RE: Porsche 928: PH Carpool
Discussion
Whenever I see one of these it immediately reminds me of 'Chase HQ' which is a good thing. I prefer the later models with the elongated tail lights rather than the earlier design. Remember seeing one in Canary Wharf a few years ago and realizing what a great looking and desirable car it was
Re the auto vs manual discussion; I did try a couple of manual-box cars before I bought my 928 S4 auto. If it is to be used as your only car, the daily driver, etc, and going to be in traffic & town as well as the open road, then the auto is the better choice. It does suit the character of the car very well. And it is also superb if you use left-foot braking all the time, which I happen to do.
The autobox is (was?) actually sourced from Mercedes, who designed & used the same piece of kit for their first-generation S-class. It seems to take the torque of a 5 Litre 928 V8 with no problems. I certainly drove mine briskly enough and never had a gearbox issue in 110K miles in the same car. With the manual, I think you'd have to budget for the cost of at least one new clutch replacement, over that sort of distance.
The autobox is (was?) actually sourced from Mercedes, who designed & used the same piece of kit for their first-generation S-class. It seems to take the torque of a 5 Litre 928 V8 with no problems. I certainly drove mine briskly enough and never had a gearbox issue in 110K miles in the same car. With the manual, I think you'd have to budget for the cost of at least one new clutch replacement, over that sort of distance.
Rafeabrook said:
I haven't tried the manual but as it's a dogleg box that doesn't like to be rushed when cold, it can take some getting used to apparently. I won't lie in that I would have preferred a manual GT, however you can't be too choosy on spec if the right car comes up at the right price with these. The auto does suit the car very well though and on long journeys and in traffic you'll be glad to have it.
Cheers and you're right, hardly any manual in the classifieds.Your car looks nice; I like it that it still has the period carphone.
Congratulations to your purchase. The 928 certainly is very special indeed and always was on my wishlist. It´s a modern classic, technically and also designwise. There is only one thing, I would like to bring to your attention. You should definitely follow the service-intervals of the cambelt. On the 928 they are extremely long and tend to strech over the times. If they jump over or, worst of all, break, things are getting very expensive. I hope, you´ll have lots of fun with it for a long time to come.
Epic Winter Car choice 
Fantastic car choice anyway - you see so few of these now that you're effectively driving a real head-turner (I've not seen a 928 on the road in 5 years+) - good luck with the accessories tho (things like sunroof/door motors etc. are bank-balance shredding aren't they?)
The back seats will also take adults but - and I'm not kidding here - they will need to be pulled out again, possibly with a crane
Awesome car
Fantastic car choice anyway - you see so few of these now that you're effectively driving a real head-turner (I've not seen a 928 on the road in 5 years+) - good luck with the accessories tho (things like sunroof/door motors etc. are bank-balance shredding aren't they?)
The back seats will also take adults but - and I'm not kidding here - they will need to be pulled out again, possibly with a crane
Awesome car
andybu said:
With the manual, I think you'd have to budget for the cost of at least one new clutch replacement, over that sort of distance.
I only get about 30k between changes, but the design makes it incredibly easy to change. Assuming the car is on a lift you can have the clutch out in under an hour.ah the 928 found and not so found memories (bills)
I had a 91 S4 auto. Loved the safe handling the sound of that V8 after replacing the back box with a straight thru Titanium item from Tech art.
The weekest point of this car is the ECU expect it to go every 100k km. The US is usually the best place to find replacement parts these days.
Very hard to find good mechanics for these (in france at the time) as most mechanics are younger than the car
The 1st Porsche official dealer I went to the guy didn't even know Prosche had done V8s ??? ran away from there.
On the autos do the kick down switch by pass as it makes the car much more enjoyable.
It's a great GT and have seen some on the track putting 911s to shame
Not the best thing to drive fast on small roads as it heavy and needs room on the road.
At 260 on the German motorway the from does seem very light with all that air getting under the car.
I loved the look and still do. I still love the look of the last GTS.
