928 S4 - Cheap and Cheerful?
Discussion
I need some advice....
I was looking at buying a TVR Griffith or Cerb but am seriously worried about reliability, build quality and, being pessimistic here, crash worthiness.
So with these thoughts I have started to look at another favourite of mine, the 928 S4. I don't know anything about the above factors I'm looking for so could anyone offer their opinion? Looking through the trader their seems to be quite a few around the £6k to £8k mark with 100k miles. Are they a worthwhile choice or just money pits?
Manual or automatic as well?
>>> Edited by RodneyBob on Monday 2nd August 13:34
>>> Edited by RodneyBob on Monday 2nd August 14:42
I was looking at buying a TVR Griffith or Cerb but am seriously worried about reliability, build quality and, being pessimistic here, crash worthiness.
So with these thoughts I have started to look at another favourite of mine, the 928 S4. I don't know anything about the above factors I'm looking for so could anyone offer their opinion? Looking through the trader their seems to be quite a few around the £6k to £8k mark with 100k miles. Are they a worthwhile choice or just money pits?
Manual or automatic as well?
>>> Edited by RodneyBob on Monday 2nd August 13:34
>>> Edited by RodneyBob on Monday 2nd August 14:42
A 928 should not be bought on age or "indicated" mileage and dont buy at the top of a tight budget, there will always be money to spend on it when you get it home. A good 928 is a great car, a poor 928 could well break your heart and quite possibly your wallet.
A warranty would provide peace of mind until you know the car.
The newer cars offer more in terms of style, BHP, toys etc and sometimes even if longer term history is not supported by bills, evidence of recent expenditure to major items may be of more value.
As with all cars buy the best car that you can afford.
Remember these were £70,000 when new and capable of 170 MPH so they will consume parts to retain that performance.
As for Man vs Auto The 928 GT & GTS in manual will be fetching £17k upwards, so auto is normal choice
Allan
ps look in PH classifieds
A warranty would provide peace of mind until you know the car.
The newer cars offer more in terms of style, BHP, toys etc and sometimes even if longer term history is not supported by bills, evidence of recent expenditure to major items may be of more value.
As with all cars buy the best car that you can afford.
Remember these were £70,000 when new and capable of 170 MPH so they will consume parts to retain that performance.
As for Man vs Auto The 928 GT & GTS in manual will be fetching £17k upwards, so auto is normal choice
Allan
ps look in PH classifieds
Hell, no - as good as the 928 is/was, the kudos surrounding it belongs in the period spanning it's actual manufacture.
The real hoo-ha was rightly accredited in 1977 and it more or less retained a certain air right until it's demise in '95, when a GTS really could keep pace with most things jelly shaped or Modenese (what was it, a top whack circa 180+ mph?)
Unfortunately, if you put it next to any self-respecting Cerbera, it would be mauled (well certainly the S4 would be).
Buy the Tivver and rejoice in the power of leopard skinned thongage. It really makes no sense at all but you have to do it; I think it's called the law...
The real hoo-ha was rightly accredited in 1977 and it more or less retained a certain air right until it's demise in '95, when a GTS really could keep pace with most things jelly shaped or Modenese (what was it, a top whack circa 180+ mph?)
Unfortunately, if you put it next to any self-respecting Cerbera, it would be mauled (well certainly the S4 would be).
Buy the Tivver and rejoice in the power of leopard skinned thongage. It really makes no sense at all but you have to do it; I think it's called the law...
A friend was the proud owner of a 928 S4. I'm sorry to relate that his experience was very much of the bottomless money pit type, with the car staggering from electrical problem to electrical problem. Sodding thing spent half the time running on 4 cylinders...looked great though!
Having said that, and never having owned one, TVRs don't exactly have a reputation for being bulletproof! Maybe wait for the Lada engined version?
Having said that, and never having owned one, TVRs don't exactly have a reputation for being bulletproof! Maybe wait for the Lada engined version?
I own my S4 manual for over 6 years now. Its' been Such a great great car. I've owned/part owned a few 928s over the years- including GTSs and GTs. The 928 is quite a bit slower then a TVR and is a cruiser, so it's a different animal. Mines rare and still turns heads.
