17prospective buyer

Buying a cheap one is false economy. I meam if you go into a project 928 knowing how much you'll have to spend, fine, but its when people let the car get to them with the cost of repairs, just roll with it, or sell it... I just rolled with it and i fully accept the financial implications of owning one of these, i can scale much better now for estimating how much in parts and time what it will cost. I haven't even driven mine on public roads yet since i bought it, but i'm driven because i love it.

James Bailey

Well said but remember love is blind..... and love is an emotion which by definition is not logical or rational

Landseer

Mark,
Just be patient and turn over the rocks, one will pop up.

Better finds seem to be from older boomers, ready to downsize, who don't use them but still have them tucked in garage corners, negected but not abused. That's the ticket. Refresh is fun, if you like that kind of thing.

If you don't wrench, and want a specimen, that's a different buy, actually can be a more tricky buy.

Mike LaBranche

He no doubt sensed all the fresh parts you were sportin'...

soontobered84

+1 Seriously sage advise right there!

17prospective buyer

Mine is a 5 owner car not including me, but luckily it hasn't been butchered. In fact the original owners of the car seem to have switched owners between the same "Daoust" family. Original owner for mine is Robert Daoust, since i have his own business card which was found deep in the owners manual. Not the Daoust on Rennlist though. I would buy one which will pass safety and is reliable, but has the usual deferred maintenance, that's a pretty simple project, just buy your parts, get the workshop manuals and go to town.

bdickason

Even if you find a 928 in great condition, you'll have tons of work ahead of you with your son My wife and I purchased a Black 1980 Manual a month ago, two owner car that has been garaged all of its life with 38k miles.

Even in amazing condition, we have a shortlist of 20-or-more repairs ranging from a/c issues to a motor in the passenger side mirror to cleaning the wonderful fuse box We just completed our first piece of work today - swapping out the air filter! (Baby steps...)

One piece of advice I'd give you is to find a 928 expert in your area and take the car there immediately before purchase (or after, if that's not possible).

We purchased our car remotely (didn't even test drive it) and took it to the Porsche dealer in Manhattan who are listed in the Rennlist 'recommended service centers' post. The mechanic who worked on it misdiagnosed 3 of our major problems (said the shifter needed new cables, for example) and charged us near-$900 just to LOOK at it. They even failed to check the oil and just assumed it was all good because the oil pressure gauge was malfunctioning and locked at 5.

After taking it to S M Motorsports in Long Island (Where we received PHENOMENAL SERVICE), our shifter problem was fixed along with a few other odds + ends we didn't even mention for under $500, and we have a RELIABLE itemized list of other problem areas.

Long story short - these are amazing cars, you should buy one. Take the time to find the right one (members on this board are usually willing to help), and get it checked out by someone who knows what they're doing.

If you happen to find one in the New York Metro Area, my wife and I would be happy to go check it out for you.

OhioMark

Fogey1:

Thanks for the heads-up on the Ohio 928 group. My wife and I are OSU grads and make
it down to Columbus several times a year. The next time you have a gathering, please let me
know and I'll try to make it!

Thanks to everyone for their advise and I'm learning every day from all of you!

Mark

BC

A porsche dealer in Manhatten? Why the hell? Tell us more of that story. What else did he say? There is no engine in your trunk? And you paid him 900 dollars? Shifter "cables"?

James Bailey

In all fairness the tech in Manhattan probably never actually ever worked on a 928, may not have even been as old as the car

bdickason

In order to avoid derailing the thread (and not pass out from exhaustion atm), I'll post a separate thread tomorrow and link to it here

The Forgotten On

Like others have said buy the best one you can with the money you have.
I bought mine for nothing and it had no history so it was a gamble but it paid off for me since it is my first car.
Do your research and find out which years suit you best. Look for one without a sunroof.....

BC

Kewl

snoz

A project 928 can be rewarding if you have an idea of what you are in for. The only surprise I've had so far is how far overboard I'm willing to go.

z driver 88t

One other thing to add is don't rule out traveling if you find the right car. Mine was in Raleigh NC, about 500 miles IIRC from Gainesville FL. After a thorough PPI by a local Porsche shop and a TON of detailed photos, I rented a car one way and drove the 928 back. That was almost 5 years ago and have been very happy with the purchase.