Speedtoys

Its white, red interior..was dark out, couldnt get any useful photos..

But..

Its an automatic
No body damage/repair that I could find -anywhere-.
Paint appears in GREAT shape
Most window/trim rubber seals in good shape.
All glass is great
Dash is 95% good, ONE crack on the far pass side where it dips down, console in great shape.
Rear 1/4 trim panels are peeling back from the window ledges some, no cracks anywhere.
Engine is clean under the hood, hood insulation of course, poor shape.
Owner THOUGHT it was a water pump leak when warm, but its a swelled heater return hose..tap it, it hisses/leaks.
Could not find a rubber hose under the hood other than that coolant hose, that felt too stiff at all.
No odors of A/F or other fluids anywhere.
BRAND new Beru wires..two broke when dude had a compression test done, so he bought those for a pretty penny.
Compression #s are 190 within 5 each cylinder.
Zero oil anywhere.
Starts and runs clean
MM's collapsed, yup
Sunroof doesnt open
Pass window doesnt roll down
Both mirrors dont move with motor
Both seats dont move
Hatch doesnt open with the button/dome lights dont work
Has the H4 lights up front
All other lights work fine, all housings in GREAT shape.
A/C has been 'converted' to R134, blows COLD, before it leaks out over about a month im told.
Has rear AC
Front HVAC blows in defrost mode only???
Rear AC fan works well.
No spare tire
Spare tire cover in disrepair
Rear wiper motor turns, you can SEE it in the car, but the arm doesnt move with it
Panels have good VIN tags on em
Brakes feel good
Shocks...well, likely original, some wallowing..drives straight
Wheels in great shape.
Tranny feels "normal" for one that needs a cable adjustment.
Has a totally craptastic aftermarket stereo...bleh. But console is in great shape otherwise.
Shifter lever needs replaced..the plastic bit that goes over the metal bit..that has the push-to-shift button, the T-handle part...
Flexplate was adjusted/freed up about 2mm two years ago before it sat, until now.
No crappy tint on any window to remove later.
Couldnt find any odd wire taps/repairs/hacks under the hood

Here are photos of the option codes sticker in the trunk, and VIN plate..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2880466...7624897227015/

I cant well decode the option codes..any help here?

Failed smog, photo of sheet is included.



I think I wanna jump on this...thanks WAY in advance for any guidance.

APPEARS mechanically sound..has a # of electrical issues that ive been reading and reading and reading about, except for the rear hatch opening mechanism, none seems too tall to tackle.


They are asking $4k.

Hilton

Options are:

018 Sport steering wheel with elevated hub
139 Seat Heating - Left
158 Radio "Monterey" - 86 "Reno" - 87
220 Locking differential
302 Type designated on rear end
340 Seat heating - Right
418 Protective side mouldings
494 2 speakers on back shelf
494 Amplifier system
513 Lumbar support - right seat
513 Driver's Seat Lumbar Support
533 Alarm system
538 Right seat with positrol and lumbar
570 High output air conditioner
586 Lumbar support - left seat
650 Sunroof

Landseer

Are these memory seats/mirrors? If so, that can be a challenge.

James Bailey

If it will not smog they can not sell it in California.......there are no provisions for AS IS.... If you "buy it" you can get whatever it needs fixed so it will smog and sue them for the cost. You can not sell cars with no smog certificate unless they are 1975 or older. Many sellers are not aware of the potential liability but it is very real.

Speedtoys

Yes, they are memory seats, three settings on the armrest.

Speedtoys

Ohh...LSD, didnt think I saw that in the VIN..

Speedtoys

So its illegal to sell a car that "doesnt run"?

Just sayin...for the price, I may not hold the guy to this..as im already mentally prepared for a winter long topside refresh.

