Greetings all, A pleasant surprise has come my way in the form of a pristine 928 that belongs to the friend of a friend. The current owners bought it from its orignal owner, and have driven it sparingly, to be generous. I saw it sitting in their garage with a layer of dust covering an otherwise pristine body. I expressed my interest but the wife has resisted selling it, even though she admits she can't see well over the windshield. LOL. Her husband, however, wants to sell it for obvious reasons. I plan to persuade her over the coming weeks and months to sell it to me. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask what year it is or how many miles it has. It looks brand new, inside and out. I didn't have a chance to see the engine. The tires are new but slumping because it has sat so long. Thus, I'm here, seeking your expertise and experiences, particularly with 928s that have sat unused for extended periods of time. I'm prepared to spend a few grand to have a thorough check-up at the local Porsche dealer. Many thanks, Cavallini
What year is it?? The 32 valve motors are very prone to snapping timing belts so that should be your first concern. The tranny cooler lines are also prone to leaking but easily replaced. Tell me more about the year and if its Euro or US and I can point out the service issues for you,
The last time I saw a 928 was in Risky Business........ My advice is watch out for Guido the Killer Pimp Good Luck
Many, many thanks. These are exactly the types of insights I wanted. I'll find the year and report back. Many thanks again, Cavallini
I've owned 2 928s - a 1987 S4, and currently a 1983 euro S. The earlier car has a whole lot less that can go wrong with it & has been absolutely reliable. The S4 had been somewhat neglected by the previous owner, but it served me very well for about 5 years. I don't have any experience with the automatic transmissions (and don't want to - I don't know how to drive a slushbox ). You should take a peek at www.rennlist.com and check out their 928 discussion board for tons of info.
I was looking at a '79 928 a couple weeks ago. Here is the thread about it. Some useful information in it. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129526
Can be more expensive to keep on the road then a 3 series Ferrari. I service a couple of them, and the biggest bill to date is close to 11k in one service. This was an "S" model. They are a very cool car, but damn are they expensive to own..perhaps they are the most expensive Porsche to keep on the road. Buy the best example you can, and make sure the car has been maintained by sombody who knows the cars inside and out. I'm by no mean an expert on them but I can fix them when they break.
Many thanks, gentleman, TBak especially. I'll keep my eyes very open and ask lots of questions. I thought I would check F-Chat before I went to the Porsche sites. I'll report back when I have the year and other info. And if I purchase it I'll be certain to post plenty of shots. Forza, Cavallini
Well, I currently own four of them. '79 Three Speed Auto '79 Five Speed Stick '82 Five Speed Stick '86.5 Four Speed Auto Most owners agree that the biggest preventative measure is to replace the timing belt and water pump every five years - costs about $1100 at a shop. Will be gad to help if you have any questions. Best, Vincent
There's an S4 here in Duluth (unsure of the year...late 80's right?), it's been lowered and the of sound the engine is pretty amazing. I've always loved the body style...didn't know they were that expensive to keep on on the road. Good luck in yor search.
I have owned 4, an 85 "s", an '87 s4, '89 GT and '93 GTS. They are great cars and really aren't the horror that you hear. What happens is many people buy the sub $10k 928 that has passed through multiple owners with no servicing. They get a quote to replace the belt, fix A/C, new brakes, new tires, new struts and other areas that should have been replaced but never were. $$$$. They then decide to dump the car to the next person that doesn't know what to look for. The cars have a real loyal following and there are many nice examples out there. If you are a DIY type, just about every possible fix is online with pics. For $6000, you can get it supercharged. There are '87-'89 s4 automatics out there that put down 450hp at the rear wheels Rennlist is by far the best source of knowledge.
After some reflections and research I think I'll want an early 90s GTS version, or perhaps an S4, well-maintained. The friend's car has been sitting for some time and is on its second owner. The first owner apparently abandoned the car in the desert or something crazy like that. Plus, I'm almost certain it is a mid-80s model. The final iterations suit my tastes better in terms of performance. I'll keep you all posted. Many thanks again, Cavallini
Yep, definitely watch those timing belts. There is a tensioner warning indicator in the instrument cluster that will illuminate over a certain rev-range if the tensioner needs adjustment. I used to have an '86 'S' 5-speed. Lovely car, and extremely comfortable on long hauls. Maintenance can be expensive, and I always felt that the gear selector was sloppy, even with a new shifter "cup" etc...But the car makes wonderful sounds, and IIRC, it was one of (if not THE first) sports cars to have a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. One other thing to mention is be weary of the climate control systems, they can be big bucks to put right, so make sure everything in that department works.. My best memory of the 928 was when I dusted my buddy's 911SC in a stoplight GP I'd say go for the GTS (ONLY with a manual) if you're gonna take the plunge..... P.S. Tony Montana drove a 928 as well. Cheers, Aaron '82 GTSi '83 400iA
Thanks. The one I have my eye on is a 1990 GT, manual, that seems to come from a knowledgeable and devoted owner. I'll keep you all posted, probably with several questions if I decided to pursue the deal. Many thanks again, Cavallini
Its a pretty easy job to do yourself if you know what you are doing and it will save you a lot of $$$. With forums like rennlist there are always people that can help you out.
FYI 50/50 weight distributions are nothing new. You could get that even in the 60's (and probably long before too).
I have owned three over the years, a 928S manual, S4 auto, and GTS manual. Also driven the GT. The GT and GTS are the best versions by far. If it has not been used budget for brake, suspension, aircon, and possibly some minor elec. work such as lazy window motors. The 928 is very well built, Porsche spared no expense in building it and it shows, as said b4 cam belts every 60k vital, I changed at 48 to 50k. Other items are age related such as oil coller lines bursting, cheap and easy to replace, normal servicing is str8forward, car is joy to drive, strong torquey power, very nice meaty controls, lovely handling and suspension control, wonderful noise. All three cars were utterly reliable for me. My largest bill was a clutch in the GTS. The only other problem was a waterpump in the S4 I regret selling my GTS to this day and will most likely buy another. Here are some pics of the S4 and GTS Steve Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Superb insights. Your experiences are very similar to some of the better-maintained pre-owned models I've seen. I'll keep each of these points in mind. Many thanks, Cavallini
I've got my eye on an 88' S4 in Minnesota but I won't divulge its where abouts! Its been on the lot for a few months now, and looks great! I've driven an 83' S auto....fun but kinda slow and a 87' S4 5-speed. The S4 goes under the category "what a car!". The sound under full pedal mash is awesome! The only thing I know that goes wrong is the plastic under-engine shield...As it ripped apart when I drove it. I think all the stigma surrounding the 928 is great, it keeps the prices down.
Very true, about the stigma. Like you, I plan to take advantage of others' irrational fears. LOL. Forza, Cavallini
Are there any visual differences between a 4.5 and 4.7 liter engine? I´ve Googled pictures but came up empty. Are these engines known for high oil consumption?
