JShap

I am an almost 17 year old and I'm wondering if i should buy this 78 928 for 2,800$. The guy replaced the engine with an 82 928 engine about 4 years ago and has brand new water pump, timing belt, and alternator as of a month ago.

The body itself has about 150K miles on it, but its in good condition. My avatar is a picture of it. I went up to see the car last week and it sounded great with a smooth idle. A few problems would be the gas gauge not working and the left window not being able to roll up or down. Could these be electrical problems? Another thing I am worried about is it is tough to shift because of the really stiff gearbox. Is that normal in a 78 model?

Overall, the car looks and runs great, refurbished interior and 9 year old paint job with one or two dents in it. I am prepared to spend money on the car but I don't want it to be spending more time in my garage then on the road.

LightStriker

2800? Sounds like a good price.

But again... A 928 can be a dream or a money pit.
Normaly both.

One of the best car to drive. Personnaly I prefer the old look.

But like people say around here... WANT PICTURES! (brainzzzz)

JShap

Well there's only 3 online but I am going back up to see the car again this weekend.





and the other one is my avatar.

That's what i've been thinking it is a beautiful car!

What about the electricals though? I am a bit nervous on the cost of repairing/replacing them.

jleidel

To you by any chance have the VIN number? I'm interested to see what it comes up as.

LightStriker

Depend of a lot of thing. Maybe you can live with the window problem. (Mine has the same one, motor is dead... It's a 100-150$ to replace.)

You gauge can be eletrical, or the prode might be dead.

But you will save a lot if you can do those repair yourself.

JShap

Ah unfortunately I don't have the VIN number. I could get it to you on the weekend when I go to see it..

Hopefully it's the electrical but that won't burn too big of a hole in my pocket.

Now what about that stiff shifter??

Mrmerlin

you can usually fix a worn or slow window motor by removing it and lubing and putting it all back together. Or the window switch is bad and can sometimes be taken apart and cleaned.

For the shifter,Try this , see if you shut the engine off then try shifting is it easier yes = possible dragging clutch
If its the same running or off then you might have problems with the shift rods or the trans mission itself

JShap

Thanks for the info.

If I make the purchase I'll definitely try that out.

Shifting with the car off and running is the same, could this mean buying a whole new transmission/shift rods????

Mrmerlin

it looks like there is a short shifter in there, it would be best to let someone with experience feel your shifter to see if its hard in the wrong places

linderpat

I just bought a 78 5spd - I love this car. It's light and feels as quick as my former 86.5 or 84 did (they were both autos). The shifting is not stiff in my car. Mine is a very low mileage example, and the shifting feels supple, if even a bit loose.
If the one you are looking at has many issues, and if you are budget concious and don't do your own mechanical work, then add another couple of grand to your budget and get a better sorted car - you'll easily spend $2k plus sorting it out, so you might as well invest that same money in one that doesn't need so much.

MTNKING

same situation I was in a few weeks ago. Mine was cheaper and more damaged but it all depends on your mechanical skills. Don't get it if you're scared.

devilinblack

Your best bet would be to fill in your location and see if there's a local that would come and check the car out with you, preferably someone familiar with the older models.

As for the transmission, the early cars are known to have finicky synchros, especially second gear when cold. If it's got the short shift conversion, you lose some of the leverage from the stock shifter and it can make it feel harder.

zoltan944

I agree with the above, you should have someone familiar with the cars check it out. Because when you say 'stiff' shifting, we don't know what your comparing it to??? Older cars have a much different feel in shifting than newer cars and personally I like that.
The plus with a 78 is it is cheap, the downside is the fuel injection system requires NASA to work on it. Since the motor was changed to an 82 you are not facing that problem with the fuel system, but who know what you may be faced with in a car with a motor swapped? You may want to look into who did the motor job.
The window is more than likely the switch. Thats not to say that its not an exxpensive part that broke, but rather that the 928 switches have a remarkable death rate and need to be 'rebuilt' as Mr Merlin suggested. There is a write up on it somewhere, otherwise source a used/new switch.

JShap

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm really on the line here. I would like to work on the car myself but I don't have enough experience, yet I feel I can't pass up a manual transmission 928.

I have found a 1984 928S in great condition with 49,259 original miles. My problem is the automatic transmission but I think I would be willing to let that go for such a nice car.

Here's some pics.











The only 2 issues are one of the tires has a bubble and the paint is a bit faded from sitting in the sun.

SharkSkin

Does the transaxle shift hard into all gears or just some? The cure could be as simple as just putting a better grease in the transaxle -- at least to get you by.

The shifter may have been simply cut down. It looks too tall to be a "short shifter":



Electrical stuff IMHO is not too big of a deal. Most of the problems seem to be connections that need cleaning, fuses, relays, etc. though some parts like the combo turn signal/cruise switch can be a bit pricey and the PCB behind the cluster is NLA(but usually repairable).

I second the suggestion to get someone with a bit of experience to help you look it over. Check inside the steering rack boots for fluid, yadda yadda. Check the "New Visitor" sticky at the top of the forum.