Tim_944

Hey guys i've been on rennlist for a long time and i've owned and worked on a 944 for 8 years. I've been looking for another porsche and found a 928 s4 in my area with 280k kms on it. It is auto and the guy says it has service history with 50k in receipts for work done to it including the transmission being rebuilt. he says the belts and water pump were done 3-4 years ago. he told me the only issue is the AC does not work. Inside looks clean no ripsand body is nice but told me some scratches on front bumper.

so anyways when i go to look at the car tomorrow i'm wondering what things i should check for.

Also what is your opinion on buying a high mile s4. My 944 has over 300k kms on it and it has been very reliable but the engine basically needs a rebuilt, it has low compression in one cylinder and also one valve leaks.

also i am a bit concerned with the fact that the car has had 2 tranny rebuilds

also i'm looking to make this my new daily driver is that realistic? if it runs well can i just slap a new water pump and timing belt on it and start driving it every day?

thanks

MainePorsche

With this many miles you'd need a good PPI by a 928 guy. Edit the thread title and add ' need a PPI in Vancouver area'. I don't remember who, but there are some good 928 guys over there. Someone will chime in. Maybe tight in timing with the New Year coming up.
T belt/water pump, intake refresh, fuel lines, compression test, flex plate/crankshaft endplay are just a few to name which need to be done. There is more.
Need the full monty PPI with these miles.

See the New Visitor thread at the top, and see what is relevant to you.

Tim_944

thanks for the info. yeah that is what i thought. the car is listed for pretty cheap so that is the only reason i was interested otherwise i was not looking for a high miles car.

it won't let me change the title.

jcorenman

280K km's (175K miles) is not especially high, but I agree that it needs a careful PPI. Is it an auto or manual? Tranny rebuilds at that mileage are a bit unusual, two is highly unusual.

Here is Dave C's PPI guide (worf928 here), very helpful for anyone looking at a 928:
http://members.rennlist.org/worf928/...Inspection.pdf

Or just the checklist: http://members.rennlist.org/worf928/...n%20Tables.pdf

Top on my list (after a careful inspection) would be the service documents. There's always a story there. With an auto, if not properly serviced then TBF (thrust bearing failure) is a potential issue that shouldn't be overlooked.

We're not too far away, I sent a PM with contact info.

Cheers, Jim

F451

Colin in Abbottsford, member name Lizard928, has a shop and does 928's, knows his stuff if you need someone to look at it.

Regarding the mileage, depending on price I would not sweat the miles. However, if this will be your only car and you are hoping to use it as a daily driver, I would not recommend it. It's a 27? year old car with some fairly complex systems and spendy bits, so it will have some inevitable down time to maintain.

If it's not going to be your only car, jump on it. -Ed

Daniel5691

Hi !

I think if you "GO ADVANCED" in the "reply box", or at the edit prompt.....it may allow you to edit your title???

Good luck !!
Dan

MainePorsche

+1 on Colin.
He is one of the Wise Ones here.

MainePorsche

If you click on the pencil and paper icon on the bottom right of your original post that would be for EDIT.

DeWolf

I bought one a while back with 308,000kms on it and i changed a couple of hoses, new oil and filters, a new maf and hey presto. Burnout machine.

Tim_944

With high miles i'm guessing things like power steering pumps, steering racks, suspension parts are all going to fail soon unless they were previously replaced.

S4ordie

All fuel lines MUST be replaced unless there is strong proof of replacement in the last few years. The TBF issue is another engine killer.

James Bailey

With $50,000 in repair receipts the prior owner hopefully was keeping up somewhat......but it ALSO points out that the care and feeding of a 928 can really add up. Especially considering the first few years were under warranty and should have been relatively trouble free.
Few people would expect a 25-27 year old Ford or Chevy to be a reliable daily driver or a Ferrari of any year for that matter Interesting how desire often trumps common sense !

Tim_944

haha true. my 944 has been a reliable daily driver for many years now but i have had to replace almost everything on it other than the engine. The 944 is also much less complicated and parts are cheaper so it has not cost me much to keep running.

the flyin' scotsman

where are you in Van Tim?

mike77

My S4 is my only car so is my daily drive I guess, however I'm not reliant on it as I live and work in the city centre. It hasn't ever broken down on me though. The only time it has been off the road for a long period has been scheduled maintenance that takes me quite a while to work through myself. If I really needed a car every day I might have to have a second car.


Milage wise if it has been looked after it may be fine. I would be concerned about pumping 1000s into a car that wouldn't have a great resale value when I came to sell it.