I would reccommend the manual myself, as it changes the character of the car. It's like a teutonic muscle car- sounds glorius! The Manual will accelerate 0-60 mph in 5.5 secs. A non catalyst car is also worth hunting out, as they run lean on part load, with no lambda sensors. Believe me, if you can avoid the bother of those things on a car of this age, its a good thing. You don't want to be shelling out loads of dosh on catalysts and sensors. The other good side is the extra fuel economy you'll get with this set up, with no cost to performance. Is anything a non cat will breath more freely (not reflected in the government cert figures).
Apart from consumables like cluthces and belts etc the car has been bomb proof. No problems at all. I am an engineer and have trained as a mechanic- have all the factory manuals, so nothing miffed me, when the engine misfired, I changed practically the entire ignition system. No big deal.
Don't focus too much on scuffs on spoilers and wheels- the main thing is the mechanical condition. Don't worry about shunt and shuffle at low speeds- they all tend to do that, its because of the driveline and the gearbox at the back- it forms a system analogous to springs and masses, and Porsche using the rear batttery to try to damp things wasn't enough.
Get one that has had the clutch changed quite recently- depending on the kind of driving, but with a variety of town, country and motorway you can expect to get 60-80,000 miles out of a clutch. This is just as well- because an original clutch fitted will cost about £800 at a main dealer. A recent belt change is another obvious one. If the belt tension warning light comes on alot, don't worry too much, its slightly over zealous, but its a good way to get money off the car.
Tear drop mirrors and cup type alloys show the car is chreished. The car shouldn't use any oil, and is quite unstressed so there aren't any glaring durability issues. Usual check for blue smoke apply. My car has covered a 96,000 miles and uses no oil and has very high compression. I also use the THIN Mobil oil religiously, and despite being an old engine the car uses hardly any oil whatsoever. Beware, this is not the case with GTSs, they can burn oil due to a chance in ring pack design and porosity in the late block castings. Braking components tend to last longer on the manual model too- ( no engine breaking on an auto).
I can't think of any other checks.
BTW My car is up for sale as I've recently purchased a 993 TT. I've been procastinating getting rid of my car though, I know I'll miss it ALOT, but I know it's neccassary...
>> Edited by Marquis_Rex on Monday 2nd August 20:15
>> Edited by Marquis_Rex on Monday 2nd August 20:15
I would reccommend the manual myself, as it changes the character of the car. It's like a teutonic muscle car- sounds glorius! The Manual will accelerate 0-60 mph in 5.5 secs. A non catalyst car is also worth hunting out, as they run lean on part load, with no lambda sensors. Believe me, if you can avoid the bother of those things on a car of this age, its a good thing. You don't want to be shelling out loads of dosh on catalysts and sensors. The other good side is the extra fuel economy you'll get with this set up, with no cost to performance. Is anything a non cat will breath more freely (not reflected in the government cert figures).
Apart from consumables like cluthces and belts etc the car has been bomb proof. No problems at all. I am an engineer and have trained as a mechanic- have all the factory manuals, so nothing miffed me, when the engine misfired, I changed practically the entire ignition system. No big deal.
Don't focus too much on scuffs on spoilers and wheels- the main thing is the mechanical condition. Don't worry about shunt and shuffle at low speeds- they all tend to do that, its because of the driveline and the gearbox at the back- it forms a system analogous to springs and masses, and Porsche using the rear batttery to try to damp things wasn't enough.
Get one that has had the clutch changed quite recently- depending on the kind of driving, but with a variety of town, country and motorway you can expect to get 60-80,000 miles out of a clutch. This is just as well- because an original clutch fitted will cost about £800 at a main dealer. A recent belt change is another obvious one. If the belt tension warning light comes on alot, don't worry too much, its slightly over zealous, but its a good way to get money off the car.
Tear drop mirrors and cup type alloys show the car is chreished. The car shouldn't use any oil, and is quite unstressed so there aren't any glaring durability issues. Usual check for blue smoke apply. My car has covered a 96,000 miles and uses no oil and has very high compression. I also use the THIN Mobil oil religiously, and despite being an old engine the car uses hardly any oil whatsoever. Beware, this is not the case with GTSs, they can burn oil due to a chance in ring pack design and porosity in the late block castings. Braking components tend to last longer on the manual model too- ( no engine breaking on an auto).
I can't think of any other checks.
