People always carp about how the 928 is complex, how it needs a lot of service, etc. But what if you take the perspective that the demise of the car is already a forgone perspective (sacrilege!), and that you’re just here to help it enjoy its golden years? Sort of like a hospice nurse for a terminal patient. Anyhow, with thousands of Porsche 928s made, and many at the lower end of the market that are probably not worth repairing, you might try that with this car. The first question you might be asking as you read this is, should this be in the Bad Ideas subgroup? Well, it’s possible, but this car seems to have many things going for it. You can find this grey market 1981 Porsche 928S for sale for $3000 in San Francisco, CA.
Okay, so you might have some doubts about driving a more rare grey market Porsche to its demise, and reasonably so. With 300hp, 61 more than the US-market 928 (the S only came in 1983, and with only 243hp), there should definitely be some life left in the old girl. It’s an automatic, so you’ll want to check the fluid and make sure it shifts properly, but some drivers will say that transmission actually works better on this style of GT car. However, that automatic and the hideous scoop on the hood could be considered two nails in the car’s coffin. Seller says no body damage, but there’s a peculiar reflection on the front fender that looks like a dent.
Note the signal repeaters behind the front wheels that were not on US models. You’ll want to make sure the car was properly imported to pass California smog, not just brought in from out of state. The side markers seem to support that the car was federalized in period. This clearer photo seems to show decent paint and wheels in good shape. The car is said to have a new fuel pump and filters, battery, and to be in great condition, with the engine running well. It does have nearly 165,000 miles, but if the car is well-maintained, that should not be an issue.
Unfortunately, there are no engine or interior shots. So let’s play another game of inferral, where we figure out what we can based on limited details. Looking at this picture and the others, you can see the headlight motors work, and the exterior parking lights. On the first picture, you can see the seller (or a friend) wearing a wife beater and cut-off shorts. There’s an obvious assumption there, but the useful one is that there hasn’t been a warm day in San Francisco since about a month, so that’s at least how long the car’s been on offer. You can also see seat covers on the car – hopefully, they’re covering up some rare-pattern European seats in decent shape – were pasha seats available in 1981? Lastly, the folded-in mirrors suggest this car has been parked for a while, although the photos do show it in different locations. Are you the person to take this king of the road GT for its final blast?
Rusty But Trusty 
November 2, 2013 at 1:34 pm |
Runnnnnawaaaayyyyy!!!!!!!! like it’s on fire.
September 6, 2015 at 9:59 pm |
how much are you askng for the porsche 928