scottzj

Well I have had an older model 911 and now this S4. I would say they are totally different monsters. The 911 steering is wishy washy WOT esp since the engine weight is in the rear. I did like the handling twisting it thru the curves. However, I feel the 928 is more for me, as there is much more room interior for a person 6'3 and taller. The seats in the 928 seem to fit a larger frame verse the late 70's 911. But the classic look of a 911 is priceless.

shmark

I love my 928. I also loved my SC and wish I still had it, and I loved the 914s too. In fact the only Porsche I was glad to see the back of was the 951. Different yes, but same DNA. Close the door on any Porsche and compare it to a Corvette. They are just made differently, similar to the way a Mercedes compares to a Buick.

I drove the 928 in to work this morning and really enjoyed the relaxed...ummm...speed limit cruise in, and the sound of the exhaust bouncing off the walls. Just stable as a rock and so comfortable. I keep looking at 911s and want another one at some point, much more visceral car to drive with livelier steering and rear-engine balance which frankly I enjoy the crap out of. If I want to get from A to B quickly and comfortably with as little fuss as possible, there are few cars as good as a 928. If I want to attack a twisty mountain road, full red-mist, and be completely breathless and elated at the end, there are few cars as good as a 914...but a 911 comes close.

Mike Frye

Anthony, you don't need to defend yourself here. I've seen and heard both of your cars on the road and on the dyno and I know you love them both in different ways. Your rear engine part time track car is set up perfectly for what you like to do in it and the GTS is just about showroom pristine.

OTOH, maybe I just need to drive them to help me understand what you mean...

No bashing here, I learned to drive in rear-engine cars and would love to drive one with anywhere near the power and suspension setup of yours.

You can keep your card as long as you keep that GTS as far as I'm concerned.

cobalt

LOL

I know you well enough. Just clarifying things for those that don't know me.

Hey so long as I can keep my head above water i will never sell either the GTS or my turbo. I am not sure if you have seen my turbo or not but one day we will have to go for a ride, it is truly insane. As far as taking them for a drive just say when.

Kevin Michael

Anthony, I really am trying not to offend, but the 911 more stable in a 140mph sweeper that the 928 can't handle? I have to say something,its just my nature. It leads me to believe that neither car has ever seen a 140 mph corner or you would be singing the praises of the 928 just like every professional driver at any magazine who ever did a road test between the two.

cobalt

These are my observances I can't say what conditions mine were compared to the magazines. I will say that both my cars have slightly modified suspensions. Or it might just be my GTS vs other 928's, although it does have a GT sport suspension and 928 specialist sways. My turbo has a similar setup with bilstein HD's and H&R red springs slightly stiffer than stock with Motorsport sway rear bar. (both upgrades are similar compared to stock for each model) I have driven both on the same stretch of road early AM without a sole in sight, except when I was driving the GTS. That morning I was following a MB AMG S63 and to be honest it was more stable than my GTS and I had to work hard to keep up with it.

Both cars are quite stable at these speeds in a straight line the GTS feels more comfortable and solid. Although the turbo does not feel light at all with the large tail on the back end it will dart around a little as it has far more road feel and will follow pavement irregularities more readily but still very comfortable at these speeds both wanting more. Drag Coefficient about the same on both cars and I kid you not the turbo handles the turns without even feeling you are in a turn (the quintessential handles like it is on rails feel) the GTS is stable but the PSD light comes on in the tight parts of the turn and feels as though the back end will swing around if I push it much harder it does feel like it is on rails like the turbo just becomes heavy in the back end in the turns although in the straights it feels more so like it is on rails than the turbo. Don't get me wrong it is not that one is doing less of a job both perform amazingly well for their age.

Both cars are running Michelin PS2's however I will give the GTS the benefit that it is running 225/255 x 17's and the turbo is on 235/295 x 18's. So how much that has to do with anything I can't tell you although IMO it would help the GTS to have the larger rubber I feel the turbo would still be a bit more stable at those speeds in the turns.

I see these speeds in my C2 at most tracks i have driven and it is also very stable but not as stable as the turbo. I have also driven my 74 RS clone from St Gallen Switzerland to Rotterdam Holland a little over 1100 miles in 7 hours including stopping for gas and food. So I am not unaccustomed to driving at high speeds.

BTW I don't offend easily, that is unless you call my Cayenne Turbo a pig.

But I am only relaying my personal experiences. As I and others have said if I plan on going on a long trip the only choice is the 928 it is the most comfortable car of its type and is a pleasure to drive. It is as relaxing as lying on my couch in front of the TV watching an enjoyable movie. The turbo and C2 is like sitting on the same couch watching a thriller. Both are enjoyable to me and sometimes i prefer one over the other but neither is a bad movie.

