Doug&Julie

Howdy. I might be owning a 928 before too long (bid on one on eBay and no one else seems to be bidding!). It's a pretty car with good service history, but it's been driven so rarely the time between service intervals is significant. Most noteably, the belts were last done pre Y2K! I'm guessing that means they're due for replacement? What about mechanicals like the water pump (done at the same time)? I know rubber (belts) wears out, but if there have only been 20k miles on a water pump, is that a worry. Oil changes were said to be more frequent.

Would love your thoughts.

Cheers!

Doug&Julie

Well I was just outbid and not going to raise mine. But if you still want to answer the question, I'm sure it would be helpful to somebody.

blown 87

This seems to be a depends on who you ask type of question.
On the water pump it depends on what kind of pump it has in it IMHO, if it is a aftermarket or rebuild that has a unkown type of impeller I would say change it to a plastic impeller pump, others here will not agree with that, those that have had a impeller migration will.

All the rubber bits are going to be suspect, fuel hoses must be changed, and personally I would change all the coolant hoses as well, then I would take a few test drives with inspections in between to see what else it needs.

I have seen more than a few that worked great for a few thousand miles and start loosing seals, rear main, front main, transmission etc.

Good luck, you will love a sorted 928.

VehiGAZ

You can also "convert" the recommended mileage intervals into time intervals by figuring that Porsche assumed a 928 should rack up 7500-10,000 miles a year under normal use. So for example, the 60k mile interval for changing a the t-belt would translate to a service interval of every 6-8 years without the mileage. That estimate on a t-belt might be overly aggressive, as it is unlikely to be very corroded in that amount of time.

That said, sitting around mostly undriven seems to be bad for these cars, as Greg pointed out above. You would do better to find one that's gotten regular use and decent maintenance than a time capsule.

You'll be surprised at how many ways these cars can find to express their annoyance of being locked up in a dusty garage. Ever had to disassemble every hose and valve in a windshield washer system to remove biofilms clogging up all the components? Ever do it to a car that has two independent windshield washer systems???

blown 87

More than once.

Doug&Julie

Well I based my high bid on counting on a full baseline service by my indi mechanic. I probably wouldn't have changed the pump, but for sure the belts and whatever else needed replacing with longevity in mind. (probably $1200 - $2000? including 4 new tires?). Alas...I've been outbid.

You can see the car here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Item # 190407187780 if the link doesn't work.

Thanks!

blown 87

They must work cheap and the parts be free where you are at.

dr bob

I bought mine with very low miles, 22k for a 9yo car at the time. Early PO yewars it was driven some, then went int storage for ~~5 years prior to my purchase. Car was professionally prep'd for storage, and it was evident in the condition when recovered. I still replaced the timing belt at purchase, and all the other rubber bits in the engine bay by 10 years. Coolant hoses were replaced again at 16 years at about 50k miles, and will get replaced again in the next two years with the next timing belt.

Point is that a low mile car, high-mile car, whatever miles car, deserves periodic replacement of rubber parts regardless of miles. A low-mile car is certainly more desirable IMHO, just for avoided mechanical wear and cosmetic damage. They still chew through the same initial $5k in deferred maintenance parts costs as a high-miles car, though. Maybe some savings on brake rotor costs, but that's $hundreds not $thousands difference. My $5k post-purchase parts cost budget number was developed while considering a local '89 GT a few years ago, one that was well-stored, less than 30k on the odo. Higher-mile cars need other stuff too, generally, since there's wear as well as age gnawing at the total value. I've also seen low-mile cars that were not stored well, and have huge amounts or cosmetic damage inside and out as a result. That can get real expensive reall quick if you want a 'new' car cosmetically, one with condition and appearance to match the odometer reading.

Lots to consider when considering a 928. Much of it is your expectations of the car, and what you consider acceptable as your driver or queen.

Doug&Julie

Thanks all. I'm "preparred" to spend into the low teens for my next Pcar, but thought this might be an opportunity to get a unique car (and one I've never owned!) for low initial cost, knowing I may near double that with initial maintenance. So if I got this car and had a reliable runner for under $10k, that's still a win. The grey area here is how "under $10k" I'm going to be and want to be. As a 928 isn't my first choice (sorry!), I'd like to be significantly under it. Still...you never know...

dr bob

Doug-

Echoing Greg's cynical (!!) retort on parts and labor costs in MI right now, your first-year budget for parts is $5k to take care of all the rubber and time-related deterioration. Add local labor costs as appropriate.

