pearlpower

A sincere hello to everyone here. I have been following this forum for a little while now as the Porsche bug has been biting me again. I do have some background with Porsches and in fact learned a majority of my automotive skills due to Porsches. My previous Porsches:
1986 44T
1987 44T
1979 911T
1978,1979 924
1983 928
1986 44

My current car is a 98 GS400 which I am certainly holding on to due to it's combination of ultra reliability, luxury, and performance. In fact it will be getting an intercooled supercharger next month from Rod Millen. Problem is, is that have accumulated a whole garage of nice tools from my Porsche days and no longer use them. I enjoy working on my toys and the Lexus has stripped me of my,” time in my domain (garage)". I thought about a Viper, but decided it was not my style. I never cared much for Vettes. So, my search for my "tinkering" toy has been launched and I have set my eyes on a 1987 and up 928. My problem is that is just cannot seem to locate a 5 speed version. I already have an auto equipped performance car and the itch is in me to row through some gears.
I have checked the usual places: Autotrader, Recycler, and Classifieds here.
So I suppose I will get to my first of many questions: Are they THAT rare?
My dream 928 is the blue with blue or white interior with a 5 speed. Good body with no prior accidents preferable. I read a few pages that detailed the 5 speed conversion though cutting and welding into the firewall area makes me cringe a little.
Does anyone have some suggestions on some 928 sources?
Thank you in advance and continue the great work on this fine forum. I hope to be a regular here one day.

Jessa

Only about 20% of 928s were sold with manual transmissions. Those that were, in general, have been driven hard and are now more sought after by enthusiasts. Its surpizing just how many good 928s one can find without finding a single good 5-speed. Don't give up, they are out there! It often takes a few months to find The One.

Keeping checking where you have been, something may come up. Ebay is a great source for cars with questional histories or sellers, but sometimes a gem will pop up. Devek's For Sale page currently has a GT and a GTS 5 speed. Rennlist has a classified section, Craigslist is great if there is one for your area.

Whereabout are you located? I know of several places where interesting used cars congregate in the Marin area. Rennlisters from your region may have simmilar suggestions.

I found my 928s on Autotrader and Yahoo classifieds.

Porsche5050

People say things like "look hard", "be patient", "you'll find your car", but what they don't say is that on the average you'll pay 3,000 more for a stick shift. Also, the autos on the most part will be less abused. I have another car that's a manual so I can go on with having this one not being a stick. Would I trade my S4 str8 up for another that's stick? Hell yeah, I'm not stupid. I know a car with a manual is better in most cases than one without. Just know what you're getting into. Very difficult to find, and you will pay. Then again, the harder you look, the more apt you are to find one. Japan and Germany live together in harmony in my garage as well. They're a great combo. Now I just need an Italian. Ahhhhh maybe in a few more years...

pearlpower

Thank you for the advice. I am willing to search patiently for the "right" car. All too often in the past, excitement overwhelmed my senses and I ended up getting into cars that I should have passed on.
Curious though. What are your thoughts on the value of a 928 with an auto to 5 speed swap? Would it depreciate the value or would it increase a little considering the demand? The 928 market has suffered a bit and I could not imagine that it would go much lower. In fact I am probably one of the few that consider it a exotic.
Lee

Jessa

Done with care and genuine Porsche parts, it would probably increase the car's value a little because of the relative rarety of the stick. Buyers will fear radical work done badly, it will be important to show receipts from rebutable part suppliers and the shop who did the work. Its unlikely to increase the value enough to recover the cost of the conversion.

There are success stories of quick finds: my '84 with a 5-speed, sport seats, and LSD (hard to find combo) took less than a month to find. It was going for more than your avarge '84 of that mileage, and was worth every penny.

GoRideSno

If you are sure you want a 5 speed then don't go and drive any automatics. I was sure I wanted a 5 speed untill I went and drove my 1st 86.5 automatic. I bought it on the spot. If you install a manual kickdown pypass (not more than 30 minutes and $10) and the Jager carbon tip shifter (~$100 and 10 minutes) the auto is a lot more fun to drive. You can shift between all the gears as with a manual, except down to first.

My suggestion is to buy a 928 and supercharge it wether it is an auto or a 5 speed. If you look around on the board you will find a few ~600hp SCed 928s. They can't be boring to drive even if they are automatics. If you find an early "87 you may get piston oil squirters and forged rods. This is better for supercharging should you decide to do so.

HTH,
Andy K

Fastest928

the only forged rods are in the GTS.

Marc
DEVEK

heinrich

That's cool -- except my Porsches (6 so far) have been far more reliable than my previous cars ... Mazda; Renault; Mercedes (ok this one was close); BMW; Toyota; Audi. Granted, never owned a Lexus for two reasons ...1) ugly; 2) uninspiring

karl ruiter

If you watch ebay for a while you will see some nice late 5 speeds. It might take several months, but they are out there.
But, here is another thought....The manual is not that great: kinda bulky when cold and slipping into seconds for that tight turn can be slow even when warm. Also the ratios are a little strange. Conversly I have heard that the automatic is really a great automatic. Mind you, both my 928s are manuals and if I ever get another it will probably be a manual as well, so you can see my subjective choice. But, objectively, the auto is a great choice.

Tony

I was under the impression that a few of the early 87 motors had forged rods also?

huskydog

Check this link, it sounds like what you are looking for.

http://www.prestige-motors.com/home....page=3&id=1074

I do not know anything about the car, other than seeing it on the lot when I was looking at a 911 they had.

pearlpower

Thanks for the replies. That 90GT looks look so far. I will give them a call to see just how cooperative they will be with information and photos. They are completly across the country from me afterall. Now that would be a nice drive home. Maybe I could take her through Montana on the way back to California.
thank you again