RyanPerrella

to the OP,

Sounds like a wise decision to pass on that car.

When i hear "has been sitting for 12 years" unless its dirt cheap im going to go someplace else.

fatihsen

I did not notice that the car was an auto transmission. Actually in the ad, it was written auto. Maybe I misinterpreted. I did not see it personally yet. My mistake. It was not looking good either.

I agree that what I am trying to do is not very reasonable; to get a car more than 20 years old to use it as a daily driver. Actually, I will most probably use this car on weekends and holidays, because I go to work by walking everyday. I think I can afford to pay another $1000 for the regular maintenance in a year but I don't want to get something which has already lot of big problems. By saying that, I think if you have such a nice car and it is lots of fun to drive you should use it as much as you can. I might be considering to move in the city far from the work so that I can have an excuse to drive .

The importing from Japan did not come to me a cheap option considering my budget. I was not aware of that option before. It is cool. I think if you have $15-20K you can get really clean cars. As I checked now, there is three 928 available now, but the prices were not written, you have to bid. 2 of them were all modified. I didn't like them. One was good with 50K kms mileage but again I don't think that I can get it below 10K considering all customs, shipping, taxes, etc.

Thanks for suggestions again.

safulop

Just my 2 cents, but if your budget is only $10,000 you would be better off looking at really nice 944s. They seem to be more reliable anyway; I have used my 1985 944 as a daily driver for 11 years.
A good 944 is only worth maybe $5,000 these days, so your budget should allow you buy almost the best one for miles around.

Landseer

944 manual is my next-favorite car. I'll have one again soon. Somehow.

danglerb

$500 and a flatbed tow and that wish is easily granted via Craigslist.

docmirror

For the Kent dealer car, find the last four digits of the VIN. If it is over 0999, this is an 86.5 and is a bit more desirable. At the very least, find out the last time the timing belt was changed. This is a must do maintenance item. Also, you must check for thrust bearing failure. Any good import mechanic can examine these things and get you taken care of.

If you like everything else on the car, offer $4000 and start negotiating. The 928 can be used as a weekend car, but you will have maint expenses. You will need to find a competent and honest repair shop near you.

928s mostly have electrical issues, so that is the challenge for an aged supercar. Have that dealer car looked over by a 928 mechanic, not just a Porsche mechanic. He will give you the go/nogo options, and costs to keep it up.

good luck and welcome!

<edit; I just looked at the dealer car and it appears to have the big brakes, which would indicate a 86.5 year car. Also, the front spoiler is in very good condition, which would indicate that some maint has been done on this car as they always break. If the odometer isn't working this is very common and the fix is fairly easy with information from this website. Drive it and test everything electrical. If you like it, grab it up quick or I may come get it! >

Cosmo Kramer

The Chatham car is an 86.5 I can tell by the brakes. I think it is an auto, looks like a Momo shifter. Dent in the fender sucks but can be repaired. See if it drives OK, low ball the dealer and see what happens.

docmirror

Or an 86 that has been upgraded. The paint may indicate that it was modified. Get the VIN, know for sure.

fatihsen

For the car in Chatham, I have the VIN number of the car. Last 4 digit is 2568. As I understood this makes the car 86.5. I also have the car proof. It does not show any accidents in the last 10 years. I dont know why but it did not give records before 10 years. It may be different from car fax. Because I dont have a car now I could not find chance to go and test drive that car. The only problem with that car what dealer told me was the odometer. I also checked the forum about fixing it. It is cheap and maybe 2-3 hours of work. I am thinking maybe I can get that car less than 6K including taxes and fees. The dealer was desperate to sell.

As I said before there are some 87 S4s for sale in Toronto in dealers less than 10K. There is one dealer named Mario, I talked to him on the phone he said he is a Porsche mechanic and he is fixing and selling these cars without problem. I saw his other Porsche ads in other forums. Is there anyone bought a car from that person? He will send me some car pictures tomorrow. I will share with you. I would appreciate your comments on them too.