The underhood work alone includes all the rubber parts, the timing belt rollers and possibly cam drive gears, plus the intake removal/refinish with the cam covers, all the ignition parts including caps/rotors/wires, smog hoses, AC hoses and seals. All the fuel system hoses and clean the injectors. The coolant reservoir, the HVAC hoses and actuators, new AC seals if they weren't done with the owner's conversion to "the current refrigerant". Then it's on to new brake hoses and the calipers for rebuild, rotors if it hasn't had them already, tires, new shocks and possibly new springs, steering rack boots and bushings, tie rods, ball joints, motor mounts and pan gasket, radiator clean or replace, new tank seals at a minimum. Trans service and replace rubber sections of cooler lines, diff service, CV joints clean/repack/new boots. Repack and reseal front wheel bearings, replace rear wheel bearings. Maybe torque tube and front TC bearings in the trans, they are close to magic miles mark. Still there? These are minimums IMO, and you'll likely builld a bigger list of your own as you get started through the car. Seller states that it's suitable for daily use because somebody test-drove it in the last month. ??? Would you jump into the car and drive it to Cali, back to NY, then on to Michigan again?

That rust on the rear quarter is the small corner of a bigger rust patch that requires the window out, with a bit of metal rebuilding, repainting, and install the window again with new seals. When one side is that way, the other side is close, so plan on both sides.


In the big picture, the current sub-$5k price on the car isn't out of line for what's stated and displayed. You'll want to get a PPI or make your bid contingent on a PPI result of some level, still planning your funding with the $5k+ recovery parts costs in mind. I'm thinking that a first-year parts budget of $7k, plus a $5k purchase, and $1k in purchase admin and registration costs, would be about right for this car to have a reliable driver. Add a few $k in paint and external cosmetic labor/paint, and you are getting into a realistic range. This all assumes that your mechanical labor is self-performed at zero cost allowance.

So, is blue a good color on you?

blown 87

Jaded?
Four tires depending on size and brand are going to be 700-1700.
Just not going to happen if you are paying some one else to do a T-belt job, coolant and fuel hoses and other parts for 1200-2,000$ US

I Think dr bob has the real grip on things, he has had a low mileage stored car and now drives it, listen to the man.

Doug&Julie

Thanks dr bob. Yeah, I'm totally unfamiliar with 928s other than I've heard the stories about how expensive they can be to maintain (but how excellent they can be as drivers). So I'd be paying for a lot of labor in there as well.

I'm less concerned about the cosmetics, so the rust issue (which surprises me a bit) could got a little longer w/o being fixed.

The reality of my life these days is day-to-day traffic and occasional long trips between Cincinnati and Indy or Michigan to visit family. So in the Pcar world, this seems like a perfect car. However, your assessment of costs is a bit daunting, not that I'm a) surprised or b) afraid to spend money on a Pcar, but more because I'm not 100% sure I'm that committed to a 928 at this point. (I'm not a good test driver...every Porsche I get into "feels good" to me. It's not until I've used them for a few months do I start to have a real opinion on the car. So if I bought this, spent all the money to make it right, and then decided it's "not me", I'd be out a few bills!)

I do love the blue, however.

Doug&Julie

I found Tire Rack has many options for comfortably under $600, some even under $500. My mechanic will mount and balance for $20 each.

Definitely learning that!

Good stuff here guys, thanks!

VehiGAZ

Take the $5k estimate with a grain of salt - the car you choose may not need all of it right up front, but it probably will need most or all of it in the first couple of years of ownership.

In my case, my car needed an intake refresh and a new idle stabilizer valve when I got it, but I was able to live with it for 2 years before doing the job. That $5k will go into the car eventually, though!!

Looking at your list of former p-cars, you MUST own a 928 at some point, otherwise your experience with the "Middle Years" of Porsche products is incomplete.

Doug&Julie

BTW you guys have the best avatars.