Porsche 928S Reborn

I bought this car 15 years ago, it was my first really nice car. I ran it as a daily driver for several years, but it developed quite a few problems which eventually made it unusable as a daily driver. So I tucked it away for quite a few years more in a garage that I had. About 2 years ago I gave the car (title & all) to a friend of mine who is head of service at the local Porsche centre. The deal was that I'd get first refusal when he came to sell it. He worked on it on and off for 2 years and has done a great deal of work on it including:
New wiring loom for the engine bay
New pipework in the engine bay
New injectors
New fuel pump
Refurbished fuel tank
Fixed the power steering
Fixed the brakes
Rebuilt the Auto trans
Resprayed the rough areas of bodywork
Recoloured the leather interior, and made repairs to drivers seat and centre console
4 New tyres

I then bought it back off him at slightly over market price (still pretty cheap!)

It's great to be back in this car, it's a lot more relaxing to drive than my GT4. The auto gearbox, power steering and more leisurely power delivery of the 4.7 V8 are the perfect compliment to the GT4. I also love the colour combo which matches my GT4. These cars are nicknamed Sharks, and so this colour suits it very well I think. Will get some photos of it alongside the GT4 if it ever stops raining for long enough here in the UK!

The only fly in the ointment is that my wife crashed her car into the back of the 928 as we left the Porsche dealership! Broken tail light and scratched bumper, but otherwise not too bad. Her Suzuki suffered more, and looks like it will need a new bonnet.
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Good looking Porsche, from what I been told the are one of the most underappreciated exotics. A real fun car that can be pick up for a real bargain, quite a few people I've meet though FChat are still big fans of the 928 series.

 

Well done. 1986?

I've always loved the 928S.

 

1981, but it's got S2 wheels which were common on the later cars.

 

Looks nice. There is a 1983 928 for sale locally. It's tempting but I know I don't have the time to work on it right now.

 

Nice looking car. I have always liked them, and hope to one day find a nice manual S model. Two things I have heard about them, but can't verify their accuracy, is they are about as long as a minivan, and that after 80K or so, the chasis (aluminium) looses a significant amount of it's regidity.

 

I think you may have been misinformed there. Although the doors and bonnet are aluminium, the chassis is galvanised steel. They are a big car though, I could fit a bathtub in the back of mine with the seats folded down.

 

I also heard those rumours about the aluminum chassis being one of the very first ever used and could have rigidity problems as the car ages. Although, I haven't ever seen any actual complaints about that on the web anywhere. Maybe it is just one of those urban legends.

The 928 is a great looking car and the design has aged well over the years.
I did find a website that lists some of the known trouble spots for it: (nothing too major)
http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1990-to-1995-porsche-928-2.htm

Trouble Spots:
- Air conditioner: The air conditioner stops working because the O-rings leak between the expansion valve and evaporator. (1991-92)
- Battery: The battery dies and the alarm system malfunctions if the radio is removed and reinstalled without the frame for the radio touching an insulating strip on the radio. (1990-93)
- Battery: The battery can go dead because the switches for the doors and glovebox light may not open fully when the doors are closed. (1992-94)
- Tail/brake lights: The fuse for the brake lights and cruise control blows because the wiring harness near the right hinge on the hatch gets chafed. (1991)

NHTSA Recall History:
- 1990: Plastic fuel-gauge mounting nut may crack and allow fuel to leak from tank.
- 1991: Improperly supported plastic filler piece in automatic transmission can move because of hydraulic pressure in system, preventing kickdown into lower gear.

Dan, enjoy the car, it looks great.

 

My favoite Porsche of all time........when the prices on the last of the GTS series come out of the clouds I will buy one if I am still in North America.

 

The price difference between an S model and a GTS is simply amazing.

 

Great looking car!

I've owned 2 - a 1987 S4, and a 1983 euro S (both 5 spd). I think perhaps some day I'll have to own another (likely an S4 or GT). Simply amazing cars.

 

Dan,

LOVE IT MAN! Bring the sharks back to life! That is a worthy cause.

