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No offense the 928 was a Piece of crap. I know tons of porsche faithful that ran to mercedes after the 928 started to fall apart. The repaor bills were astronomical ...
the timing chain nonsense, the electrical system meltdowns..
it was more the 911 didnt blow up the owmers wallet once out of warranty compared to the 928 that killed that vehicle...
OMG to even mention the front engine 928 to porsche faithful and you can see their heads explode ..
fwiw gm designs its corvettes to run the 300k validation process successfully.
something the german brands could care less about...the german brands laugh as they kniw their customer base is leasing their vehicles so after the warranty expires any repairs needed is a money maker in parts and labor...
Dont speak german...let me clue you in...out of warranty and its bend over time...
the 928 make the old long running 911 seem like an amateur at cleaning out owners wallets.
I purchased this car in Palm Beach and took delivery of it at the factory. The US got the S4 before the Europeans did. The dealers, where I had the 2 oil changes had never seen this engine before. The factory was really run down as Porsche was insolvent at the time. There were two brand new Corvettes at the factory. I was so glad to get back into a Vette.
I took a 93 ZR1 to Europe. The Porsche was so far the inferior car in every way about the same Purchase price.
They both made exactly the same sound and both got 15mpg on the Autobahns and in the cities.
After the first oil change at 500 miles in Switzerland, the mechanic took me for a test drive because I complained about the strange handling of the 928. The Weissach axle had a mind of it's own. I spun out twice.
We went up and down the mountain really fast and I hadn't revved it that high yet. After the drive, he said that I should have purchased a 911.
The Germans can't make a proper environmental systems. The windows kept on fogging up in the Porsche and the wipers don't work above 100 mph. They lift off the windshield. I sold it after <3 months of ownership with 6000 miles at a loss of $15 Gs.$5000 discount for an overseas delivery otherwise it would have been $20 gs. It needed new tires. The Vette still lives in Munich.
If you want a great vacation, buy a new high performance Vette (no convertibles) and ship it to Europe. I've taken 4 there. The French and the Germans will pester you to buy it. The dealer will bring it to Euro specs. The owner has 90 days to do it. Oh yeah, order it with the European radio of which will a no charge option. It will pay for the trip, the car and leave some change. It only takes 10 days to get there and you purchase insurance at the port as well as the European highway permits. They will stop you all the time for having no front plate but they really only want to see the car.
Either way, you will have a blast because you can't rent a Porsche or a Vette in Europe. One more thing, the car is shipped to Belgium, Holland or Germany. Remember to take a few laps around the Ring while you are in the neighborhood.
Louis XVI's summer home.
Aka, The Big V. Yeah but the car was built like a tank, wasn't it?
No, the 928 was not a “miserable fail”....now, if we were talking about the 924...I could agree, but the 928(?), nope, it was actually a well built and well received vehicle for its time... and yes, it was originally meant to be a replacement for the 911....but then so too was the Ford Probe meant originally to be a replacement for the Mustang... both Porchse and Ford wised up pretty quickly.
With all that, I see absolutely no reason to believe that the same will happen with ME Corvette vs FE Corvette. The C8 is literally “the” new Corvette, not a different car meant to replace Corvette.
I realize Rinaldo is talking about the future C8, but one small correction to your above statement. The 924 FE/RWD was not a fail. Altho it looked a bit different (from any other Porsche of the time) it was a sturdy, solid car which was somewhat underpowered in its first gen. But it was one of the first cars to have a trans located in the rear. Later gens became much more powerful in th 944 and 968. For many years, the 944 was a big seller for Porsche and routinely touted as one of the best-balanced sports cars, and was well-priced for what it was, a very stout 4 cyl. car.
I realize Rinaldo is talking about the future C8, but one small correction to your above statement. The 924 FE/RWD was not a fail. Altho it looked a bit different (from any other Porsche of the time) it was a sturdy, solid car which was somewhat underpowered in its first gen. But it was one of the first cars to have a trans located in the rear. Later gens became much more powerful in th 944 and 968. For many years, the 944 was a big seller for Porsche and routinely touted as one of the best-balanced sports cars, and was well-priced for what it was, a very stout 4 cyl. car.
Could not have said it better myself. I had one, a 1979 "Sebring Edition", with heavier springs, anti-roll bars, Koni adjustable shocks, and LSD. I would put on 100,000 miles, including HEAVY track miles over 4 years, and it NEVER missed a beat. The guy I sold it to in '83 would eventually turn it into a full blown racer, which is what it is today.
To this day, one of the best GT cars ever produced.
If you ever get the chance to drive a properly maintained one, do it - it is at its best at speed.
