kpipk

Thanks all. This clears up a lot. I'm definitely not going to tackle working on the car myself. I just don't have the time. I did enjoy working on my wife's 88 Honda civic, it wasn't too bad. I'll read the FAQ and see if I'm worth of ownership.

Charley B

Owning a 928 requires a certain ratio of resources:

High bank balance vs. Low mechanical knowledge = Success.

Low bank balance vs. high mechanical knowledge = success.

Low bank balance vs. low mechanical knowledge = disaster.

Daniel5691

Dear kpipk:

If the 928 is your dream car... buy the nicest one you can afford.
Do not let your lack of 928 experience keep you from this much FUN.

Learn to work on it yourself where you can, to your level of ability and fun, and turn to the incredible experts here (they truly are subject matter authorities) for the things you don't understand.

You will be amazed at how much you learn, and the skill set which you begin to develop.

Believe me, I know this all to be true. I am the stupidest owner here on Rennlist, a truly blundering danger to automotive engineering. My mistakes make texting Prius drivers look like Alphonse Beau de Rochas himself. Lots of friendly guys here. Jump in.

Cheers !

Dan

jcorenman

Welcome! So you enjoyed working on a '88 Civic?? And you can read ??? Cool, you'll do fine!
Good hunting!

SeanR

Go for it. Get the best one you can afford and dig in to it. Make it an enjoyable learning experience, worst case is you get in over your head and you have to send it to someone who can do the work. Best case is you wake up the next morning and feel great about not only the car, but yourself because you accomplished some good work and learned in the process.

Keith Coe

kpipk: I am one of those "checkbook mechanics", as I know extremely basic automotive skills. Fortunately, I bought a good 928 that was mechanically sound, but had much deferred maintenance. I was fortunate enough to live in TX where Sean Ratts is a 928 guru. It cost me some money to get everything in order, but now I have a well running 928 with just a few electrical gremlins that do not prevent my enjoyment of the car. Good luck!

Wisconsin Joe

^This (well, "these" actually).

These cars can be very intimidating. There are things about them that are really counterintuitive. And very different from a 911.
That's why you need to find someone who actually knows these cars, rather than a generic "Porsche specialist."

Or do your own work. If you were successful with an 88 Civic, you can do most of the stuff on the 928. Really. It's 70s/80s tech. Nothing super fancy, nothing at all "integrated." None of the systems communicate with each other. So if, say, the seat belt buzzer fails, you don't end up having to go in and reset the whole freaking body control module to get the car to start (a bit of hyperbole, perhaps, but only a little).

After all, they are just parts bolted to parts.

Not cheap parts, but parts just the same.

Any job you want to tackle has been done and documented on here. If you get stuck, just ask for help. The collection of knowledge on here is complete. While nobody knows everything (maybe a couple people do), someone will be able to answer any question you might have.

Depending on where you are, there are a few very capable mechanics out there. There are also a lot of reasonably capable owners who are often willing to come over and offer help, advice, support, smarta** comments, ect in exchange for beer and food.

WyattsRide

No, I'm pretty sure I'm the stupidest owner here. I don't even know who the Fk Alphonse Beau de Rochas is! But, I've learned a lot and have been able make repairs on my 928 since ownership that I never thought I could do because of the help here and local friends. It's also given me confidence to do repairs on my DD's.

Take your time looking and buy the best one you can. Good luck!

Fogey1

"Alphonse Eugène Beau de Rochas (9 April 1815, Digne-les-Bains, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence – 27 March 1893) was a French engineer who originated the principle of the four-stroke internal-combustion engine. His achievement lay partly in his emphasizing the previously unappreciated importance of compressing the fuel–air mixture before ignition. He published his results in 1861, a year after Christian Reithmann was granted a patent in Germany and 16 years before Nicolaus Otto obtained his patent."

Excellent obscure but on-point reference, Dan!
Boy, do I love the google; and Wikipedia.
Not to mention French engineers. Vive les grenouilles!

Landseer

Where are you located?

What you will need is a 928-specific mechanic, ie, with significant 928 experience, to keep from paying for him to learn.

Alternately DIY, which is actually a pretty cool thing due to the large body of original documentation that is available, the solid sources of parts, plus the collective experience on this site.

Cadillac art

THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^

There's nothing on these cars you cannot do yourself if desired ( I happen to enjoy working on cars, not everyone does). Because of this forum community, and the availability of DIY instructions, and the fact that most work can be completed with "normal" tools, anyone can do it. Its just a matter of having the time, space and inclination

James Bailey

The same can be said for self trepanation......

Imo000

If your other car is an '88 Civic, do you have the funds to keep a 928 going?

atb

That coating is on the inside as well, and becomes very brittle and loses its adhesive properties over time.

Here's me cleaning the inside of an S4 intake. That's not a sandblaster, just straight compressed air: