cnowak1

Hi there, I am looking between 2 928's for purchase, both are $3500. The first one is a 1983 928s with 135k miles and is white on black. It was previously owned by a porsche mechanic before the last owner. The engine is fine. It only has cosmetic flaws such as tears in the seats, needs new carpet, and a rear decklid lock.
The second car is a 1985 Porsche 928s and is red on black with 97k miles. It is currently not running and needs a starter and some work on the master cylinder. Otherwise the engine is in good condition and cosmetically it is decent. Both of these cars would need a paintjob in the near future at some point. I do have time for some TLC for cosmetics so that is not an issue. Im just worried about driving the one that runs from Atlanta to Alabama which is around 5 hours. Hopefully nothing will go wrong. Please give me some input. Thanks much!!!!!

docmirror

First, welcome.

Now, the 85 is a S3 car, with 32 valve engine and some other benefits(or detractors if you like 16 valve). At that age, and mileage, the differentiator will be which is in better shape cosmetically and mechanically. It sounds like the 83 would be the better car but I don't know how they are optioned either.

A not running car is not fine. You can't tell if it has bent valves, thrust bearing damage, AC failure, dead trans, etc. You're buying a pig in a poke if it won't run. Trust me, I've seen each of these faults come up on a car the seller says is 'fine, just needs a new battery'.

Get us the options or major options for each car:

LSD diff.
Leather interior.
Sport seats.
Side mouldings.
S trim.
Euro or US delivery.
5 speed or auto on either.

Again, welcome. Put your location in your sig so we know where you are.

cnowak1

hello again, just a little more info. the 1983 has chrome wheel, sunroof and power windows/leather seats. it has the s trim. it has automatic transmission and was US delivery. the 1985 has stock wheels, no chrome. every option is the same as the 1983 car except that is euro and has german instrumentation. hope this helps. im leaning towards the 1983. is 134k miles a lot for this car and could it run over 200k with good maintenance?

pcar928fan

A functioning Euro '85 would be an AWESOME car...but a non-running 928 of ANY kind is a crap shoot! I would NEVER buy a non running 928 unless I had full running gear that I was already planning on switching over and at that I would not even pay $1500 for one not running.

Interior reviving and paint can get VERY, VERY expensive VERY quickly. Just to take a dash out and put it back in at a shop is $1000, then if you need to recover it in leather...well bank on another $1500 for the leather. Of course you would then have to do the center console and the pod, and then probably the seats and you already said it needs carpet (just the kit is $800+ I think), leather seat covers (made to fit 928 seats) are $1000... Get the picture here???

Normally it is better to buy a good car than to try to rehab one that needs a bit of work! That said $3500 for a fully functional 928 that needs some paint and interior work does not sound to bad to me! I bought an '81 for $4000 back in 98 and have done all those things to it over the years and I LOVE that car!

Good luck and don't rush in to this. 928's can be expensive. A/C work is never cheap, steering rack, auto trans, etc...all cost money if they need fixing. If you can look under the car carefully and drive it and it drives well (no pulling, no surging, stops well) and does not leak, you will probably have a VERY GOOD starting place for $3500...

Sailmed

Puleeze....
DON'T tell me where the one you don't want is.....

docmirror

Get a starter in the 85 and MAKE it start and drive. Offer the guy what you want based on the car starting and going around the block at least. An 85 Euro is a very good car to have. If it has a 5 speed it's a killer deal if it runs. Starter can be had for modest money from Roger at 928sRUS. He has used one's in stock.

So, I change my tune. I would take the 85 Euro if it'll run and shift ok.

IcemanG17

The $3500 928 ????????????????????? Caveat Emptor my friend.....

However a true 85 Euro would be nice for that price....but still a non running 928 in questionable condition is 100% guaranteed to cost serious money!!!

I like to refer to the "$15k 928" .....since you can buy a nice S4 for that price, or you can by a $3500 928 and dump another $11,500 into it and have a (hopefully) nice 85 Euro.....

I wonder how many sub $5000 total investment 928's there are running around right now....I only know of 1?

belgiumbarry

i agree.... IF it has a good engine and manual transaxle as " a buyer" believes, or is "told" , the car would be worth more for those parts alone...

cnowak1

hi everyone, i think im going to go with the 1983 928. I am too worried about buying a non running car. im just worried about driving it 5 hours to my house. the owner went on a 3 hour trip a few weeks ago and all was well. it makes me feel good that a porsche mechanic sold it to the current owner. i mean the color white doesn't attract many buyers. that combined with the interior is why i think its so low. anyway, the more opinions i get the better!

belgiumbarry

good decision ! .... the 16V is also far more simple to work on...

cnowak1

hello, why is the 16v easier to work on? How is the performance of the 1983 928s? Also, the car comes without an owners manual. What kind of oil does it take? What would you recommend: shipping the car from atlanta to mobile,al or driving it? Just wondering.......

Landseer

Its far easier to work-on.

The intake doesn't obstruct access to the majority of vacuum devices or sources.
Vacuum and engine management systems are simpler and easier access.
Not interference (if USA for sure), so a broken TB probably won't kill the top end (valves).
The spark plug wires are simply routed.
Timing is easy to set with distributor rotation.
One simple distributor, conventionally located, instead of two (one suspended on each bank of camshafts)
Less parts layered and crammed into the engine compartment (though it still is tight).
Less likely to have computer failure.

Performance is great on the early cars. Late cars have more to give on the top of the rpm curve as they keep making HP.

soontobered84

'85 Euro should shift fine..IIRC it would have the newer, stronger, better gearbox with the newer, stronger, better synchos. Running could be a problem though. '85 Euro would be an interference engine although only 16 valves.

Cnowak- will you do your own wrenching?

pcar928fan

I use Mobil 1 15/50 or something like that... The '83 is fine, not a powerhouse though for sure. The '84 - '86 EURO cars (when running and running well) had a list of 310HP but most estimates put it closer to 330! They were FAST! Made as much or more HP than an S4 and weighed 300# less! What was an '83 240HP or so...267ish lb/ft TQ? I don't have the numbers in front of me.

As for driving vs. shipping... You will have to find a shipper and just see what they will charge you... I personally like white cars and I like 928's in white... I think the GTS is the BEST of the white 928's and I think next is the OB cars, then the S, and lastly the S4's... that is all subjective though. Everyone likes different colors on different cars.

You can find an owners manual on ebay for very little money or probably buy one from any of the Big three (928 International, 928 Specialists, 928sRus). The "owners manual" is good but very limited. It won't help you do any kind of actual mechanical work on the car. It will just tell you what the various switches are for and what fuses do what... You can probably find PDF files of most of it online.

If you want "workshop manuals" that is a whole different story. They assume you already have a pretty high level of understanding of the car, but they will tell you EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about the 928... They are also very expensive. Are they down from $400 now guys, I have not looked in a long time.

Good luck!

cnowak1

I found that shipping would be $350 door to door. However, I could save this for maintenance parts. I don't know. Would you be worried about driving 350 miles your first time in a 928? Granted I know porsche's are bulletproof you always think about breaking down in the back of your mind. Also, the cars I have been driving the past few years are bmw's and newer porsches that were my dad's. Getting used to no ABS and traction control will take some time getting used to but should not pose any problems.