Brotherly advice

[SolReaver]

Hello,

I have a brother in TX who seems to be bitten by the 928 bug. at first I thought that it was just one of those phases he was going through. However, he seems seriously interested in picking up one of these gems. I would like a little assistance in what to look for, and look out for on these beauties.

Now, I am more of a 924S/944 person and although I lurk over here in the 928 section (hey, I can dream can't I) to be honest with you, I am really not all that familiar with the model and the best I can do is to tell him to get a proper inspection from a reputable shop.

I am putting together a pre-purchace checklist and will of course check all the usual suspects from a thread search. aside from that If you can tell me any of the Caveats that this model has, it would be greatly appreciated. Chime in to have me add (edit)this list. or, point me to something similar.

IOW, If you had it to do again...what would you want to know?

Thanks for all your help folks,
What I have so far: Check for....
Reciepts
Timing Belt?

[Danglerb]

Step one, find a good 928 mechanic and let them do most of the PPI (pre purchase inspection). A 928 has too many things that are judgement calls only someone familiar with the cars will be able to make in a reasonable time. Most of the time an impartial experienced 928 guy will be able to tell you to walk away from a bad car within minutes.

Depending on what part of TX your brother is in, there are some very active 928 guys and he should hook up with them FIRST.

There are some good PPI guides (in the newbie sticky on that other forum), and a couple books, but you really don't want to buy a 928 with a check list you write on the back of an envelope. My PPI took an experienced mechanic 3.5 hours, and thats only because it had enough "nice" stuff to make the inspection that detailed instead of just passing on the car.

If I were to do it again, I would split the inspection into two parts, stuff I can do as well as the mechanic, and stuff I can't do as well or at all.

[Danglerb]

Everybody says timing belt and reciepts, and those are important especially on a 85+ car, but on the 928 scale of trouble the timing belt is squat and a routine maintenance item anyway. 6 years or 60,000 miles and its maybe $500 in parts and 8 to 12 hours labor depending on who does it and what they do. Personally I MUCH prefer if the previous owner has NOT done one recently because too many times places do a poor job, not so much on the belt, but all the related stuff that should be checked and/or replaced at the same time.

[SolReaver]

OK, the PPE is obviously important. I am guessing the technician has a checklist of sorts. A trained tech could do a Much better job tha I could. As far as replacing peripheral components while doing the timing belt. That would hopefully come under the heading of "reciepts".

Any recomendations for someone to perform a PPE in Houston, TX, or thereabouts? (PM me if you don't want to drop names) Can any good dealership do this or would you reccomend calling around for someone with experience with 928's?

Also, he may want a PPE done to evaluate a car located elsewhere, so I may ask you folks who can do it, in say Phoenix, or Tahoe... well..you get the picture. In the meantime I will look around for a manual.

[Danglerb]

A good early question to ask a mechanic is if they have the 9 vol set of Porsche workshop manuals for the 928. Houston must have preferred shop the local guys like.

In a pinch, knowledgeable Porsche owner plus a good ordinary mechanic to test compression, leak down, and put the car on a lift and inspect the bottom stuff. A lot is going to come from the person who has driven a number of 928's and knows what normal feels like.

The newbie read first sticky in the R list 928 forum has a link to a list of mechanics all over the country, as well as a detailed checklist.

My point precisely on the receipts is that a timing belt service from Porsche of Blank, or Fred's Porsche Fixers, only tells you the owner had good intentions, not that the work was done or done well or completely. Is there no mention of the tensioner because it was inspected and working perfectly, or because the owner said get a timing belt on cheap and fast. Thorough inspection is essential, its the only way to know what a car needs, and from that what its worth.

[rhjames]

send me a PM and I'll try to help without a 10 hour lecture---------in Houston.

regards---rhjames

[Rixter]

Contact Roger Tyson at www.************ he should be able to help you set up a PPI in your area, he is located in Tx