Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Evening all,

Am about to complete on a lock-up garage, which will mean I have space for another vehicle - obviously, I'd prefer it to be a Porsche. I've always really liked the 928 and feel that they represent terrific value for money, but am a little nervous...

I have a 1987 Carrera which is a super car and seem spretty bullet proof although have had a few bills in the couple of years I have owned it. I have heard from a few people that a 928 is totally different and that I can expect HUGE running costs and that they are prone to electronic gremlins.

It would also be an additional fun vehicle, and as such wouldn't get too many miles put on it as I simply can't drive everything at once. Again, I have been told that unless driven regularily these will show up lots of electrical issues - Mr Smallman informs me they have 1.7 miles of wiring inside them.

I'm no good at all at performing work on cars myself, but have a few friends in the trade so reasonable running costs (akin to my Carrera) don't really worry me - I'm just concerned about buying a money pit that, if driven at weekends only and probably not over winter, will bankrupt me. Although, if you have to go bankrupt, there is no better way to do so...

Finally, any pointers on buying a good one and any common problems to look out for? There seem to be a fair few decent looking ones with history on ebay and Autotrader for £3-4k, which I'm happy to spend, but also some slightly tired ones £2-3k. Should these latter be avoided?

If you don't scare me off, I'll get one - if you do, I'm probably going to buy an original Fiat 500 instead. (Which my beloved wife said she would divorce me over).

Many thanks indeed and apolgies for my ignorance.

James

Hi

Don`t be put off by people who tell you 928s cost a fortune...they DON`T...

The only ongoing cost you wont like is for fuel...I use mine daily with the engine cold to drive to work and I get around 12 to 14 mpg.

On a run you will bet around 18 to 20 mpg.....

Problems ...none really the engine if bulletproof as long as you change the cambelt every 4 years, and so are the rest of the mechanicals....

The electrics can play up but as long as when you buy the car you check EVERYTHING ,like windows. boot release etc works you wont go wrong....

Also......the AIRCON ....NEVER "just needs regassing" lol and if you want working aircon make sure its working when you buy it...because its around 2 grand to fix......having said that mine has never worked in 5 years and I am not the least bothered.....

For 2-3 k you will get a 16 valve S or S2......for 4-5 k you may get an S4 (that needs work)

The best value if you can afford it is an 86 16 valve like mine....it was the last year of the 16 valve engine and has S4 brakes and suspension.....

If you are anywhere near me on the South coast, I will happily come with you to inspect any you find......

Oh and finally ...my famous statement..."WHEN I GO OUT EVERY MORNING AND THAT HUGE V8 RUMBLES INTO LIFE.....IT PUTS A SMILE ON MY FACE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY "

Oops...just saw where you are....my brother lives very near you and also owns a 928 if it helps

All the best Brett

Hi Brett,

Many thanks for your advice - much appreciated. Fuel consumption doesn't bother me at all, my Range Rover barely manages more than 9mpg round town and this will not be a daily driver. Sounds like an S2 may be the way forwards - sadly nowhere near the South Coast but will post pics if I go ahead with it. And yes, would indeed check EVERYTHING and am not remotely disturbed by a lack of air-con.

To hear that a 928 may not result in financial dereliction makes me even happier than the bottle of rioja I just sank...

Any other thoughts on this much appreciated, but the Fiat 500 seems to be fading away.... Which is a shame, as I quite like them. (As a design object, not for the driving experience, obviously)

Sincere and heartfelt thanks for your input.

James

Hi James,

If you want to look at any 928s around my patch (West Mids) then I'd be happy to come along and kick tyres.

There are lots of potential electrical gremlins but only because it was so well-equipped. Power everything so endless motors, switches, relays...

The most potentially expensive electrical problem is failure of the fuel injection ecu, and the mass air flow ("MAF") meter going out of calibration. The 928 community is lucky to have electronics whizz John Speake who specialises in rebuilding ecus and calibrating the MAF for very reasonable costs. Many running problems are related to the advanced (for its day) LH Jetronic fuel injection, but again this is well-understood and logical fault-finding will isolate problems fairly easily (often a cheap part, but not necessarily cheap to fit depending).

As Brett says, checking when buying and questioning owner will ward off major problems in this area.

There are some expensive (if not diy) jobs that a previous owner may not have been conscientious enough to do - main ones are timing belt/water pump change (possible renewal of associated parts) and engine mounts.

The problem for you is that you aren't diy-inclined. Nor was I when I first bought a 928 but since then have enjoyed doing more and more jobs, and learning along the way. They are complex cars but beautifully built, so working on them is a curious mix of admiring how well things fit together and are engineered, combined with cursing how tricky access can be for some systems. You are pretty much on your own with a 928 as there is nothing like the maintenance and parts support for the model enjoyed buy more widely owner Porsches. They are relatively rare (only 1600 on road in UK - apart from meetings I have only come across one on road a handful of times in years) so even if a garage is keen to work on one, they will almost by definition be inexperienced so will take longer on a job (= more cost to you) and will be learning at your expense!

Having said that there are a handful of mechanics with more than average 928 experience, and in Paul Anderson (Stroud) we have the UK's only 928 specialist so a fantastic option for you (people travel hundreds of miles to use him).

The biggest plus of 928 ownership is a fantastic owner community. Any problem will be answered in copious detail by people on the UK list or (mainly) in the States. There are many fantastic websites with every major job covered in loving detail.

Key thing to check/ask owner is recent service history. Has previous owner been willing to pay bills for even routine items, not just the big jobs? One proxy for this is to check the tyres. Are they a decent brand in decent condition? If owner won't spend on tyres they are likely to have begrudged other expenditure.

Keep the 928 questions coming!

If you come over to a TIPEC Central night we have 5 or 6 928s in regular attendance, so loads of opportunity to quiz owners in detail and you would be made very welcome.

Adrian

Adrian, you are a star, thank you. I've seen a lovely 1984 S2 with stacks of history and a low mileage - if you would be good enough to PM me your email I'd like to forward the blurb to you to take a look at. Garage should complete this week so could be feasible for the next - this is being approached with baited breath!

James, you have mail,