pwhite52

For some reason, I am considering buying a later version (s4) 928. Currently I have a 993 that I've completely enjoyed and also a Cayenne as my DD. The 993 is weekend only but mainly has been our 'road trip' favorite. While the 993 has exceeded my expectations as a long distance tourer, I would like a little more room and GT comfort. I've read as many blogs/posts/articles as I can and think the 928 fits but I have concerns on reliability. The 993 has been bulletproof and while I'm proactive on maintenance, I'm concerned the 928 won't be as reliable as the 993. A 25+ year old anything will have issues of course but would a well maintained 928 make sense for extended road trips? I've looked at a few but have yet to find a really good 928 that I'd be willing to take on a 3,000 mile trip. All thoughts and comments are appreciated.

davek9

The are very reliable once sorted out, buy the best you can afford with good maintenance documentation as small stuff adds up quickly even if you are doing your own work.

Read up on the MY(s) you are considering before buying one and try to get a known 928 club member check it out for you.

Good luck,

Dave K

Daniel5691

Do you really enjoy working on cars?
That may make/break the deal for you.

I suppose a 928 is always fun and enjoyable when driven, but if you like working on it, if that necessary part is fun for you, you can't lose.

I really like working on mine, that part is super-fun for me. It's fun to research, to find out new things, to learn how the car actually works, to learn new skills, and to really try my best to achieve the most perfect results that I can. I am working on an actual supercar. Awesome. Who even gets to do that ??

Mongo

As Daniel said, prepare to learn fast. It will be your hands that give the best quality repair work as even dealers have techs that are no longer knowledgeable with 928s.

Regardless of service records, the first thing you should do after buying one is do a timing belt and water pump. Don't forget to change the ATF in the transmission should you opt for an Auto. Mine was black like someone threw 0W40 in the case and drove it for 10 years!

tkrtape12

The info and guys that are willing to give direction on this board are a huge help.
They are really enjoyable ,I loved taking long trips with my girls in it.

Mongo

Do it. We are here for you to help your addiction.

skpyle

You have to be crazy to want a 928.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the reliability. It will take some effort and money to get the 928 up to a standard of reliability for DD status. However, once there, it is all golden.

There are scores of well driven 928's with entirely too many miles on the clock here on Rennlist.

Echoing what the other's have said, it will depend upon your approach:

If you are doing the work yourself, Rennlist is THE resource for information on how to do it.

If you are paying to have the work done, that is a little different. (Read: EXPENSIVE) However, there are several specialists here on Rennlist that cater to the 928 and will do you right.
Greg Brown
Sean Ratts
Stan Kolen
(in no particular order.)

Avoid the Porsche dealer like the plague. They will not know what your 928 is and won't understand how to work on it.


That is just my perspective as a blue collar slob who adores his 928.

Good Luck with whatever you do!


Seth K. Pyle

Adamant1971

Bottom line if you are a car lover (which you obviously are) you will love the 928, especially on long trips. Buy the best one you can find, with a PPI from a 928 specialist.

As far as reliability goes, it all comes down to the cars history. They can be bullet proof or they can be a nightmare. A car with full service records is what you want. No records = walk away unless you want a huge project.

One thing you will find is that the 928 community is very close knit and probably the most helpful bunch of gear heads you will ever find.

dr bob

Go drive some cars and see if they met your expectations. You have an excellent resource local to you at Motorsports SLC, guys that know the cars really well.

The guidance on purchase includes an 928-expert PPI so you know in advance what you are committing to. Buying an already-sorted and reliable car that checks all your other boxes will get you driving rather than wrenching. Be ready to acknowledge that there are not many places that know these cars, so the dealer network you have to support your 993 will generally not be available to you. For me, that means I do a LOT of PM and such to keep the car a reliable tourer. I enjoy the work and the touring, so it's a win-win for me. Others who just want to buy-and-drive may be a little disappointed if they don't have a ready support resource that you have available in Salt Lake City.

Reach out to Garrity at Motorsports and build a relationship.

James Bailey

Probably...as you point out it is an old car. To restore it to new car reliability means many thousands of dollars. And once "done" you still have the normal $2,000 -3,000 per year. To keep it working like it should.

pwhite52

Thanks all. Motorsport is where I take the 993 and now the Cayenne since the warranty is over. It's because of Garrity and Dave that I started to contemplate a 928. They have a few that are in various stages of restoration and usually one or two that are in for service. Their advice aligns with the group - 'buy the best you can afford' and be prepared to open the wallet. Since the 928 is beyond my current mechanical abilities I'll have to depend on them. If the annual maintenance expenses are in the $2-3k range, I'm good. The occasional large ticket won't be any fun but that's the price of admission isn't it? I guess the question is how many owners really use their 928 as either a DD or as a GT?

pwhite52

Another issue is there are so few examples to look at in the local market. I've gone out of state and made conditional deals but have so far been disappointed.

Luckily I am a fairly patient buyer. It took over a year to find the 993 and even though it wasn't exactly what I wanted (its a Tip) the condition, mileage, visual appeal and cost were not to be passed on.

jetson8859

There are probably many more of us on RL that use them as a DD vs the general population. I have 2 along with a 996 and they are all driven pretty equally. Mine have been extremely reliable after getting everything current. I have driven both of the 928s and the 996 on extended trips and the 928s are much more pleasant, after all that's what they were designed to do. Since both the 928 and the 993 are from same era you won't have creature comfort shock due to lack of cup holders or the dated AC controls, etc. as they are similar.

Buy a quality car, make sure the important things are up to date and enjoy the drive!

2002M3Drew

I have two air-cooled 911s and a 928S (S3) I'd say if you are looking for a long distance GT tourer, the 928 is really hard to beat. I'm enjoying mine so far, and it appears to be as well built as any other Porsche. You have a Cayenne, as do I, and oddly I find certain similarities between the 928 and the Cayenne (other than the water cooled V8s). Both kind of are the sportiest versions of their respective genres, if that makes sense. The Cayenne is an SUV that you can truly drive like a sporting car...attack on and off-ramps, etc. The 928 is kind of like a much sportier Mercedes 560SEC or BMW M6 or Jaguar XJ-12HE...it's the Porsche of the 80's GT world, complete with the handling and fun-to-drive character to match.

You already know what you have in the 993. Depending on what the condition of that car is, you should be able to pocket some cash in the exchange if you go the 928 route. You have the Tip, so that's perhaps the most GT-like of the 911 world, although it's still an air-cooled 911. They are bulletproof, and particularly exhilarating to drive. I had my SC and my 964 out the other day to exercise them, and the 928 will never get to that level of aggression or driver involvement. But, on a nice cruise, the style, the sound, the feel and the comfort of the 928 are to die for. I spend hours just looking at the car. To me it's like an Italian Porsche, with styling that just grabs peoples attention. Since parking one in my garage, I'm appreciating the lines more every day.

Tough choice, but there is no wrong answer!

linderpat

I recently bought a second 928 that was very reasonably priced, very well sorted with over $30k in receipts, and I DD it every day. I would not hesitate to drive it cross country (in fact, I've driven 2 other of mine across the US without issue). The person that sold me my current 85 S that I DD is selling a nice looking silver S4 on BAT. Follow that one or the red one also for sale there. Don,t be scared off by all of the folks here who say they are expensive hard to maintain cars. Keep up with the routine stuff, and Motorsports certainly can handle that and so much more, and you'll be fine.