Lets see what I can add here... I was recently voted on RennList to have THE NICEST 928 Collection of all... A dubious honor that may be but I LOVE THEM! In fact I just added a brand new 1982 928 competition package (all that is are slightly better brakes and the S lip spoilers) to my collection this weekend... Oh, how is it new??? It has 3539 miles on it! Brand new in every way!!! It is UNREAL! Unfortunately that puts my F-car plans on hold for at least 2 years! Dang it, but this is my dream car in the same color as my 928 GT class race car... ARROW BLUE!! Think Royal blue and you are right there.

No chassis integrity issues with 928's...they are so stiff that you can lift one corner of the car off the ground and still easily open and close doors! Try that with almost ANY other car...not gonna happen (well not older cars anyway)...

The Euro S cars (especially '84 and up) are AWESOME!! We don't have enough of them here! 3300# and rated at 310HP...maybe I should say UNDER RATED at 310...some have speculated more like 330!

There are some electrical gremlins with the older cars that can be hard to sort so be careful of that. I would stay away from them personally. The best deal in the US is the S4 cars. For $15k you can get a REALLY NICE 80k mile car that will give you 95% of the GTS performance and 90% of the GTS's good looks (IMHO)! If you can afford a GTS they are the cats meow FOR SURE THOUGH!

You can get a really nice GTS with 75kish miles on it for $30k...a very nice car. If you are interested I can point you to TWO of them (black '94, zermatt silver '93...had I not bought Blue82 I would have bought Zermatty)! I have no connection to the owner/seller of these cars, just passing along nice cars and info I have.

Battery drain is worse on the newer cars... A/C issues are bad on all but again probably worse on newer cars and especially those with the Rear A/C option. '87 and '88 S4's seem to need steering racks on a fairly regular basis. Not fun. Auto trans can leak a bit from the TC and that is a VERY EXPENSIVE repair. That said, they hold a BUNCH of fluid and will run for long periods of time just leaking away a bit at a time. Top them up if they start slipping and invest in a bunch of rags you can throw away!

My current collection is 7 928's (I have also retired 2 others as parts cars) so I do have a bit of experience...

James
80 928 Euro S GT Club Racer Arrow Blue
81 928 Light Blue metallic
82 928 Comp. Package Arrow Blue
84 928 S Burgundy
88 928 S4 Dark Blue
92 928 Euro GTS Polar Silver (only 1992 GTS in USA)
94 928 GTS Grand Prix White
http://home.austin.rr.com/jemorrison2

 

How is the back seat room on these cars? Tight as a 911? Mondial?

 

Truelly a classic sports car and one of my alltime favorite's, I have alway's wanted to turbocharge one.

 

i have always owned 911's and 930's. but, these 928's are growing on me more and more each day!!

 

I am also a big 928 nut. They were never fully appreciated for their breakthroughs in design and function, but today still compare well with any GT out there. They felt sluggish to early 911 drivers because the 928 has no handling vices and is very neutral handling. Mistaken for "boring" because of that.

Pros: Great driver and passenger ergonomics, the whole car was designed around the driver. Great balance, stability, feel, and easy to drive fast all day. The '87+ 928s still look pretty modern. They are easy to work on, and you can get to every part of the car without dropping any major components. Build quality is awesome, almost every fastener will still be usable at 20+ years old. With some exhaust mods the V8 can sound like the movie Bullitt, nice music for any car guy. You can put a lot of miles on a 928 and not kill it, I take mine to upstate NY (600 miles) and VT (350 miles) and look forward to the trips. LOTS of room for your weekend stuff and passenger.

Cons: Even a good example can test your patience as you chase down small (electrical) issues. A bad example with no service history and deferred maintenance will be tough to take. Many were autos (65%) so harder to find a good manual. Plus, you want LSD as well which was maybe 50% of them. Very few independent shops like 928s because they can't beat book time, and will have to actually read the shop manuals.

Other: they are cars with personalities, and have a little soul in them. Even a bad 928 will leave you wanting another one someday. You have to cover a few hundred miles and break some laws to really 'get' a 928. I have really enjoyed working on mine, and you learn a lot about the car when you take it apart and put it back together.

$$$$: they are the best bang for the buck in a super GT cars.

