Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi there thanks for the replies everybody, yes that other one does seem a good buy on the surface. Newer, lower mileage and cheaper. I've emailed the seller and taken the number, if possible I will have a look at that one today as well.
I prefer the colour/interior of the blue one but would have any colour if the condition was right.

As Brett says don't worry about mileage too much - not really factor with 928s but at this age big differences between individual cars so try as many as you can.

Brett cheers for kind words. I sold in April, he is trader but its true he has run it as personal car. Also he bought it back off me as I bought from him 2006! It was his car then and he said he'd buy back if I ever sold.

I've been to look at this car today (Adrian's old one) and it does look to be a nice example. There's no corrosion and the bodywork is good, paint could be better but it's OK. I went for a drive in it, the fuel gauge was not working and the automatic transmission was a bit clunky from 1-2nd gear. This may be normal...it's the first one I've driven. Also it needs 3 new tyres and a service.
However I want to look at that other one before I make a decision. I was going to go today but the seller has not responded to my calls yet.

It feels strange having "my" car talked about!

By the 1-2 shift preumably you mean 2-3 as 928 autos start off in 2nd unless you select '2'? Was never aware of any problem there but the shift in a 928 is on firm side.

If I'd kept the car paint was on the to-do list. For original paint I think the condition is great, but there are loads of swirl marks from presumably previous owners who had dared to use a sponge (shock), or maybe even used auto car washes (at this point I'm lost for words!). I would have loved to have machine polished it and removed swirls. I had clayed it.

The only serious corrosion present was rear nearside wheel arch. It was not structural, and I know the current seller had it fixed after he bought it from me. There was no corrosion below windscreen at all, and driver's bolster was fine. I was quite surprised that it was ok when I bought it as most of driver seats I've seen in cars this age/mileage have torn bolster.

The fuel gauge is almost certainly just the studs where gauge bolts to printed circuit board in pod need cleaning. Again I never reached this point on list (928 owners always have lists!) as I would focus on bigger jobs (just before I sold I fitted new rear shocks and adjusters - still have the front pair of Boges!). The gauge has a life of its own but the emergency fuel remaining light works fine, so you always know if an empty reading is just that or gauge playing up). I did fit brand new sender which improved gauge behaviour a lot but the instrument pod does need to come out (good time to fit new 'D' bulb)

I last put her through MOT in Sep or Oct and there were no advisories. The guy selling it usually puts on a fresh MOT for sale so may have had another one very recently since I sold.

Anyway I'm pleased it roughly passed muster. Do take your time though and drive/inspect lots for comparison. Making a considered choice now will pay dividends in future, besides we are approaching end of summer show season so no hurry if you want to attend events etc in a 928 (but don't miss the Tilford 928 owners' gathering 3rd Oct).

Photo is of the car at Prescott 2008 - not being thrashed up hill but just the gentle cavalcade! It's on the plate I've retained for transfer to my current 928 (pictured in my sig at this year's Prescott).

I see the 91 S4 is sold, having been on sale for about a day!

Just shows cars sell at the right price, and despite holding a torch for my old Marine Blue S4 this looked a bargain if it lived up to description.

Wonder if Lightning was the buyer? Curious minds need to know.

Hi Andrew.

That certainly is true.
My brother amd I are trying to finalise a deal for our old club secretaries 928 Sport.

Stephen

No I did not buy that 1991 S4...I tried and tried to contact the seller, but emails were not replied to and the phone number went to a voicemail, he didn't even bother to return my calls. (even to say thanks for your interest but the car is sold)
I've also been looking at the red one at £3995 on ebay, but he doesn't have any maintenance history at all and the aircon does not work on it.
Adrians old 928 just looked unloved.(not by Adrian of course, by the new owner) It was dirty, there were white paint spots all over the roof and windscreen, the alloys were dirty/needed polishing, 3 of the tyres were nearing the end of their life, and the oil was in need of a change. I could see £1,000 of work and the car was at £5,000 which I am told by you guys is top money for one of these.
The shift from 2-3 had a little judder as it operated. Probably normal/gearbox oil change needed.
I know you should look past things like how clean it is, which don't really matter, but if it had looked as good as it does on that picture Adrian posted I'm sure I would have bought it.

Hmm must say very disappointed to hear about current condition.

