M. Requin

Eric, to me the most important phrase in your original post is not "finally got the OK..." but "to restore". My goal when I bought my beater was to restore it to DD status and then do whatever cosmetic and functional improvements I felt like doing. It was, and is, a project, and that's what I wanted. This car looks like a good candidate for that approach.

I love this, it may go up on the wall in my shop it is such a perfect expression
of my attitude:

But if you are looking to do a total restoration, it will be, as everyone has pointed out, major bucks and involvement. In that case, I would make sure the car is straight before I spent a buck. Good luck, keep us posted.

UpFixenDerPorsche

We have a saying here in Oz: A nice 928 is going to cost $30,000.

You can decide whether you pay it all up front or start with a $5000 Mechanic's Special and go from there.

The second approach will test your commitment but guarantees you'll know A LOT about your new car.

HTH.

linderpat

you, sir, get a pass

dr bob

The OP is a one-post visitor. Lots of good info in response to that first post. Let's get some feedback from him, please.

docmirror

Let's say you are a bottom feeder. This car doesn't pass the "2 out of 3" rule I have. If you are going to restore a car, you should start with something that has good paint and int, but bad mechanicals, or good int and mech but bad paint, or good paint and mech but bad int. This is where bottom feeders thrive, and this car needs 2 of three, and the third(trans) sounds like it's going to need some love as well.

So, it's a car that should sell for about the same as the breakers(auto salvage yard) price. I bet if you take this car to the local Euro salvage yard and ask what they will give you the answer will be about $7-900. Not over a grand, I can assure you. That means the car as it sits with a good title is worth just about $1000 on the CL market. A used car lot would not take it in trade except for the mark-up on the selling car, as it can't go on a lot in this condition.

So, if you want it, you have to decide if you are going to start out $2300 in the hole or not? Personally, I wouldn't touch it. But, if you can get it for ~$1000, and then start on your resto, you will only be about $10,000 upside down providing you do much of the work yourself like swap the trans, and remove/install all the int bits. As for the paint, plan on $6500 with you doing most of the trim and bumper on and off work. Let the painter do what he does when it's ready for sanding.

Anything over $1300 is fuggeddabbouudditt. Keep shopping.

ekistler

Thanks to all for your input. It is much appreciated!

For me half the fun is the project part.

What I am trying to determine is if the cost of the car is inline with the condition. I'm also wondering if there are any "time" sensitive parts that are becoming very difficult to find because of the age. (AKA Unicorn parts >$$$$$$$$ ). I see some cars that are farther away that appear to be in better shape but it would be very disappointing to drive 11+ hrs to end up with the same level of degradation.

As Martin indicated, I used the word "restore" on purpose. I would like to be as true to the original condition as possible, within a common sense budget (See Unicorn Parts). I'm not a fan of trying to make the car into something it was never intended to be. With this car, the options code list is missing from the back so I cannot tell what it shipped with from Porsche so some guessing will most likely be involved.

Actually, the paint work was not too concerning to me so, other than the cost of materials, I can handle that part with no labor cost. Just my time. (Not my first rodeo in the paint booth and I have good equipment in the garage already. )

I forgot to mention that the A/C is fully functional on the car which is a must for Phoenix and yes, my garage does have A/C as well.

I'm also curious to know if vacuum leaks could be the underlying cause of the slow gear changes in the tranny. After viewing the ravages of Phoenix sun I find it very believable that the vacuum lines are most likely in the same level of disrepair. All of the auto slushboxes that I have rebuilt have been of the computer controlled kind (722.6 and TAAT) so vacuum controlled should be an interesting challenge.

As for the Wife... I would rather that she be happy with the project. It will be much more fun with her on board as compared to unhappy. And, she is well aware that the repair costs dwarf the initial purchase cost.

Thanks again,

E

ekistler

Thanks Doc.

That's the type of feedback I'm looking for. The "what should it cost for this condition" feedback.

rnixon

Try posting the VIN on this thread. There are people on here who can get the options list from the VIN, although that doesn't guarantee that they're still fitted.

docmirror

No prob. This project just got easier if you can sand, prime, color, clear, and buff yourself. The orig paint is Glasurit med/low VOC lacquer. I would go with something a bit easier to apply, but that means you have to prep and seal the old stuff real well, as you know so you don't get chem reaction(bubbles, wrinkles, crazing, etc).

There are some parts on these cars that are getting hard to source, but eventually you can get stuff without too much hassle. Roger at 928sRUS can do quite well on hard to source things, and he is often arranging to have things made that are wear components.

Of course, we are biased that all 928s should be saved and restored, so you'll get some folks here quite willing to spend OPM, as long as they don't write the checks. Sadly, the 928 is the black hole of value retention. We all say the market is picking up for these cars, but so far it hasn't. There is a collector market for the extremely rare car like a 78 Euro, or a 5sp GTS, or a few of the 89 GTs, but the run of the mill 928 is a losing investment proposition from the get go.

As long as you accept this, it's a workhorse as a GT touring car for low bucks, and quite comfy for long drives. Once they are well sorted, not too high on regular mx, but many are let go due to the declining value problem.

If the seller gets more than $1500 for this car I would be shocked. The 928 buyers market is thin, and there are always better examples out there to pick up. The fact it's local helps you some. As for the trans, well - there's no way of knowing what is going on there without diagnosis. You would be lucky if it were just a vac problem. More often the thing is just thrashed. Used trans over in SoCal are avail at not to bad a cost.

I'd be very up front with the seller. Leave it open ended so that when he doesn't get any other offers, he can call you back. Don't over pay for a beater, just cause it's a 928.

linderpat

very much so. The auto boxes are vacuum modulated - the line comes off a 7 way splitter in the engine "v". A car like this will have all soft bits in the engine bay baked to glass (my 86.5 had this problem - it was a FL car - everything under the hood had to be replaced). Vacuum line kit could cure a lot of ills. Also, fuel lines would be an immediate must to replace as well. Because it is an 85, count on the timing belt needing replaced, which typically includes the water pump. If you are handy with a wrench, you can do it - it is a job, but there are great tutorials (see Dwayne's Garage in the DIY section). These things will need o be addressed before getting into the cosmetic stuff. If you can get it very cheap (as per advice above) have at it and post up your progress..

Fogey1

For an idea of where an amateur paint job can come out, and what's involved, see
http://reutterwerk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19931