Hi,
I've fallen in love with the idea of getting a porsche 928.
It is from what I can make out, the only supercar for sub 10k, and I love the image (in black, of course). I'd be keen to avoid the 3 speed auto version.
What do you backroomers, in your considerable knowledge and wisdom, think of my idea, and is there any advice or suggestions you guys have to offer?
I am aware that it is sensible to avoid a £4000 car that is a cost-bomb waiting to happen... and I feel I should make it clear at this point that I know nothing about working on a car or it's mechanics etc... apart from installing the stereo!
Any advice appreciated,
Ben
|
Ben,
My brother had a similar rush of blood to the head and bought a 928 for 6k, after a couple of weeks an oil pipe burst and dumped the contents of the sump on the tarmac, he just managed to switch the engine off in time and avoided any more serious damage - on that occasion. Fantastic performance, impossible to pull away without tyre slip and a thirst like a transit load of irish navvies. You pays your money-and you get what you pay for. I dont think I woud be that brave myself, and I dont think he would do it again. If you really dont know anything about cars then a cheap Porsche could be a good if expensive way of learning. My advice would be to think once and then think again, but then I'm a boring old so and so.
Good luck, MGs
|
|
|
Ben,
I fell in love with the idea of a Porsche as well mate. So I scraped together 6K for a mint 86' Guards red 944 with all the trimmings...I can honestly say without doubt it was the best eye turning, handling car I have ever driven.
However, I was lucky. Only the thermostat went on the car, but It could have been much worse and the repair costs are tremendous on anything more serious. A water pump for example is several hundred pounds if your lucky.
The additional problem you will face is that the 928 is alot tighter than the well put together 944. For example even changing the spark plugs is a MAJOR operation as you virtually have to lift the engine out to do it.
I don't mean to put you off but please take yout time, get the car looked at by a pro., and only use it as a second car. I would strongly advise you get a 944S a diamond and an everyday car..
well good luck whatever you do mate, and please let me know..
|
If you have the money then go for it! I wish I could have afforded to buy and run one when I was in my 20's.
You must be prepared for big bills (including tyres and insurance!) and must be prepared to pay for proper seervicing at a specialist or main agent. As has been pointed out, some rouotine jobs eg spark plug change can work out to be very expensive.
Good luck if you decide to go for it.
|
|
|
|
I would say that if you don't know much about the mechanics, find out or find someone you trust who knows already. These are highly tuned, expensively engineered, complex performance cars and if you don't know what you are looking for it could be disasterous.
Don't mean to be doom and gloom, because I am sire there are wonderful examples to be had if you look in the right place for long enough. Porsche owners clubs?
Good luck with the search (if you decide to move forward!)
Andy
|
|
|
Shhh! Don't tell everyone, or the prices will go back up :-)
One of the all-time bargains, IMHO, but some care required, obviously, as there's a lot to go wrong. Still, pretty difficult to thrash (some wealthier friends of mine bought three of them specifically to race round the Nurburgring and failed to break anything) and, as you say, the only real supercar for that sort of money. Practical Classics had a useful article on the pitfalls in their October 2000 issue - should still be available from Emap...
|
|
|
Ben,
the 928 is a beauty and as you say should only be in black, preferably with linen leather.
It's a superb GT car but definitely not a chuckable sportscar. If a GT is what you're looking for they're unbeatable for the price.
Before buying, you really, really need to contact Porsche Club GB. They will be able to give you much more comprehensive info than you'll get here.
As a general rule, full dealer/specialist history is a must if you don't want any nasty surprises and get the car inspected (or a good warranty) before you buy. Oil-cooler failures were a known problem in some model years (the oil cooler was integral to the radiator) but most examples should have been modified with seperate coolers by now.
Other items to check are aircon/heater controls,dashboard/gauges and electrical accessories like seat/window motors etc. Spare parts are not as expensive as you might think but labour costs push repair bills up quite a bit because of limited accessibility.
Don't worry about your mechanical ability. The 928 isn't really a DIY car, leave it to a specialist.
Buy a good one, look after it, and it'll never let you down.
PS. Do you have BUPA?
It'll cost a fortune to wipe that smile off your face every time you pick up the keys.
Kevin...
|
Wow, thanks for all that... some user groups are really unfriendly to novices but I've got some really good insight and opinion on this matter.
I can see that it's probably worth spending more on a good model... I take it that a full Porsche SH indicates a well (read expensively) looked after car then - I get the impression that it is a well put together car, so realistically, do I have to worry about things going wrong, or could a carefully chosen model reward me with non-extortionate running costs?
Thanks for all the help so far.
Ben
|
Oh and 1 other thing - how does it compare to the 944? Are they completely different beats? I have read about a lot of potential points of failure on the 944 but some ppl say it is more reliable / practical.
Ben
|
Sub 10k supercar - what about a Lotus Esprit?
A nice one on Ebay at the moment:
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2433...4
|
Another option might be a Jaguar XJ-S V12? I ran one for a while (when I was 26 or so) and it was a real hoot.
Whatever the car is, look for specialist parts and servicing as main dealers are too expensive for running a supercar on a budget. There are plenty of cars for sale but take your time to find a good one, you'll be able to keep it longer.
Cars like this are relaxing to drive because you know they have so much power that you don't have to try hard. Also, you'll never sleep alone again ;-)
|
|
I'd say you can almost manage home maintenance on a 944 whereas its pretty much out of the question with a 928. Most parts for the 944 are easy to get from GSF/Eurocarparts. Obviously the cost goes up for the Turbo. I say get a 944 3.0 S2.
|
944 and 928 are completely different beasties.
As with any car, I think that even buying a well-maintained example does not make you immune from expensive repair bills. Doesn't matter what car you buy, you never know what may suddenly brake and leave you with a large repair bill.
Perhaps worth checking through all bills/receipts to see if anything untoward has been repaired or replaced, if aircon system has been regularly re-gassed etc (same holds true for any used car purchase).
|
|
buying a specialised car such as this, you need to find out every bit of info there is available. Check the net for owners clubs etc, read these for a few months and you will get a feel for what is likely to go wrong, how much it will cost, etc. Then when you start viewing them you know EXACTLY what to look for, either on the car itself or in the history file (there should be an extensive one!). In the history file look for work done by porsche dealers or specialists, they will be far more knowledgable than a normal garage. When you buy one, find a good specialist as near as possible, they will be far cheaper than the main dealer and usually offer as good if not better service (i used to drive from Leicester to Huddersfield to get my Lotus Elan serviced - it was MUCH cheaper than to take it to the Lotus dealer)
|
|
|
|
Sub 10k supercar - what about a Lotus Esprit? A nice one on Ebay at the moment: cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2433...4
>>
OH OH OH is only about 20 miles away from my home.
anyone got 8 grand they could lend me ????
|
|
|
|
|
