Michael Blue

Hey guys, looking at an '85 DOHC Auto and wondered if there is anything in particular I should be looking out for. This one has a lot of miles but is said to run well and is priced right. Paint and interior need some TLC, but hopefully not too much. Hard to tell. Pics weren't great. I've got the VIN in the VIN thread, but I wondered what else I can be doing.
Also, is anyone close to Camano Island, WA and could check it out in person for me?

Thanks, any help appreciated. This will be my first 928.

~Michael

davek9

Any service history (Timing Belt?)?
I would try to get under and look for any leaks, if it's "cheep" then that would suggest a lot of deferred maintenance.

Good luck

erioshi

Michael, I caught your posts in the singer thread where you seem to be looking to modify a car heavily. If that is the case, what specifically are you looking to start with? If an OE blue color is a priority, there is a Cobalt Blue '80 euro with an automatic for sale near me. It is a sunroof delete, but has rub strips. I'm fairly sure it is my old car, but I know nothing about the last 10 or so years of its history. My understanding is that it has been sitting indoors most of that time.

SteveG

Read the New Visitor thread, IIRC there is a buyer's checklist or link in there, plus a lot of other pertinent stuff. I would recommend getting a PPI on this car, esp if cheap or no history, maybe somebody knowledgeable from here can go. Good luck.

Michael Blue

Erioshi, those comments in the "Singer" thread were "if I had the money". This car would be a low-moderate budget restoration only. Not overly worried about color, the one I'm looking at happens to be white.

SteveG, I'll do that, thanks!

WICruiser

One thing to have checked is cranks shaft end play. Not an easy task but automatics are prone to thrust bearing failure and depending on what has been done (or not) it can be overlooked until the engine is toast.

outbackgeorgia

While the entry fee into "928 land" is low-to-moderate, maintenance can be high if it has been deferred. This can range from a failed engine (thrust bearing failure, timing belt on 4 valve DOHC engines (86 on) to just some normal maintenance items. If you are not specifically familiar with 928's (not Porsches in general) you may miss some telltale signs of serious expense items. The obvious paint and interior issues are easily misleading. Buy the best car you can afford with maintenance as up-to-date as possible. "Dealer maintained" is a sure way to be mis-led.
Good Luck in finding a great car!
Dave

Michael Blue

Getting a laundry list of questions answered by the seller.
Also found a "not cheap" '86.5 that I'm considering. It's at the very edge of my budget, but "seems" to be in as close to new condition (but with some miles) as I've seen.

Other than the obvious, is there anything particular to 928S regarding the A/C? This is one thing I keep finding inop in cars for sale, even nice ones.

Thanks!

The Forgotten On

Non op A/C is normal for almost all 928's that aren't on rennlist

Even more so for cars earlier than 87 because less care is paid to them due to them having less value on average.

It can be time consuming and expensive to fix. It gets worse if you have rear A/C because there is so much more to replace and scrape your knuckles on.

outbackgeorgia

The mileage is less relevant than the condition, especially if it has been driven vs. sitting for years. If compression is good, and maintenance checks out (928 specific PPI) I would take a normal/ high mileage over a low mileage anytime. Sitting unused usually leads to cooling system corrosion and head gasket issues. Daily drivers have fewer issues in my opinion. I do not let mine sit. That being said, after three weeks of sitting (longest) I reached in from outside the car, turned the key, fired right up, no issues. Just my experience and opinion.
Dave

outbackgeorgia

Re: A/C- O rings will leak and must be replaced, they are old. Time consuming, but cheap. Hoses, compressor, expansion valve, etc. which are normal A/C maintenance items are not really more expensive for a 928 than any other car. Back to the sitting vs. using issue. Avoid rear A/C if that is a choice.

SteveG

You prob know that '92 was the changeover year on A/C. Many older sharks have been converted to 134. Jury is divided here about whether that is the best thing to do, but know that if you determine what the car has and if you keep the r12, you really are committing to doing it yourself or paying for the conversion. No shop will touch R12. I have a Robinair charging station FS cheap, but shipping it is not.

Michael Blue

Thanks guys!
Both cars were driven regularly until somewhat recently. It sounds like the '85 has been sitting (on and off) about a year (I suspect longer), the '86.5 only a few months. Really don't know if I can even swing the '86.5 but I have to consider it, that's what I really want.