For same performance and less runnig costs I will probably go for the 500E now if I get the V8 bug again.
It had the same performance as my 91 S4 but 4 seats and 1/2 the budget at least.
enjoy and as said before by other do plan about 2k per year ontop of the fuel and insurance.
Timing belt every 5 years to be safe as this had the longest timing belt of its time.
I had a 91 S4 auto. Loved the safe handling the sound of that V8 after replacing the back box with a straight thru Titanium item from Tech art.
The weekest point of this car is the ECU expect it to go every 100k km. The US is usually the best place to find replacement parts these days.
Very hard to find good mechanics for these (in france at the time) as most mechanics are younger than the car
The 1st Porsche official dealer I went to the guy didn't even know Prosche had done V8s ??? ran away from there.
On the autos do the kick down switch by pass as it makes the car much more enjoyable.
It's a great GT and have seen some on the track putting 911s to shame
Not the best thing to drive fast on small roads as it heavy and needs room on the road.
At 260 on the German motorway the from does seem very light with all that air getting under the car.
I loved the look and still do. I still love the look of the last GTS.
For same performance and less runnig costs I will probably go for the 500E now if I get the V8 bug again.
It had the same performance as my 91 S4 but 4 seats and 1/2 the budget at least.
enjoy and as said before by other do plan about 2k per year ontop of the fuel and insurance.
Timing belt every 5 years to be safe as this had the longest timing belt of its time.
Edited by vinnybear on Tuesday 10th December 08:06
ureile said:
Congratulations to your purchase. The 928 certainly is very special indeed and always was on my wishlist. It´s a modern classic, technically and also designwise. There is only one thing, I would like to bring to your attention. You should definitely follow the service-intervals of the cambelt. On the 928 they are extremely long and tend to strech over the times. If they jump over or, worst of all, break, things are getting very expensive. I hope, you´ll have lots of fun with it for a long time to come.
On the cambelt, it's also worth making absolutely sure that the water pump is done at the same time. A failed/failing pump can damage the block.ukkid35 said:
andybu said:
With the manual, I think you'd have to budget for the cost of at least one new clutch replacement, over that sort of distance.
I only get about 30k between changes, but the design makes it incredibly easy to change. Assuming the car is on a lift you can have the clutch out in under an hour.JM1962 said:
Have always loved the shape of the 928 having owned an S2 back in the mid 90's.
I have read that one of the potential high cost areas for these cars is the camshaft sprockets. Obviously if they go there are twice as many as the 944S2 which has the same set up and on which they are a known weak point.
There may be potentially high costs on a 928 but not those sprockets!I have read that one of the potential high cost areas for these cars is the camshaft sprockets. Obviously if they go there are twice as many as the 944S2 which has the same set up and on which they are a known weak point.
The anodising on them does wear, making it possible for belt to slip on teeth, or for the teeth to be sharpened and shred the belt!
But they are pretty cheap. I bought a new pair for my previous 928 for about $300 I think (buy most of my 928 parts from US - much cheaper fro some mysterious reason to ship them there from Stuttgart then back to Europe). The problem is they are now NLA from Porsche! I snagged a brand new pair on eBay which is in my ever growing parts store (my postman complains he has delivered an entire car to me), but one of the US suppliers has found another source for manufacturing them. There are 3D printers too...
Two reasons:
Porsche had a change of heart re the 911 life cycle & re-started development on that model - which cannibalized some 928 sales volume
By the late 1990's 928 development had stopped (R&D budget being sent elsewhere) so sales slowed to a trickle. After that it become uneconomic to keep resources allocated to a slow-moving production line.
All that said, it was reported when the 928 was still current that the Porsche works drives of the time could have their pick of anything from the entire Porsche range as their personal road car. To a man, they all opted for the 928, which is one heck of a recommendation for the 928.
Porsche had a change of heart re the 911 life cycle & re-started development on that model - which cannibalized some 928 sales volume
By the late 1990's 928 development had stopped (R&D budget being sent elsewhere) so sales slowed to a trickle. After that it become uneconomic to keep resources allocated to a slow-moving production line.
