evozine

I test drove a black with black leather 1984 928 this morning.

108,000 miles (odometer broken)
$3,800 dollars (unregistered since 2005, requires 200 dollars to register)
Automatic trans.

The Good:
Cosmetically the car looks excellent, newer paint, near new
interior and seats, no rust, good windows/rubber.
Newer 928 wheels. No problems here!

The Bad:
The transmission slips out of gear when driving at low idle,
which essentially puts the car in neutral. When it happened
I had to put the car in another gear to keep the car moving.
The current owner claimed that a shop recommended a flush
Of transmission fluid ($200), then possibly a $2,000 rebuild
if needed. I’ve hear rumors that it could be simply low on trans
fluid, or perhaps a vacuum issue related to the module that
controls the shifting.

The power steering doesn’t appear to be working as
The driving required elbow grease at low speeds.

The engine started right up, and sounded very good, no
obvious leaks, and the engine bay looked OK.

No service history available at this time.

I have been looking for a black on black project 928,
Although I was originally looking for something under
1,000 dollars. Heinrich helped me understand that buying a low cost
928 could be a mistake. Any thoughts…?

perrys4

Okay, send me the money instead and you won't have it to buy the Porsche!!

Why not, go ahead, take the plunge.

6mil928

Hey that was going to be my line

Dwayne

I'm partial to '84s.....ours has been a project for quite some time and I have loved every minute of working on it. Of course, I had no clue what I was getting into when we first bought it in 1995. I really enjoy working on the 16V too. If you've got patience, time (and $$$ for parts), I say "GO FOR IT!" Save the '84s!!

Daniel Dudley

84s are strong runners. I would offer 3000.

Angel84-928

Well, I bought mine for $3k. I knew nothing about the 928 but it was a Porsche. It ran but it had been pretty neglected. I thought to myself, "Hey, I'm pretty handy. It can't be that bad". I cleaned it up so it would look nice on the outside but lots of work underneath still to be done. The wrenching isn't that difficult to me but the cost of the part were a shock. Maybe if I knew that, I might not have taken the plunge but then I wouldn't have met so many cool folks as I have on Rennlist.

It really depends on how passionate you are about the car. Then the $$ you put into it won't bother you as much. Have a PPI done to it and make a decision that work for you.

Good luck

perrys4

It's all timing baby!!!

heyjeffm

hmm... you hoped to find an '84 for under $1000... now that would most surely be a "project" car! How much more were you planning to spend fixing it up?

Maybe this 928 is okay, maybe not. Without service records how can you really be certain?

I'd steer clear of any 928s whose owners haven't kept good records, I consider it a sign that the car probably wasn't all that important to them in the first place. You never know how well or poorly it was maintained.

I'd say pass and keep looking for one that's in decent condition AND has up to date records. It might cost you a bit more up front but it'll most likely save you a bundle in the long run.

Best of luck whatever you decide!

evozine

Thanks, your advice makes complete sense. Keep it coming...,

This could end up being a purchase based on little logic/reality, and more on the fact that I have 4k burning a hole in my pocket, and I would really like to see a black on black running 928 in the garage.

The goal would be to get the transmission working through my own labor, or perhaps getting a replacement transmission instead of paying for a rebuild.

Initially I would just attempt to do the inexpensive fixes to the trans, then let it sit while I plan out path resolve a more expensive transmission problem.

We'll see, I'll post photo's if I do it. I'd like to hear from Heinrich S., he'll no doubt smack some sense into me..

Al

Randy V

Get a PPI and use the findings to negotiate a lower price. That trans would be a good starting point to knock $500 - $1000 off.

(I'm down the road from you, in Encinitas).

heinrich

I agree with Randy, Evo ..... If you like this car, have a good pre-purchase inspection done. Please look carefully at the paint, that can be an issue. About the trans, no biggie ..... that can be handled. Better deals come along, but it's all about gut feel. I just sold a gorgeous 85 for around that much, in better shape than you describe, but it has 200k miles.

shmark

A good PPI will point out any other big $ items, and is money well spent. If the car is cosmetically nice, that's a huge plus, so now you're looking at elbow grease to get a nice car. The transmission and steering rack could be close to $4k alone, and you haven't checked the torque tube, cooling system or a/c - all big $ but if you wrench it yourself you can save a lot of money. And there are good bargains out there, so it's possible to run a 928 on a reasonable budget.

Sailmed

108,000 miles (odometer broken)
$3,800 dollars (unregistered since 2005, requires 200 dollars to register)
Automatic trans.

If your after a auto - offer a good bit less! - chances are if it needs obvious work that most people (those who don't know 928's) will shy away from it and give you a shot at the lower price.

Almost anything you pay for a 928 is a project. I would pay dearly for one that isn't!

Sailmed

BTW - I drove the <$1,000 at Sebring yesterday - and will again today.
I've only added $800 to the purchase price and it's my DD
I'm shoving it in the paint both as soon as I finish the 911 engine install
The <$1,000 928 is out there!

JEC_31

I heartily second this motion.

A PPI will tell you if this is a truly $3000 car that needs $500 of maintenance....




... or a $500 car that needs $3000.