Porsche 928 Manual - talk to me?
Discussion
I have had a 928 since 2003... Started off with an S2 Auto, then moved it on for an S2 Manual, I then run a GT in parallel, which later on was converted to GTS spec - engine and box and turned into a race car. Then about 10yrs ago I bought a one owner GTS Manual, which I restored to factory fresh condition and lastly, 4yrs ago I bought another S4 Manual which about to be finished with an even more extensive restoration.
Autos are fine... But don't expect ZF6HP, let alone ZF8 levels of shifting. A properly set up manual is an absolute joy to drive. However, not many would actually change all the parts on the shift mechanism to get it properly aligned. The clutch, particularly on the early cars is superb, but again, you need to know what you are doing to set it up well.
Suspension - the car was designed and build in the 1970s/1980s. What constituted firm them, could be taken for wallow-y today. However, the chassis is very communicative and surprisingly modern. Comparisons with a period 911 or 944, or even 635CSI/XJS are fairly pointless. They all drive like old cars. The 928 drives much more like a late 1990s. Yes, it will never be a Panamera/BMW 6-series, but for sure the way the car sits on the road is streets ahead of a 1988 XJS...
Go in with your eyes and wallet wide open - they are a wonderful car, which gets under your skin and never let's go...
Autos are fine... But don't expect ZF6HP, let alone ZF8 levels of shifting. A properly set up manual is an absolute joy to drive. However, not many would actually change all the parts on the shift mechanism to get it properly aligned. The clutch, particularly on the early cars is superb, but again, you need to know what you are doing to set it up well.
Suspension - the car was designed and build in the 1970s/1980s. What constituted firm them, could be taken for wallow-y today. However, the chassis is very communicative and surprisingly modern. Comparisons with a period 911 or 944, or even 635CSI/XJS are fairly pointless. They all drive like old cars. The 928 drives much more like a late 1990s. Yes, it will never be a Panamera/BMW 6-series, but for sure the way the car sits on the road is streets ahead of a 1988 XJS...
Go in with your eyes and wallet wide open - they are a wonderful car, which gets under your skin and never let's go...
I would agree that the 928S in manual form is a much more engaging drive to the auto which uses a Mercedes 722.3 gearbox. I drove a 928S3 (The US version of the S2 which had a 288hp 4 cam engine) and it was a completely different animal to my auto, I would not saw it's a more engaging drive to a BMW M635CSI which is probably one of the most engaging cars that I own. My R129 Mercedes seems to check all the same boxes which is why this car has not seen the road in so long.
Slightly biased because I’ve bought and sold many 928s but my condensed thoughts are quite simply:
Mega, mega cars
Not too bad to maintain and most jobs are approachable in spite of what the internet might suggest.
S4 manual or S4 GT for me is the best model, even if the earlier styling is more retro. By 1986-87 they were really well developed but if you can get a MY90 you’ll get a slightly nicer interior with digital dash and a GT exhaust as standard.
They hate being sat unused and perform best with daily use.
Caveats
Very sensitive to geo and tired shocks/engine mounts/upper a arm bushes and steering rack bushes which MOST 928s will probably suffer from. This will trick you into thinking they are rubbish.
Likewise a poorly serviced car with non functioning plenum valve, tired spark, dodgy vacuum and ropey injectors will again trick you into thinking they are rubbish.
These cars when in rude health are superb. Generally though they are not running right (masked by the V8) and feel terrible to drive so it’s worth being aware of that when you are looking at them and test driving.
The other thing is many of them have been poorly respray Ed due to strip down complexity/cost cutting so most have terribly shoddy paint. That may or may not bother you !
Accept that the chance of you finding one with no faults will be very rare and create and work through a snag list on whatever you buy and the car will reward you.
Here’s a video I did on a really well sorted one where I go round it and point out all the stuff you should know about when buying a 928:
https://youtu.be/Lj0rooAWysE
Mega, mega cars
Not too bad to maintain and most jobs are approachable in spite of what the internet might suggest.
S4 manual or S4 GT for me is the best model, even if the earlier styling is more retro. By 1986-87 they were really well developed but if you can get a MY90 you’ll get a slightly nicer interior with digital dash and a GT exhaust as standard.
They hate being sat unused and perform best with daily use.
Caveats
Very sensitive to geo and tired shocks/engine mounts/upper a arm bushes and steering rack bushes which MOST 928s will probably suffer from. This will trick you into thinking they are rubbish.
Likewise a poorly serviced car with non functioning plenum valve, tired spark, dodgy vacuum and ropey injectors will again trick you into thinking they are rubbish.
These cars when in rude health are superb. Generally though they are not running right (masked by the V8) and feel terrible to drive so it’s worth being aware of that when you are looking at them and test driving.
The other thing is many of them have been poorly respray Ed due to strip down complexity/cost cutting so most have terribly shoddy paint. That may or may not bother you !
Accept that the chance of you finding one with no faults will be very rare and create and work through a snag list on whatever you buy and the car will reward you.
Here’s a video I did on a really well sorted one where I go round it and point out all the stuff you should know about when buying a 928:
https://youtu.be/Lj0rooAWysE
The Mercedes one is not the best, you need to get one from a Ford Ranger which better quality by an order of magnitude.
You can fast forward to 3 minutes into the video to get an explaination:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhsZzssf6pk&ab...
You can fast forward to 3 minutes into the video to get an explaination:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhsZzssf6pk&ab...
alabbasi said:
The Mercedes one is not the best, you need to get one from a Ford Ranger which better quality by an order of magnitude.
You can fast forward to 3 minutes into the video to get an explaination:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhsZzssf6pk&ab...
Thanks! Will do!You can fast forward to 3 minutes into the video to get an explaination:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhsZzssf6pk&ab...
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