brochalm

I am yearning to find a 928, that being said I am asking for insight and what to look for as a newby.
What are the best years?
Typical issues to look out for?
Reliability and dependability issues?
Maintenance guidelines and intervals
Typical rust locations

Randy V

Try posting in the 928 technical forum.

This 'Help' forum is for issues with the forum software.

Good luck with your search - you'll get plenty of good advice there.

linderpat

start by reading the FAQ sticky thread at the top of this forum. It will give you tons of info to start your research process. Opinions will be all over the place as to the best years. Do not buy one on the cheap however, unless you have deep pockets and are a good mechanic. No such thing as a cheap Porsche. Generally, these cars are very reliable if properly maintained.

rnixon

Your budget and whether you want a manual or automatic may limit your choice. Do you want airbags? What power level are you after (16V, 16V Euro, 32V, GTS)?

After looking at a fair number of cars, and doing lots of reading, I decided to focus my search on a '91 S4. I ended up buying a '93 GTS though

Crumpler

Ok, I'm prepared to get lit up on this but...I wanted the Ssss body with 32V engine and big brakes with S4 suspension, thus the 1986.5.

Sure it took me three years of constant effort to learn how to work on the car-- and a small fortune, but man,no regrets.

gruffalo

Early S4 all the way for me. All the good hardware, and no digital dash or airbags.

Randy V

What's your budget?

Our recommendation is pretty much to always go for the earliest model year you can afford with solid records and best condition.

It's all downhill from there.

outbackgeorgia

Early S4, 32 valve squirter engine (should=longer life), 2.20 rear for cruising, adjustable folding wing, big brakes, electric fans, etc without the airbags and digital dash, no external antenna, and I like the more streamlined look of the S4 and later.
Compared to 911's the 928 just does not rust. It was well protected. If you find a 928 with any rust, just run away, there are too many available with no rust and no corrosion. And I do mean NO rust.
Just my opinon.

Dave

bureau13

I'm personally in a similar situation, in that I'm not yet an owner, but have made the decision to become one. For me, 5-speed is a must, and I really do like some power, but I have a budget that precludes the decent examples I've seen of the S4 and newer. I've decided that it's either the '85-'86.5 S3 or the Euro 16V post-1980 (I think that's the year). The preference is the former, due to gearing, if my understanding is correct. Acceleration in the 0-100 range is far more important to my driving than anything above that, so the S3 seems to handle that the best of the ones I can afford.

OTR18WHEELER

"the best years"? They're all good depending on who you ask, engines and options changed throughout the years, certain options are more desireable, or lack of. I like mine as it is.

Hilton

Fun game! Lots of decisions.

1. Decide which body style you like..

78-82 - no spoilers
80-86 - S-style spoilers
87-91 - S4
92-95 - S4 with wider rear wheel arches and a silly red reflector strip

2. Decide how much power/torque you want - the 4.5L and L-jet 4.7L are very down on power compared to Euro S or 32V engines.

3. Decide "auto or manual".

4. Decide which is more important.. driving, or holding value.

After that, you'll have narrowed it down.

The pics of the bunch IMO are:

Early '78 4.5L with no spoilers
US 86.5 32V - the "GTS" of the early body shape, with big brakes
87 to early-88 S4 - good for adding boost, lower compression than later S4
89 5-speed (S4 or GT) - more refined than earlier S4's (more sound insulation), higher compression motor, no airbags, digital dash
91GT - Pinnacle of 5.0L, arguably a stronger motor than the GTS one
94/95 5-speed GTS - will have the best future value, as this was the final variant

For a good list of changes from model year to year see here (this was also copied onto the 928 wikipedia entry)

http://www.landsharkoz.com/evolution.htm

My personal pick of the bunch would be 89GT or maybe 91GT, if I was starting from ground-zero.

Of course, I also require "no sunroof", but at this point, if I was buying over again, I'd just buy the best car I could find then replace the roof panels and headliner to get rid of the sunroof and get back the 2 inches of headroom.

danglerb

Each model year has a following for various reasons.

Are you planning on buying just one 928 or a fleet like most of us?

andy-gts

I have a gts , and really after 8 yrs like the s4 body style the best .....the wide rear fenders take away from the sleeker look of the s4 imho.....
!!!!!!

The Forgotten On

Get one without a sunroof. You won't regret it.

The early cars are simpler and cost less to maintain than the later cars and do not have the timing belt scare of the 32V cars.

bills928

I think if you are going to do the wrenching yourself, start out with a 16V to learn on..... They are a little less complicated.