bureau13

OK, newbie with first post here, although I've been reading for a bit. Some background...I've had all three generations of RX-7 in the past, the last requiring me to do a decent amount of my own work. I'm driving an SUV now but need a fun car back in my life. It won't be a daily driver, so I can take my time and learn if/when something breaks. I was thinking old 911, but the cost of admission is just too high...I'm severely budget-limited at the moment. I'm down to either a 968 or 928, and honestly the 968 would probably be the safer choice...but there's something about those sharks, and they're certainly more commonly found in my price range (5K or so). Obviously, I won't get something that doesn't need some TLC at that price point, and I'm OK with that.

Anyway, I'm looking at this ad: http://www.cars4sale.pro/detail/us/o...pe-2-Door-4-5L

Manual transmission is a must for me, which limits my choices. The Ebay ad for this car has a starting bid of $6K, which looks too high to me (0 bids, so I guess I'm not alone there). Clearly, the interior is beat. 36K miles is super low..maybe too low if it's been sitting, but the guy claims it runs well and the AC even works. But, no records. So the mileage is not verifiable, and unless there's a definitive way to determine that timing belts, water pumps, etc have been done recently, I'd probably need to do that just to be sure, regardless of miles. In other pics the guy sent me, it needs an under-tray.

Anyway, I was curious what you all thought about this car. My thoughts, if I can get him down to 4K it would be more reasonable, given the work I would likely need to do right off the bat. I see cars with more miles but in better condition (interior, anyway) going for 6-7K.

fraggle

You can win with a budget, but it is a longshot bet. There's a reason buy-in on some of these cars is that low. Deferred or skipped maintenance or somple storage damage can cost a ton in parts to bring back. 968/944 will be marginally cheaper, but you're still talking about cars that were very high end for their time.

The only advantage the 911 has is that the maintenance is likely done, which is one reason why the prices are higher, besides the overall popularity, it's kind of a vicious circle, maintenance is done because the cars are popular, so the price stays high.

syoo8

Hi!

If you are 'severely budget-limited' then don't buy a 928. I bought my '86 for $4000- it had very good paint but needed work on the interior and the usual items under the hood. The first year I spent $4000 to get it to run. $31,000 in parts (and front/back bumper respray) later, I feel that the car is in 'nice' shape.

The ad for the car- no records- is a red flag. Run away.

syoo8

Before buying a 928, I strongly recommend reading the new visitor page on 928 Rennlist.

This post is particularly salient...

What I did before I purchased was to read about 100 pages worth of threads on Rennlist. It will give you a sense of typical problems and issues the car has, and familiarize you with what the car is all about. Then you can go ahead and find that excellent, low-priced 928- when the money and time is right.

bureau13

Thanks. I have been reading, so I'm aware of the various problems. My thought is, since it's not a daily driver, if I get a car that's running decently, then I have no real time pressure to fix things. I can do it as time and money permit. I understand that getting it tip-top will be pricey, but l'm not in any hurry to get there. What I am in a hurry to do, is get started. On something! And the 911 is just not going to happen, as by the time I can afford one, it will have increased to the point where I still can't afford it. That's just the reality of it, it seems.

tda1

What Fraggle said

bureau13

The other thing here is that, say I get a 928 for cheap, spend some time and money but it's just not working out...I'm not out a ton of money, and I can get some of it back by selling it.

syoo8

In that case, I'd add that get one with good paint. Paint is the single most expensive 'part' on a 928- if the paint is decent, everything else is fixable. A good respray is very very expensive.

But again, I'd stay away from a 928 with no records. Any used car, for that matter.

johnu

There is nothing more expensive than a cheap 928....ok, maybe a cheap Ferrari

bureau13

To address the specific issues in a post referenced above:

"I spent every nickel I had to buy my shark, I hope it doesn't need any repairs for a while, I'm broke"

- Precisely why I've limited my initial budget, I know it WILL need repairs.

"I've never worked on a car myself, I don't even own basic tools"

- I've done some, but not a lot, of work. However, I have a car nut friend down the road from me who has every imaginable tool, tons of knowledge and a couple lifts in his garage.

"I got a great deal. Sold my reliable daily driver because I only have one outdoor parking space at my apartment building. All I own now is the 928."

