Hey guys,

While continuing on my path to fix my 82US auto transaxle, I bid on a euro 1980 manual located in Texas, and somewhat to my surprise - won!

I am in LA and initially thought of shipping it for a peace of mind, but at the same time I have a hard time going about making a seller that had it for 40 years load it on a trailer and say his farewells without the buyer present... I’d like to make that process a bit more humane.

Now, given that the drive from El Paso to LA is north of 800 miles, I wonder what would your suggestions be re preparing for such trip. Spare fuel pump, fuel pump relay, a battery jumper… anything else that comes to mind? Or would you strongly advise against taking that trip?

Please let me know!

Here is a link to the auction for the curious:

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rbgklDpk/1980-porsche-928?c=all

 

Just a heads up, you will probably find registering it in CA very difficult if not impossible.

 

Mark, you mean strictly smog wise?

 

Forget how clean it may test. Ca may reject it just on the title being a non USA car

 

Its been imported and federalized in TX 40 years ago. You think this still can be an issue?

 

Get a copy of the title and take it to DMV. Ask what you need to register it.

 

If you get past the title issue then fly out and drive it home,
make sure to check the fluids firs.
NOTE if it should have running issues rent a U haul trailer and pickup truck tow it home.
Usually these kinds of trips are uneventful and the car will be running better after you put 800 miles on it.

 

Thank you both. Any other tips for spares etc? That was exactly my thought mrmerlin!

 

Does CA DMV KNOW its a Euro? in the states i deal with on the east coast anything without a 17 digit vin has such limited information (with the exception of the national stolen car database)

 

Tyre seal and pump in case the original is inoperative/missing. I have driven on the spacesaver but it's not fun over a distance

 

Since the check has cleared, ask the original owner what he thinks might be iffy taking this trip. He should know what's weak and now has no reason not to tell you the truth.

Back in 2021 when I was selling my 1st 928 (87 S4, aka The Mistress), I advertised it as running and driving but it shouldn't be driven much since it probably had the original timing belt on it. I got an email from someone in Columbus, OH asking if I thought it could make the trip (I'm in Omaha, NE). This was during an extreme cold snap of weather where you could be in danger of dying if exposed to the cold for very long. My response was I wouldn't drive it to Columbus, Nebraska, a 60 mi trip let alone a 2 day trip to Columbus, OH. Oddly enough, I never heard back from him. Generally, I advertise my cars as being capable of flying in and driving across country to wherever they needed to go, but not The Mistress.

 

What are the date codes on the tires? If they're over 7 years old, tow it home.

Take a spare fuel pump relay or fuel pump jumper setup with a switch. Needs long enough wires to go from the relay position to the drivers seat so you can reach the switch you install in the middle. Needs a male spade connector on each wire so you can plug those into the female relay sockets for pins 30 & 87. This will make the fuel pump run all the time whenever the switch is on.

Looks very clean underneath, so not a lot of oil loss. Might still want to have a spare quart with you of the same oil that's in it.

If the car has been sitting a lot, I'd buy a can of SeaFoam or Redline Fuel system cleaner when you get to TX and pour it in.

Also buy a bottle of distilled water or some coolant of the same color that's in it to have with you in case you discover a small coolant leak along the way.

Take a roll of this self fusing tape. The Auxiliary Air Valve hose looks suspect between the AAV and the intake. In the event you have a vacuum leak there, you can seal it up with this type of tape for the drive home.

And take a set of these threaded tire plugs with you and a small 12v compressor

AAA card

Cell phone charger

Have fun. Driving a new car a long distance as you get to know it is a great experience. I drove my 997 from PA to SC after buying it, another 997 from MI to SC, my Cayenne Turbo from FL to SC, my daughters SQ5 from FL to SC, and my 84 Euro S from KY to SC.

 

Add towing to your insurance policy and get an AAA Premier membership & bring along a CC with a high limit.

You'll go crazy trying to plan ahead for such a trip and murphy's law says whatever you didn't account for is what will go wrong. Make sure you're covered for the option of having to have it towed somewhere and paying for repairs along the way.

If possible, plan a route that may be a bit out of the way but favors going between major cities.

 

Thank you all for interesting stories and good recommendations. I decided to fly in there and try to drive the car back myself all the way to LA. I will jeep you posted. Wish me luck! K

 

kacperbeski - I flew into Philadelphia and drove my 928 home to Colorado. I had the car inspected by a local wrench for anything dire, and had new tires installed. I took no tools that aren't in the porsche tool tray. The only catch I had was that the previous owner had a hot water shutoff installed and forgot to tell me, so I had no heat one evening (I took a roundabout route from PA to Boston to NC, TN... visiting friends along the way). It was a fun adventure.