Looking to buy a 928 but the research is putting me off. What do you think 928 members?

[lds2ars0]

I have a Carrera 3.2 coupe. I was well impressed with the build quality of my Porsche. I wanted to buy a 1979 or 1980 a manual 928 as I like manuals and turn into a daily driver (and reduced the complexity of older models). With that a strong well built 4.5 litres could last me a long time. However whilst doing my research I have heard constant negativity that they are complex and a lot of troubled. I'm aware of the high running cost (petrol and servicing) but are 928s strong and reliable and have a built proof engine. Or should I just consider a 944 instead.

Thanks Paul

 

[Llewelyn]

Buy an S. 300 hp - much fruitier! Also the brakes are better!

The pre '84 cars (k-jetronic) are very straightforward to maintain/work on and most typical problems tend to be attributed to poor grounds. Also things like old immobiliser wiring can cause the occasional issue so it's worth getting any aftermarket gizmos removed properly.

Any car as old as an early 928 is bound to come burdened with foibles, and can be forgiven for that - the challenge however will be to find the very best one you can.

Give Fraser Pemberton @ mr928.com a shout, he will have a car for you. Also join the 928 uk mailing list, it's an invaluable resource!

928's are extremely rewarding cars, if you buy one you won't regret it.

Good luck!

 

[lds2ars0]

Thanks for advice Lelweyln thats a great start thanks

 

[completeporsche928]

Hi Paul, thought my experience might help you.

Summer 2014 I bought a 1989 928 S4 as my first Porsche. It was all original on 126,500 miles with decent history file but needed a lot of TLC inside and out after lack of use and sitting under a car cover for near 5 years covering only 300 miles in that time. I can't say why I felt it was worth taking on with no prior knowledge of 928s and like you, reading much negative press about them. I loved the look of them however.

It was a runner with a years MOT, so I drove it locally for a short while as I found out the car's gremlins. Then I took it to the local garage to start the mechanical work I wanted to be done (tracking, wheel alignment, waxoiling underside etc etc). They looked at it in horror and told me: 'you should have bought any car but that! get rid of that damn car! we certainly won't be working on it!'. Somewhat bemused, I sat with my purchase decision for a few days and questioned if the local garage were right?

I decided they weren't and found a nearby Porsche Specialist to help me instead (Steve Bull Devises Wiltshire). Their level of service and help was awesome and they were supportive of my 928 venture and had no fear of working on them. They carried out a full service, cambelt swap, full suspension/brake refurb and more. I ditched the local garage thereafter!

The work cost a few thousand pounds but I was committed to the car and came to realise that's what it takes to own and run any Porsche.

Inspired by Steve's positive approach to 928s, I started work on the interior and exterior myself. Full strip out and renovation of seats, carpet, leather etc and then replaced. Next, I tackled the paintwork by hand cutting/polishing it back to a mirror finish. Then set about fixing things that didn't work or needed replacing (wiper jets, rear hatch pulls, some relays, rear hatch seal etc). I was amazed at how simple many things were to do actually despite claims of many to the contrary and was inspired by the quality Porsche built into 928s.

As the car came together and I started driving miles in it in all weathers (7000 trouble free miles now in 2 years!) I was blown away by how awesome it feels on the road, the amount of attention (often from ladies!) the car draws, and how I was so right to keep it and give it the TLC it deserves despite all the naysayers on 928s. Every trip out in it (no matter how short) turns into an amazing journey, just being in the car and the feel it gives you.

It's turned out to be the best car I've ever owned or driven and I couldn't imagine having anything else now. I'm hooked on 928's for life. They're built to last and actually very simple in many ways. Their main complexity is in the electrics/wiring so that's often best left to the experts. There's much work you can do yourself however outside of the electrics.

If you look after a 928 and keep it well maintained I'd say it will be reliable and keep going for a LONG time. In comparison to modern Porsches (and many everyday hatches) they're pretty simple really. Equally, like any Porsche, parts can be expensive and some work can only be done by a local Porsche specialist. Cost of maintaining a premium car like a 928 is bound to be more expensive than 'lesser' cars. Expect an average of 20mpg for an auto (maybe less for a manual).