 

Dont forget they have the radar for the UFO'S !























Someones got to know that line....

 

Nice post! a 928 gts is a car that must compare favorably w/ any late model ferrari gt in comfort and performance. the gts was and remains an "all world" car!

 

Is that a reference to E.T. the movie?
I understand Steven Spielberg modified his 928's moonroof button on the dash to say "E.T.".

Also, a 928 does not float well:
"Who is the u-boat commander?"
- Risky Business
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncCMLeunx4c

 

Good lookng car, always loved the Porsche 928/944. What is market value these days???

 

Try again...famous movie

 

928 values are ALL OVER THE MAP! You could find one that runs (barely) for $1500...it would be $10,000 away from being a $5000 car! Parts would really be all something like that was worth, or maybe conversion to the cheapest fun and forgiving track car that you would not worry about wadding up in a ball...

OB cars (in the US that would be '78 to '82) in nice driver condition might be as low as $5k... I have bought a couple in the $4k range that were decent, but they did not look like much inside or out even with some elbow grease. So reality is probably $6k-$7k for a decent looking decent driving OB.

S cars (US '83 - '86) really cover a wider range because there were a lot of US changes during that time. The '83 autos had the 3spd tranny and the 4.7L engine, the '84 got the 4 spd auto, and then '85 and '86 got the 5.0L 32V engine (but not the same as the S4 engine), then the late '86 cars also got the S4 brakes. So, expect a pretty wide price range here. I would say on the low end $6.5k up to a nice '86.5 at about $10k and up from there if really nice near show quality or very low miles.

S4's are probably the best bargain and cover '87 to '91. Aero updates make them look more modern. 5.0L 32V engine with 316HP/317Tq are very strong and sound great when uncorked. I have seen poor examples that run and drive but need work and probably don't look great live and in person below $10k. Serious decent cars that need little attention will probably start at about $13k and go up from there. You could be the lowest known mileage '89 GT (only 30 something '89 GT's made IIRC) for $100kish right now!!! YEOW! So you can see the sky really is the limit on S4's!

GTS's are the big dogs. Most modern, fastest US cars in stock form, and look the best hands down! They have the flared rear fenders, aero mirrors, body colored rear wing, and the 5.4L 346HP/369Tq engine! VERY NICE! If you can only buy ONE 928 make it a GTS if you can! Have seen high mileage examples in the low/mid $20k range...probably pass on those unless you are planning on driving it everyday anyway... Move up about $5k to just shy of $30k and you can find some really decent, VERY presentable cars in the 65k miles to 80k miles range. I know of two just a touch of $30k right now that are AWESOME...'93 in Zermatt silver and a '94 in Black that I could recommend!

Jeremy Clarkson and John Davis from Motorweek are both BIG fans of the 928's. Frankly so are most folks that drive them. Especially if you can drive them in Europe where you can sit down and set the cruise somewhere north of 150mph and do that all day long! We don't get much of that here unfortunately so the TRUE purpose of the 928 is really wasted on us, but that said they are still GREAT cars at 70+ on the highway too.

If you get one find a shop that LIKES 928's (like where he shop owner ALSO owns a 928) because that will make a BIG difference. My mechanic actually owns TWO of them!

I think of them more as a semi-exotic GT car and they excel in that role and can be/are quite affordable if you buy them right!

Good luck,
James

 

$15-25k will get you something really nice. Just make sure it is the one you want- 5 speed vs. a/t, color, options.

 

Anyone in the Boston area can come see/drive mine if you are 928 minded. It's an '87 5 speed with exhaust and suspension mods that is a good example. Possibly for sale anyways.

 

I was the sales manager at the local Porsche dealer back from 1992-1995.......sold the GTS when they were new........best car they ever made, had a black on magenta 5 speed as my demo for 3 months one summer........the problem was at $118K CAD per copy plus 7% tax........no one wanted them (911's were $20K less)......so we sold them at cost less a $15K rebate from Porsche.....in 4 years of production (92-95) we only sold 3.......