Porsche 928 purchase, gimme some tips

I'm thinking my next car purchase is going to be a Porsche 928. Ones with less than 100,000 miles aren't terribly expensive. there are some features on them that are considered expensive to repair and source parts for, but I don't think it would be anything I can't handle.

I want this car as a weekend-driver/tuner car. The parts I'm most worried about breaking down were the engine and transmission anyway, since the autos are expensive BMWs in origin and manuals are pretty rare. LS swap parts kits are available too, and I'd love to do something like that in a car like this, since it's got a V8 sized engine bay and minimal fabrication skills are needed for the job.

call me a faggot, but I REALLY like the look of the car, even the weird as fuck frog headlamps (although I'd like to change them out for something more streamlined if possible.

I guess my questions are, has anyone driven these? how did you like them, and what would you like to see changed, within reason? how reliably can you find parts? given that these had a pretty long production run and have a fairly expansive parts compatibility list, I don't see finding junker parts or ebay parts too difficult for simple fixes. has anyone ever done an engine swap into one of these?

what's the best year to buy for one I intend to swap one day? Ill probably buy an automatic, since they're most affordable, but will jump on an affordable manual if it comes by, and convert to an LS/Manual.

the electronics can be a nightmare but mechanically they're fairly decent.

swapping seems like a waste of time and money personally

>swapping seems like a waste of time and money personally
This, later models make very similar power and torque to an LS1 anyway. Going through the trouble of swapping in a completely different engine would only be worth it if you got an early car with a fucked engine or something.

that may be a possibility depending on what I want to spend. the only truly important things I really care about are preserving the paint and interior upholstery as much as possible. I'd like it to look 'original' as possible on the exterior. maybe with the exception of the headlights.

the newer late 80s and 90s models are also considerably more expensive than the older ones, and I enjoy the lines and interior of the older ones more than the later models.

Fair enough, though I'd probably go for something more interesting than the eternal LS for an interesting car like the 928. The engine bay is huge and the stock engine has almost the same bore spacing as a 426 HEMI, so you have plenty of options, size-wise.
Maybe even one of those Audi V10s, since the original idea was to give it an Audi-based V10 too, though that'd probably be far more work, time and money.

>ls swap
no

Oh, and this is a car I intend to own and tinker with for a literal generation, so a swap would be better for engine and transmission maintenance in the long run as well. parts would be much easier to source and repairs for those things cheaper.

I'm looking for the car you like to go to for quiet time and pleasure. garage wrenchers have that Mustang, or that corvette, or that whatever that they wrench on for hobby. I want 'that' car to be a 928. and I intend to drive it, like how cars are meant to be used. it won't sit in my garage for an eternity.

explain why not then. LS engines are timeless, reliable, and easy to repair and maintain. I could go for something more exotic like the user above you, but what else is as reliable and easy to work with? a HEMI does sound cool.

not swapping at all is an option, the V8s in the 928 are fucking beautiful

>voluntarily wanting to put the Enter Sandman of automobile engines in your car

they are in the newer models, which I stated can be much more expensive then the older ones that don't get nearly as good performance. If I'm going to spend more money, I want it to be money spent on swapping an engine that parts will be easier to find for 30 years from now.

I also like the look of the older models more than the others. that isn't to say not swapping isn't an option, but the one I'd prefer to give the car better longevity, and a bigger aftermarket for tuning. that isn't also to say I can't put any other engine in it either. the most important thing to me is making sure the car will last a very long time with frequent use for decades to come, and swapping out some parts for more common ones will very much help in the long-term upkeep costs and workload.

are you trying to say that they're dime-a-dozen engines or something? that's the point that I'm making for why I'd like to use it, really. easy to swap, easy to maintain, easy to modify. a 30 year old Porsche engine is none of the latter two things, and the newer models likely aren't going to be what I buy, so they will also be more powerful

what would you put in it then? fuck, if I could, I'd put a Cadillac 500 in there if I could find a decent one, but those aren't really great to maintain or mate a good manual tranny to either.

the older models had some cool wheels too. The newer GTS model had wider rear fender flares which I think does look cool, and gives more room for wider wheels, so I am jealous of that.

>The parts I'm most worried about breaking down were the engine and transmission anyway, since the autos are expensive BMWs in origin
The automatic is a Mercedes transmission and is tough as heck.
Mechanically the 928 is extremely well made. Timing belt should be replaced every 50 to 60 thousand miles.

thanks for the info mate. it's kinda difficult to find specific info about maintenance on these. I'll have to go join a 928 forum.