I'd say take your time and look at and drive a few before purchasing. Read as much specialised books/articles on 928's so you can get a good overall picture of their strengths and weaknesses. If you do decide to buy, find a decent local Porsche specialist who is happy to work on/prior purchase inspect them and/or has experience of 928s.

In terms of 'a lot of car for your money' the time to buy a 928 is now before the market rises any higher on them.

Thereafter, look after it well and it should be reliable and will probably even take over your life!

 

[Mike Barnett]

We brought our 928 last September at looking at a number of very scruffy cars! many of the cars haven't been that loved it seems probably because the values were low up until about a year ago such that people wouldn't invest much in the cars unless they were real enthusiasts..
Be very careful, we brought a car with a full service specialist and OPC from the day it left the factory in April 1988 when it cost £59K to last September.. every receipt for everything spent over £33k in that time! The car was immaculate and drove well BUT i stupidly took the Owners word for the flex plate having been checked! This is only applicable to autos so if you are lucky enough to find a very rare manual it won't apply! Our engines thrust bearing has been damaged as it was running with too much flex plate pressure and we are currently preparing a spare engine to go into the car because I didn't want to be off the road for a long time while the original is rebuilt... The cost of this exercise will be about £5000 plus the transplant cost another £1500... I don't regret it because we did manage to negotiate a reasonable price for a car which was otherwise in extremely good condition inside and out with everything working electrically and a/c...
We have no regrets because we always planned to keep the car, it handles superbly and is very taught and the brakes are sharper than our 996 Targa! Of course it has had £23k spent on it over the last ten years with even steering column bushes done!
One issue you will have with any 928 now irrespective of mileage is that they are typically 30 years old and all the rubber seals, valve guide seals, gearbox seals etc will be tired and potentially hardened...
It will always be dearer to run than a 944 just because there is more of it to maintain and go wrong but If I had to sell one of our Porsches it would be the 996 out of the Boxster, 928 and 996 Targa we have...

 

[completeporsche928]

V.Good points Mike.

There's no doubt that 928 ownership comes with expense to keep them in good condition and they need committed owners who aren't afraid of giving them TLC. I'd say that's the same for all Porsche models really. After-all, they're high-end cars .

I had the same issue with flex-plate pressure (but not to the point it damaged the engine thankfully). After 3 months a strange wuring sound started that was coming from the front under the centre console. After an alleged specialist in 928's looked at it and said it just needed a gearbox oil top-up (even after I'd had the transmission fluid changed by them only a month prior!) Steve Bull looked at it and diagnosed flex-plate pressure that just needed adjustment.

You can buy a special clamp from a place in Devises Wiltshire that apparently stops flex-plate pressure from occurring.
http://ritech-systems.com/928_flexplate_clamp.html

I think the rewards of 928 ownership in terms of driving experience counterbalance the demands/cost of ownership though.

 

[Max Jones]

Hi Paul

My experience mirrors that of completeporsche928 with exception of the interior, yet to be tackled, but perfectly acceptable meantime.
I bought the car with eyes wide shut; fortunately it was just a bit of neglect to rectify, but that still came to a few £k's. Paul Anderson in Stroud fixed a lot of the common problems (I now know they're common!).
This transformed the car. I thought it was ok when I bought it, but it's much better now.
Even so, I love driving the car, and am getting it resprayed along with door refurbishment which I am doing myself.
I don't find the electrics too daunting; I've had a couple of problems with corrosion on electrical terminals, but these can generally be cleaned up and restored.
I recently took a holiday in Eire with the car and it never missed a beat.
I certainly don't regret buying it, and a couple of traffic light drags has shown some local hot hatches not to mess with a Porsche.
Have fun!
Regards

Max

MY90 S4 Auto

 

[pse_SC]

It will always be dearer to run than a 944 just because there is more of it to maintain and go wrong...