- This will DEFINITELY not be a daily driver

"I know nothing about mechanical stuff. I did find a mechanic who say's he's seen a 928, but never really had to work on one. He does speak with a cool foreign accent and has foreign cars sitting around his shop."

- See above

"I hear the good thing about German cars is that they're built like tanks. I mean, drive the wheels off it for a couple hundred thousand miles and maybe change the oil now and then"

- I'm aware that this isn't remotely close to the truth

"Sure, the parts are a bit expensive, when you need Porsche originals. So, I save where I can by using generic motor oil, budget coolant, heck, I just snagged a used timing belt off Ebay, in case I ever need one, but I doubt I'll change the timing belt unless it breaks or something."

- The car I linked is a non-interference design so...lol never mind. Like I said, I'm aware that I need to do maintenance, and the timing belt should probably be done unless I have proof it was recently changed. I'm a big believer in finding good, cheaper alternatives, but I know enough to research them, because sometimes they're cheap and good, and sometimes they're cheap and crappy, which ends up being not cheap.

"$350.00 for shop manuals? I don't think so. I'll just guess and try to apply MY extensive knowledge which I gained by fixing the family lawn mower for years."

- I'm pretty sure I read that you can get the shop manuals on CD, which is what I would do immediately.

"Come on, I only paid $6,000 for this car. I'm not dumping $2,000 in preventive maintenence parts into it...........(hot chick walks by)."hey baby, this was a $70,000.00 car not long ago!!!" (see the irony)

- Did you see the interior of the car I linked? No illusions of impressing the hot chicks with that for quite a while...

And the number one sign of impending disapointment for a new 928 owner is......"Rennlist, Big 3?, never heard of them!"

- Well, I'm here, so.... ;-)

Bilal928S4

Drive a model year car that you are contemplating on buying. Sometimes a drive will dispel all allusions.
The car you have linked is a little under powered by today's standards, so drive it to make sure that is what you want.
Good luck and welcome to the tank.

bureau13

Leaving aside the "Should I or shouldn't I" topic for the moment (you guys are terrible enablers ;-) ) what are your thoughts on the car I linked? What price would you guys think would be reasonable, given the lack of provable details about it's past? Or is the lack of records a deal-breaker at any cost for you?

bureau13

(Btw, thanks for all the comments. I'm not dismissing any of them, just trying to show that I'm not jumping in eyes closed)

Good point about the power in that car Bilal928S4. Then again I'm driving a 5-cylinder Hummer H3 right now, so most anything will seem like a beast :-D

jej3

You are not starting to get the Shark Bug, you HAVE the Shark Bug!

Honestly, I would heed everyone's advice but give yourself an annual budget to put into the car. The more you pay up front, possibly your budget is lower.

I would think a non-interference engine would be ideal as you may or may not have the funds to jump into the deferred maintenance. But do plan on buying $1-2K in parts SOON after you get the car.

I've improved my 928 over the life of ownership the last 4 years. You can find a good base to build on and I believe you can do so "inexpensively" but you need to drop the word "cheap" because AIN'T nothing CHEAP about 928s

I found a real gem and pounced on it when I bought a 1990 S4 for $6,750 off of EBAY. It had 21 years of receipts including a $21K engine rebuild and a Torque Tube rebuild. I believe the 21 years of receipts was probably between $40-50K in service excluding the engine rebuild. I have put probably $4-6K of necessary parts into the car over the last few years. I have a never ending list of things I want to do and I'm not opposed to spending a few thousand dollars a year if needed. My car is aesthetically good which has let me to continue to mostly focus on mechanicals.

Buy the best you can afford and become a rennlist member, too! I would trade half the tools in my toolbox for this community. Whatever you do, don't buy something you view as a POS because, it will always be a POS.

Also, be aware that a 5speed brings on a PREMIUM price unless it is a POS.

Good luck!

medipedicman

I love the older body style 928. I would never pay $5-$6 K for a 78 sight unseen. There are plenty of OB's worth that, but there are also plenty of liars trying to unload basket cases on eBay/Craigslist.

If you are local to the car then go for a drive. If the odometer functions AND it drives / shifts properly then it might be worth $3500.

If the odometer does not function and no history then $2000 would be a good offer. With a tea pray and a worn out interior you really have no idea what the car has lives through.

These statements are only my opinion and they are worth exactly what you've paid for them, lol.