fatihsen

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum. I am considering to buy a Porsche 928. I found one 86 S with 35K kilometers with auto transmission. The seller told me that his car was staying for 12 years at his neighbor, he bought it and reconditioned by changing all fuses, alternator, wiring, belts, water pump, fuel pump, some sensors, etc in the past 2 years. The car's all power options were working, I tested. However interior of the car was not very good compared to its mileage. There was no tears on the seats but there was one crack on the dashboard, plus the heater channels just under the windshield was bent very badly due to the sun. Also the leathers were stretched showing the sponge underneath on the separator of back seats.

The car was running good except the transmission was making hard kicks during switching the gears. The seller told me that this is normal in 928s. When I laid down underneath from the back of the car I saw that the transmission box is wet. There was some leakage. Actually the performance was not that I expected from its high torque value. I have not driven another 928 before, this was my first, but I was expecting the car to make me stick back when I was accelerating. It didnt.

Could you please let me know if it is normal in 928s to feel kicks during switching gears in auto transmission? Could that be possible due to the leakage in the transmission? Also is it hard to repair? I would appreciate if you can give some hints to look for or should I just walk away from this car?

Note that before posting this I read most of the buying guide sections but I am not a mechanic and I did not know where to look exactly for common issues. I will definetly show it to a mechanic, but before that I would like to hear your opinions?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Landseer

No, its not normal for a sorted-out 928, so he lied to you.
I have 84, 85, 86 all with same transmission and they shift smoothly.
1 to 2 is sometimes a little sharp, but not much.

The 84 has since been replaced for other odd reasons (broken parking pawl, probably from towing) and is now switched to an 89 transmission and it, too, shifts smoothly.


It might be easily fixable.

How much $?

Any pictures?

You have come to the right place.

James Bailey

The tall final drive ratio 2.20 to 1 makes them rather slow off the line. If there are vacuum leaks it can cause the trans to shift hard at part throttle as well as reducing the ignition timing. There are also adjustments for the throttle to transmission which changes the tining of the shifts. The transmission pan gasket often leaks especially if the small bolt were overtight and it dimples the trans oil pan. The car is nearly 26 years old so it is going to leak, rubber bits are hard and crumbly. The seats SHOULD look pretty nice IF BIG IF it only has 35,000 Kilometers. Any chance this car came from Japan ? Quite a number of them are being imported to Canada since there are fewer restrictions.

dcrasta

wet trans is not good. Try to isolate the source to see if it is the pan gasket. It could also be low on fluid. IF there is a lift available the reservoir is on the passenger side of the trans, Sight glass. Oh and one way to check is to start the car, and put it in park, then shift to neutral, then to drive, etc see how long it takes and if it 'lurches'.

a vacuum leak will also cause some of these problems but unless you can get it for a steal I would be wary of a leaky trans.. could be trouble..
Also consider you will have to do all the fuel lines, vacuum lines, and timing/accessory belts since they have been sitting for 12 years.. chaching so talk that price down if you still not afraid.. 86.5 cars are worth saving in my opinion tho, so being the emo type I would probably just get it if the car was complete and body straight.
How is the paint ?

fatihsen

As far as the seller told me the car was sitting for 12 years in his neighbor's house. Probably the car was staying outside all the time being. He is asking for 10K, but there is some bargaining, I guess. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures but i am giving link of the ad he posted. There are some pictures there but not very informative. http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...dIdZ235500356#

Another thing I forgot to mention is the rpm meter was going up and down between 0-1000 during idling. It was not steady. I don't have any idea what would be the problem.

The seats were fine. There was not much wear on them and there was no tears. Only at the back seats, the separator at the middle, the leather at the top of it was stretched making the sponges underneath visible. I don't know if this could be due to car staying outside for 12 years. The markings on the window switches were also gone. I was also suspicious about the mileage, and asked the person couple of times and he said it is correct and asked me to check if odometer readings are aligned. The car is a Canadian car.

Actually, I am not very bothered about the interior and not expecting a mint condition car. My budget is a bit limited, I can not afford more than 8-9K and I am trying to get something mechanically fit at least and would not cause me a problem for another 10000 kms. For this money as far as I check the classifieds, I can not get a very mint condition car.

So, for the transmission issue would that be easy to fix or would that cause me a headache in the mean time? As I understood if there is a vacuum leak it can also effect the car performance. Is it just changing some gaskets, bolts or would that be a bigger issue? Also the idling was not steady, is it hard to deal with. Would those repairs can cost me a lot?

Thanks again for the help and suggestions. I really appreciated.

dcrasta

-> Not sounding good..

Realistically? I would say save a few more bucks, some nice runners pass though in the 7-10k range on the forums. This car seems more like a project for a veteran instead of a freshman. Unless you have pro wrench skills and a place to work on it, that one sounds like it has a few complex issues that may end up with you over your head. I know i sound pessimistic, but in that condition I would offer 3-4 max. and only because the paint looks good (but looks like a respray to me). The bouncing idle etc could be vacuum lines. Check if the cruise control works. That also needs vacuum . Seriously , if you really want the final word get a local Porsche tech to give you a Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI). Only true way to know..

