Marine Blue

As Andrew noted on the very first post, there's no such thing as a good deal.

Pay now or pay later.

Jim M.

That's what I was refering to. We need ALL the info you have, not just a small piece of it. If that's the case, then pass this one by, sounds like it's more of a parts car or a real big project car.

cali4sun

Pass!

'89 S4 GP White/Black
'76 912e Silver/Black

Hilton

Sounds like it hasn't even been receiving basic maintenance. That rings HUGE alarm bells, and it likely has all sorts of other issues.

Coolant leaks? Oil leaks? Transmission shift ok?

In addition, at that mileage, and with the apparent lack of maintenance, I can pretty much guarantee that beyond fixing the sway bar and brakes, and basic fluid/filter changes, ground cleaning and timing belt replacement, it also needs:

• New cam gears, oil pump gear (unless they've been done in the last 50k miles)
• Timing belt tensioner rebuild
• Replace all rubber in the engine bay (fuel lines, coolant lines, intake gaskets, oil breather hoses under the manifold)
• Replace: knock sensors and throttle switch, and possibly: idle valve, hall sensor
• Repair MAF and Crank Position Sensor wiring
• Engine mounts have collapsed and need replacing
• Torque tube bearings noisy and need replacing
• Diagnose and replace leaking vacuum diaphragms in the comb flap and recirculating flap, plus possibly others (those two seem to fail first, other than the easy-to-get-to heater valve)
• Replace all four shocks

Does the clutch slip? At that mileage, its entirely possible the car is on its *original* clutch, which means you're in for $1300 worth of clutch kit (full kit, plus newer style teflon-lined guide tube and release arm). My '89 was on its original clutch at 150k miles, and slipping badly. I've driven 928's on original clutch at 120k miles that were fine.

Your $7k GT is up for costing around $20k by the time you've covered the minimum $5k worth of parts costs, plus tires, cheap paint job, and thats assuming you do your own wrenching for all the mechanical/electrical work. And then you'll likely still have a 150k mile GT thats only worth around $18k on a good day due to the mileage.

Seriously, you've been around here long enough.. just sit tight and buy a car off a Rennlister. Edco's '88 5-speed came up before you knew what a deal it was.. but there will be other late 5-speeds sold by enthusiasts that are better maintained and will have a lower net cost. Giovanni's '89 5-speed is likely a better deal than the car you're looking at currently.

Long-term, a GT will be worth more, but the $$ curve to get this one up to scratch is going to be painful

tveltman

If it's missing that much, it might make a track car, since you'd redo the suspension and pull out the AC and everything else anyway. If you want a 928 education, get the car, but it will cost you a ton to get running properly. You will certainly know the car like the back of your hand, just be aware that you won't be driving it for quite a while unless you have a ton of free time to work on it

danglerb

$7k GT I think I would start with, is it really a GT or an S4 5 spd, does it still have a GT motor and transmission.

OTOH I don't buy cars that need paint except as parts or track cars.

NoVector

+1!

mickster

FOUND YOUR CAR:

http://item.ebay.com/280549616875

Have Captain Earl give it a PPI.

Squirter block and folding wing based on low VIN.

If you don't grab it-someone here will!

Michael

smyth1

thats the car i had a deposit on a few weeks ago.guy told me there was nothing wrong except the clutch.then all of a sudden it was in the shop getting all kinds of odometer repair done.

Hilton

He was repairing it on his own dime after you'd paid a deposit? Sounds reasonable. The odo gear is a very common failure.

As long as the carfax and autocheck mileages checked out, and the condition of the interior/exterior is decent, it shouldn't matter, to you or to future value.

auzivision

To me, no car that needs painting is worth it because that is so expensive to have done and I know it's not something I can do myself. I’ve heard stories of people spending over $10K on paint and not happy with the results and others who have paid less than $5K and are perfectly pleased. It probably comes down to how much prep one does themselves and how picky they are with the end product.

I'd personally, rather have a car that looks decent inside and out that runs okay with good compression and endplay. Everything else is fixable or updateable by an average weekend tool wrench. If you are not intending to do repairs, maintenance, or update yourself then it’s is probably best to look for one that is well sorted out. If you don’t mind wrenching yourself, it can be a very rewarding process.

smyth1

no,that was fishy.if he told me up front would have been different.if the odometer broke at 98k how are you gonna know true milage?he could have drove 50k while it was broken.plus i couldn't get a staight answer on whether the ac worked."it did the last time i tried it "doesn't cut it.

Giovanni

Are you going to do your own work like mechanics and paint? That will probably be around $5k in materials alone.

mickster

Car is sold! Did someone here buy it?

dcrasta

Run away from that car. its priced about 3-4 k too much..

[IMHO]

Unless it has a seriously rare options list I would wait on a better deal.. people selling cars here and on Pelican all the time.

And try to avoid the frankensharks that also pop up. Just save $$ and be patient.

A real good deal will come by, and you will just need to be ready to 'strike'