BTW My car is up for sale as I've recently purchased a 993 TT. I've been procastinating getting rid of my car though, I know I'll miss it ALOT, but I know it's neccassary...
>> Edited by Marquis_Rex on Monday 2nd August 20:15
>> Edited by Marquis_Rex on Monday 2nd August 20:15
www.eatel.net/~dslabat/928links.htm
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=48&t=77388
Favourite 70s classic.
Porkers should slice Cayenne down to 928 syle.
"The 928 is one of the finest examples of a "Gran Tourismo" with its superb performance, high specification and exclusive appeal. It has rightly earned its place in the Porsche "hall of fame" and to those discerning individuals whose loyalty remained firmly with the 928, it will remain one of the Porsche's all-time classics."
www.specialistcarsltd.co.uk/history_928.htm
uktrucks said:
A 928 should not be bought on age or "indicated" mileage and dont buy at the top of a tight budget, there will always be money to spend on it when you get it home. A good 928 is a great car, a poor 928 could well break your heart and quite possibly your wallet.
A warranty would provide peace of mind until you know the car.
The newer cars offer more in terms of style, BHP, toys etc and sometimes even if longer term history is not supported by bills, evidence of recent expenditure to major items may be of more value.
As with all cars buy the best car that you can afford.
Remember these were £70,000 when new and capable of 170 MPH so they will consume parts to retain that performance.
As for Man vs Auto The 928 GT & GTS in manual will be fetching £17k upwards, so auto is normal choice
Allan
ps look in PH classifieds
This GTS manual www.barons-auctions.com/lots/N283WPE.htm went for £10,100 yesterday, could be a total dog though
No official 928 cabrios were made. But if I remember correctly a few were custom converted in the US probably in single figures here though. There was one for sale in the uk recently at around 15k. (It may even have been the car pictured below as it was a metallic greyish car).
No idea what the conversions perform like, though in theory is should be a dream combination!
No idea what the conversions perform like, though in theory is should be a dream combination!
Sorry to bring alive such an old thread, but need a quick snippet of information on expected mileage return on a S4... daft as it sounds I'm thinking of getting hold of one but the fuel usage means a lot as it will be used a lot and will take up a moderate commute into London a few times a week...
Anyone got some valid expereince with an S4 they can lend some advice? I've searched out the official figures but never trust the older written word!!!
Cheers
Anyone got some valid expereince with an S4 they can lend some advice? I've searched out the official figures but never trust the older written word!!!
Cheers
Charger500 said:
Sorry to bring alive such an old thread, but need a quick snippet of information on expected mileage return on a S4... daft as it sounds I'm thinking of getting hold of one but the fuel usage means a lot as it will be used a lot and will take up a moderate commute into London a few times a week...
Anyone got some valid expereince with an S4 they can lend some advice? I've searched out the official figures but never trust the older written word!!!
Cheers
I have a 928 S2 Manual and a 928 GT. Both will return around 22-24mpg on the motorway with the cruise set at 95mph. In London the mpg will drop to 12-15mpg. On a mixed cycle I would say that 18-20mpg is achievable. An Auto is more economic in town because you can trundle along in 4th at 30mph and the V8 is barely ticking over. In a manual the car will be kangarooing
Hope that helps.cheburator said:
Sorry to bring alive such an old thread, but need a quick snippet of information on expected mileage return on a S4... daft as it sounds I'm thinking of getting hold of one but the fuel usage means a lot as it will be used a lot and will take up a moderate commute into London a few times a week...
Anyone got some valid expereince with an S4 they can lend some advice? I've searched out the official figures but never trust the older written word!!!
Cheers
I have a 928 S2 Manual and a 928 GT. Both will return around 22-24mpg on the motorway with the cruise set at 95mph. In London the mpg will drop to 12-15mpg. On a mixed cycle I would say that 18-20mpg is achievable. An Auto is more economic in town because you can trundle along in 4th at 30mph and the V8 is barely ticking over. In a manual the car will be kangarooing
S4 auto , M4 rush hour commuting + local useage (ocasionly heavy right foot
) = 22mpg On a run 26-28mpg, depending on how clear the roads are
Trip to the Nurburgring ,LOTS of V.high speed cruising + 6 laps of the 'ring = 19.5 mpg
Alex , you never gave your 'Ring mpg , single figures ?
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