Has Anyone Here Owned a 928?
 

For whatever reason (JD says I have a Risky Business / Tom Cruise fetish) I can't stop watching / looking up the FS ads and find myself browsing their forums regularly. My Question:

Have any of you guys ever owned a Porsche 928? If so what year, miles, mods and your general thoughts?

P.S. PLEASE do not respond explaining to me what you've heard about them, your neighbor's tales of woe nor your cousin Guido's sexual conquests with them. I too have heard all the stories regarding their "issues", just looking for some direct experience.

P.S. P.S. I have been lurking in their forums as mentioned above, great guys but far from objective so IMO pointless to ask them.

Funny I've been looking over the past few days on FS ads on the 928s as well!

Yeah, I've talked to 3 guys about theirs that are for sale in the past 2 weeks. From what I've gathered, service history is paramount. I am looking for an S4 with low miles and proof of upkeep, prefer a stick but an auto would be fine too (which then presents potential thrust bearing issues).

Did you try contacting Tom Cruise on Twitter ?

Couldn't get past the Scientology / Dianetics debate. Apparently he's a 993 fan also:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...psc375d25d.jpg

Yes, I did. Your right about the 928 Forum, the best Porsche fanatics of all.
Rennlist Discussion Forums

They are very expensive to maintain, and mechanics are not common place, but a very unique car, and definitely made before their time. Lots of electronic issues, and oil blowback problems and leaks. The picture is my old 1978, and was always asked if that was the new Porsche?

Beautiful Car!! I'm finding the more I lurk, the more skeptical I become on these beauties.

And you're correct on the Rennlist Forum for 928's, great bunch of guys very willing to help out BUT MAAAAANNNN there seem to be a crap-ton of issues with all manners of things on those cars. Like any forum section dedicated to a model those guys are blindly in love and smitten which is why I don't ask them directly. Probably just one of the classic cases of a very complex car getting old.

Yep, had one for many years. Biggest problem with the car is you usually run out of road before you run out of throttle! The 928 forum is fantastic and the amount of support you can find for the 928 is close to what you can find for the Boxster.

My dad had one and I drove it a lot when I was in college. It was an 81 non S, automatic.
He didn't have many problems at all way back then. He bought it in 85 or 86 and had it for abt 3-4 years. The only thing I remember having fixed was a water pump.
Nice car, but if it was mine I would at least get the stick and the S model. Its more of a "GT" car than a true sports car.

they look terrible... why bother?

BOOOOOOOOOO.

Just kidding - But I really love the look myself.

Exactly the sort of well thought out coherent comment I was hoping for. Thanks for your incredible insight. :rolleyes:

Adding another to the ignore list..........

I owned an '86S automatic some years ago and loved the car. It was a gas to drive; a good combination of performance and luxury. Looked great and felt solid as a brick. Not what you'd call nimble because of the weight, but handled respectably with lots of power. However, it cost me an arm and a leg to maintain. At the time I owned it there was a Porsche dealer a block away from my office; I'd drop it off in the morning on the way to work and then hoof it back over at the end of the day to get it. The convenience made the maint. expense acceptable at the time; when the dealer relocated 5 miles away I sold the car. I'd still like to have another....

Agreed. Not a big fan of this style.

You going to put me on ignore as well for having a different viewpoint as yours too, OP?

Done, my loss I'm sure.

Ok, we have 2 ppl who made slightly rude comments and 1 person who is a little too sensitive.

The 928 is a nice highway car. It will cruise all day long comfortably and smoothly at high speeds.
The steering is quick and the feel is good, but it doesn't handle like the smaller Porsches.
It is still a unique car and slightly "iconish."

Truly decades ahead of it's time. If I had the money...

zoom!

928 Motorsports - From Road to Race, 928 Performance is 928 Motorsports®

Not really that sensitive, I'd say it's my general intolerance of those unable to read. Please refer to the initial post, apparently even Bold Text doesn't help some.

That will fire them up lol.......................:matchup:

WEll I hate to tell ya......
I reread your post and read your bold text especially careful.
You made no mention to people that they should refrain on their opinions of the cars aesthetics. I would have found their comments ruder if you were posting a picture of YOUR 928 and they said that.
I wouldn't let them bother you. If you put people on the ignore list that easy you will run out of people.
:D

Let us know how the 928 search goes

Well, I've been here over 6 years and have only managed to put a handful on that list, thanks for looking out for me though. :rolleyes:

Aren't you the guy who was letting us all know the real story a few weeks ago (the day after you joined as a matter of fact) about the IMS situation?

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/49175-few-questions.html#post369509

Same guy who just purchased your first Boxster 2 to 3 weeks ago?

Thanks for the education. :rolleyes:

Add another to the list....:D

P.S. I'll make sure to keep you appraised of the 928 search in ever increasing anticipation of your Solomon like advice.

Ooooh ........

Thanks RK. It is pretty surprising how many of these things are actively road raced not to mention how well they do.

Wow...You really are Mr. Sensitive.
Well lets see, I AM one of the few people who gave you first hand knowledge of the 928, and youre even squawking at me. Sheesh. I should kick you right in the vagina!! :)
Methinks you have made quite a few ignore lists yourself.
Heck, as far as Solomon advice, Ive owned more cool cars than most people could count, so that's my wisdom.
Good luck with the 928.

Looks like Cups on the front and Cragers on the back. There's no denying that many of the 928's , usually low dollar ones, have a very strong mullet factor to them.

I was a huge 928 fan in my younger days. I followed this car since introduction in 1977.

If I were to purchase one today I would look for a 93-95 GTS with a stick. Most 928's were automatic. The 93-95 cars are extremely rare. They were the best GT car made in it's day.

You have good taste. Unfortunately decent examples of the GTS model start in the $30k to $50k range, very nice ones with manual transmissions are quite a bit more. This is one of the reasons I'd like to catch a prime S4 now but frankly the more I look, the less I'm inclined to go down the 928 path. They were incredible cutting edge cars in their day, now that they are 25 plus years old the attention that they seem to require (thrust bearing / flex plate issues, electrical gremlins seem to abound, torque tube related, cooling system, 7 foot long timing belt / tensioner / Porkensioner, Intake / top end refresh, water pump, power steering issues, funky interior / dash pad issues, etc.) in comparison to air cooled 911's is dulling their shine for me.

Agreed. I'm also a fan, but the maintenance etc keeps me away.
On the fantasy list, I'd love to see a 928 with a Panamera drivetrain and some interior bits.

It sounds like 'risky business' owning one of these. ;)

Could be. Given my growing sensitivity regarding *sshat comments from a plethora of newbs, I think I found the right model.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ps92890977.jpg

And No....believe it or not I'm not crotchety by nature.......

Thanks. I still have the interest for a 928. Specially the 93-95 models. My passion for the 928 died for awhile when Porsche introduced the 944 turbo-turbo S. I've had two of these so far and still have the turbo s. now it's a debate whether to buy a 911 variant or 928 or 981 Gts. I like the 93-95 GTS due to their rare existence.

It would serve you well to research pricing on the GTS's as I alluded to before if you have not already, I know I was surprised. Trimer and I both would greatly appreciate your observations on 944's, specifically the Turbo S's.

check out the 'blackbird' body kit ...

928 Motorsports - Porsche® Performance Parts - Blackbird Wide Body Panels for the Porsche® 928 - Porsche® 928 World record Holder 216.63537 mph

lightweight fg body panels, no headlights (just projectors in the driving light openings) and a supercharger for 500 hp ...

your right - major mullet factor (german corvette) but I like a lot ...

Cas, don't you dare put that 944 Turbo S up for sale, but if you do, let me know first! I've seen it in-person and what a beaut!

You could always go the AC-DC circa "Ride the Lightning" route with a 928:

http://www.evalbum.com/imgm.php?n=736e.jpg&w=300&h=225

http://www.evalbum.com/736

Hey Jeremy,
No this is one car I do not plan on selling. It's unique (716) made for the US. Hardly see these around today.

Yes I'm aware of the prices for these models and you do have to pay a premium for one of them.

The 944 turbo or 944's in general are one of Porsche's best handling cars made before the Boxster or GT3. Lightweight and very nimble. The turbo gave the car the power needed to keep up or surpass the 911 even though they were detuned so it doesn't outperform the 911 turbo which it did. Porsche 944 TurboS vs. 911 Turbo

The turbo model is very easy to modify and they are great track cars and very fast. One of Porsche biggest little secret in my opinion. A nice example is hard to find these days but you can still get a nice one in the 10-15k range.

Check out the latest Panorama magazine. You'll see a 944 turbo S featured in the current issue.

what is your thought on this: Looking for just another nice ride to pop in the garage and take to some cars and coffees.. not going to race it, etc. Is it worth looking at a 944 base or is turbo really the only way to go? I had a buddy years ago with one. 86 turbo red with black fuchs and he had modified with a chip and that car hauled ass! I fell in love with that car and always wanted one...but I have never been in a base model 944. Have no clue what pick up is like...I assume they are geared to be quick but at 150HP, how quick can they possibly be. Just curious as to thoughts on the Base 944. Is it much like the difference of a Box vs Box S?

My dad was a Porsche Mechanic when I was growing up. I always admired the concept of a front engine V-8 in a Porsche, but even in the day I thought it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. Now if the Panamera, reared it's head back then...(just my $0.02) But more power to the Porschephiles that love it.

Todd - if you are going to look at a 944, look for a 944S or a 944S2. I had an 87 944S years ago and currently have a 1990 944 S2 Cabriolet in my fleet. You get a lot of car w/ the S or S2 package.

If you look at a base 944, make sure you get a '85 1/2 or newer w/ the updated interior and dash.

just my 2 cents worth...

Rick

I'll post my 928 thoughts here eventually... :D

trimer - For just around town use, you might want to consider the 968. From what I've read it is slightly more refined in terms of creature comforts than the 944s, but also very similar in its handling/performance.

cas951 - You should post a picture or two of your Turbo S for everyone to enjoy/drool over here.