928 GT vs 911 3.2

[MGYoung]

Hi there,

With a budget of 9K which is the best bet for everyday use? Car will be used for everything including commuting.

Always admired the 928 but finding a good one with a manual gearbox is difficult.

911 is a classic, but is it a classic I can use everyday?

Car will be kept outside all year round and will inevitably get covered in salt during the winter months. I do make a point of washing my cars as often as possible but you can never prevent salt getting on to the car in the first place.

Thanks and all the best.

Martin.

[ICSD]

MGYoung said:

Hi there, With a budget of 9K which is the best bet for everyday use? Car will be used for everything including commuting. Always admired the 928 but finding a good one with a manual gearbox is difficult. 911 is a classic, but is it a classic I can use everyday? Car will be kept outside all year round and will inevitably get covered in salt during the winter months. I do make a point of washing my cars as often as possible but you can never prevent salt getting on to the car in the first place. Thanks and all the best. Martin.

I have had 2 3.2s (both late G50s) and both have been used daily and kept outside under a cover. I now have a second car so my current 911 is now being treated more kindly but they work perfectly well as daily cars and are a hoot to drive in any weather. I clean once a week, including a good jet washing underneath, and I don't reckon that there have been any detremental effects in terms of corrosion.

The only thing that I would say is that my first one was a Targa but I switched to a Coupe because I found the wind noise and slight leaking a pain for a car that I was using daily. Having said that, now that I have a second car, the Targa is appealing again.

Your problem is that £9k won't buy you a good one. You may get a reasonable 915 boxed car but I believe that for daily driving that just might not be robust enough. I'd try and get another £5k together before you start looking at 911s.

I can't comment on 928s other than I understand that they can be real money pits. With £9k and the prospect of a daily car, I'd look at 944s or 968s if I were you.

[hoges11]

Have both a 911 and 928 and both are great cars. 928 is suprisingly practical with lots of space for luggage and very comfortable as an every day drive. Its a pain in the bum parking with that long bonnet and lacks headroom for the very tall (im 6'3" and its a real squeeze). Its also very complex and prone to problems so you need to have a knowledgeable independant to rely on (Northway, Loe Bank or Paul Anderson are all great). Would never have one as my only car beacuse they do seem to go wrong quite often and its not always possible to get them fixed quickley due to the need for the fixer to understand the car. The cars seem to enjoy being driven so no problem using it every day, in fact more problems come from leaving them standing around.

The older 911's seem to be build of stronger stuff and are much less complex and more reliable than the 928. The down side is that they are much less practical, although I regularly get my golf clubs and large electric trolley in mind with a bit of juggling. Mine have never let me down and they are great fun when you get to a bit of open road. The pedal set up is a bit of a pain if you have to change gear a lot and with the strong clutches sitting in queues can be a right pain in the foot.

If I had to keep just one I'd probably go for the 928(S4) as long as I had another car as back up, if I had to rely on it always working it would be a 911. I also think the 911 would prove to be cheaper to run and maintain.
:drive:

[Luca1973]

www.911virgin.com/928dtt.htm

£7,500

>> Edited by Luca1973 on Monday 10th April 10:56

[colin5577]

I echo Los Angeles's view on the 928 - but if you buy one, you'd better make sure it's a good one. As a daily driver, a 928 would probably be more expensive to run than a 911. I wouldn't particularly fixate on a GT. A manual box would be a must as far as I'm concerned, but I wouldn't kick a manual S1 out of bed if I found a really, really nice one. The cars got heavier and a bit more complex as they got older, so I'm guessing that an earlier car may be a bit easier on itself in terms of wear and tear.

I also agree with those that have said 9k just isn't enough to go and get a decent 911 3.2 up to daily use. I'd wait until I had at least 12k - otherwise you should cast a wider net in 911 terms, or start to think about LHD.