cali4sun

Run Away And Don't Look Back (or you will turn to STONE!)


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

Richter12x2

A cheap 928 can be a good 928, but be honest with your capabilities. :P

I bought a non-running 1985 5.0 with bad paint, electrical problems, and everything under the hood coated in black rattlecan paint. Seller said it had a bad computer, and it was leaking transmission fluid after a $2k+ service by a luxury car garage in Plano Texas.

$10 in relays got the engine to start up, I spent $150 to get the tool from Porken to dial in the MAF and it ran great. Removed and installed new seals throughout the Auto trans, torque converter and torque tube for about $350. Got a vinyl dash and pod kit from Rob Budd for another $400, and a couple yards of matching vinyl for the rest of the interior for $100. Taking off the 18" turbo twists that didn't fit and replacing them with a set of 16" staggered fit tele-dials cost me -$300, even after bead blasting and powdercoating. 3 stage pearl blue paintjob cost me around $400.
Except for the $2000 or so I spent updating the body with an AIR kit, S4 tails and fogs, and 8" headlights, I bought a nonrunner for $3200, had a solid runner for <$4000. But if you have to pay someone else to paint it, or pay someone else to upholster it, you'll never come out ahead.
It's a passion thing. You're not going to flip a 928 for money, but you'll get an amazing car that you'll love for years, if you're willing to take care of it.

DR

As much as I hate to say it...sometimes a basketcase is only worth $363.28 ....at the scrap metal yard...even with all sorts of heavy crap thrown inside.

Won't show the pic where they flattened it right in front of me before I left...brought a tear to my eyes.

Mrmerlin

Dude thats cruel...........

cali4sun

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

DR

Hey, I didn't start this basketcase thread... HA, HA !!



Guess how much a 91 S4 Bare stripped chassis is worth? Wanna see pics?

Glenn M

I bought two decent 928's, with a ****load of documentation (88, nothing in the Strosek with 55k miles). I have put a lot of $$ and sweat into these cars and still not done, you are never done.
Do they put a smile on my face when I take them out, hell yeah!

These cars are bad ***, buy the best car you can afford. Parts are not cheap, but in the end it is worth every penny!

A muscle car that can handles the twisties and I don't see one at every corner!

Good luck!

neilh

Take your time and look - both were running when bought:
my 84 Euro S - $1100, plus another $4k ( paint, fuel lines, electrical issues) to get it to the current condition, and about 200 hrs of work.
And my 86 Widebody - $3500 + $1500 to get it right ( Timing belt, fuel lines, etc) - about 40 hrs work.

fraggle

It's cheaper and probably safer than strippers and booze.

I've met a ton of awesome people through these cars and I only have $30k invested in mine.

You're already used to working with mid-80's german vampire cars. Buy it and get started.

But I'd start higher on the ladder. You can always get lucky, but even a good one can cost ya. If you start with a basket case, the road will be longer.....

jwillman

Save her!

DR

I agree...BUT I recently learned you should check any "backetcase" for snakes FIRST!! We found 5 like this in one 928 a few weeks ago.

Podguy

$3800 is certainly too much - no matter what was spent on the car. If you do the work your self and are careful about sourcing parts you can fix the car for a reasonable price. Taking it to shops is just not worth it. Many do not do good work.

The 80-82 US models are the worst 928s built. They have detuned engines and Porsche cut corners on quality. The better models are the 78-79 cars and the 80-83 Euro S cars. These were the cars Porsche initially intended to build. There have better quality parts and design and if these cars ever do appreciate they will be the ones to climb the fastest in value. The CIS system is a simple and reliable injection system with good overall performance. (No electronics) In fact, I would go as far as saying they are almost addictive to drive. I have driven other years and the early cars have the best feel of any 928 Porsche made. Further they are simple in terms of features and you will not have to be a contortionist to work under the hood.

You should be able to find a good running and restorable early 928 for under $3000. Any one not running is worth $700 for parts at best. Be sure to get a five speed. The autos are more trouble than they are worth. If you want a PPI to evaluate a potential car try this.

http://www.kondratyev.com/porsche/ppi/ppi.htm

Good luck - their are few cars in the world as rewarding to drive than a 928

Podguy

You scraped the car as shown? Wow - you have a lot to learn about auto wrecking. There is a lot of aluminum in these cars.

DR

What!! There is aluminum in a 928??? WOW, I have been disassembling 928s for 20 years and I never knew that

$0.12 a pound for "Shredder" steel, $0.55 a pound for aluminum...you have a lot to learn about LABOR Costs and productivity. :-)

I have done it both ways..it's not worth my time to remove the aluminum parts from a chassis that was as far gone as that one was. IF I dedicate the precious time I have to remove the aluminum parts...they are gonna be perfect and sold, NOT scraped.

I am curious, how long does it take you to remove a fender? It weights less than 20 pounds... 2 of them are less than 36 lbs... so you can spend a hour or more in the heat taking off both fenders for approx $18-19...personally I have bigger fish to fry.

OH, OH, I have 2 more going next week (see pic)... how much will you pay me for one or both of them???

Red one is a 98% complete 86.5 auto, engine, interior, trans, S4 suspension etc still on it, have original wheels/tires here, no body dents, had an engine fire..would be a perfect Basketcase Restoration for some one...MAKE AN OFFER.....I'll even toss in a perfect 86 Intake to go with it (original melted in fire).

FWIW, the blue one was not mine, I wouldn't buy even a parts car in the condition it was in...but I was tired of it taking up space at my place the past 3 years....and very happy to see it gone...even happier the owner split the Money wth me for trailering it 30 miles to the shredder. :-)

Andre Hedrick

Start with what you can afford, and assume $15K as a base point.

A $14K car is likely in good condition and you will need about $1K of stuff.
A $3K car is likely in functional state and you will need about $12K of stuff.

I can prove this on about the $3K -> $5K '81 928 on two different instances.

Well come to the club, and never start a running sum of what you will spend.

It is unlikely you will get as much enjoyment from anything else you can spend it on ... this is not an investment in money, it is an investment in your insanity and fun!