911tracker85

I am curious there is an issue that has only been obliquely referenced about owning a 928 VS a new/newer perf car ...... DEPRECIATION

if you go buy an older Porsche, BMW or other perf car you are in the same boat as a 928, lots of ongoing rebuilt/refresh. BTDT. so you go out and buy a new/newer performance car. the PO of my 928 did just that, got a promotion and bought a new BMW Z4.

initially you have very little expense ( execpt that fat payment book ) but the hidden expense is depreciation. then 10 yrs down the road you have a car not worth much and you start the same rebuilt/refresh regiment. or if you sell after a few years, you'll get a fraction of your initial cost.

but if you find a good 928 in today's market, the purchase price will be modest. have another DD and pay cash. and then start working through the issues of bringing it up to date. such as the old rubber fuel hoses, belts, TB/WP/hoses, etc. if you find a good car and do this, you will read on this forum many folks putting 200+k miles on their 928s. I decided on an 83-84 928, 4.7, 4sp auto, and less complex than the S4 since I planned to do most work myself. don't misunderstand, I WANTED a nice S4/GT (we need an emoticon for lust here!). but with my 911 track car the 84 928 I got has been a great compromise.

my wife has a 97 Audi A8 with 130K miles on it. I have been dumping $$$ into it over the years since she LOVES the car, 3rd audi. all aluminum so no rust, but at this point I would have trouble giving it away despite the fact all mechanicals/tires/brakes are up to date. not unlike the 928, an expensive car to maintain but a wonderful car.

after TB/WP/etc a few years ago and then a tranny rebuild we decided we'll keep it until/unless some major $$ develops. so recently new tires/brakes. at this point I am only anticipating normal maintenance for a while. when I consider averaging the $$/yr over the past 10 yrs I am spending VS going out and buying her a new/newer car is not a bad trade-off. at this point in our lives, she is retired - I am not yet, we will never go out and drop $50+k on a new audi. At this averaged, anual maintainence cost on the A8 would barely be enough to lease a Honda Civic. and after driving this A8 for 12 yrs she would not be happy with that. and considering the toys I have I dont want to deal with the retribution I would get if she had to drive a Civic.

for those of us who love to drive wonderful cars, the smiles/$$ is a major part of the equation. I know some folks who run around in a Civic and are happy. they do not appreciate the experience of driving a 928, 911, or whatever, or at least not able/willing to pay for that privelage.

as mentioned above, fancy wheels, non-stock performance upgrades, etc are another topic. My plan for my 928 is to bring it up to date on refresh, keep mainly stock, and drive as semi-dd. it is my 911 track car that is a whole in the air surronded by metal into which I P!!$ lots of money. but at 130k, all rebuilt/upgrades for track including cage/seats/harness/hans. and for those that enjoy it, spending time on the track in a sorted car is priceless.

unfortunately it sounds like you have contracted the 'disease'. incurable, and the only treatment is owning a great car and driving frequently.

best of luck on whatever you decide. last, I will emphasize that finding this forum and meeting a few 928 owners pushed me over the edge into buying one. the comradarie, willingness to help, the advice available through this forum, and the 928 parts supplier who sponsor this forum and can supply parts/advice at a reasonable cost is priceless (this word keeps poping up through out this thread ). and as mentioned already, if you cannot do a significant amount of the work and/or you go out and by new parts (when available) from porsche it will bleed your bank account dry.

PS. get the work shop manuals from Jim Morehouse.

911tracker85

PS, I forgot to comment.

Rob Edwards

my eyes.... my eyes........

fraggle

Cheap plug here. If any of you fence sitters out there missed OCIC or sharks in hell, make a plan to hit up Frenzy in Dulles, Virginia in October to meet and greet and learn some more. Nothing beats direct contact with a few dozen current enthusastic owners. Bring some cash to support that spotaneous purchase late at the bar, someone will have one for sale for sure.

perrys4

Save your money for the Ferrari, they hold their resale value better. :-)

911tracker85

hmmm... my neighbor has had several Ferraris, current example a 2001 550 V-12. mainly they are garage queens. so in that case, yes holds their value. (again, need emoticon for lust!)

I have a couple of nice posters of Lamborghinis and an old Jag D type on my wall ( along with my 911/928 posters, 911 & 928 model cars, and framed pics of me on the track). wonderful works of art and cheap compared to my neighbors 'art work'.

due to lack of driving one of his past Ferraris frequently enough that had only 15K mi after 20 yrs, a 308, it cost him a small fortune to get back to good running condition. and IIRC his 30K mi major service on his last one, a 355, was $20+k.

Ferrari's are incredible cars, but add up ALL the costs...

I DRIVE both of my Porsches, a LOT. Well, dead of winter exepted.

for reliable driver's cars,
PORSCHE - THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE!

bowerbird

I had been considering the following 928 but lost interest because I had read somewhere that "Euro" models should be avoided. The interior is apparently in need of some help, but car looks nice otherwise. Not original color though. The car has 190+K but look has had a considerable amount of expensive work done. The seller is asking $5900 but says he is willing to work a bit on the price. He "wants it gone". I was concerned that the bottom end/ pistons are yet untouched but don;t know if this worry is appropriate.

