bowerbird

Yesssssss, thatsssss it, reach deeeeeep into your wallet...




I should have known that I was lurking in dangerous territory when I learned the 928 motto: “There is no such thing as a budget 928, only a budget for a 928” Accounts of 928 repairs drew on some pretty grave sounding descriptors. Heart-stopping, breathtaking, and obscene are among the more shocking ones. I am still looking and really, really want one but have become conflicted and wonder if I should look the other way. (see pic for appropriate symbolism) J

Last night I spent some time at this site reading this post:

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...ll-it-for.html

What I read did not encourage me.

I understand these are complex, high performance vehicles but the amount of money being spent to keep these machines alive seems out-of-control. Can anyone help me understand in more detail why the 928s are so expensive to maintain? Are they really not that bad? Should I just save my money for a Ferrari?

zoltan944

Man, I knew that thread was a bad idea.
People put alot of money into the cars because we WANT to, there is a portion of need, but need is also a subjective word too.

Mrmerlin

for a wallet saver try to find a car that has been sorted, the big things done , timing belt,water pump, motor mounts, shocks, clean paint , clean interior, trans service, leaking fluid lines replaced, good rack and pinion, fresh fluid and reservoir. new master cylinder, new coolant hoses and heater control valve, good tires.
This will keep you out of the service shop for a while , The price may be quite a bit higher than the run of the mill unsorted beast, however you get to drive it instead of look at it parked in the garage, waiting for service

Rob Edwards

The vast majority of my post-purchase costs have been elective, 'cause I want a perfect 20 year old car. I paid $17.5 for a '90 GT, and had I left well enough alone, would be into it for maybe $21K after doing my own timing belt/WP, intake R&R, fuel hose R&R, rack boots, shocks, and 2 tires. The trick to these cars is educating yourself pre-purchase, finding a car on which all the PM has already been done, and being willing to dig in and do your own repairs. Yes, parts are more expensive, almost everything on the car is unique to it and therefore there's no economy of scale. But Rennlist is so not representative of what these cars cost to maintain......

G Man

In the few years I have owned my 84' I have spent very little on the car. Granted I could spend much more if I wanted to. My dash and pod are both cracked and would look nicer if replaced or repaired. So far I am just living with it. My drivers side seat could use a recover as it has a small tear in the leather and some of the leather is quite brittle. Another thing I am living with. I have dealt with important mechanical issues such as CV boots, fluid leaks, alignment, and other routine maint things. If you buy a car that is in good condition to begin with ownership is not that costly if you keep ahead of potential expensive repairs. TBF is the first that comes to mind. OB cars don't have the same issues as 32V cars so that may be something to consider when making your desision. Good luck in your quest!

bowerbird

the timing belt issue has all but eliminated 32V cars from consideration. I'm considering an 84 928s that was for sale and is now being loaned to the owners son (not a kid) until he gets a car. I have not seen it but in pics. It looks good from what I've seen. The owner who bought it from his brother in law says the car was carefully maintained. He has all the records. There is a Porsche mechanic in town who will do a all out inspection for around $200.00. I imagine if it got the thumbs up from a seasoned 928 mechanic I'd go for it. but not without some fear. I do work on my own vehicles whenever a shop can be avoided. I enjoy it and would plan on wrenching a 928 if I picked one up. It seems like ebay has a steady supply of 928 stuff. Between that and discounted new parts online I'd be somewhat in the clear. but who really knows.


Question: What kind of service life can be expected from the engine/transmission if correctly maintained?

morganabowen

Very entertaining Tread

danglerb

Your shopping for the closest thing to a mistress with wheels, think about what you want, not what it costs. Once you know what you want, then you can work on the price, or figure out a payment plan.

zoltan944

hundreds of thousands of miles maintained. 84 is a good year, fun car. They all have +/- do pick up what you want.

Marine Blue

I swear this same question comes up every 3 - 4 months. Some will dive in and others will think the water is too cold.