..

Landseer

Stop. Hold your money. Do much research and reading.

Imo000

Just for the ransmission issue alone, this is not a $10 000 car.

Mike Frye

Off the bat, $10k for anything that isn't EXACTLY what you want and running really well already is too much.

Even if you talk him down to $8k which is a long way from his asking price it sounds like you're at least $4-5k away from a car that won't give you any problems for 10,000 kms.

It's an '86 Canadian car. I'm not sure if this is the case for Canadian/ROW cars, but if the last four digits of the VIN are >1000 it's actually an '86.5 which means it has bigger breaks, true dual exhaust and some other suspension upgrades (over the early '86) as well as S4 belly pan/frame rail setup. This would make it slightly more desirable than an early '86 or '85 32v car.

You can find a running '85-'86 auto for 5k, a pretty nice one with all of the PM (preventive maintenance) done for $10-12k.

If your budget is 8-9k and you want a 928 that will be reliable for the next 10k miles I think you're going to have to look for a pre-'85 auto and be pretty picky about it at that. These cars only appear 'cheap' because you can pick them up fairy easily for well under $10k. The problem is that you want reliable and that cost extra.

Good luck with your search, you should definitely get a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) from someone who knows 928s, (not just Porsches) be patient, it will be worth it.

Just my $.02, YMMV.

Cosmo Kramer

The interior of that car looks rough for only 35 kms probably the odometer broke somewhere along the way. The paint looks OK from the pics but hard to tell. The transmission shift I would bet is a broken vacuum line to the modulator causing full line pressure and full hard shifts all the time.

These cars with automatics are a bit lazy off the line but it should accelerate quite smartly once rolling. Again, if the vacuum line is broken it could be causing other problems like retarding the timing upping the fuel pressure etc at light throttle.

Be patient and a better example will present itself. I am a fan of the 85-86 cars, 32V motor S styling and lots of power hidden away with the proper mods.

You might want to check this one out in Chatham, it is a Kia dealer and he might be anxious to unload it before winter. It is an 86.5 with the bigger brakes. I have no idea as to the condition except for the pics. You might be able to get it for 1/2 the price of the one in Windsor.

http://chatham-kent.kijiji.ca/c-cars...AdIdZ234277380

Imo000

Hey...this one looks nice and the asking price is good too.

danglerb

Cars that have been sitting for a dozen years need SERIOUS cash to get them back to reliable drivers, not a car for a person on a budget.

You need to look at and drive more than one old 928. Many find the manual transmission more sporting.

fatihsen

Thanks everyone for their suggestions. I think I will not consider that car anymore. That is going to be a big burden on me. The seller reduced to 8K, rightaway and was seeming to get rid of it as quick as possible. I am not a mechanic and I don't have a garage to do all the maintenance myself. I may get some help from friends, but not professionally. So I have to get something mechanically fit, otherwise I can not handle the repairs.

The car in the chatham-kent was not very bad. I talked to dealer and he was very willing to sell it. I wanted some maintenance records, and dealer found me something 10 years old. . That car is with manual transmission which is desirable?. The problem with that car is the odometer. It is not working. It stopped at 132K kms. So I was afraid of it a bit. The pictures he sent me showing the interior was not bad. I am attaching below. On the hood there is a bent area on the right front tire side of the car. I will go and see that car, but the preventive maintenance is scaring me, like water pump, timing belt and rollers.

Do you know the previous owner of that car?

There are some S4s are for sale in the dealers at Toronto too below $10K, but again, generally dealers does not have the previous maintenance records of the cars. It may be a lottery to me. I will show the car to a mechanic before buying but I can not show every car that I like. It will be too costly. There is one 90 S4 in London, looks clean for $9K but again the torque tube bearings has to be replaced. As I checked in this forum the repair of that issue is more than $2K. Another big problem.

As I said I want to get something mechanically fit, without big problems. I can sacrifice the interior condition a bit if all the power options are working. I dont have a car now and I want to use this car as a daily driver. I don't want to get something and after couple of driving park it to garage because I can not afford the repairs.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I really appreciated it. I am more committed to get one 928 after getting that much of help here. The unity and support is amazing.

danglerb

If I was in Canada I would be looking at a nice Japanese 928. Import costs are very reasonable, and the cars can be very good values.

http://www.terra2imports.ca/ab-listings.php?model=928

linderpat

From everything you've said, a 928 may not be for you. These are old cars now (especially oin your price range), and you will need to do (in many cases) deferred maintanence. The regular upkeep costs on a well sorted car aren't too bad, but plan to spend at least a grand a year, if you can't do the work yourself. Buying a 928 as a daily communter car without a regular driver as an option in the garage is a mistake. It is a former supercar, now a hobbyist car better suited for that purpose. I would never buy one with the intent to use it as my primary source of transportation (or any 20 or 30 year old car for that matter).
Also, the car in the pic looks like an auto tranny car with the after market shift **** and boot that is made to look like a stick. Not sure, double check it. If the dealer is wrong on that, he doesn't know anything else about the car.