This reputation is well-earned, unfortunately. But not because of the car itself, but mostly from deferred or missing or hobby-hack services. I suspect that many who purchased new didn't expect the car to need more than a new Malibu or Taurus at the time. Porsches seem to need a bit more than that, but when folks driving them had so much spare performance they didn't really notice the differences. Plus service wasn't cheap, and the not-dealer service support was focused on the 911 market. So cars were neglected, and when they stopped running they would be parked, or sold into a market that was tuned into the high costs of bringing a neglected example back to original glory.Spokayman wrote: Mon May 05, 2025 1:04 am <<...>
The 928 is a wonderful GT car, but it has the reputation of being much more maintenance and repair hungry than any of the other 4-cylinder transaxle cars.
The serious cost is almost always the restoration from neglected part. As far as regular costs of miles driven, for most it's still tires, brakes, and fuel. Again, this assumes DIY maintenance, but staying up on things that need service is consistent for any Porsche of any period.
The OP's original question assumes that the candidates are in similar condition, but doesn't state what that 'similar' condition is. If we are discussing neglected barn-find projects, the needle points easily to the 944 and maybe 968 solely because of the availability of donor cars and aftermarket pieces to bring it back to whatever the buyer has in mind as 'acceptable' condition. Meanwhile, as I casually scan the marketplace, there seems to be a larger number of 'just needs a few things' examples, and only a few 'needs nothing, everything works perfectly, add gas and go' offerings. And those 'works perfectly' cars can easily be several multiples of the cost of the ratty but runs driver. But still by far the best total value unless you have a relaxed expectation and a lot of DIY time and $$$ to contribute. An old cheap Porsche can easily be the most costly car you'll ever own.
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A couple decades ago now at a cars & coffee in the L.A. basin, I met a 944 owner who loved his car but lusted after a 928. I knew an owner who had an excellent show-winning example available, so introduced them to arrange for the transfer. Five years of fun and driving later, the car was again offered for sale. The car had received no care beyond a few oil changes, and of course was no longer in top show-winning appearance condition either. It ended up selling for a fraction of the last sale price, and was replaced by a Honda Fit because it was cheap and came with a warranty. I've sold more than a few 'interesting' cars to folks who were seriously underprepared for the demands the car would make. Not big stuff, but the hour or two a few times a month with just cleaning and taking care of those little things that pop up. It got to a point where I refused to sell them to friends, only because the cars would wander back later with a request to make it like it was before. Neglect is like inflation and corrosion, a relentless curse that, once it's started, can be really hard and disproportionately costly to recover from.
