sidehatch

thinking of buying a 1990 s4 with 83,000 is that too many miles on a well taken care of vehicle this would be my first porsche thanks

carnahanbb

To be quite honest with you, 83K is not even a quarter of the life span of a 928 if it has been receiving proper maintenance. I've seen 928's with over 100K that, if I had to guess, I would have said they had 25K. That being said, the car will most definitely require a thorough going over by an individual experienced in 928 maintenance in order to ensure it has been well maintained. You have come to the right place for advice, there are people on here that could school Ferdinand Porsche himself!

Marine Blue

Agree with above, maintenance is critical and if it has been cared for the mileage is actually below average.

blitz928

I've seen a 450000 mile S4 without a rebuild.

sidehatch

thank you so much for the kind advice i feel good about the car

IcemanG17

83k on a 928 is barely broke in.....assuming the maintainence is up to date it will run just fine!

cold_beer839

Mine has 87k and runs like a charm. Like these guys say, if it is taken care of, it will roll on and on.

Mike Frye

Something to note: The odometer gear is an item that commonly breaks over time. My car shows 213k miles and the car runs good and strong. When I got it the odo was broken so I don't know how many miles are really on it.

I'd get a PPI from an experienced mech rather than saying it must be good if it's good only 83k miles on it. YMMV.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Too many for what ??? Any way you look at it it is an 18 year old car full of 18 year old parts. Things as simple as heater hoses are probably long overdue to be changed but they still work and are out of sight yet are just waiting to burst and put you on a tow truck. Much of what makes a new car "reliable" is the fact that all the seals ,gaskets ,hoses ,relays , switches, etc are NEW ! You should plan for $2,000-$3,000 per year if you pay someone else to fix the car....and many have found that the car they just bought has two or three years of catching up to be done ! The primary reason why many people sell a 928 is the HIGH cost of keeping one running...if you have to pay someone to do it $125 per hour adds up FAST ! Like $1,000 per DAY. That said the 928 is a BARGAIN SUPERCAR as far as initial cost , just keep in mind that the last 928 was a $100,000 car in 1995 that is like maybe $200,000 today...... replacement parts pricing is based on the original cost of the car ! People tend to neglect a car prior to the time they decide to trade it or sell it limiting their expenses as well as justifying the "need" for a new car...the old one needs too much work too many things no longer work ...time to get rid of it.

Courtshark

+1 and +1 on both Jim and Mike's messages.

However... some people have a weird thing about cars hitting 100k miles, like the car might explode or something if they kept it much longer.

The same vintage car with 40k miles on it could still be a huge heap. PPI, by someone who knows 928s, not just Porsches, is mandatory on this 18 yo car. 928s can be money pits.

Ron_H

I agree with Jim. Consider what you are driving and what it would cost to replace it with comparable performance today. Even the $2000 per year is a bargain for what it will do. If I had to rebuild my car (I almost will soon), I have driven it over 80,000 miles and across this country two and a half times and at "appropriate" speeds I would not even consider in a lesser make. The cost of repairing it and restoring it, and then driving it another 100,000 miles is a bargain. Of course, I sank a few bucks into it after buying it, but that has been a good investment. It keeps on going to my amazement with "only" 215,000 miles on it.

UKKid35

Who will be maintaining your car?

Any 18 year old car is going to need work, even if it only has 83k on it, so you need to factor in an hourly rate, or an amount of your own time. The latter is usually more rewarding, and often better quality.

SteveG

Well, I go the other way on this question, i.e., has it been maintained and how well? Actually, we're all saying the same thing. It's bound to need something. It has been well taken care of that is a good (maybe a very good) base. Now I anticipate your next question will be about price. Lots of details would help, but the range is wide. An well maint. A/T w/89K, $10K to $13K, maybe more depending, lots of "depending."

Shark Attack

175,000 miles here. However It was rebuilt at 120,000 but only becasue of owner neglect and the timing belt broke. As far as I know, it is the original tranny with no work done to it.

I am very honest when i say, if i were to sit you in my car and let you drive it, hiding the odometer.. your guess woudl be under 100,000 miles. heck if all you owned was US cars, you may even think lowermiles.