Thanks again for help.

docmirror

I found the 86.5 to be a sweet spot in a practical supercar. If you are not sold on the S4 body changes, that 86.5 would make a nice runner and leave you some $$$ for maint and upgrades. If you are set on the S4, you'll pay a bit more of course, but the performance is only marginally better, and only at the top end. I found the acceleration on the 86.5 that is running good to be comparable to the S4.

For you, I think condition is more important than model year. It's hard to judge from a distance but you should find a car with history, or plan to spend some time at DIY clinics or at the shop with a checkbook.

I'm sorry I sold the 86.5 that I had. It was a great car, that was fast and fun.

fatihsen

Hello again,

I was searching other cars by the time and I found one 88 S4 in Toronto at HP Cars. The car has 103k kms. The interior condition is OK. There are some sun cracks on the dashboard. The seats are good. There were some minor things in the interior. The dealer is asking for $8500 firm. The car was running good at high rpms, but when I was pressing very low gas at low speeds, the car was not running smoothly. I felt that it can not get gas efficiently or it can not burn it. I am not a mechanic so do you know what could be the problem? Does it need a tune-up only?

The dealer said that the car was sitting for 5-6 months and it just needs driving. He said he is selling this car for a leasing company. The dealer said the timing belt water pump maintenance has been done in the past 2 years and the car does not have any major problems, though it has some oil drippings due to its age.

Also when I opened the hood, the air intake tubes which located in the both sides of the engine were missing. Those large and long tubes. I asked the dealer, where are they. He said he does not know. Are these tubes expensive and absence is a major problem? Actually, the question is why they are missing? What could be the reason that they removed those tubes? Do you think the car had a major repair?

This dealer, HP cars is a Porsche mechanic and as I saw in this forum they are good and I am thinking that if I dont trust them who should I trust.

I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance. I added some pictures of the car.

Mrmerlin

just a word of caution if you cant buy a sorted car,
then DO not buy one,
since your not a mechanic you will be going into very deep water unless you want to learn how to fix the car yourself with our help of course.

Warning learning how to fix a machine is one thing,
learning how to fix your 928 is for people with advanced skills.
You could possibly damage your new purchase so it is only a parts car.
The only way around this is to have a 928 mechanic and be able to write good checks .
The car you posted may possibly need to have the intake refreshed,
if you do it yourself it will cost about 2K all said an done,
if you pay then it may go as high as 4K.
This doesnt address motor mounts, or oil pan gasket, or steering rack leaks, power steering reservoir leaks, trans cooler lines leaking or transmission leaks or HVAC system issues or a working A/C system.

Buying a sorted car will cost more up front but the good thing is that you get to drive it now not next year after the intake and motor mounts have been swapped out .
Keep your eyes open here,
there may be a nice car that pops up from time to time ,
then all you have to do is add gas and check the levels

docmirror

Well, if it's not running smooth at low RPM, there's something wrong. It could be a whole long list of things that will cause this, but sitting too long is low on the list, if it will rev good at high speed. Bad gas will show up at all speeds and worse at high engine speed. It's a good price if you trust that the belt was done, and done right. The dash and pod cracking is common for the 928, and can be fixed, but the removal and install of the dash is a serious job for a skilled person. If it will idle right, then the MAF is prolly good, but there is still a lot of stuff that could cause rough running, and all of it is hard to diagnose quickly.

For me, if the body work and int are good, and you like the car, having the engine sorted by a mechanic is the easiest thing to have done. Intake refresh, all new vac lines, and lubing the idle stabilizer valve may do it, or you may have some other specific issues.

Find a mech that has 928 experience and have him do the final check before buying this one.

Landseer

Its not running right, but for sale at a place that specializes in them.
Silver 928 sitting next to it, 944 across the lot.
Comment "if I can't trust them who can I trust?"

Ask them this question:
What's the endplay reading on the crankshaft?
That will give us a start to answering the question.

Overall, if you are patient, and read lots here, you can probably find a good 928. Based on the questions asked, its too soon.

danglerb

"Firm" always annoys me, sort of like "serious offers only". Only option it leaves me is to be polite and walk away, or go ahead and make them an offer regardless of what they think about it.