Here's the list of work done:

It started out stock, with a blue interior and blue/grey exterior.
It is now charcoal grey, with a black interior, a polished intake manifold, BBS
mesh wheels, custom stereo setup, MSDS headers, dual catalysts, flowmaster
exhaust, tinted windows, Momo Pilota, and aero mirors from a Mazda Miata. I
also removed the US marker lights, removed the front license plate, removed the
roof antenna, and filled in the front spoiler mounting holes.

1983 928 s, V8 auto, 300+ hp euro model with full s4 suspension and "big"
brakes. NEW: timing belt, water pump, engine wiring harness, ALL engine seals
and gaskets, fuel pump, fuel filter, engine undertray, shocks (boge), adjustable
sway bars, steel ball joint upgrade, s4 brake calipers/discs, ss brake lines,
shifter enclosure, heater and ac, vaccuum valves and solenoids, window switches,
alternator, motor mounts, oil cooler lines, warm-up regulator, fan clutch,
heater control valve. good compression and leak down #s. REBUILT: fuel
distributor, heads and valves, transmission, torque tube and transmission cooler
lines.

$60k in receipts last 9 years.


Photos here

http://s539.photobucket.com/albums/f...view=slideshow

F451

I've never heard anything about the Euros being any less reliable then the non-Euros and therefore being less desirable.

On the contrary, the 300 hp euros seem to be very desirable. What's not to like in a lighter bodied, 16v, 300 hp, slightly more rare (in the US) 928?

fraggle

It was probably the market update in Excellence. They always bash on grey market or Euro cars.

PorKen

Just don't put any miles on it.


IMO, the only euros to look at are '84-up, with digital engine controls.

WyattsRide

The interior doesn't look that bad compared to the trash I've seen. The tires could have been cleaned a little better for the photo shoot though.

bowerbird

Quick question on timing belts. I spoke to a mechanic who told be only the first 2 years have non-interference engines. I was under the impression all 16v 928s had non interference. Does this apply to a Euro as well?

DANdeMAN

All 16v US/CDN are NONinterference

DANdeMAN

High compression euro are interference...not sure what year that started.

928 at last

Just my $0.02,
Check the name.....
I waited for about 23 years (life/kids etc..)....and after that fluke experience (1983/84 ??) with a friend's 928, I haven't found anything that compares (yes really). Especially considering the price point on these cars in the current market.
These cars are (IMHO) something actually special. And, I have had the privilege of driving some spectacular cars over the years, so I at least have a (personal) reference point .
There are some very specific considerations if you aren't prepared or have the experience to do your own work on them.
Shop charges are over the top for a competent mechanic to get your ride where you want it to be.
If you want a garage queen to have your friends get all exicted over, be prepared to spend more $$$. These cars actually need to be driven regularly.....(excuse the potential metaphor here) long and hard (as they were designed to do). Unlike some of their kin, if you don't , you're looking at additional $$ expense to seal up the leaks etc. as your friends drool.
For an excellent reference point, check out Bill Ball's posts. (Drive it like you stole it).
I'm not as good .... took a bit of a flyer on mine, but with previous experince and some luck, I really couldn't be happier with what I've got.
Buy the best you can afford. Mainenence records are critical if you don't know (I mean really be able to do a PPI on your own)....and enjoy.
As many here have said, it was an extremely expensive supercar. Freshly designed with the latest in engineering at the time. You're now paying what, 15% of what the car would have cost you new, and to have a truly stunning unit, (no, not in your pants...) you might wind up at 25% of the cost new, and be able to readily blow away a huge number of the poser's out there with cars costing in excess of 6X what you might have eventually invested in yours. If that's your thing. Otherwise. it's just a pleasure to drive.
And, it's now getting rare to see one on the road, and it's unique, and it's.........
OK, I'm done.

danglerb

That one I think has been for sale a LONG time on CL.

Porsche 928 S Euro - $5900 (N. Scottsdale)

It looks interesting, but many many things have been messed with, how well the work was done, and after making all the changes the owner wants to sell it. Sounds to me it didn't turn out all that well.

After a few years of being around 928's stock starts to be more and more appealing at least as a starting point.

IMHO the 85 Euro 5 spd that just sold on ebay for $6k was a much much better deal.

As far as motor risk, the order is something like this;

Early 220 hp 16v, no risk.
Early Euro S before some vin number which I forget, carbon can build up in pistons and a timing belt fail bends valves. Before that vin, MAYBE a timing belt failure won't bend valves.
Later Euro S, timing belt fail always bends valves.
All 32v motors, timing belt fail bends valves, AND valve train is much more complicated and expensive to fix.

All the risky motors are more FUN and demand higher prices.