dancer

I just started looking for a 928. I have a few questions regarding the most promising prospect thus far, an '87 S4. 1) The front bumper cover has some cracks, the kind you would get if you were parking and bumped into a light pole. Is this plastic repairable with a plastic welder? I've repaired ABS plastic before with very good results but bumper covers seem to be made of some other kind of plastic and I haven't had much luck with former attempted bumper repairs. 2) The accelerator pedal has a very stiff feeling. Do these cars have a very stiff throttle return spring? 3) This car hasn't been garaged and the guards red paint is very oxidized. If it has to be repainted I'll keep looking. Is the Porche paint very durable, e.g. will it probably buff out well? 4) There was a mild vibration in the steering wheel at freeway speed. The guy said it was just low tire pressure. I'm thinking it is more likely out-of-balance wheels. At 114K it probably has the original struts and suspension bushings; anyone have a guess as to the cause of the wheel shake? Thanks.

ErnestSw

Hi Dancer,
Have you decided on the year and transmission and do you have any special wants like color? Sounds like the car has already been repainted poorly since there's a clear coat over the factory paint. The vibration in the steering wheel could be an out of balance tire, an under inflated tire, suspension, steering, engine mounts, or several other things. Does the owner have service records of what's been done? Has he been a user, a maintainer, a neglector? Do you want a fixer upper or a driver? How good are you with a wrench?

Ron_H

Dancer:
Find an automotive paint store that has a product called "Dura-mix". It's a plastic repair that will work on your bumper. You'll need to contact the manufacturer or type in the name and find a distributor that will tell you what specific part no. to use. The paint store will sell you the preparation liquid. You can patch it yourself.

dancer

I'd like a red or blue 87-88. I didn't even think about a clear coat over factory paint but it makes sense; I mean, if all it needed was a buff job why wouldn't the guy have done it already? On the other hand he made a big deal of showing me the "computer tags" on the fenders etc. to show that they were original. I didn't notice any overspray but clear coat overspray is harder to see. The guy doesn't have any service records. He bought from an insurance co. because they couldn't find a rear bumper end cap (cracked in a "parking lot adventure"). He found an end cap but didn't have the small dent in the hatch or right rear fender repaired. The guy doesn't seem like a neglector but it's obvious that this was just a daily driver for him. I'm a good shade tree mechanic if I have a very good manual and I'm looking for a driver, not a restoration project.

4MIDLIF

Dancer-

Read the ADMIN post at the top of the page for a primer on the 928 experience. Visit Greg Nichols site: <a href="http://www.nichols.nu/tips.htm" target="_blank">Greg Nichols</a> for a host of valuable information.

Before you do anything drastic, have a Pre-purchase Inspection done by a competent 928 shop. Perhaps someone will hop in with a recommendation in your area.

Without service records, plan on a new timing belt and water pump at the very least. If you are mechanically inclined, you can do it yourself for around $400 (if memory serves). If not, plan on spending over $1000 right off the bat.

Nachtmeister

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by dancer:
<strong>This car hasn't been garaged and the guards red paint is very oxidized. If it has to be repainted I'll keep looking. Is the Porche paint very durable, e.g. will it probably buff out well?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Red paint generally tends to look really nasty when is has been exposed to harsh conditions for a prolonged period of time without receiving the proper maintenance.
Just use some rubbing compound (Meguiar's, Armor All etc.) on the hazy paint and try to polish a small area of the car.
Normally, a polish/sealant treatment does indeed work wonders on oxidized red paint.
It should be pretty easy to expose a crappy repaint job when the whole car is in full polish...

Jim bailey - 928 International

Porsche Guards red (India red) was NOT clear coated ..... the polishing cloth turns red as you polish . Clear coat when rubbed is ....clear . Most body shops will clear coat when repainting because it gives a " wet look " with minimal effort .

Larry

Dancer,

I think I might be tempted to let this one pass, unless the price is way too good to pass up. At 114k, unless you have records, it may need a lot of stuff: timing belt/water pump replacement; power steering rack and hose replacement; engine mounts; there's been a rash of LH injection brain failures at the 10 year/100k mark; suspension; vacuum leaks under the intake; possible radiator repair or replacement. Without some info on what has been done, plan on spending between $2k and $5k the first year, and more if you don't do your own wrenching.

If stuff you can see has been neglected, I would expect that the stuff you can't see has also not been kept up with. My $.02, anyway.

I see you're from Auburn WA. Check out the local group of 928 owners at on yahoo! egroups: <a href="http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/PacNW928/" target="_blank">PacNW928</a>.

Good luck!

dancer

Larry, thanks for the input. It's always nice to have some warning about the size of the maintenance checks one may be writing in the near future. BTW the asking price is $6000.