I have already done. If they are, great! More money for the paint. If my budget goes over $250 a month on average, then my son will start wearing potato sacks to school and we'll drive the 928 to the food bank for our groceries.

But, I think $250 a month is a realistic higher-end number for the next five years considering what I have put in and already fixed. This car is one of my major hobbies, and cheap compared to my crack habit and the hookers.

Matt

shmark

I might dispute that. My 911 required very little in parts, oil and gas, averaged better than 20mpg, and actually appreciated to the tune of $500 when it came time to sell - after almost 35k miles of daily driving. That's cheaper than any econobox, period. That said, I bought a car with no issues and every single record from new, with major service items done. It was a great car, wish I still had it.

My current Mini requires nothing but gas - everything including oil changes are covered in the warranty - and averages 25mpg. But it also cost $35k and has lost at least $7k in value in the past 18 months. So it has cost me about 400 bucks a month in depreciation alone. The 911 cost less than $1000 in oil and parts, and made $500 back on the sale. Winner.

So I'm trying something similar with the 928 this time around. I bought the best one I could find with a full slate of records, and several major service items done in the last year. I'm looking at a complete brake refurb and some work on the clutch and linkage, all of which will be relatively cheap. I do have my eye on some mod$, but I'm not counting that as I never modded the 911. So I'm hoping that the 928 will be at least equal to the econobox I have now, if not better. I figure I can beat that $400/month pretty easily (touch wood).

F451

I'm glad you've had great success with your 911, and I wish you the same with your 928.

But if you're trying to convince me that a 911 or 928 (of any year) is cheaper to own and operate then an econobox HondaYota (of a comparable year), sorry, I'm not buying it.

shmark

You didn't say comparable year. I was looking at comparable price. The 911 was pretty much at the bottom of the depreciation curve when I bought it, and the same can be said for the 928 I have now. But I paid $12k for that 911 and sold it for $12.5. A comparable year car would be a '79 Honda CVCC, that paragon of economy, probably can be had for $500. Considering that I'd probably have to pay a scrapyard 100 bucks to haul it off after two years, I still think I came out cheaper.

Comparable price would get you a 5-7 year old Accord for $12k and its value is still headed down. I firmly believe that when depreciation is figured in, quality cars are cheaper to own and operate than brand new economy cars. There are a few exceptions, but if you know the market it can be done.

Now why in the hell I bought a 928 is beyond me...

rgranvold

928 Ownership price of entry - relatively low ($9k in my case - 88 928 S4 auto. 64K miles), bring up to current mech. maintenance expensive - about $6K (parts and labor - not incl. dash / pod recovering / small elec. glitch in mirrors) - so $15K for current mech. maint 928.... On-going costs - probably $ 2.5 - $3k per year... Compared to a 911 (I also owned one of these) - about the same in my experience. It's rare that you'll pick up a 20 yr. old Porsche 928 or 911 and not face the up front maintenance hit (lucky you if not). Maintenance is comparable for both cars (Porsche parts are Porsche parts - you can save a lot if you know what you're doing from EBay and Rennlist sponsors..) Worth it? A personal choice.... I'm doing a supercharger as an experiment in high power commute car... We'll see.....

My 2 Deutsch Marks....

Daniel Dudley

As in marriage, it is all about selection. It really doesn't matter if you buy a 911 or a 928, the wrong one is going to cost you dearly.

However, it is a real chore to sort out a neglected 928. DO NOT DO THIS !!!!
Having said that, 928s are a real treat to drive fast. They will never hook up coming out of a tight corner like a 911, but you cannot believe the feeling of stability in high speed sweepers. It feels as if the hand of God is holding the car to the road.

Get a good one, and you will be thanking me every day. Get a bad one, and you will be hooked after a few drives, and struggling to get back on the road. I find a great 911 and a good 928 to be comparable cars, in terms of fun factor, but I want my suspension tweeked and wider than stock tires on a 928.

I did not find my 951 to be as engaging, but I will say what a stunning performer. I feel I have had the 951 experience, Am keeping my 928s, and WILL have another 911. I really like the punch of a lightweight 911 with a good engine, and adore the feel. As for the punch of a good 928, I like euro gearing, early cars or GTs. I prefer manuals, but a good four speed 928 gives nothing up to its cousins if driven correctly. Supercharged S4s ? Geeze Louise, hold onto your hat. LOL

Shane

It is the perfect therapy for me. I love working on them and I love driving them.

It is always like Christmas when I get a care package from one of the vendors.

Here is a pic of a $1300 care package from 928 Intl!!

fraggle

I've never felt so rich at the same time as being so broke as when I've been a 928 addict.

4 years
8000 miles
2 sets of tires
maintenance & upgrades and purchase $13k + $6k...

Hilton

Shane, I have to ask.. what's in the two largest bosch boxes?

I recognise the other bits as I'm currently replacing coils/caps/rotors/wires while doing TBWP. Suddenly wondering if there's something else I should add to the ever-growing collection of parts in my garage.

Hilton

Can't compare to a 911, but as someone who's relatively new to 928 ownership..

I've had the car for around 4 months (owned for longer, but it only arrived in this country 2 months after I paid for it). After 4 months of getting to know my car, and just enjoying it, I have to say its worth it.

Engine noise is great - I got so carried away listening to the engine whilst putting the boot in second gear up a hill, that I bounced off the limiter (boy was I surprised! not something I want to do again.. but the noise and shove in the back was just mesmerising.

Handling is great too - little stiff around town (Sydney's roads aren't the greatest). The few times I've jumped out of the 928 straight into one of the Audis we have, I've been stunned at just how much better the 928 feels.

4 months has been long enough to decide that I'm definitely hanging onto a 928 for a while, and last weekend I put the car up on stands and started "the programme".

So far in for about $2.5k in parts (rough guess.. haven't totalled up the receipts), but I'm doing the rite of passage on preventative maintenance..

Timing Belt/Water Pump/Tensioner
Ignition electrics (coils, caps, rotors, wires)
Intake/Valve Covers R&R (vacuum, fuel lines, gaskets, hoses.. omg there's a lot of rubber in there!)
Engine mounts & Oil Pan Gasket
Brake Rotors/Pads
Clutch Kit & Shifter Linkages

Once that's all done I'll be driving the car daily (50km round trip to work), and don't expect any nasty surprises other than electrical gremlins and HVAC issues from time to time (steering rack was rebuilt recently)

The other thing about 928 ownership.. after a short time, you'll start thinking about adding another 928 to your garage, to drive while you're working on the first one >

leperboy

I'm going to guess one of them is an ISV. It looks like Shane is getting ready to do an intake manifold R&R and, oo la la, he's using the metal gaskets. Fa-a-a-ancy.

Matt