Thinking about a 928

[DannyBNH]

Hi All,

I've been a 911 owner for a few years, and I've recently been thinking about "dabbling" with a 928 also.

I was looking at an 81 project, which is fairly low cost to get in ( less than 2k), and it actually runs. I don't have any expectations about what I'm going to do with the car aside from probably drive it around locally and get familiar with it, and have fun tinkering.

If I come to find out I want to go further with the car, will I run into permormance limitations with an 81 and should I look at something newer?

Any and all thoughts appreciated..

Thanks
-Dan

[Fredfox]

It is ALOT of tinkering and the cost rises very fast.

[sparky rowan]

Is the '81 928 that you are looking at a Euro model The 928 is very different then the 911 If you are handy with a wrench and enjoy fixing your cars, then this may be the car for you. If you are shopping for a '81 in good condition (i.e. paint, interior, wheels & tires) with reasonable mileage, it will cost in the area of $6-$8K In other words, if the car is less then $2K, are you willing to invest another $6K to make it road worthy The 928 is fun to drive and own. Good luck on your choice

[Danglerb]

Know what you want, buy as close to that as you can. Changing a 928 is expensive and not rewarding.

That said, Jim Bailey has the old very brown I think 81 US 928 that was purchased cheap, not much put into besides labor, and its no show car, but he can daily drive it and has a wall full of trophies from going around a track faster than other people with a LOT more money in their cars.

The other side is if you want a nice looking reliable 928 with plenty of power, it can be very expensive if you don't start out pretty close to that, ie a Euro S or 32v US car.

[MPDano]

Heck! Grab a 12 Pack and go through my 52 Page Thread $850 928 I bought 2 years ago. I have been driving at least a couple days a week for the past 8 months. I probably have a bout $5K total in it so far. Working on getting a decent paint job now. The guys are right, so if you like to tool around then this may be a fun project for you. Don't expect it to be your daily driver for awhile though.

Porsche 928 Forums dot com - View topic - Pics of my First 928 and Current Project

[sparky rowan]

Originally Posted by MPDano

Heck! Grab a 12 Pack and go through my 52 Page Thread $850 928 I bought 2 years ago. I have been driving at least a couple days a week for the past 8 months. I probably have a bout $5K total in it so far. Working on getting a decent paint job now. The guys are right, so if you like to tool around then this may be a fun project for you. Don't expect it to be your daily driver for awhile though.

Porsche 928 Forums dot com - View topic - Pics of my First 928 and Current Project

Wow, that is not bad for $850. I didn't read the post, but what was the condition of the mechanics Do you have someplace posted what you have done to the car and any pictures Luv to see them

[SharkTech]

Originally Posted by sparky rowan

Wow, that is not bad for $850. I didn't read the post, but what was the condition of the mechanics Do you have someplace posted what you have done to the car and any pictures Luv to see them

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, that post is over 50 pages, tells it ALL.

Get's to readin', giddy up...

AND, as Leo said, your gonna need a 12 pack, haha...

[JK McDonald]

A couple of additional areas of expense that you might consider prior to breathing new life into a 928 is 1) The unwanted attention you will receive during ownership and 2) The amount of fuel it takes to feed this beast if you participate in too many performance related “mad minutes”. Although some consider the owner of a 928 a nut, I have found that it is actually the traffic nuts that you must be on alert for.

I had taken Miss Purdy out on interstate the other afternoon to stretch her legs a bit when almost immediately two guys in a brand new Camaro came screaming up beside me in the left lane. As they paced me at about 70 mph and continued to goose his car to get my attention, traffic began bunching up because no one could pass. At first I eased off the gas a bit to break up the congestion but when an 18-wheeler behind me hit his air horn, I opened Miss Purdy up to pull away from this mess. Naturally the idiot in his new Chevy punched it as well and with an Accura hot on his ass – we were all now going waaay-toooo fast for the traffic. Then just as I again eased back off the gas, this !#$@#! Camaro cut right across my front bumper and hits the brakes because a police cruiser was just up ahead. At that point I took the next off ramp and checked my mirrors for any sign of flashing roof lights. Except for my low fuel indicator coming on – I felt lucky to escape with no accidents or tickets. What is it about a 928 that seems to attract these nuts….

Michael

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by JK McDonald

A couple of additional areas of expense that you might consider prior to breathing new life into a 928 is 1) The unwanted attention you will receive during ownership and 2) The amount of fuel it takes to feed this beast if you participate in too many performance related “mad minutes”. Although some consider the owner of a 928 a nut, I have found that it is actually the traffic nuts that you must be on alert for.

I had taken Miss Purdy out on interstate the other afternoon to stretch her legs a bit when almost immediately two guys in a brand new Camaro came screaming up beside me in the left lane. As they paced me at about 70 mph and continued to goose his car to get my attention, traffic began bunching up because no one could pass. At first I eased off the gas a bit to break up the congestion but when an 18-wheeler behind me hit his air horn, I opened Miss Purdy up to pull away from this mess. Naturally the idiot in his new Chevy punched it as well and with an Accura hot on his ass – we were all now going waaay-toooo fast for the traffic. Then just as I again eased back off the gas, this !#$@#! Camaro cut right across my front bumper and hits the brakes because a police cruiser was just up ahead. At that point I took the next off ramp and checked my mirrors for any sign of flashing roof lights. Except for my low fuel indicator coming on – I felt lucky to escape with no accidents or tickets. What is it about a 928 that seems to attract these nuts….