Correct. The later cars are climbing in value. It is a heavy comfortable car and much quieter than any Vette inside. Not anywhere near as agile as a Vette. Porsche had no money to develop it. It is great for cruising at autobahn speeds which is very difficult to do these days. Americans are not aware that Corvettes can cruise comfortably at 140 mph all day long and beat any German car in gas mileage. Ship your Vette in February and drive it March and April. If you are a vet, you can get long range weather forecasts at any AFB. High pressure north of the alps is a go.
The heavy 928 engine had two Audi 4 cylinder engines welded together. The 4 valve car kept the original cam in place which controlled exhaust valves and placed another cam inboard for inlet which totally screwed up flow. The design was compromised because of lack of space, the same problem the 90 LT5 had. I compared them both in the same conditions. The Vette was far superior in every way except for the seats and tire noise.
The bores used the same treatment as did the Chevy Vega, IE: throw away engine blocks. No iron sleeves. An option of two beautiful suitcases for the rear trunk was available. The true value of the car was reflected in it's resale value.Lousy. The 5 speed car gave lots of problems.
A new FE Porsche is under construction basically to compete with Mercedes. Corvette could enter this market with a new FE car. There is need for such a car.
There is a dude in FLL who converts 928, 968, 944, BMW 850s to Chevy powered cars. Why, a C5 complete chassis and engine fits into a BMW 2800 like they were made for each other. Same wheel base.
How does that translate to Corvette? I've read on here "60+ years of history" more times than I can count, and each of those years as been FE. There is a possibility that the loyal/traditionalist Corvette buyer may not consider this car a "Corvette", and that will translate over to coverage of the car as well.
IMO the people who think a Corvette must be FE are the small minority. Most Corvette enthusiasts are excited about the change to a ME configuration.
Correct. The later cars are climbing in value. It is a heavy comfortable car and much quieter than any Vette inside. Not anywhere near as agile as a Vette. Porsche had no money to develop it. It is great for cruising at autobahn speeds which is very difficult to do these days. Americans are not aware that Corvettes can cruise comfortably at 140 mph all day long and beat any German car in gas mileage. Ship your Vette in February and drive it March and April. If you are a vet, you can get long range weather forecasts at any AFB. High pressure north of the alps is a go.
The heavy 928 engine had two Audi 4 cylinder engines welded together. The 4 valve car kept the original cam in place which controlled exhaust valves and placed another cam inboard for inlet which totally screwed up flow. The design was compromised because of lack of space, the same problem the 90 LT5 had. I compared them both in the same conditions. The Vette was far superior in every way except for the seats and tire noise.
The bores used the same treatment as did the Chevy Vega, IE: throw away engine blocks. No iron sleeves. An option of two beautiful suitcases for the rear trunk was available. The true value of the car was reflected in it's resale value.Lousy. The 5 speed car gave lots of problems.
You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, readers beware.
To this day, one of the best GT cars ever produced.
If you ever get the chance to drive a properly maintained one, do it - it is at its best at speed.
Agree...I think a lot of folks conflate the 928 with the 924, and... they also forget just how bad just about all cars were in the late 70's / early 80's... with that, I wouldn't consider owning a 928 unless it was at least an S4 (maybe an S2). (but then, I also wouldn't consider owning a base Corvette, either...)
fwiw gm designs its corvettes to run the 300k validation process successfully.
Yet late 70s and 80s cars were known for the camshafts failing at sub 100k. Then add in some of goofiness of things like the crossfire injection system. And literally dozens of other issues (like how it was nearly impossible to not have leaking head gaskets in early C4s).
Its easy to look back 30+ years and cherry pick a few things and ignore Chevy’s history in terms of reliability.
And compared to its contemporary competition (not much newer cars), the 928 was a pretty great car. But, as it became more and more complex, it did run into issues. Kinda like Corvettes actually.
St. Jude Donor '06-'08-'10-'11-'12-'13 '14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19
Originally Posted by vndkshn
Yet late 70s and 80s cars were known for the camshafts failing at sub 100k. Then add in some of goofiness of things like the crossfire injection system. And literally dozens of other issues (like how it was nearly impossible to not have leaking head gaskets in early C4s).
Its easy to look back 30+ years and cherry pick a few things and ignore Chevy’s history in terms of reliability.
And compared to its contemporary competition (not much newer cars), the 928 was a pretty great car. But, as it became more and more complex, it did run into issues. Kinda like Corvettes actually.
And lets not forget the more recent issue with the LS7 valve guides.
For starters, the 928 8-cylinder engine was a BRAND NEW design fron the ground-up, and NOT two Audi 4-cylinders "welded together" as you wildly and erroneously contend.
No offense the 928 was a Piece of crap. I know tons of porsche faithful that ran to mercedes after the 928 started to fall apart. The repaor bills were astronomical ...
the timing chain nonsense, the electrical system meltdowns..
it was more the 911 didnt blow up the owmers wallet once out of warranty compared to the 928 that killed that vehicle...
