what I'm getting into
 

want to move up from love 944 to a 928 s 4. fond one witch is realy decent ,inside is 8-10 , ouside problably 7-10 mechanical I'll say 9-10. completly rebuilt motor, meaning betls ,rolers ,water pump, seals ect should be good for a while,. there is no oil leak anywhere. the options are-----4sp auto----sport seats-----limited diff-----hinged rearspoiler motorised rad flaps ?what is it ?. the never been into any accident and has no rust. the guy selling to me is no kid ,is a retire mechanical engineer, the intak as black and red lettering. I know a little bit about 928 since a friend of mind owne a 1982, but 928s4 are different breed so if any of you can steer me in the rigth direction I'll realy appreciated it. by the way I miss a good deal on a 944s2 from a fellow member the price and the trouble to bring a car across the border is sickening. Ho ya the asking price for the 928 s4 is 11,500 cnd. thank you.-------SmileWavy

Post pics of it.

Welcome to the forum.

Canadians get to do something we can't do in the US, cheaply import cars from Japan. Any one that can do this should give it serious thought, as the imports are usually priced low and with very low mileage. The catch is they can't be sold to a US buyer without a lot of expense or breaking the law, so some deduction to normal prices should always apply.

What sort of price and trouble are you referring to with an old 928? Going south into the US can have some issues, especially if the car is not Canadian market (like an imported Japanese market car).

8/10, 7/10, great way to sell a 928, useless in buying or valuing one. 928's need a full inspection end to end by someone very experienced with 928's.

Completely rebuilt is a HUGE red flag to me, and items described are "part" of a normal 5 yr/60k mile service. Rebuilt means to me the previous owner failed to maintain the car causing an early failure of the motor, which brings into question all repairs before or since.

You are on the right track to buy a very nice condition car, but use some caution in deciding whats very nice.

928 s 4
 

:)Danglerb I agree with you caution is a must ,the red flag is also up , there must a been something very wrong to rebuilt that motor so soon,I can't get a clear answer on that one, so I'm gone to by-pass it even if the car is very nice,if I buy it will be a canadian or US car not imported. rigth now there is lots of 928 on the market at a lower price that they usualy sell for ,problaly the economy as something to do with it. When I mention the older 928 what I was saying is that the the newer one are more complex and service and parts more expensive.When my buddy bougth is a 1982 we change the oil in it took the road and drove it home,an 11 hours drive without any problems and that car had never been service for a long time. when we got home he did belts rollers ect,change the lifters and it still going strong. Guys on this forum,are terrific and thank a lot for the advices.

guys ...also remember...not all 928 owners know their cars inside out...if the past owner of a car doesnt know too much about the state of a engine..and takes it into a shop for repairs...they will B/S him/her into thinking the engine is shot....and then talking them into a full rebuild...so there may have been very little wrong with the engine to start with

Reasons for a rebuild;
TBF, timing belt failure
TBF, thrust bearing failure (which needs a new block).
Head gasket failure.
Bearing or rod.
Shifty mechanic.

What I call a rebuild ...
Block cleaned and inspected and bored to the next piston tolerance group.
New pistons, rings, bearings, gaskets, and a valve job.

What gets called a rebuild.
A used block, aka "new" motor.
Timing belt service.
Valve job.
Gasket set.
Intake reseal.

Danglerb, what is the expence in importing a jap car from canada? apart from the taxes?

You may want to rephrase how you describe an imported car as some might take offense to it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the Japanese market cars Right hand drive?
-K

IMHO, I would LOVE to have a right hand drive car here in the US.

I would like to have one with a steering wheel on both sides kind of like an airplane control :D

You can. They have that Option at Toys R Us ;)

I think my wife would be happy with just a brake pedal on her side. ;)

Japanese 928 were frequently ordered in LHD, the preference in Japan is to order them as Western as possible I think. Older than I think 15 years can be imported to a Canadian with minor issues and maybe $2k expense including transport from Japan to a Canadian port. Bringing it legally into the US requires DOT and EPA inspections and alterations that run $10k to $15k.

What I understand people have done is to "wash" the title, drive it down to the US on Canadian plates, then register it in a state with loose requirements, like a bill of sale only. Once its registered in the US, use that paperwork to register it in your state. No clue on the downside, but it could include trouble with insurance if you have an accident etc.

*** I've never imported a car, but I have looked into it, and read the experiences of James Morrison importing a 92.

sorry, slightly off topic
 

I had a chance to drive a dual contol car, briefly for a test drive after the shop serviced it. To be honest it is kinda creepy with the other wheel moving around. the owner said it was an ex driver education vehicle.

Back to topic: If you wanted a grey market car...go through some business that imports cars on a regular basis. Sure they take a cut, but, they know all the ropes and hoops to go through so in the long run it might be worth it for the aggravation factor. I think there is some company called Tiger something that imports them from japan and even converts them to Spec. Cars in japan get taxed more as they get older and so there are a good deal of well maintained not so old vehicles that usually get salvaged for engines and other parts. South American countries (among others) import a good deal of these vehicles on a regular basis. Importing such used cars into the US market is actively discouraged under the auspices that it depresses the market. IOW it is meant to be difficult. and so...it is. Check with an importer who knows a lot more about these things and run the numbers.