Michael

I get the same every time I drive her. Sometimes I say WTF and go for it, but then the mature guy deep inside me says, "slow the funk down dumbass!"

[DannyBNH]

Great Feedback.. Thanks guys...

A few more questions:

What's the difference between the EURO vs. US models aside from the horsepower difference? Can the HP easily be bumped on the US models?

Also, are the parts for the Euro's harder to come by & more expensive?

-Dan

[JK McDonald]

Hey Danny BNH – There are other site members who are much more knowledgeable on the finer points of comparing the U.S. to the Euro 928 but I believe the basic mechanical difference involves the cams, intake runner diameter, distributors and the cylinder compression ratios. Although many owners do prefer the Euro for it’s performance edge, I have not seen any real significant variation in parts pricing. Bumping up the HP and/or braking efficiency between models is a relatively simple parts swap process but can be a real mixed bag because the overall refinement Porsche has engineered into every car is so well balanced.

Like others have also mentioned, the actual amount of money you’ll have invested will be about the same whether you buy one cheap and then add your parts and labor or buy a pretty, road ready car out of the box. Except when you get into the later GT series - you will find that the purchase price range of a nice 928 is not always influenced by the model year but by the condition, condition, and condition. The one precaution that most seasoned owners will stress to help prevent unnecessary grief is to have an experienced 928 mechanic thoroughly check out the car before making your final selection. Good Luck -

Michael

[Craig S.]

Hey Dan,

I have an '86 911 and a '89 928 S4. The 911 has become a street legal, track dedicated car and the 928 a garage queen.

The driving experience is so different between the two cars. It is a trip when you drive them back to back and see what a different direction Porsche was going with the 928. Sometimes I will sit and stare at them side by side in the garage and marvel at their classic lines. The late 80's S4 are really refined and don't come with the price of GT and GTS. We are however talking about a lot more than $2000 But for $10-12 grand I bet you could find a solid S4. 320 H.P. great brakes,
better aero body work, Digital dash etc. Most came with automatics... not sure you want that. These cars were $70-80,000 when new, so what a deal now if you get a good one that has been maintained by someone that knows how to work on 928s as posted earlier.

[harborman]

Originally Posted by DannyBNH

Hi All,

I've been a 911 owner for a few years, and I've recently been thinking about "dabbling" with a 928 also.

I was looking at an 81 project, which is fairly low cost to get in ( less than 2k), and it actually runs. I don't have any expectations about what I'm going to do with the car aside from probably drive it around locally and get familiar with it, and have fun tinkering.

If I come to find out I want to go further with the car, will I run into permormance limitations with an 81 and should I look at something newer?

Any and all thoughts appreciated..

Thanks
-Dan

If you like doing the work instead of driving it, go for the cheaper one. You may be spending a lot of time and money getting it ready. It's all in what you want. Sometimes you only get what you pay for. On the other hand, you might just keep looking for a nicer, well kept car, pay more but not have all the hassles and expense. These cars can be very expensive to fix.

[Landseer]

Attracting nuts is right.

I live in a rural area.
The car is red, the license plate says V8
Every type of pickup truck known to man has tried to race me out here.

[XLR8928]

Originally Posted by Landseer

Attracting nuts is right.

I live in a rural area.
The car is red, the license plate says V8
Every type of pickup truck known to man has tried to race me out here.

Amen Brotha! And a pumped, chipped Dodge w/cummins is pretty fast.
-K

[Landseer]

So is that damn little dakota with the V8.

[harborman]

Originally Posted by Landseer

Attracting nuts is right.

I live in a rural area.
The car is red, the license plate says V8
Every type of pickup truck known to man has tried to race me out here.

Yes, it attracts nut cases, kids, wood be Indy drivers and space cadets. But I had this happen with most of the unique cars I have owned, especially my 67 Vette and DeTomaso Pantera. If you let these fools play with you they will get you in trouble. Just AVOID them, drive at speed limit, don't make any kind of "contact", visual or any hand gestures. Let them go, rather than wreck your car. It's crazy out there, more so than before.

Most of these jokers have nothing to lose but the cracker box they drive, but you do, your nice car!

[XLR8928]

funny thing, when I'm toolin around in my 1950 Chev 2 ton flatbed, nobody ever wants to challenge me. But... if they're in front of me, they sure the hell get outta my way.
-K

[harborman]

Originally Posted by XLR8928

funny thing, when I'm toolin around in my 1950 Chev 2 ton flatbed, nobody ever wants to challenge me. But... if they're in front of me, they sure the hell get outta my way.
-K

Well I guess you have a different kind of problem!

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by Landseer

So is that damn little dakota with the V8.

Or those friggin Hemi Jeeps out there. Made my Turbo Eclipse look it was standing still.