I'll probably end up purchasing a 70s or early 80s model, so a swap could net me up to 80 extra horsepower over the engines that came in those models.

the only extremely powerful models were the GTS ones, with only 77 or something brought over to the states. they got around 340hp.

if those triangle-shaped rear corner windows break, it might be hard to find replacements for it

The quarter glass, and oh am I fully aware. In fact, it might actually be harder to find quarter glass for my 1990 ford probe than for one of these.

I was retarded and wasn't paying attention, hit a mailbox at like 10mph and it managed to dent my windshield in, and completely shattered my quarter glass on the right side. I spent a whopping $350 plus shipping getting it here, and it broke in transit once. I had to almost strong-arm the autoglass shops in my area to put it in, even if they couldn't source it themselves. this is with only 3 production years of the 1st gen probe model.

I'm almost certain the many years the first iteration of these were out equates to more than the amount of probes, but I'll check. lesson of this story is: don't fucking break quarter glass.

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lewd x-ray.

The point of owning a classic car is to keep it original or close to original with mild upgrades and enjoy it for what it was. You would completely destroy the value of a good condition 928 by replacing one of the key elements that defined the car in the first place.

If you want to tinker on an LS or a Hemi, there are better ways to do it.

However it may be that is a perfectly fine point of view, that is a completely subjective opinion. There is an equally large crowd that owns classic cars to tune and modify them.

I see absolutely no reason to keep it as original as possible if I intend to drive it regularly for decades. keeping it original would be next to impossible with regular use 3 out of 7 days a week for years and years. I will likely drive whatever beat up 928 I can find until the engine or tranny goes, then swap in a new, more workable engine.

I'd rather keep the ford probe in my driveway original than this, and that's just my opinion.

the more I read, the more I actually like changing out the 4.7l engine for the 5.0l or 5.4l and then buying the twin turbo kit that is available. apparently that can turn out up to 700hp at the wheels.

woah.

Yeah, the 928's own engine really is a thing of beauty. It'd be a damn shame to take it out.

I'll probably drive it until the engine is too much of a hassle to maintain.

I will likely end up with a 4.7l model, and in that case it's getting swapped to a 5.0l Porsche model or a different engine entirely. the more I read about the 5.0l V8 Porsche engines, the more I like them though.

that has to be one comfy-ass interior. even the rear seats look okay for a 2+2

a supercharged example.

a fucking 1GZ-FE Toyota V12 in this one.

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god damn that is peak cockpit kino. 10/10 would install a good sound system and a SEIKOSANYO meme cupholder

I have an 82 competition manual.
It's slow.
220hp in 3300lbs with a tall first gear makes it a 9 second 0-60.

Swapping the engine to a GM would be an expensive nightmare, it would be better to just supercharge the stock one if you want to dump money in it for power.
They're not tuner cars, they're not electrical nightmares like people are saying the Hvac is vacuum so that can be a nightmare.

928motorsports.com has hop ups for it.

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well. i'm done!

Yes the GT seats in leather, what 90% of 928's came with, are comfy as fuck.
The rear seats do not fit humans in them though.
If you're a male you'll have to crane your neck the entire ride, and there is no room for legs, even a childs.
The only reason it's a 2+2 is because it was cheaper to import it with 4 seats than with 2.

If you get an L jet engine it will never be too much of a hassle to maintain.
If you look at a K jet car, make sure it fucking runs, or else you'll be trying to trouble shoot a nightmare for the rest of your life.

Yes. any engine can be made to push out power.
You can just get 32 valve euro heads and stuff them on a 16 valve engine and get a 100hp gain.

But you can check out 928motorspots.com and see what they have to offer. They've been racing 928's at pikes peak for decades, and they've won the 2wd class at least once.

Oh and PS, spark plugs are a nightmare of a job on the 16 valve, and I only imagine it's worse on the 32 valve.

Getting the intake back on the air flow meter is a delicate procedure.

I've had mine for 3 years and 5 months now.

I thought that'd do you in user. you're welcome ;).

thanks for the useful info mate. appreciate it. are the K jet cars the older models? I was thinking about going for either an '84 or an '88 with the 5.0. if the engine on the 5.0 works as intended, I could just rebuild it rather than swap in a new one and potentially spend a little less money, then apply the turbo kit.

never mind my dumb question. I Googled it. I'm American, so I'm fairly certain I'll be getting an L-jet car, but I will check to make doubly sure when I'm out purchasing.

Anything above 81 should be an L jet or above.
I don't think they ever put k jet on a 4.7 so it seems like you're not even interested in kjet models anyway.

I'm particularly fond of the 'second' generation of the 924s. the '84 mostly, but I would jump on a late 80s with a 5.0 if I found one. thankfully, the '84s seem to be one of the more commonly available and affordable models.