joe cat

hi yall, looking to buy a 928 89-91 stick or auto.

and i am looking to align myself with a mechanic. now - before I buy. The grapevine has it that second to your wife and kids- you bound to pay for his kids college.

again, i live in lancaster, pa zip 17601.

Please email me any leads or phone 3's or direction.

email: joe@fcgerlach.com


Thank you, joe Cat

jsherid1

You'll get this advice from others--join as a member of the forum and try to do as much of your own work as possible--you will save a ton of money and save yourself a lot of headaches. These cars are pretty reliable if you drive them regularly and stay on top of the maintenance--they're like wives, expensive if you ignore them.

Kevin Michael

I live in Gettysburg, and so is my shop. If thats not to far for you, your 928 will get good care!
Kevin

cold_beer839

Joe,

Post about that '91 also. Someone here may already know the car and be able to save you from a disaster or guide you into a good buy.

Also see if one of these guys is close enough to go look at it, and recommend a good shop for the PPI.

slvr75

Hey Joe, I know this is an old thread, but did you ever find that mechanic in Lancaster, PA? I'm in the area looking for one for my 1975 911s as we speak.

Gary Knox

If Kevin Michael is not available, then Mrmerlin (name on Rennlist) in north Philly area is excellent.

928 DesMoines

Stan (Merlin ) is in Philly. I’m not a mechanic, but am a fellow enthusiast in Red Lion/York PA many days.

mj1pate

yeah… you’re in luck. There are two. Mr Merlin is also a “Stan”.
I think Mr Merlin has stated he will do pre-purchase inspections.
kevin M, do you have a web page?

slvr75

Thank you guys, it sounds like Kevin Michael is closer to Lancaster? Not that north Philly is that far away but a closer one would be handy... I'll do a search for Kevin Michael see what I find.

mj1pate

just noticed… this is an old thread.
I drive to Gettysburg all the time, sometimes in my 928. If anyone knows K Michael’s shop address, please post it. Thanks

sabres32

Another option is Tony at Translog in York, Pa, they work on all Porches.

http://www.transloggt.com/

mj1pate

thanks…..
Of course the thing is our Porsches are obsolete as concerns Porsche AG, and the most significant knowledge of benefit to us isn’t the contents of the shop manual, but the detailed understanding of these cars in the way they have been affected by age.
Mr Merlin is a top Gandalf for the deep innards of our cars, their aging nuances and is worth the drive, IF he will agree to do what is needed for a particular car.
I do have a local, experienced mechanic who will do work on mine that I don’t want to do, after listening to my facts about the car’s particulars. But that only goes as far as my accumulated knowledge.
When more of the Greg Browns, Dr Bobs find they have unfinished, non-Porsche things to do, they’ll be increasingly hard to replace.

slvr75

Thank you all for your answers. From other posts and locals I was recommended Heistand Automotive, in Manheim (near Lancaster), which is a much closer drive for me than the other options; well, I called on Friday and they told me their porsche technician taking care of 'old cars' is retiring in July and won't be taking any more clients. I asked nicely (read begged) and they still said no, so no dice there. I'd happily take it to Translog, MrMerlin or any of the others recommended but they are all ~40' to 1hr away, and this is the first inspection since I got the car shipped to me... don't want to risk that long a drive the first time. So, my strategy so is to call the local porsche dealership on Monday (Auto Haus, 10' away) and get clarification about their expertise with 'old' porsches. If I get enough reassurances I'll take it there this one time and see how it goes...

mj1pate

You’ll be lucky if there is any kind of non-retired 928 knowledge in your Porsche dealership. From similar experiences, it’s likely to be expensive and unsatisfying.
Do you have mechanic-ing skills? Can you elevate the car? If yes… see if you can work a deal with Mr Merlin to get on FaceTime and have him tell you where/what to show him, let him listen and where and what you should sniff for… just to get a sense if it’s likely ok to drive to his location for a more thorough going over.

slvr75

Thanks, I'm digging into it as we speak. I've been known to mechanic-ate a thing or two in the past so I may take your advice in the end, or just give it a once over myself and make the drive. Somewhere in the interwebs (don't remember if here or pelican) they mentioned that there was a technician at Autohaus who specialized in classic cars, that was in 2010; but seeing that they have a 'musuem' with porsches of this era on site I'd be surprised if there's no one there who knows how to work on them... I'll try to get to the bottom of it and report back, if anything just to add to the local area knowledge-base.