OMG to even mention the front engine 928 to porsche faithful and you can see their heads explode ..
fwiw gm designs its corvettes to run the 300k validation process successfully.
something the german brands could care less about...the german brands laugh as they kniw their customer base is leasing their vehicles so after the warranty expires any repairs needed is a money maker in parts and labor...
Dont speak german...let me clue you in...out of warranty and its bend over time...
the 928 make the old long running 911 seem like an amateur at cleaning out owners wallets.
Spot on correct, the 928 was just awfull and really better off forgotten.
It only takes a couple posts like this pointing out problems and shortcomings of any Porsche and the defenders of the faith circle the wagons to begin fist pounding and screaming. This behavior by the Porsche Fanboys on a Corvette enthusiast site is as predictable and stupid as a childs jack-in-the-box.
Lol, calling anyone who recognizes the Vette was not always a great car and doesn’t just swallow the General’s Kool-Aid “fanboys”. Heavy irony.
For it’s time, the 928 was a pretty great car. Better than the Corvette of its day in most ways. Later C4 models started reversing that. But to compare it to modern cars and/or call it junk while ignoring the Vette of the time is ludicrous.
Say what you will 928 s were brutal repair items ....not even porsche enthusiasts are willing to tackle them. Thats why so many are so inexpensive.
the 911 was and is the devil you know...the 928 was exhaustive in its repairs which is why the vehicle was cancelled.resale was nonexistent.
i like the vehicle but the burden of repairs transcends common semse. Thats why the vehicle is no longer produced and so ridiculously inexpensive to buy.
the techs had a handle on keeping 911s running because it was around for so many uears and it wasnt as bad but the 928 was ridiculous in its service costs. Between parts and labor it went way beyond even the porsche faithful. Most techs and shops wont even touch a 928.
i dont mean to insult 928 enthusiasts but to claim it failed to replace the 911 because it was technically inferior from a performance standpoint is not true.
the problem was the eventual running costs out of warranty was obscene...again please accept my apologies if this insults porsche owners or porsche enthusiasts...
it was just easier and less expensive to have a 911 out of warranty than a 928.
Last edited by JerriVette; 04-22-2019 at 01:13 PM.
SAy what you will 928 s were brutal repair items ....not even porsche enthusiasts are willing to tackle them. Thats why so many are so inexpensive.
the 911 was and is the devil you know...the 928 was exhaustive in its repairs which is why the vehicle was cancelled.resale was nonexistent.
i like the vehicle but the burden of repairs transcends common semse. Thats why the vehicle is no longer produced and so ridiculously inexpensive to buy.
the techs had a handle on keeping 911s running because it was around for so many uears and it wasnt as bad but the 928 was ridiculous in its service costs. Between parts and labor it beyond even the porsche faithful. Most techs and shops wont even touch a 928.
i dont mean to insult 928 enthusiasts but to claim it failed to replace the 911 because it was technically inferior from a performance standpoint is not true.
the problem was the eventual running costs out of warranty was obscene...again please accept my apologies if this insults porsche owners or porsche enthusiasts...
it was just easier and less expensive to have a 911 out of warranty than a 928.
Porsche's financial problems forced them to rob the Audi parts bin too many times. I'm a Porsche fan and I enjoyed my 928 for the short time I had it. I was damn glad to get into a Vette again after the Porsche.
Porsche thought that rear engined air cooled cars would be outlawed in the US for safety and smog reasons. A luxury touring FE V8 car was designed to replace it. I liked it from the start.
The 911 fans reacted the same way as the Coca Cola fans did..
Porsche seems to think the 928s time has come again just when Corvette thinks it's FE car has done it's time.
Say what you will 928 s were brutal repair items ....not even porsche enthusiasts are willing to tackle them. Thats why so many are so inexpensive.
Not sure “inexpensive” is accurate. Prices for them on BaT are pretty good (generally higher than a Vette from the same year.
Not a huge fan of the 928, but I know one of the guys who works on them still, pretty interesting cars, very complex (part of their downfall) but pretty smart too.
Originally Posted by JerriVette
the 911 was and is the devil you know...the 928 was exhaustive in its repairs which is why the vehicle was cancelled.resale was nonexistent.
Porsche did not cancel the 928 because of poor resale. They don’t care about the resell market, neither does GM.
Not sure “inexpensive” is accurate. Prices for them on BaT are pretty good (generally higher than a Vette from the same year.
Not a huge fan of the 928, but I know one of the guys who works on them still, pretty interesting cars, very complex (part of their downfall) but pretty smart too.
Porsche did not cancel the 928 because of poor resale. They don’t care about the resell market, neither does GM.
Yeah, maybe the fabulous Porsche engineers can concoct another hideous German Corvette with all the terrible maintenance problems and an idiotic price tag. Can't wait, LOL!
04-22-2019, 06:37 AM
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