Advice on a 78 928

[GavinT]

Hi all, my first post...

A 78 928 is for sale locally and I'm a touch interested. 61K, manual, black/black leather, new timing belt, new injectors, new plugs and a new battery. Can someone point me to the areas that I should pay attention to before I go to look at the car. Asking price is $7.5K, which I know is a little high for a 78 but in the photos it does look in good condition, clean and straight. It's been for sale for a while so I'm sure that they will deal. Thanks in advance for the help.

here are some photos:







Thanks Gavin

[tlsmith1999]

Welcome!
I have an 78 and 79. I would check the suspension parts (shocks, upper/lower BJ, inner/outer tie rods), vacuum lines, how well it shifts from 1st - 2nd while driving it, if it needs any body/paint work, and check every electrical operation in the car. These were the main areas I had problems with mine. Also if it has sat awhile, make sure the car start up easy when cold, and idles well both cold and hot, as the CIS fuel system does not like to sit idle.

Plan to spend some time or money (or probably both) catching up on maintenance.

There is a PPI check list over on Rennlist that is pretty comprehensive that I would take along.

[MPDano]

Wow, looks like a time capsule to me. Look at that dashboard!

Hopefully that pic was taken when it was still warming up. It's tach is almost at 2K.

[Danglerb]

Carfax and autocheck on the vin.
PPI by a mechanic expert in the 928, not just Porsche.

Everything else is kicking the tires.

61k on the odometer should have some records to back it up, the 928 has three common failure points that stop the odometer.

[Mrmerlin]

looks like a solid 5K car

[Jim Chambers]

The car's condition will speak for itself, but as mentioned above, be wary of the odometer. I once bought a one owner '78 with 98K on the odo. Drove it for several months before I realized that the odo would work for a few miles, then stop for a few, then go again. No way to know how long it had been like that but car could well have had 150K!

[Pete R]

$7.5k seems high for a 79 though it does appear to be in pretty good shape. If your not interested in any type of performance it will be a good car. The cis is pretty bulletproof and simple. They are right, be very suspect of the mileage. I don't know if the interior presents better in the picture but that's about as good as your going to find for the early cars (if it's an accurate representation)

[JK McDonald]

Hey GavinT - Without a lot of historical/maintenance documentation and a contact for the previous owner I'd be very suspicious of the odometer showing 61,000 miles. For a 78 model Porsche that would mean that either it has been driven only 2K miles/yr, the odometer has been replaced/inoperative or it has been dead in the water somewhere.

It looks nice in the photos but have a reputable 928 mechanic give it a thorough inspection before falling in love and any money changes hands. By the way - for 7.5K you can find LOTS of nice (newer) 928's for that kind of money in this economy.

Good Luck, Michael

[Linderpat]

I have a 78 with very low miles (approx 52K), all documented. I think these early examples, if in good shape with documented service history, are going to climb in value. The price for the car above does not look out of line to me if it is in good shape and has service records, and the mileage checks out. The seats look like more than 55k are on them however (especially the passenger side, which is unusual; the driver is not so bad). Try to get and post pics of the engine bay.

[joejoe1]

Take a look at renlist. Mark Anderson just took in a '78 that had frame damage. He has a picture posted of where rail had come apart and been badly welded together (which has since come apart again. Apparently this was a problem for some '78 and '79 cars.

[harborman]

I bought an 86 for $4,500 with 38k original miles, one owner, well documented and stored inside for 19 years. A rare find for sure. I would say $7,500 for yours if all is true is not bad. Better to find a good clean one than a cheaper car that will empty your bank account and take all your time.

[pcar928fan]

Harborman, you got a really good deal if the car was nice (and with inside storage I bet it was!) How much did you have to do to the car to get it back on the road (sorry, I know I just moved this a bit OT).

Gavin, what did you figure out about this car you are looking at? Gonna make the play or wait? Gavin, if that one does not work out I currently have my '84 S auto (Ruby Red metallic and Can-Can with Black interior) for sale for too. I have it listed higher than that but will get pretty close to the price on that one for a good home. 8 928's is even a bit over the top for me!

[harborman]

Check out my "garage" here on this site for my car. I did the timing belt/pump because of age, new JVC radio, new tires. The car is almost like new, no rust, corrosion. I got the service records, all manuals. I drove it 5k miles this summer, no problems. This was a rare find and got it through a friend. For you, have someone who knows the 928 look at your car and give it a very good look over before purchasing it.

[Landseer]

Harborman found one that was carefully stored in a heated space.
Did you buy the Jag, too, harborman?

[Rupesy]

Your decision to buy this car should not be a practical one....its not a good investment in time or money....you buy it because you have to have it. Dido on what everyone else said. I bought a 79 for $3,800. I knew nothing about the car, except that I always wanted one. Overall seemed pretty clean, however, wasn't driven in the last two years or so. I did not see any major issues and figured I could fix the rest myself. It is an old car so you will be spending some time and dough for upkeep. I do everything myself so the maintenance cost is reasonable, however, could get expensive if you plan on taking it to a shop. It seems like $5k would be reasonable without any major issues.

If you do plan on buying it, I will say that this is an excellent support group and you will get all the help you need here. I have had excellent help here over the last year and a half.

[harborman]

Well his wife decided she liked the Jag, so they still have it but I am sure the milage is still very low for a 97. However it's not a collectors car but still a beauty with 2,300 miles or so on it.

Harborman found one that was carefully stored in a heated space.

Did you buy the Jag, too, harborman?