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In mid 70's Porsche was in transition, new management came in, and realized (correctly) that the 911 was based on obsolete technology, and introduced a new generation of front engined cars. Although the Audi-engined 924 is forgettable, the 944 was a huge success, and today remains a great, affordable sports car. The 928 was intended as a market-leading design, and (by the standards of the day) was an exceptional car, and in its latest iterations was one of the best performing cars in its class.
However, the company was in financial trouble, new management came in, and re-focused on the money-maker 911... the SC/3.2 Carrara were strong sellers, and turned the company around... basically, turning the sows ear into a silk purse.
Today, the 928 is an evolutionary dead end... a complex and expensive car that was very well built, and very well engineered, but is now unloved, and brutally expensive to maintain. Anybody buying one should have a strong stomach, and deep pockets.
BTW, anybody out there anybody out there climbing over each other to buy a 1978 Corvette?
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.
the 928 died because people were no longer willing to buy it. The maintaince costs out of warranty were astronomical. The durability of the porsche 928 was severely lacking.
The 928 is a disaster and most porsche fans wouldnt touch it with a ten foot pole...and .most porsche techs wont even work on them.
do a search on craigslist for good laughs. Forget about BaT...the depreciation from original 928 msrp is brutal.
I could go on and on but why bother...if anyone loves 928s...more power to you guys..
The 928 wasnt half as fun to faithful porsche owners to drive as well. Porsche owners loved the fact their 911s could bite them during hard driving back in the day. It was their badge of honor back then... The 928 was not such a vehicle ..i spent quite a bit of time on renntech researching this quite a few years back...it was brutally evident of why the 928 s were so inexpemsive to purchase,
the massive depreciation on the 928 was mainly because of its extremely high maintaince costs out of warranty and that was its deathknell.
add it up...
porsche still dances that dance...GM has a 300k mile validation process that secures its warranty exposire.
pick your poison and enjoy your decisions.
no wrong choices....just personal decisions
Last edited by JerriVette; 04-22-2019 at 07:25 PM.
This was an eerie paragraph early on in the above article.
"Since the 928 was a clean-sheet design, owing little to any of its predecessors, Bott considered a number of novel design possibilities. One of the most discussed was a mid-engine layout, which seemed to be the way of the future for sports cars. Porsche had had success with mid-engine racers, but experience with the 914 had soured them on mid-engine street cars. Mid-engine cars handled well, but the layout compromised both comfort and utility, which seemed inappropriate for a high-priced GT. Moreover, Porsche’s marketing staff had lobbied strongly for a 2+2 rather than a pure two-seater and finding room for even a token rear seat in a mid-engine car was difficult."
porsche still dances that dance...GM has a 300k mile validation process that secures its warranty exposire.
so in 77 when the 928 came out, did GM have a 300k mile validation process. Or are you trying to say that because GM now has a 300k mile validation that a Porsche from 1977 sucks because it doesn’t have the same standards back then?
I believe that there are high line buyers that want the 2+2 for no other reason than a guy that buys a chronograph watch. He may never use it but the product seems more useful, like a good tool. A strictly two seater is flashier, maybe even a little too shallow for his image. Not many machines are as slickly pouposeful than than a older 911 with a roof rack. Just my opinion🤡
The 70s and 80s were an awkward time for European sportscars when making the transition to the US market. Ugly, tack on bumpers and smog regulations often meant a dip in horsepower and torque.
Only negative thing I ever heard of a well kept 928 is that it's neither a 911 or a 944. The 911 is a better sportscar, the 944 is cheaper. Other than neglect and the problems that come with that, a 928 seems to be an excellent GT from what I've heard.
Corvette going ME is not exactly the same. But it could prove to be something that turns a lot of customers off. The loss of cargo space that a ME design tends to bring with it can be a big deal. Some say that it will appeal to a younger crowd and that the current customer base is aging. And that's a good point except the average customer is an older person because young people usually can't afford buying a car with such limited use.
I believe that there are high line buyers that want the 2+2 for no other reason than a guy that buys a chronograph watch. He may never use it but the product seems more useful, like a good tool. A strictly two seater is flashier, maybe even a little too shallow for his image. Not many machines are as slickly pouposeful than than a older 911 with a roof rack. Just my opinion🤡
And something called a "back seat." I knew quite a few fathers who got a Porsche because they convinced their spouse they could carry the kids.
so in 77 when the 928 came out, did GM have a 300k mile validation process. Or are you trying to say that because GM now has a 300k mile validation that a Porsche from 1977 sucks because it doesn’t have the same standards back then?
no what I am saying is to keep a 1977 corvette running on the road costs basically nothing and trying to keep a porsche 928 running on the road will make grown men cry...
Hillarious and very reminiscent of that time when I lived in South Miami. There was a year during that period when more Porsches were sold in S. FL than the rest of the US. Back then a Porsche was how a grease ball with a 5th grade education validated himself when he had enough coke money stashed in his freezer. There are still quite a few losers who have little or no knowledge of performance vehicles but gravitate towards this nameplate new or used in a sad attempt at recognition.
I bought a 928 about 6 years ago. It was a 1987 928S4, dog legged 5 speed. It barely ran when I bought it for $2500 and I had it trailered home. I found the original paperwork with the car - cost new was $77K and some change....
While the timing belt was still intact, I elected to change it out before it broke, which would have been a disaster in itself. Get this - the Porsche 928 cam gears were at a point where they were becoming NLA and the price for each one was nearing $300 each! And of course, I needed two. The water pump, which needed to be changed along with the timing belt and tensioner ran me another $700 and then I needed a special tool to lock the flywheel and a timing tool to set the timing gear.