These are much more recent pictures, taken at the Weston Park show about a week before I sold her (in fact I took the pix to use if I had to put her up for sale on public site)

It just looks so much better on these pictures than it did when I saw it on Friday!
Am I going to do better for £5,000. I'm not so sure now. I've emailed a couple of other ebay sellers but neither have replied. There's a 1989 S4 on ebay buy it now £4,000 but the seller has failed to answer my questions about service history, aircon operation etc.
There's also a buy it now 1998 model for £11,950! What's that about? It's been bid to over £6,000 already though.....must be the low mileage? I'm still tempted by the car I went to see (Adrians old one) but there's just something stopping me, I think it's just that I don't know enough about the cars, and things like that little gearbox judder are putting me off.

Hi

Was it an auto or manual ?

Auto`s do NOT judder normally...not ever......hard changes if Auto fluid is low....yes......judder...never...

All the best Brett

Automatic. As it changed from 2-3 under light throttle it kind of went d-d-d like a little bit of clutch judder on a manual transmission.
I've also been looking at earlier 928's which are cheaper. S1, S2 etc. Without going into too much detail, (as I'm aware it's probably a subject in itself) are these earlier cars worth a look instead of an S4? Are the differences major or is it just detail upgrades on the later cars? I see the engine went from 4.7 to 5 litres but the performance figures actually look pretty similar.

Many owners prefer the earlier cars as they are lighter, less complicated (fuel injection is K-Jetronic, not the much more sophisticated LH-Jetronic, and the 4.5 engines at least are non-interference i.e. timing belt failure doesn't cause valve damage. Some find the look of the early cars purer (remember this is the original vision of the designers).

The later cars benefit from better brakes, slightly more power, better aerodynamics (marginal) and more refinement. The auto box is a 4 speed rather than 3.

The S2 has fans as it has the mechanical simplicity, but S4 running gear (brakes, suspension) and 4 speed box.

The 928 manual box improved all the time from first cars to last GTS manuals, so if you want a manual that's a strong reason to look for S4, GT, GTS.

Though the early cars are simpler, oddly enough the later cars are in one sense better for DIY work as they are much better documented online for some reason (maybe because there are more about in relatively good condition?). Also the S4 onwards have diagnostic plug for easy check of any injection/ignition faults with cheap plug in fault reader (about £250 which is cheap compared to time spent trying to do it manually, and/or replacing perfectly good components in vain attempt to cure fault).

I think you would still love a good early car, the problem is just that as they are older it's harder to find good ones but they're out there if you're patient. Couple of cracking ones sold this year.

I think with 928s you have to decide on auto or manual, and then keep open mind on model, colour etc as you don't have a vast choice at any one time.

Hi

That judder...it obviously was not there when Adrian sold it, its NOT caused by low fluid (different symptoms)....I would think internal gearbox problems or possibly something like a drive shaft starting to go

Buying a 16 valve (pre 87) is a good idea as they are slightly cheaper and to be honest any S or S2 is around the same power as an S4....Although less power than a GT or GTS....

The best of the 16 valves are the very late S2`s like mine...only made in 85/86...as Adrian said they have the 16 valve engine (310 hp) but the S4 brakes (4 pot Brembos) and S4 suspension.

The difference to me having driven both is that the 16 valve S2 engine is hmmm... "revvier" against the 32 valve S4 that is smoother and although it has 10 hp more, doesnt seem so when driving it lol.....just my opinion though...

Again as Adrian says...mileage really does not matter...its condition that counts...and ALL the electrics working INCLUDING Aircon if you want it....and when some seller says "the aircon just needs regassing" ..think 2 grand lol

Dont worry about not buying the first you see, the more you look at the better they will get and they are a hell of a Supercar once you buy one

Manual vs Auto....

Most say...if you drive it regularly in London or any other big city..you do NOT want a manual !

But as only around 15% of all 928`s are manual they actually hold a premium of around a grand on the price.....

Sunroofs.... I like my sunroof for summer, but they do lose you around an inch of headroom so if tracking the car the sunroof cuts down on the room for wearing a helmet...still possible but you have to scrunch down a bit...lol


All the best Brett

On the "revvier" 16v, John Speake (who knows a thing or two about such things, and runs an S2), reckons the S4 ignition map is inherently sluggish. He used his Sharktuner to re-map mine and it made it much snappier. I wrote it up in another thread on this forum.

Hi Lightning,

Have you seen ebay item 160356418412 ?

Just spotted it on my daily trawl through Ebay.

Regards
Paul