James Bailey

Not illegal just makes you potentially liable for making it smog if the buyer wishes to register and drive it..... Takes a civil suit to recover costs but it can happen. Remember the state HATES old cars !!! gross polluters wants them all to go away.

cali4sun

Has it ever passed smog in Cal? You can search the vin...

http://www.bar.ca.gov/pubwebquery/ve...pubtstqry.aspx

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

danglerb

The chances of putting some serious money into making it pass smog and run "well" are very high, but the asking price is pretty low, unless the mileage is also high. When I say serious I do mean Porsche serious, between the not passing smog and AC leaks with a rear AC, parts cost alone could buy a nice car. Are you prepared to put another $3k or $4k in parts into it?

Jim is right on the seller being responsible for the smog cost, but most sellers find that VERY difficult to accept, so don't expect them to nod and agree if you tell them. Most take it as some kind of scam to get the price down and it can muddy up negotiating. ***

Make sure you look it over in good light before making any offer, and I would start out LOW, but serious.

*** What can happen with the smog is that somebody will buy the car, take it to a shop and find out how much it will cost with no guarantee of passing to start fixing it, find out seller is responsible and basically take the car back and demand their money back or they keep the car and sue for the cost of repairs.

Speedtoys

Nope, Ohio.

Car was purchased by this party's brother for a lot more on CL a few years ago.

But..he screwed, up, car did NOT come with a title, and the seller up and dissapeared. Buyer tried to work it out, but then he passed away.

This dude got this car..and instead of fighting Ohio, put a shop lein on the car, and has the title now, just..not registered (no smog). He's not willing to do any work on it..he knows he's over his head, and the plug wires scared him off.

And, yes, im willing to put 4-5k into this over time..I have no issues getting hands dirty, and can afford the incidentals...well short of "get new motor" incidentals. That'd take a few 4-6mo to work up to cash wise.

But..Im willing to do that, to get -into- an S4, with a straight body, good paint and very good trim, and a fairly intact interior (minus glitches)..the base is there, and the price appears right.


Either way, im likely to spend $8k on a good 88 S4, either this way, or another way, and I do wanna dig in and learn/do.

Sweat Equity..as someone said a few threads ago..

Hilton

Frankly, $8k won't usually get you a good S4, largely due to the paint and interior issue.

If this car has excellent paint and interior, then its a good deal, as long as there are no title gremlins to chase you

Speedtoys

*nods*

I made it crystal clear, that if this works out, he gets paid the moment that he's able to walk me into DMV, and see me into a clean CA title with my name on it.




1) Nice lady says "all done, write me a check"
2) I get the registration in my hand
3) He gets the antidote to the time-react poison the $50 bills were laced with he fondled in the parking lot.

I -know- it doesnt mean much..but I was referred his direction from a pilot at my flight club..and he is an ATP pilot as well...and..thats a small world. And one that for the MOST part, ive learned you can trust most of these people with anything. Reputation means a lot.

Jadz928

Double that.
I don't think that standard $4-5K applies to the later 928s anymore. Esp ones that can be had for < $8K.

SQLGuy

We still don't even know the mileage. I wouldn't say that you have to double that, and I wouldn't say that you don't. It sounds, though, like really high dollar items (engine, transmission, paint, and interior) are OK. If Jadz is going to do most of his own wrenching, then I would expect the items he's listed as known non-working to be fixable in that $4K - $5K range.

A lot of it sounds like electrical problems, which can be tricky to troubleshoot, but often lead to relatively inexpensive repair parts (switches, relays, wiring, connectors)... the motors and controllers themselves seem to be pretty reliable. I think the main place people get into trouble with electrical is when they start trying to fix things by guesswork and shotgunning rather than proper diagnostics - you can spend a lot of money randomly replacing parts until a problem goes away.

I'd have to see pictures and know mileage before I'd be able to say whether I'd go for it if it were me, but I don't think a reasonable outcome for $9K is impossible here.

BTW, for the A/C, leaks at the rear evaporator squid are not unlikely (https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...a-c-leaks.html). For running only on defrost - that depends what you mean - could be A/C switch (bad or badly connected) and/or could be fan resistor pack (bad or badly connected).