Kevin Michael

I agree with most of that Anthony. But I can't get past the handling thing. I doubt my 928 handles any better sitting on 295/245's than it did with the stock wheels and tires. The 911 platform especially the earlier (70's early 80's) felt more nimble and responsive giving the subjective feeling of better handling than the 928. I lost my love for the 911 years ago and have recently rekindled it and started buying them again. I have a 79 also with a 3.0/ 964 cam big bore set up and it is light and fast, very fast. In fact this is the one I'm building my Getty design 959 on. That car feels like my 928 wouldn't have a chance till I put the ol' Gtech SS pro on both. My 928 (the 87) will turn .10-.15 g better not to mention recorded speed into the same corner being higher than the 911. Now we have an 89 Carrera in here that is set up well( did the suspension myself) that doesn't do as well as the equally set up 79.I love my 911's, maybe more so at the moment than my 928's, but 928 is king all around except the purely subjective go cart feel/better handling/faster aspect of the 911. Far more important men than myself have said the same things in countless publications in the 80's 90's. Your 930 makes me miss mine BTW. What a thrill ride!

Gary Knox

Well, I've only owned 928's - 6 total over the past 11 years, and two now. BUT, I do have some input from a couple of guys I discussed this with at the Weissach facility in 1986.

These were two managers in the advanced engine development group, with the senior manager being Hans Mezger, credited with development of the original 911 engine, the 917 racing engine, and the 928 engine. I asked "which is the best used Porsche to buy" of these two at lunch one day.

After significant discussion, there were two answers:

Hans said "if you want to drive your car short distances on curvy roads, and have a lot of fun with it, buy a 911 SC like mine. They are very well sorted and reliable".

Gerhard, his associate said: "if you want to drive a car that is capable of high speeds and being relaxed while you drive, buy a 928 like mine. I have a ski chalet in Switzerland that is 250 miles away from Weissach. I drive there frequently in less than 2 hours, and when I arrive, I am not tired, so I put on my skis and go on the mountain for 4-5 hours. IF Hans tried to follow me in his SC, he would be exhausted and could not ski until the next day".

Hans answered: "Ja wohl, I would be exhausted"!!!!

That's one of the reasons I bought a 928 when I bought my first Porsche!!

Auf Wiedersehen,

Gary Knox
'94 GTS Auto
'89 S4 Manual
928 Owners Club Treasurer and charter member

cobalt

Kevin I respect your opinion and this is what a discussion that is so vaguely titled is all about, differences of opinion. Although you do have me questioning
I am not doubting nor arguing that these are yours and many others opinions and experiences. I will not argue tests I had no part of nor am I a professional using scientific data. I do feel that most early magazine "tests reports" were more biased to sell magazines than focused on actual scientific data and many tests were what I consider a bit skewed .. US magazines made for a great read but I usually found European magazines were more factual. They usually differed considerably back then so what is gospel I can't say. Probably something in the middle.

So separating those opinions/facts/past articles, I was presenting my personal experience which i admit is more about driving 911's than 928's. Other than the euro 80 which I owned for 4 years 30 k miles and the GTS I have had since 2005 with only 10k miles I have only driven a handful of other 928's. I have driven so many different 911's I can't recall them all anymore but it touches on just about every variant, so my opinion/experience might be a bit biased. Although I have driven almost every other Porsche variant too. I do agree the 928 is far more capable than most believe or would initially imagine when climbing behind the wheel. It is an outstanding machine that can go from completely relaxed to in charge once you decide to push it. I bet there are some 928 owners that have never really gotten on it hard and found out how the car transforms from tame to savage.

Maybe we need to use more scientific data to test both cars although IMO what a better comparison than the 2 top of the line versions of the last generation of both models. If you throw the new GT2/GT3's into the equation we both loose. I don't know about you but I go by pucker factor and I have no issue with pushing a car to its limits or mine. I felt that the GTS was a lot closer to its limits or I was at mine with it and I was working hard to keep up with the MB that had far more HP, weight and track & rubber. When I drove the turbo I was on the identical stretch of road alone and I would have had no issue pressing the pedal further on the turbo doing the same speed as I did in the GTS. Both cars could be taken further under more controlled conditions and I guess the speedos would need to be checked for accuracy but I only know what the cars proved to me. I would not have felt comfortable going much faster in the GTS and I only held back in the turbo because I was already pushing my luck in other ways.

Maybe one day well devise a safe way to test both under controlled scientific conditions until then I guess like anything on the web take it for what it's worth, just another opinion.

Gary,

Good to hear from you. I agree a 911 will tire you on long distance drives, the turbo far less and the 928 will only make you sleepy because it is so comfortable to drive. I guess that is why one of each is my solution.

Kevin Michael

Anthony I think I missed the decimals in that last post! Never have been great with math.

goliver

Anthony,

Well thought out comments. I commend you! In the end, 928s are about relationships. This board is proof of that. Doesn't matter which 928 you own, the people on this board are passionate car people. In my opinion, we need more of them!!

Cheers,

Big Easy Sharkster

I've bought and sold 2 911's and a 928 , a '72T, an '86 carrera and a '85S. Loved them all and shed a tear when I sold them.

Presently I have a '94 GTS. All other attributes aside, this is without a doubt the most beautiful car I've ever owned and turns heads everywhere I go.

If there is going to be a Porsche in my garage, it will be a 928