ideola

Location: Plymouth MI 48170
Price: USD$3,250.00 OBO
FYI, car is also for sale locally, on CraigsList and eBay.

PIX (description to follow below pix)






1980 Porsche 928 "Euro-spec"
Up for sale is my 1980 Euro-spec 928. I acquired this car in February of 2005 with 104,000 miles on it and drove it from Santa Barbara CA to Plymouth MI, a trip of about 4,000 miles. It now has 114,000 miles on it, so I've driven it just over 1,000 miles per year since it arrived in Michigan.

This car started life as a Nevada car, and spent its entire life in the Southwest, making its way from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara between its three previous owners. Since it has arrived in Michigan, it has never seen snow or salt, so it is still in excellent condition with respect to corrosion and condition of the undercarriage.

This vehicle is a true grey-market car, as evidenced by its VIN: 92A0800592. While I do not know how it made it into the country, the car has all of the original German instrumentation, including the H4 headlights and the associated leveling system, although the latter was disabled when the car was federalized.In Euro-spec trim, the 1980 928 4.5L put out ~230BHP. This car also includes the "S" package trim (the chin spoiler, hatch spoiler, and "928S" decal between the tail lights), but it does not have the Euro S engine code associated with the 4.7L S version.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS
Since I've owned the car, I've performed the following preventive maintenance:
- new battery, Feb 2006
- new half shafts, Feb 2006
- complete front-of-engine-service, Apr 2006
---timing belt and all associated tensioning rollers, etc.
---water pump, thermostat, etc.
- all new brake and clutch hydraulics, Apr 2006
---new brake master cylinder
---new brake booster
---new clutch master cylinder
---new clutch slave cylinder
- new Kumho ECSTA tires, Apr 2006 (currently with ~6000 miles on them)
- drained and replaced gear lube with Mobil-1 75W90 full synthetic, Apr 2006
- annual spring oil changes using Mobil-1 15W50 full synthetic (never driven from Nov-Apr)
- replaced the main exhaust downpipes and catalytic converter with an excellent condition used setup in 2008


MECHANICAL CONDITION
This car is in overall good shape, with a very strong running motor and solid mechanicals all the way around. It comes with the more powerful (230BHP) Euro-spec 4.5L motor. However, there are some issues that will require attention, mostly to do with instrumentation and electrics:
- interior dash lights do not work
- fog lights worked when I got it, but do not work now despite replacing the fuse & relay
- a previous owner disabled the heater system (did I mention, it was a southwest car???)
- A/C system is present and seems to function, but does not blow cold air
- interior climate fan is sporadic in its operation, but the defrost position will always blow
- I removed and disabled the power locks
- rear wiper motor does not function
- no final muffler (but I like the way it sounds without it)
- I have replaced the shift lever with a short shifter setup from 928's R Us, but still need to complete replacement of the solid bushings in the rear shift linkage coupler at the transmission. I may be able to complete this before the new owner takes delivery; if not I have the bushings on hand and will include them with the sale of the car.
- As with most of the early 80s Porsche transmissions, 2nd gear requires finesse and patience to avoid grinding during quick upshifts and downshifts

COSMETIC CONDITION
Body is straight, paint is a dark brown, interior is two-tone brown and tan with leather seats. Comes with the "S" appearance package, consisting of the lower chin spoiler, rear hatch spoiler, and "928S" decal between the taillights. Wheels are staggered Design90s. As a Euro-spec, comes with the front Euro fog lights in the valance, Euro-style H4 headlamps, and the single rear Euro fog light (currently inoperable). There are no major dents or issues in the body. The only cosmetic issues are:
- very slight distortion in sheet metal along the top edge of the left-hand-side rear wheel well (difficult to see in the photos)
- some slight corrosion starting to bubble up along the edge of the hatch on the right-hand-side
- paint is badly oxidized and "checking" from its long life exposed to the harsh sun in the southwest. It will polish out and look good for a few weeks (see pix), but requires constant attention to stay looking good.
- interior is in OK condition, but not fantastic. No rips, tears, or major wear spots on the seats, but they have a lot of "character"
- dash above the glove box is very badly warped
- carpet is loose in some spots and somewhat aged, although it's still presentable when cleaned up and straightened out

Overall, this car is an excellent value, particularly since it has the more powerful Euro-spec motor in it. In 1979, the 928 was Car & Driver's car of the year...here's a chance to own a truly great supercar-class legend of motorsports...for an extremely reasonable price. Looking for a quick sale, so priced to move.

For more pix, see my Picasa photo album: Picasa Web Albums - Dan Beckett - 1980 928 Euro...

slider172

Can you take some pictures in good light so the flaws mentioned can be evaluated?

ideola

Yes.

GlenL

What is the engine code?

ideola

I don't remember where to find it...let me know and I'll double check it. I can tell you for sure, when I first got the car, I double checked it. It does NOT have a Euro S engine code (4.7L), it has the Euro 4.5L code. This I know, I just can't remember where it is (it's been 5 years since I looked, and all my other cars are 924 variants).

GlenL

It on a small square cast into the top of the engine to the right of the upper radiator hose.

ideola

Thanks. Looked there earlier but not closely enough. Here y'go.

Engine Code: M28/09
SN: 8000268

Mrmerlin

M28/09 low HP ( 230 HP), Euro 5 speed
Nice car BTW the dark brown looks great too,

ideola

Thanks, but "low HP" is relative. Lower when compared to the "S" 4.7L version perhaps, but higher than the US spec version. I believe I accurately described everything in my original post...

ideola

SALE PENDING via eBay. Deposit received, we'll see if it sticks.

ideola

Car is sold, was picked up by new owner on Friday.