Bill’s Porsche 928 Page
1989 S4
Why am I doing a Porsche 928 page? Well, I didn’t realize when I started to hunt around for a new used car to replace my aged but beloved MBZ 6.9 that I would eventually be entering into a cult. The 928 has a perhaps small but very loyal following which appreciates the car for the things that drew me to it. The 928 is an unusual sports car that combines power, sophistication, grace and roominess in an elegant package. It is one of the nicer marriages of sports and luxury in a 4-seat (er, really 2+2) coupe. It’s the kind of car I was looking for that could satisfy my urge for spirited driving, when safe, while accommodating the whole family, if need be. It took me a few months or so of looking around at various makes to stumble on the 928 as the perfect solution.
As I started to look more into
the vintage, I quickly saw that there was a lot to learn about these cars in
order to be sure you had a good example in hand, perhaps more than when I bought
my now dearly missed 1966 triple-black Corvette.
I know it sounds like I treat these cars like members of the family.
They are. They get restored,
maintained and pampered almost as I would a close family member.
A nicely kept car is a source of pride.
A car that makes driving fun is very special and should be cherished.
Anyway, back on point, I spent a lot of time searching various online sources harvesting facts, figures and all kinds of other information about owning one of these cars before I finally started to look at particular cars as serious purchase candidates. There are a variety of great sources for Porsche 928s. Generally, you must go beyond the local newspaper. It wasn’t too long before I stumbled on eBay Motors online automobile auction as a source for numerous interesting cars. Although I looked through more common sources, I kept gong back to eBay Motors. eBay makes buying (and selling) a car a completely new adventure. There are advantages and disadvantages to shopping for a car on eBay, but for me the advantages outweighed the inherent risks of buying a car sight unseen. Ultimately I found a great car, a 1989 928S4 with 70K miles, located in Bend, Oregon (480 miles away), being sold on eBay by the original owner. The owner babied this car, as far as I can determine, retaining every piece of paper on it from the original order. The PO experienced very few problems and maintained the car by the book. Everything on the car works just as it should. The drive home and my first week of ownership (as of 10/28/2000) have been trouble-free, knock on wood. The PO included all the books, a Porsche bra and Porsche windshield sun guard. The only thing that I did not get was the original air compressor (for the spare tire) [Surprise - the owner found it later and sent it to me!]. Be it dumb luck or skillful car hunting, I did pretty well for someone who had never seen the inside of a 928 until I got in this one at the Bend, OR airport on the day I picked up the car from the PO.
This page and others in this website will be devoted to telling a bit of what I learned in the process of buying and owning a 928 in hopes that it will help others to swim through the potential whirlpools they will encounter as they consider getting a 928. Once you get one, you enter into lifelong learning, as these are very complicated, somewhat cantankerous machines, although when well cared for they are durable, long-haul kings of the road. There is a wealth of information out there to help you, as it did me, and I will attempt to catalogue and summarize it here, as I get time to do so..
First let's see some pics of the new member of the family. These are my first shots, taken unfortunately late at night in the garage, as we have had some unseasonable rainy weather here in the San Francisco Bay Area the last few days. These were shot with my el cheapo 640x480 digital camera, and the flash is a bit much, turning the black carpet a purplish hue.
Paint is very, very nice with only a small number of rock
pits on the nose and mirrors. I will be eliminating them with the Langka
paint chip process and then protecting them with clear vinyl film.
No, the carpets aren't really purple (blame the
flash). The interior is essentially mint. I touched up a few slight
wear spots on the black leather with leather dye (I actually used Kiwi shoe leather
dye - it worked great). Also, I removed and painted one speaker
grill. That's about it. Now, it is as good as new.
The Kenwood head unit and CD changer replaced the original
components. The system sounds great even with stock speakers. I have
reinstalled the cargo cover, based on many recommendations, to hide the CD
changer from prying eyes.
I semi-detailed the engine compartment (just wiped things
down and removed some tar bits).
The hood insulator pad is like new.
It is not a replacement - it has the proper weave pattern, that does not show in
this dark shot.
Here's the car at the PO's beautiful residence.
So, that's the beginning of my 928 page.
Bill Ball
89 S4
10/28/2000