Bottom line is that its a 20 year old supercar which took advantage of Porsches latest technologies. Yeah it has some known problems but I'm not aware of any other 20 year old car that doesn't. The car has performance which matches many of todays sports cars with build quality which is far superior IMHO.

I bought my GT 1.5 years ago with 29K miles and have spent about $2k on it for maintenance and cosmetics. With exception to the fluids, none of the maintenance I've had done was necessary, like others I want a perfect 20 year old car. The car has 32K miles on it now and I am going to be spending another $1.5K next year for A/C work any any WYAIT items. The car won't need anything when I'm done but I'm sure I will find other things to work on like changing any slightly corroded nut or bolt.

Like others have suggested, spend the money up front and buy a better car witht the proper maintenance....unless of course you enjoy working on cars as a hobby and don't mind if they sit in the garage for a while.

Good luck with your decision.

911tracker85

I bought a nice 84 928S auto last year for $3600. the PO had done the TB/WP/hoses, new tires/alignemt, and brakes. I had looked for 9 mo, being careful to find a good car at good price, and being able to get PPI. decent repaint, good interior, and almost all elec things work. during that time I was a day late or dollar short on a couple.

since then I have put about $800 in parts, doing all the work myself. I still have some stuff to do, fuel lines, fix AC leak, etc. I am guessing I'll be another $1000 into it when I get it up to where I want. what I wanted was a good semi-dd to augment my 911 track car. I LOVE them both, very different animals.

of course I often dream of all the things I COULD do to the 928, but the 911 track car is where I keep dumping major $$$.

so read this site, and other sources of 928 info, and get educated.

then watch and wait for the right car.

DanielD

Or spend the first month you own it correcting all the issues at your own "busted knuckle garage"... Of course, you must have a wife that loves the car too or you will experience "AIDS", Automobile Induced Divorce Syndrome. She may even feel pity for you as your bloodied hands heal.

GlenL

Love the picture, dude.

These cars are expensive because of insane part costs from Porsche. A water pump, from Porsche, that was insanely priced at $317 in 2001 now costs $848! An aftermarket pump, made in Germany and beautiful costs $249.

Still, people have pumped huge money into their cars, including me, because of the choices they've made. I bought a beater, fixed it up, and drove it at the track. Had to modify it for handling and power. Had to rebuild the engine once and replace it once. Had to fix the front end after that unfortunate spin. Had to have a leather dash and all new interior. Had to, had to, had to... $$$$!

But that's me. You gotta do what works for you.

If you want a cool 928 to cruise around in, get a nice one with maintenance records and no looming problems. Budget $80 a month for repairs. (Sounds better than $1000/year). Drive it easy, mostly, and hard occasionally. You'll enjoy it thoroughly, do it cost effectively and have a car that's worth something in 5 years.

Enjoy!

DANdeMAN

I also have an 84 an love it but this summer I hated it (electrical trouble shouting is the worst) fortunitly the planets are aligned again.
The pre 85 US model are less complex and easier to work on.
Don't be afraid to dismantle it, just take notes of what you did and follow instruction from here and the WSM; the PET is also very useful to see what goes where!!!

As for cost, a 25 year old car will have alot of petrafied ruber bits / switches / conectors / wires and hoses to change but you will be good for another 25 years.

And the pleasure of driving such a car outweighs(sp) the cost of owning one hands down. You will feel like the king of the road.

Temekun

Remember that any performance car will cost $$$. Be it a vette, viper, BMW or whatever. What would you pay to get a sorted Z06 vette? A 68 Shelby Mustang? I had a TR-7 that took $$$ because I wanted it to be what I wanted.

If you are looking to get a cheap car that everyone has, get a Camaro. The parts come from any big box parts store. If you want economical stay away from a V8 Porsche and get a ricer.

I don't look at the money I put into my car from an investment point. It's not worth what I put into it but I do have a car that makes me happy to own.

That's why I bought it, passion not price.