Really?

 

[nwns]

I'd buy a 928 over a 944 at a similar price point but I wouldn't rush into a 928 under £15k these days whereas a 944 can still be found ~£6k in reasonable condition. I have 3 924s and a 928S, love them all.

Drove my 928S to The Le Mans Classic and back, amazing cars. Regularly use it for commuting too, just wonderful to drive.

 

[completeporsche928]

Just wanted to add some recent experience with my 928 S4 that might help other 928 owners with AUTO's avoiding trashing their engines.

After only 5500 miles since the flexplate pressure was released, the issue started again. At first, a strange buzz/electrical type noise began that sounded like it was coming from all over, mid-way under the car. Initially I did not suspect flexplate pressure as the noise sounded electrical/like a failing fuel or power steering pump. After a week of local driving the buzz had changed tone and sound type, into a wurring; like a jet engine winding-up or something similar; it was now clearly coming from near to where the engine under-tray ends under the bulkhead; I now realized to my horror, it was flexplate pressure.

I had it over to Steve Bull Porsche Specialist a.s.a.p and drove VERY slowly at max 1500rpm. Releasing the clamp showed 2mm movement which equates to a lot of pressure on the flexplate under load/at speed. I had the old clamp removed an upgraded one installed to stop any future movement; http://jenniskens.livedsl.nl/Technical/Tips/8/MyTip818.htm Theo has had one of these clamps on his 928GTS for 6 years without any movement/pressure occurring.

ALL wurring has now ceased and I can relax driving the car again! If you own any 928 AUTO and hear similar noises/sounds get the flexplate pressure checked a.s.a.p, as continued driving with FP pressure can trash your engine and/or the TT bearings at great expense.

Cooling Air Flap control system. When I bought the 928 S4, the front cooling flaps inside the nose cone in-front of the RAD were fully open and tie-wrapped in that position with the motor linkage to the flaps discarded. My around town mpg was 14-15; long journeys 18-20mpg, and my engine took a long time to warm-up fully in winter and around town. After reading much debate online about the use of these flaps and the pro's and con's of them, I decided to see if I could get the system working properly to see if they do help drag reduction/engine warm-up.

I cut the tie-wraps, replaced the fuse/relay/linkage and function tested the system using the Porsche S4 manual as a guide. There was a fault with the a bad contact at the fuse box and ground connector for the control module beside the passenger seat, so these were corrected. The system now works properly.

This is what happens now: at cold, the flaps are fully closed with the fans off; at 90 degrees the flaps are 30% open and the fans cycle on/off intermittently; at 95 degrees + the flaps are 100% open and the fans at full speed. With the engine warm and turned off, the flaps open fully. Mostly, in most normal driving conditions, the flaps are either fully closed or in the 30% position.

My engine reaches 80-90 degrees within 2 miles of driving now; my town mpg is 16-18 and long journeys 22+. I haven't made any other changes to the car in this test. So, in my experience these flaps do improve mpg which must be due to the faster warm-up and reduced drag with the flaps closed or at 30% in most normal driving situations.

The main point to bare in mind; when the system is working OK it is fine and beneficial. If you do get any problems with flaps staying shut leading to over-heating, use the manual over-ride on the control motor under the hood for the flaps to open the flaps fully, pull the linkage from the motor, and tie-wrap them securely until you get around to fault finding what the problem might be. NEVER leave the flaps fully open without the linkage in place as under air pressure they will close at speed!

hope other 928 owners find this info of help.

 

[completeporsche928]

Sorry, I meant to say; NEVER leave the flaps fully open without a tie-wrap securing them if the linkage is removed, as under air pressure they will close at speed and cause overheating!

 

[Randall w Ford1]

Hi..I have a 1980 928 that has been preserved and stored. All original and lots of original plastic pieces replaced....car is prestine...contact and car is in canada randallwford1@gmail.com thanks also facebook