All that said, it was reported when the 928 was still current that the Porsche works drives of the time could have their pick of anything from the entire Porsche range as their personal road car. To a man, they all opted for the 928, which is one heck of a recommendation for the 928.
A friend's father was a committed Jaguar man. He had a MK2, a glorious MK10, then a few XJ6/12s and/or Daimler derivatives. He then realised one of his car dreams and bought an E Type Coupe quickly followed by a V12 E Type convertible. All new cars and all in the 60's and 70's
His REAL dream car though (in common with many of us I suspect) was an Aston Martin DB5. A local dealer acquired a used DB5 and he went for the inevitable test drive. One of the most disappointing days of his life. "It was like driving a truck" was all he would say.
So he bought a Ferrari Dino 308 GT4.
His son wanted him to buy a Porsche .... but he would have none of it ..... wouldn't even consider it.
But then his son wore him down and he eventually (if a little reluctantly) went to test drive a 928.
He subsequently had three of them and never bought another type of car until he passed away.
There may be a moral in there somewhere. He was certainly a man who liked to really drive his cars.
His REAL dream car though (in common with many of us I suspect) was an Aston Martin DB5. A local dealer acquired a used DB5 and he went for the inevitable test drive. One of the most disappointing days of his life. "It was like driving a truck" was all he would say.
So he bought a Ferrari Dino 308 GT4.
His son wanted him to buy a Porsche .... but he would have none of it ..... wouldn't even consider it.
But then his son wore him down and he eventually (if a little reluctantly) went to test drive a 928.
He subsequently had three of them and never bought another type of car until he passed away.
There may be a moral in there somewhere. He was certainly a man who liked to really drive his cars.
22 years Iv,e owned my 928 S 5 Speed, and still not bored !. Buy a good one and you wont be disappointed.
I do most maintenance stuff like replacing all the vacuum lines, cleaning all earth points (there,s a lot, main fuse board clean all contact points fit all new fuses, 14 point connector on front inner wing can throw up electrical issues, though once removed and cleaned all contacts usually resolve a lot of electrical gremlins, I could go on and on, but wont bore you anymore.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
I do most maintenance stuff like replacing all the vacuum lines, cleaning all earth points (there,s a lot, main fuse board clean all contact points fit all new fuses, 14 point connector on front inner wing can throw up electrical issues, though once removed and cleaned all contacts usually resolve a lot of electrical gremlins, I could go on and on, but wont bore you anymore.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
stratfordshark said:
There may be potentially high costs on a 928 but not those sprockets!
The anodising on them does wear, making it possible for belt to slip on teeth, or for the teeth to be sharpened and shred the belt!
But they are pretty cheap. I bought a new pair for my previous 928 for about $300 I think (buy most of my 928 parts from US - much cheaper fro some mysterious reason to ship them there from Stuttgart then back to Europe). The problem is they are now NLA from Porsche! I snagged a brand new pair on eBay which is in my ever growing parts store (my postman complains he has delivered an entire car to me), but one of the US suppliers has found another source for manufacturing them. There are 3D printers too...
I was talking about the sprocket that's halfway down the camshaft not the cam pulley. On the S4 the sprockets wear because the cam chain tensioning pad wears and allows the chain to become looser which in turn causes wear to the teeth. Only an issue on the 32V cars.The anodising on them does wear, making it possible for belt to slip on teeth, or for the teeth to be sharpened and shred the belt!
But they are pretty cheap. I bought a new pair for my previous 928 for about $300 I think (buy most of my 928 parts from US - much cheaper fro some mysterious reason to ship them there from Stuttgart then back to Europe). The problem is they are now NLA from Porsche! I snagged a brand new pair on eBay which is in my ever growing parts store (my postman complains he has delivered an entire car to me), but one of the US suppliers has found another source for manufacturing them. There are 3D printers too...
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff