Buying 84 928S

[mistertate]

My wife has been wanting a 928 for at least a year and we found an 84 she likes. I've had my 944S for seven years and have learned most mechanical aspects with the exception of transmissions. Does anyone have any last minute recommendations? My main concern is price and reliability of the auto trans.
The one we drove this sunday had some vibration but we couldn't tell if it was like an injector/miss or the trans. I forgot to tell her to rev the engine with the trans. engaged or disengaged to try and isolate the vibration. Other wise a good low mile car and she's not concerned with power (says it's "cute")
thanks

[Danglerb]

Early cars are a great choice for people who like the body style, and don't miss the increase in power that the newer cars have. They are cheaper to buy, simpler to fix, and if a timing belt breaks, a new one fixes it.

But they are still 928's, and a 928 can run strong, drive well, and have $10k of repairs that REALLY need to be done. Have the car professionally inspected by someone that knows the 928 WELL. Anybody can do the first 1/3 of a PPI with a good check list, then it needs time on a rack and other tests best done by a mechanic that works on 928's frequently and can quickly spot common problems.

Good luck.

[rhjames]

as with any Porsche, a good PPI is recommended (a must for most folks).

your vibration (in the car you test drove) could be anything from a bad tire, relatively inexpensive to repair/replace, to an engine ready to blow up.

There are 25 to 60 928's advertized on eBay, Autotrader, Rennlist, Hemmings, Pelican, and other places, every day.

Don't be afraid to shop around....just because you (or your wife) thinks it's cute, doesn't mean it's a buy.

---Russ

[mistertate]

Thanks guys although no one really answered the trans question. we looked at it again last night and it definately acts like an injector problem or at least can be isolated as an engine miss. If this car is as reliable as my daily driven 944S then I don't think there should be any problem. We've looked at three other ones and this one is a nice ~100k mile example. Barring any surprises it will be in our garage by saturday night.
I gather from the lack of people *****ing about 928 transmissions on the web (unlike 944 r&p usually due to dumbass burnouts) and Excellence market update that this isn't an issue. Mercedes builds them good.

[Danglerb]

The auto transmission is not known for many issues. Hoses and linkage going to it can get messed up, flushing and refilling fixes many things, keeping the right amount of fluid is critical. Inside its a benz box with standard benz parts any benz tranny shop should be able to both repair or improve with AMG parts. Power brake burnouts are ok, but no dropping it from neutral into gear with your foot down.

If you talked to 100 different 928 owners 98 of them would tell you they would never buy a 928 without a full PPI, want to bet you will share that opinion ... eventually?

[rhjames]

this is sounding more like:

she likes it because it's "cute".

he'll fix it because he's had other lesser Porsches.


either way, they are going to be learning...... A LOT.

harping on them about PPI doesn't sound like it's doing any good at this point.

he's said nothing about actual price, year, or options.

his only concern is the slushbox---whether it's good or bad?

Mmm.......typical undescribe-able thinking behind car buying. (the kind of thing car manufacturers have been trying put a finger on for decades.)


Good Luck----let us know if you buy a junker or one that just costs the typical $5000 in repairs in the first 6 months.....because you didn't get a PPI.

Sorry-


--Russ

[rhjames]

and no,

100K is not a low mileage example of a 928.........

maybe 30K, maybe 7K, maybe Chuck Z's Kermit with 1800 miles.


you still shooting in the dark with no PPI.


Sorry again------

--Russ

[Danglerb]

Whats ideal is a 928 with maybe 50k miles, a few thousand every year, or at LEAST 2k every year for the last two or three years. That first 5k miles after a 928 sits a few years can be expensive.

[mistertate]

I've worked in a Porsche race shop for the last four years so I think I have enough experience to do my own PPI. In fact I used to do them for other people. For some reason I only saw two 928s come through Fordahl Motorsports in four years, one I did a window net on and the other I did full exhaust. I took pictures of the exhaust but it's on a film camera so I'll probably never getting around to posting that. I guess there just aren't a lot people interested in racing 928s. Because I worked in a race shop I don't really know anything about automatics.
The wife and I got kind of screwed last time we tried to have a 928 PPI'd at the local dealer, Roger Jobs. We took it there because I didn't have access to a leakdown tester that particular week and all the lifts at the shop were occupied. I told them all I wanted was a leakdown test and inspect the underside for damage. It came back they didn't do the leakdown test or look for body damage. All they did was charge $250 to tell me all the obvious **** I already saw. This was especially frustrating because when I do PPIs at Fordahls it is $150 and includes a LEAKDOWN not compression test.

[mistertate]

It's a US 84 with like 100k miles and an automatic. There aren't many options beyond that are there? $6500 Seriously it's one of the nicest ones I've seen of that vintage (I don't go to many car shows or concours), only one dashcrack, clean carfax and no known/disclosed electrical issues. We plan on spending about $500 (parts at cost, free labor) on tuneup etc. before we really start driving it. We also won't be relying on it as a daily driver

[Danglerb]

John please don't take this the wrong way, if you buy this car I am sure you will soon be a very good 928 mechanic, but I wouldn't send someone to you for a PPI because its not about being a good mechanic or even a good Porsche mechanic, its about knowing what a good or bad 928 feels like from first hand experience with a few dozen of them a year. They are quirky cars with big motors and an excellent basic design that is very good at hiding problems. The dealer is the LAST place to take one, most dealers haven't had a mechanic trained in the 928 in a decade.

Most don't need a tuneup, those parts get thrown at them often enough while someone is trying to sort out problems. What they need is front to rear new rubber parts and hoses, seals, motor mounts, very careful electrical work, and of course all new fluids and filters, then while you at it, sure $500 for cap/rotot/coil/wires/plugs couldn't hurt.

If its one of the nicest and has a dash crack, you need to look at a few more cars. These cars look insanely good with a $200 detail, so the hardest part is knowing when to walk away, but a hint its more than 90% of the time.

$500 in first year parts is not at all realistic. Even if you can order direct from places like SSF, unless you like living with problems and safety issues very few 928's make it through the first year under $3k in parts.

My last little rant on this I promise, but I have to wonder, if you buy the car won't the first thing you do is give it a thorough inspection before handing it over to your wife to drive? Why not do that before making an offer?