mickster

I found this car in Naples, FL (south of Ft. Myers). I wanted to get some thoughts on the pix before I send it out for a PPI.

163000 miles, 1 owner; maintained at Porsche of Naples and up north at Porsche dealers when the owner lived in Southern New Jersey. Car is at a used dealer who specializes in Mercedes & Porsche repair and sales.

Car has a replaced radiator, alarm disabled and needs new rear tires.

mickster

Here are all around shots:

http://www.mercedesexpert.com/popupv...5&pID=26282070

Michael

pcar928fan

Missing its underbelly tray, but it looks pretty decent. Looks like some things are cleaner than others indicating that they might have been replaced. Be sure there is no Thrust Bearing Failure (TBF) to worry about for sure. Can't tell much about the paint and no pics of the interior. Those are as expensive to fix as drivetrain issues so be sure they are nice enough that you can live with them...

nsantolick

Is there something particular to 89S4's regarding the likelihood of thrust bearing failure?

Bill Ball

Not much to say from those photos other than it looks dry underneath (no obvious leaks). That's unusual. Rustier than I'd like to see, but I live in CA. Note the gas tank straps. Those should be checked/replaced. Appears it either got exposed to NJ winter road salt or sat out near the ocean in Florida. Engine compartment looks reasonable. Just some visible corrosion too. Surprised to see what looks like all the original paint on the intake manifold. Radiator looks to be stock but no stickers. Either they came off (mine are still on my 89) or the radiator was replaced at some point. Missing bellypans, but that allows us to see it is missing the air intake tube to the alternator. No biggie. Hard to say much more other than the frame rails looks surprisingly undamaged (from incorrect jacking).

How's the interior - that's often the deciding factor as it VERY expensive to refurb the interior and the return on doing that is very low.

soontobered84

Motor mounts are collapsed. Look at the height of the intake relative to the cross member. Missing the hot post cover on the passenger side of the engine compartment. Amazing condition of the frame rails. It is unusual that at least one yahoo didn't get a jack under there and raising the car before being stopped

Bill Ball

OK, I looked at the other shots in the link and over all, it does look OK. Seat bolster wear on the driver seat is common. Otherwise the seats look quite good and the repair should be easy. The shots avoid some areas of the dash and top of the pod, where we would expect cracks. If none, that's a real plus and unexpected for a Florida car. Also, it looks like the rear quarter panel liners are not warped - again a good sign that it must have been garaged or covered. So, the interior looks like you should escape any big refurb job. If you garage the car and cover it outside, the interior should stay unwarped/uncracked. Heat and sun is the enemy.

pcar928fan

No, just an S4 that is making over 300 lb/ft of Tq is all... and this car has 163k miles on it... plenty of time for that to be a REAL problem if it has not been checked regularly. The early cars don't really make enough Tq for it to be an issue, you get in to the '85 and newer US cars and you have to start looking at that... If the end play is beyond spec that means the block is bad and thus it will need a new engine!!!

SteveG

Mick: It looks like the interior was lightly used for the mileage, except for the driver's bolster, which isn't too bad. The dash looks good, but from the oxidation on the chassis, it has spent some time outside or is that from driven miles? my '85 had less oxy but only 90K. Hard to tell a lot from the lift pics. I would expect the exhaust to need replacing and it doesn't look like the diff drain plug has been out. What is the residue on the fuel pump cover? We know 163K isn't that much. How many miles on the suspension (springs too). If everything works, depending on what is deferred, $8000 to $9000. Am I too generous?

S4ordie

This car has been driven a lot compared to the average 928. I'd want to see the maintenance records and speak directly with the person who has put the miles on the car. Easy if the seller is the original owner. It is amazing how well cosmoline protects things from rust. I think the car probably needs a lot of deferred maintenance just in things like replacing fuel lines etc. The rust on the tank straps is telling of corrosion in many other less seen areas. Even at a very good purchase price I'd be very wary of a car that has spent that many years and that many miles in a salt environment. All the comments above about the interior is cumulative to mine.

Bill Ball

I thought the engine height was not bad. When underneath, you should look for space between the oil pan and crossmember - almost enough space to insert an index finger, enough to insert a pinkie would indicate not yet completely gone. And check the "safety hooks" on the motor mounts which separate as the mounts collapse - if you can get more than a finger between the ends of the hooks, they're gone or nearly gone. I couldn't tell if there were any splits in the axle or steering rack boots or not.

mickster

The interior has the usual bolster wear. I have a local quote of $350/seat to refurbish and add a slicking agent to them to reduce friction on entry.

The dash has no cracks (see second link).

The mechanic in shop checked the thrust bearings. He works on all ages of Mercedes Autos so he knows the transmission and has worked on 928s.

Car has a new radiator, plug wires and dist. cap.

Car is $8900+250 dealer fees. Add tax & shipping. Needs rear tires and brakes are at 50% rear, 80% front; tires 80% front.

Bill Ball

Yeah, I saw the other message and link later and agree the interior is unexpectedly decent. The underside rust concerned me a little, leading me to think the car must have had a lot of time outdoors in bad elements which can wreck the interior too.

I have no idea what "add a slicking agent" to the seats means other than the seat will not hold you inplace well if you do that. My 89's seats are original and have 217K miles on them and my bolster has no wear. Just have the leather section and any worn beading replaced and use good leather treatment on the seats periodically. Feeding the leather so it is soft helps reduce wear and tear.

Landseer

He's looking at endplay data to make an inference of the potential of excessive thrust bearing wear. He needs to quote an endplay number.

nsantolick

Mine, I believe, was 1mm, when I had the transmission rebuilt & Constantine clamp installed with rebuilt torque tube last year. My car's an '89S4 Auto with ~85,000 miles I believe. Can I thrash away now or is even that too much???