The 5 speed shifter bushings were so worn out I had to change them and it was a total bitch to replace them near the top of the rear transaxle and in the console.
I gave up after doing this and sold it for $4500 and I went out and bought a nice 91 BMW 850I (that is a whole another story entirely). In hindsight, I should have probably kept that 928, although it was going to break me financially - as they have increased in price over the last few years...
As a reward for our business success milestone, for my partner, a borne and raised German, I offered her a trip to Germany to visit family in any new car she wanted. She hated MB and so we looked at and drove all the Porches. It was clear in 1987 that the 928 was a modern engineered car Vs the AirColded old design 911. (I could write a book but I will try to summarize here). New it was $62,000 ordered in California as a USA car the most expensive P at the time. The S4 was a major update with the new 4 Valve 4 Cam V8 of 315 HP. The 5 speed stick had past problems with the engine mounted clutch and rear transaxle so I ordered the new 4 speed automatic, which was bulletproof. Sold the car in 2018 for $22K in like new condition. Had 53k miles.
While in Germany I knew it was my time to use the Autobahn and at the time the 928 held a top speed record of 171mph. I tried to duplicate that 3 times to no avail. All three times I ran out of real estate. Acceleration from 135 to 145 eat up miles and I did see 150mph on all three tries. Had one interesting race with a F308 and a new Ninja bike up to 140, but that’s another story. I loved the car at that time but the worst thing about it was the DunCrap Tires. Almost lost it several time. Back in the US I couldn’t wait to replace them with Yokohama’s which made it a different car. I later went back to Germany as a guest to the Weissach test track where I went around the track with factory drivers in every P car made and the 928 was the most impressive. Part prices from P are only exceeded by Airplane part prices.
Who me? I’m a retired Mechanical Engineer, drag race, auto mechanic, pilot, Airplane mechanic builder, most importantly lived the American Dream, went from nothing to millionaire and took care of my folks and my family. And may I add a Proud Corvette (6) owner, C6 ZR1, C7Z06/7 engine build. Had 10 cars and down to 5 now.
Thankfully I'm in my last months of 79 and looking forward to my new Zora and a FE C8 ZR1 which I think will still be available. Enjoy Life, Jim
1987 928 S4. Bought new, picked up at factory in Germany and drove for 5 weeks there.
The 928 was NEVER meant to "replace" the 911...they actually were not even considered in the same category of cars. The 911 was their sports car and the 928 was their luxury touring car. Two very different cars for two very different style of drivers. I owned a 928S4 and it was an amazing car in almost every way. It was super fast, very comfortable, handled beautifully and turned heads wherever I went... I did enjoy my 944s Cabriolet a bit more, only cause it was a convertible and no one knew what kind of a car it was...
The 928 was NEVER meant to "replace" the 911...they actually were not even considered in the same category of cars. The 911 was their sports car and the 928 was their luxury touring car. Two very different cars for two very different style of drivers. I owned a 928S4 and it was an amazing car in almost every way. It was super fast, very comfortable, handled beautifully and turned heads wherever I went... I did enjoy my 944s Cabriolet a bit more, only cause it was a convertible and no one knew what kind of a car it was...
Actually Porsche CEO Ernst Furhmann planned the 928 to replace the 911, which was scheduled to end production after 1980.
During this period the 911 was put on life support... the 74-77 2.7 US spec engine was easily the worst. Pushed beyond its limits, the magnesium case had a tendency to pull headstuds, the primitive emission controls made it worse by overheating the exhaust, and timing chain failures were common... plus the crash bumpers were ugly.
Porsche sales in the critical US market were dismal, and Peter Schutz was brought in to replace Furhmann. Schutz was German-American, and a marketer. Furhmann was an old school, (and talented, btw), engineer. While the Furhmann era 944 and 928 continued, resources were re-directed to the 911, and the SC/3.2 Carrara are recognized as probably the best 911 ever built.
Why the 928 is a topic on a Corvette site is a mystery, but the take away is clear..
Front engined sports cars are a disaster, and unless the engine is behind the driver's seat, are doomed to burn in hell for all eternity.... or something like that...whatever...
the 928 was never meant to "replace" the 911...they actually were not even considered in the same category of cars. The 911 was their sports car and the 928 was their luxury touring car. Two very different cars for two very different style of drivers. I owned a 928s4 and it was an amazing car in almost every way. It was super fast, very comfortable, handled beautifully and turned heads wherever i went... I did enjoy my 944s cabriolet a bit more, only cause it was a convertible and no one knew what kind of a car it was...
Sorry gang - I've actually been to Stuttgart Germany, been to the factory, and discussed total Porsche history with folks there. You can read all the articles you want, but the 928 was never...and I mean NEVER planned to replace the 911. There may have been high hopes for the 928 that rumored "its going to be so successful that it may replace the 911"...but it was nothing more than that.
We can just agree to disagree - but unless you've traveled to the factory...its hard to argue Porsche history first hand from where they make them...
Hillarious and very reminiscent of that time when I lived in South Miami. There was a year during that period when more Porsches were sold in S. FL than the rest of the US. Back then a Porsche was how a grease ball with a 5th grade education validated himself when he had enough coke money stashed in his freezer. There are still quite a few losers who have little or no knowledge of performance vehicles but gravitate towards this nameplate new or used in a sad attempt at recognition.
You act like Porsche stole your lunch money and pissed in your cheerios. I've never seen someone cry so much about a vehicle manufacturer, something is definitely wrong here.
04-22-2019, 06:57 PM
