Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi, I'm new to this forum, but I'm interested in buying a 928 S4, budget around £6k. Is that feasible? What years should I avoid? or concentrate on?
What are the major jobs that should have been done if I buy? I'm not a DIYer. I realise as full service history/as many MOTs as possible are just the starting point....
I'm based in West London.

Many thanks

I am not an expert on 928s but for £6k I would expect it to be needing a lot of TLC

Keep looking on the usual suspects

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?p=1&s=80

Autotrader, Ebay etc.


or call Paul Anderson 07816668088,
he's a 928 specialist in Stroud, he used to look after mine when i had one
he might know of a customer selling one and would know the history.


Where in west london are you ? i'm in Kingston

Thanks for your reply - I will give him a call and keep an eye on the usual suspects...

I'm near Notting Hill tube.

i think it will be a bit of a project for £6k, pistonheads and ebay are probably the best places to find one, sorry hello and welcome and good luck in your search

There is one for sale on DDK

928 prices are still falling - £6k should get you a decent early S4 or maybe a higher-mileage later model if you choose carefully (high mileage isn't necessarily a bad thing if the car's been looked-after properly). Or you could get a really nice earlier S or S2 model and still have a couple of thousand spare for any initial costs.

Major jobs to be aware of are when the timing belt and water pump were last changed - generally, most owners get the belt changed every three to four years as a precaution (they don't do high enough mileages to hit the mileage change interval) and get the water pump changed every other timing belt change, but opinions vary!

Also with later automatics there is the chance of Thrust Bearing Failure - put simply, something moves in the tube that connects the engine to the gearbox and it grinds one part of the engine into another so, ask if the person you're buying from is aware of this possibility and gets the flexplate checked as part of the annual service and you should be OK - if you get a blank look when mentioning this then get it inspected.

Other common things that might need attention are the fuel tank cradle and fuel lines in the rear wheel arch (as this is one of the most common places for rust to strike, along with the fuel filler cover flap), the ignition leads (if the car's still got its 20+ year old originals they might want replacing and a new set isn't particularly cheap) the MAF which also tends to age (although they can be rebuilt, see http://www.jdsporsche.com/) and general electrical gremlins, none of which might affect the running of the car but may prove costly to deal with. Also don't expect to find many with working air conditioning!

Basically, if you find one where most of these have already been attended-to you could save yourself a pile of future bills.

Don't let this put you off, 928s are pretty tough cars, it's just that their age is beginning to catch up with them.

If you haven't already found it, it's worth checking out http://www.928.org.uk for the buyer's guide (including some idea of current prices), cars for sale (there's one S4 in your price range, but not much detail) and there's also a mailing list to keep in touch with other owners and seek help from the more knowledgeable - or you could post a "Wanted" and see if it results in any offers from those thinking of selling who haven't got around to advertising yet.

Finally, if you're not doing anything better Friday week (the 13th ) there will be quite a few 928s and their owners at Goodwood circuit - I'm sure if you checked with the organiser it would be fine to turn up and spectate and chat to people. If you introduced yourself on the mailing list beforehand you might even get offered some rides.

Thank you so much for all your help - bmjb that's brilliant information, fantastic.

I left a note under a wiper of an 87/88 E plate S4 and I spoke to the owner. He said it was 80K, 2 owners, he wasn't sure of what it was worth but wasn't selling yet and I haven't seen the full history, but he says it has one. Sounded great, on paper.

Friday 13th at Goodwood - could be good! What's the day? What's the occasion?

Cheers

For the last two or three years one of the owners has organised a 928 trackday at Castle Combe - he hires the circuit for the day and then splits the cost between those attending, 928s get priority but there's also a mixture of "others" making up the numbers.

This year as well as a day at Castle Combe in the summer, he's also organised Goodwood and is talking about an autumn one, possibly at Silverstone.

If you aren't into driving round a track there are also a few static 928 events during the year, usually a couple of meets at pubs where people just park up and chat, and this year there's also something happening at Brooklands in May.

This is just the stuff that's mainly done through the 928uk mailing list, there are also TIPEC and PCGB events and monthly meets, but in the main they aren't so 928-centric.