dr bob

Sometimes there are diamonds, particularly if even a little advanced thought was given to how the car was stored. All but a few, unfortunately, are just parked and left to rot unintentionally. The list of things to fix was overwhelming to the owner 18 years ago, when the market for the car was very likely a lot higher than it is now. That list now includes a lot of cosmetic stuff as well as all the age-related deterioration. A cooling system and an oil full of acid is just the start of a long and expensive road to recovery.

If the car is miraculously perfect cosmetically, it may be worth some more than the $1k offer she blanched at. You will still put at least $5k more in it just to make it acceptable/safe as a driver. Every bit of rubber in the car, from the fuel tank to the tailpipe, to door and hatch seals, plus all the engine bay and brake rubber pieces will need to be renewed. Tires are rotted, brake hydraulics are rotted and rusted. You get the idea. Start at one bumper with your gold Amex in your hand and 928 Int'l on speed dial.


Cosmetics come on top of that. The Pascha upholstery is rotted, animals have been living in the car, leather and panels are likely warped and cracked, carpet and padding are rotted. And it has that quaint but still unique biological fragrance that seems to be found only in cars stored for an extended period in anything other than a climate-controlled garage.


Or it could be that diamond.

Gretch

James, you could get that loan in a heart beat!!!!!!!!!!! Remember, it is a government run program......... there is a LOT of (our) stupid money there!!!

dr bob

Hire plenty of under-priv'd cases to do the work. I almost had a client talked into hiring recovering addicts to telemarket retail electric service. Great government support programs, tax breaks and other incentives were at stake. The proposal kind of fell apart when I suggested that they be called "mighty morphine power arrangers."

EspritS4s

I think this is the point when this topic comes up, repeatedly, in these types of threads. I would agree with Jim's view 100%, if I was running a business. However, since most of us here aren't, it changes value perceptions. I've seen this same 'pragmatic view' in most of my family who are in the car business. I, on the other hand, remain a hobbyist who recognizes that not every car has to be fully restored, up front, to be enjoyed. I'd take project cars for free, but in every case the other party seems to expect (and usually gets) some sort of payment. This implies value. My only other option is to sit on the sideline and watch all these "worthless" cars sell... Of course the best option is to buy an enthusiast owned car, but sometimes the other path is more rewarding, a poor business decision, but more rewarding none the less.

danglerb

Don't try to start it, but do try to get somebody to look at it and take some pictures.

Good.
Sitting in a garage parked for 18 years the paint and interior might be in very nice condition. If it is, then this could be an IDEAL car for one of the 78/79 hunters.

BAD.
Sitting parked for 18 years, after being driven for 10 years and 80k miles, it could need just about everything replaced or rebuilt. The coolant should be checked for PH, and even if it hasn't gone acid, they could be serious corrosion that's localized. If its actually a Euro and not Euro delivery, it may not be possible to register in some states like Calif.

That said, if the cosmetics are good, its still maybe a VERY good choice for somebody with moderately deep pockets to buy and restore, and as such the purchase price won't matter that much whether its $1k or $2k or $3k.

Parts value for a 79 after sitting that long isn't going to be much, maybe $1500 if the interior was really nice, but what else would have value? (Euro headlights will of course).

pjburges

I'll have to agree - seems fairly speculative at this point without an up-close inspection. She was a very neat person who took nice care of her things - the interior / exterior may be OK in light of this.

If I get it - I would plan on completely flushing every fluid in the car from brakes to transmission to engine several times before I try to do anything with it. I'd probably flush the engine with kerosene or diesel while cranking the starter with plugs out - then flush with oil several more times like that.

I've got spare 944 tires (215/60/15) to give it and I may even have brake components for a 928 as well.

I didn't know there was such a corrosion issue with the coolant system. That is troublesome - how would I find out if there was corrosion present? Seems like the only way to know is to pull it all apart? Also this mechanical fuel injection system - can the components be rebuilt or do I have to buy new? Im sure after 18 years there's nothing but carmel goo in there. Is there a good resource to learn about this injection system?

From my understanding the car came in a crate from Germany, it had bars in the doors installed once it got stateside and the headlights switched out for DOT legal ones. She actually saw it roll out of the crate with 2 miles on the car. Kind of neat.

And to the person who asked about a radio - I did have one but I threw it out because I couldn't get it to turn on with 12V power supplied direct - probably a bad solder joint - but it just wasn't worth fixing a tape deck radio to me. Sorry I couldn't help!

pjburges

Also - as far as "value" - what everyone is saying has confirmed my opinion. If the cosmetics are OK and I can get the engine running without having to rebuild the whole damned thing, this car may be worth between 1-2K. I like driving Porsches and not seeing them go for parts or scrap. I'm certainly a DIY hobbyist and have done total restores on a couple Porsches - my next big one on the plate will be my grandfathers 356 which has been sitting covered in a garage for 40 years!!!!

Being that this car is at least a manual unlike most automatic 928's - I could definitely consider driving it. :P I wonder how much she payed new having it shipped like that?!

James Bailey

Right as a HOBBY for fun there is little downside to parting one out....the hard part is knowing when to pull the trigger and stop trying to "SAVE" one. I call it the Pretty Woman syndrome where you want to save one thinking it is going to be Julia Roberts but ends up too often being Roseanne...... Hobbies are not rational or logical just FUN !

Landseer

I've been downstairs working on my "Roseanne" for the last 5 days. My first. Shoulda been $1000 ( in my current value equation), but being the smartass technical purchasing manager I profess to be, bought it for $4500 3 years ago. There is at least $10,000 in the car now. You wouldn't give me $1500 for it. But it does run and is fun. Thanks to some fellow hobby guys a rack, 5speed box and cats came to me for essentially free. And I will return those favors.

linderpat

Cars like this are very intriguing to me. Someone may walk away with a real find. Even at a few grand, for the hobbyists like us, who do most of this maintanence DIY, a car like this might be something special.

James Bailey

The "new" euro 8 inch H-4 headlights are worth $300 or so Too bad the car is not a 1980 S ......

blown 87

Yep

Landseer

We need to get that word out wide!

danglerb

The whole fuel system will need to be flushed out, all the rubber replaced, and more than likely the WUR, fuel distributor, and injectors cleaned and/or rebuilt. It can be done, but results have been VERY mixed on the success of DIY rebuilding the fuel distributor. Runs, but not well is common.

Getting it to a driving state will be maybe the tip of the iceberg. After 500 or so miles all the old dried seals will be leaking freely, and each venture into hoses or wires will damage new things.

But all of this is true for ANY older car thats been sitting more than a year or so, it may not be as obvious as quickly is all. If the interior and exterior are still really nice, this is a rare OB.

SeanR

This might be worth the drive down to Austin to check out.