Actually, if we could stroll down to the "used car factory", it'd be a white '86.5 5sp with black leather, but that's another story, lol.

Thanks so much for all the informative replies, you guys are great!

dr bob

Michael--

Get with some owners in your area so you can sit in and evaluate a few cars before you take the plunge. At least you'll have better metrics to decide what you need immediately in a car.

Do you have your own tools, space to work, time to work on it, and a budget to support it ongoing? I worry when I read folks who are spending their whole budget to get the car, only to discover that they need another $5-10k in parts and pieces to get it the way they want it. Good info in the new visitor's thread. Remember you are buying (and maintaining...) a car that cost somewhere in the $50-80k when it was new 25+ years ago. Equate that with a $100-150k+ car today to maintain some perspective. Think about your purchase price as something like the down payment on the sales tax in the giant scheme of ownership costs. Not trying to scare you as much as share some experience in what it might take to own the car once you buy it. Too many folks buy a $5k 'bargain' supercar, only to discover that it needs at least $10k of work to make it safe and reliably driveable, and that even after all that time/money/work, the market value has changed only a tiny fraction of that.

"Both cars were driven regularly until recently..." when the list of looming expenses exceeded the owners' threshold of pain, when it was better to invest in lease payments on the Accord than the repairs needed on the 928. Many of us face the same situation/decision regularly. Find out exactly why the cars are no longer being driven, knowing that you'll be starting at a point no better than where the PO stopped caring.

Michael Blue

Bob, thank you for your very kind and absolutely truthful post. I have no doubt that you are absolutely right.

The '86.5, the owner tells a tale of love lost and how the car reminds him of her so he doesn't want it anymore. Other than the AC being out (and I noticed the previously polished wheels need refinishing), it is supposedly nearly perfect, but it's at the limit of my budget (~$8K) - a scary notion, for certain. It is close enough (~8hrs) that I would pick it up in person and see it for myself before money changed hands.

The '85 truthfully just may be too far gone. It's been tough getting the seller to answer questions, and it's way too far to ever check out in person (it's actually much closer to you than me). I'm still awaiting a promised reply to a laundry list of questions via email as we speak. It's super cheap ($3K) but the body needs a little work and the interior, although intact, looks like a disaster. I would have ~$4K to put into this one right away though, making the decision even more difficult.

I have a large heated garage and am disabled, giving me plenty of time to fiddle. I have some tools but no doubt would invest in more (and probably air tools) if I took on one that needed that level of work. Eventually, anything but an '86.5 would get upgraded suspension, brakes, etc, so air tools would help there anyway.

As for local owners, well, there's the rub. As far as I can tell, I live in a total wasteland of both car enthusiasts and owners of specialty cars of any kind, much less a niche car like our beloved sharks. Before my Pelican Blue B5 A4 (which is for sale, btw), I owned a pearl Subaru SVX and people always looked at it like it was a UFO going down the street. Constantly asked what the hell it was, even my oldest daughter was always getting comments on it, especially at gas stations and in drive-throughs.
Central Illinois is the absolute bunghole of the nation, there is nothing here. The government is unfriendly, people are marginally better and any real resources worth mentioning are all 3+ hours away (Chicago, Indy, St. Louis). I strongly suspect knowledgeable RennList members would be the same; 3+ hours away.

But, with sites like this, the simplicity of shooting a quick pic or video and sharing it, email, cheap/free long-distance phone calls, and knowledgeable folks like you graciously willing to take the time to respond to threads just like this one, I feel like it's the next best thing. You may not be able to come over and share in the experience over a beverage or 3, but your advice has already enriched my experience and affected my search.

My goal is to work out a situation where I can learn enough about these to maybe pick up a few a year, brush up the needs their owners didn't want to tackle, and resell them. The market may not quite be there yet, but we're already seeing clean cars go for $10K more than the average neglected example. There may eventually be a small niche there to resurrect a few of these and make a buck or two in the process. At least, that's the hope.

I dunno, maybe I'm out of my mind. But I've always wanted one, they seem to be "within range" this year, and if nothing else it would be a learning experience. Asking questions here is in the interest of protecting against it just being an expensive and unfruitful one. Thanks again to everyone who has responded to any of my posts, you are the only reason someone like me could ever even consider one of these cars!