joehelendetroit

Anyone familiar w/ the rebuilder, DonPorsche or the car?

He has had it on CL for 10K for several months, then recently moved it up to 12K on CL and now has it on Ebay for 13K

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...3412&viewitem=

The laundry list of stuff he claims to have done sounds impressive, but some stuff sounds like over the top hype. For example he claims to have gained 110hp, but other than head rebuilding, he does not list any performance mods. In addition, painting the underside seems like hokey window dressing given that he appears to be working around all the existing wiring, exhaust, suspension and drivetrain.

I would almost be willing to drive over to Syracuse and check it out, but with all the expertise here on the list, I would value your input before I invest any road trip time.

UncleMaz

I saw that ad. It would be nice to have a RL'er first hand impression. DO IT!

Landseer

Looks spruced-up. Not restored.
3 to 4K.
Is this the one with the red cam covers and yellow wires?
Why bother?

joehelendetroit

Spruced up is what comes to mind when I see his underside painting, but his laundry list of replacements sounds like he did a nearly 100% restoration.

In addition he seems to see himself as a 928 specialist, he has taken the web address...

donporsche928.com

to promote his efforts.

While I recognize that anyone with $10 and an internet connection can buy a domain name, he is really putting himself out there as if he is an expert on 928's. If he is what he claims, I would expect someone on here could vouch for him. If no one on here has at least heard of him and his shop, I would not waste my time following up.

Markmandude

The description doesn't make any sense. It says they added 110 hp to the engine and then added drive train loss to come up with 400 hp. Either they are talking rear wheel hp, or they forgot too subtract drive train loss instead if add it.

Landseer

Well, so long as you can make them run, which is easy after you learn the idiosyncracies, then you can buy them sub 2K. Then, instead of restore, which is painstaking, costly and demanding work, you clean the hell out of them, then spruce with paint. That's a formula that can net you a good gain selling to the uninitiated and its something you must watch for in this sport.

I've seen a car advertised somewhere in NY recently as restored. It was an early red car, not sure if this was it. It was advertised as restored and instead it clearly was not. Be careful.

I don't need to know anything about any particular dealer or player to make the right call from a dozen pictures . Its easy. If its done wrongly, its wrong.

joehelendetroit

Landseer, thanks for your advice. After a more detailed review of what the seller is saying, it is clear that all he did was clean the car up.

This is the sort of advice I was hoping to find on this site. Thank you, thank you.

BRB-83-911SC

In my opinion, he ruined it by painting too may things that shouldn't be painted.

Mrmerlin

and the stickers,
why the stickers.

hagen454

I have seen the car. It is not a $13,000 car. Maybe if you knocked the 1 off the price it would be worth a drive. The car is at a little shop in East Syracuse. My brother in law lives near by and told me there was a shark for sale on the lot. I stopped and saw it this past summer, the shop was closed so I have no idea how it runs or any other details.

mikeb7

This is the same douche that bought a petrolblau/cork car on ebay for $2300, then similarly "restored" and reposted for $13000 two weeks later. There were a couple of threads here about that car. Some folks took the initiative to hassle him on ebay as well.

Avoid, or attack and flame, your choice.

Landseer

I think with 928 WW we saw what happens when we let the spin takeover.
Not going to flame. Am going to stay centered on the facts.

Markmandude

It doesn't look like the car has a front spoiler either.

Mike LaBranche

It's an 80, not supposed to have a spoiler(s).

This Don guy must subscribe to PTBarnum's adage about fools...

SteveG

Well I have to comment on how he arrives at the HP gain, i.e., by disonnecting the A/C compressor, I guess he thinks the compressor is always engaged (-40 HP) and claiming that the alternator is a 30 HP load and then adding that to get 350 HP. AND the '80 was rated at 220 not 260HP AND that doesn't equal 350HP. LOL. Why doesn't he just remove the engine and save all that weight?? He could probably get another 100 HP. Too sad.