Chris Bales

TDE,
Just caught up on your search for the perfect shark. I went thru the same thing just a few months ago. In fact I think I looked at some of the same cars. Brian Buxton helped me and was very accomodating but didn't work out. You have to be willing to pay top $. I think he takes a %age from both seller and buyer so the price gets up there however I agree with Nicole and others that he is a straight shooter. About the gray/linen one at Porsche Exchange - its a great color combo but very rough for the mileage. Its just up the road from me and I looked at it and drove it and just didn't get a good feeling. Lots of trim missing and other ticky-tacky stuff, if I were you I'd save a trip from the west coast. About Schmidtt in St. Louis - be very careful. They've be known for some very shady business practices and they nearly got me. I looked at one I saw on Ebay and had a ppi and made an offer that they accepted. Gave them a deposit and watited for some work to be done as agreed to in the contract. They called a week later and said they were backing out of the deal. It took 3 weeks and a lot of phone calls to get the deposit back. Others, I have heard weren't so lucky. Be careful with them!
Having said all that, keep the faith and keep asking rennlisters for help. Lots of people out there want you to have the perfect car.
I finally got my car from a private party and I think I'm happy. Got it just before Christmas and I'm in Wisconsin so I haven't driven it alot but it sure looks good in my garage.

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DougM

Brian doesn't do much brokering anymore. He is a dealer and mostly buys and sells now. He bought the '88 928. I saw him last week but the car was being serviced. He says the car will need absolutely nothing. All services will be fresh, no leaks, and an A/C recharge. Ready to go for many years to come.
Is it worth paying a premium for such a car? To each their own. If you do a lot of maintenance yourself, the buying a less expensive car without the recent maint might save a few bucks. But if a shop does all your work, then, in the long run, you will probably spend more on the car with more "down time" while the car is being serviced.

tdelarm

Chris, your email couldn’t of been better timed. Spoke to Porsche Exchange early last week, they faxed service records w/ sticker window but have been slow in responding w/ additional photos. Maybe your description of the car explains why. I’ll call them to pass on the car, thanks for the heads up, almost flew out there.
<img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" /> <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />

DougM

Never knew what kind of numbers you were talking about. Just make sure that all PPI that you get done are equally as thorough. Sounds like Foreign Performance was quite detailed in their PPI which is good. You know exactly what you would get, and if the price is too high, find another. Just hope that they are all as thorough or in the long run you could pay more for less. Good luck in your search and if anything pops up, I will forward it to you.

tdelarm

Hey all!

In conclusion to finding the right shark – indeed, a light shins through the murky depths of “shark” water and not just the sparkles in my bankers eyes. After some name calling, arm wrestling and “oops, bad cell, speak up…how much” I’ve decided to roost with Brian Buxton’s premium black/tan 88 928 S4 w/ 37k miles and although I’m paying a tad over premium (and I am being nice here) I shouldn’t have any maintenance due for some time…(cross fingers, knock on wood and throw salt over the shoulder) I hope to have her by end of March as Foreign Performance in Indiana will be handling the need to-do list complements of an PPI but they are a bit backed up so I’ll have to wait. I’ll report later on their service along with Brian’s after closing. On the shark menu…T-belt, H20 pump- Tensioner, valve cover, oil pan and other various gaskets, motor-mounts, belts & hoses, tune-up and A/C dryer & recharge will be starters for the main course. After the shark gets it second wind…(actually my wallet)…new flippers i.e.: tires & wheels. Also, shocks and exhaust but I’m not sure yet…any advise?

Thanks everyone who posted with tips and advice. Good group of people here on Rennlist. I plan on becoming involved locally in the 928 clubs (Los Angeles) so I hope to see a few of you out there.

P.s. I’ll update when I get my paws on the shark!

Tim Delarm
<img src="graemlins/drink.gif" border="0" alt="[cherrsagai]" />

DougM

For exhaust, just get a RMB(muffler bypass). About $175 from most of the vendors, great sound, easy install and best bang for the buck IMO.