Subject: 928 Pre-purchase inspection form From: "Rich" Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 23:50:37 X-Message-Number: 72 Thanks to the UK 928 organization for this form: Buying Checklist The following checklist represents in large part all the items that an informed buyer should check on any car they are considering buying. Some of these items will be less important to you than others, but knowing what needs replacing or repairing will put you in a stronger bargaining position if you are interested in the car. However, we would strongly recommend that if you have doubts about any of the mechanical aspects of a particular car, that you walk away from the car. Contrary to what many dealers will tell you, the 928 is not a particularly rare car, with up to 20 cars appearing for sale all over the UK each week, so there is no reason to compromise on condition. If you are considering buying a 928, we suggest that you drive as many 928s as you can which will give you an opportunity both to compare the different models, and to find out what a good 928 looks and drives like. One current owner drove five in one day and it quickly became apparent that two were good, one was so so and two were bad. The two bad ones had been patched up and looked great from both the outside and inside, but driving soon showed their real condition. We would also be delighted if you wished to come to one of our 928 meets during your search for your 928, which will give you the ideal opportunity to see and talk to the owners of a wide range of 928 models in an informal setting. In the end your choice should come down to colour and value for money, and not to condition. If you can't afford a good S4, then start looking for an S2 rather than get a bad S4. The engineering of the 928 makes them one of the best sports tourers available, but also means that they need regular timely maintenance to keep them in good condition, both before you buy the car and after. Remember, the 928 cost £20,000 in 1978 and £72,000 in its final year of production, and all the models have servicing costs appropriate to those high prices. The Porsche 928 was from its very beginning a precision-engineered car that could more than double the UK legal speed limit at a time when many standard road cars couldn't reach 100 mph, and that performance depends on the precise functioning of all the components. You wouldn't expect to be able to run a Ferrari on Fiesta money - why would you therefore expect to run a 928, which is just as much of a performance car, any cheaper, simply because it's relatively cheap to buy? That said, if you buy a good one, you should not have any surprise bills for a long time. See the Running and Servicing sections for more details on costs and maintenance schedules. When you have found your ideal 928, then we strongly recommend that you take the car to a 928 specialist for a pre-purchase check. If there is no 928 specialist close to where you live, then all of the official Porsche dealers and many of the independent Porsche garages offer pre-purchase inspections, which will give you a further insight into the condition of your prospective purchase. Also, ask the specialist to give you a costing of all the remedial work they find during the inspection, which will give you a good idea of some of the costs involved in restoring and maintaining your purchase in full working condition. The checklist below is merely intended to provide you with a tool for finding and informing yourself about your target cars, and is not intended to replace a specialist mechanic's review of the car on a ramp with the proper tools. In addition, this would be a good time to do an HPI check, which will cost around £25 to see if the car has outstanding finance on it, has been written off by an insurance company, or is reported stolen. If you buy from an enthusiast, chances are the car will have been well looked after, and you will have the comfort of a stack of service bills to know what has and has not been done to the car. When buying a car privately, it is a good idea to assess the owner. Have an informal friendly chat with the seller (or with the last owner of record if buying from a dealer), to discover what type of person they are. Also take the opportunity to meet them at their house, if possible; if the house looks well maintained, then usually they would look after their cars as well. Never buy from someone who will only meet you in a service station or a layby, or who can only be contacted on a mobile telephone number. Specification - check during initial phone conversation 1. Auto/manual 2. Mileage 3. Body colour 4. Interior colour(s) and material 5. Does it have an MOT and service history 6. Service history - all bills or service book stamps only? 7. Number of owners and who 8. Length of current ownership 9. Reason for sale 10. Central locking 11. Air conditioning - working? 12. Electric windows - working? 13. Electric mirrors - working? 14. Type of wheels and original or replacement 15. Sunroof 16. ABS 17. Stereo 18. Any spares or extras such as service manuals 19. Price Physical check Remember to take a torch to look in corners and something to clean your hands on! Also, always examine a car outside and during the day in good light 1. Check MOTs/service history (1 year/12,000 mile minimum) 2. Check tax disc matches number plate and how long to run 3. VIN plate condition (if scratched or bent, walk away) 4. VIN check to ownership papers and service book 5. Check VIN year code is correct for first registration 6. Check option codes on sticker under carpet in rear hatch and make sure those same options are still on the car 7. Check for documentation on cambelt changes at least at 60k/5 years - don't take the seller's word for it, as a broken cambelt will cost you £5,000 to rebuild the damaged engine 8. Check if water pump and all pulleys replaced at last cambelt change (if you have the bills, cambelt change only is around £250, vs. £600 for the works) 9. Check engine and transmission type and match to known model codes 10. Check mileage and compare to interior wear & tear 11. Check odometer to see if numbers line up - if not, may have been clocked. Buy on condition, and carefully check old MOTs for stated mileage which should be going up, not down! 12. All tyres condition and wear patterns - should be wearing evenly all around 13. Tyres should be same model on each axle, and V or Z rated all round 14. When was the last time tyres changed 15. Wheel condition - scratches, kerbing marks, corrosion 16. Brake pads/discs if visible - discs should have no more than a 2mm lip, otherwise need replacing 17. Examine CV joint condition - should be no leaks at all 18. Check for leaks before driving. After driving, let stand for 10 minutes, then move car and check for new leaks 19. Panel colours should match exactly all around. If not, check why the car has been resprayed 20. Check panel fitments for even gaps all around 21. Look down the sides of the cars and check panels for bumps and ripples 22. Look for paint overspray in engine bay, on hoses and on rubber seals 23. Check all metal panels for filler (tap the panel, should be metal) 24. Check front and rear polyurethane bumpers condition and paint - if paint is crazed or badly cracked, front has been resprayed incorrectly 25. Engine bay condition - is it clean 26. Oil and water condition and levels 27. Look for little sticker on underside of bonnet to left of catch - if not present, front may have been resprayed 28. Check front chassis members for straightness 29. Press down hard on each corner and release - car should bounce up once and settle immediately, otherwise needs new dampers urgently 30. Check that one key operates both doors and hatch and the ignition, and sets alarm (if fitted) 31. Check tailgate fit, proper closing, latching, and open with remote release 32. Check spare wheel for condition, check for full toolkit, electric pump and jack 33. Check rear seats fold correctly and don't foul rear seatbelts 34. Check condition of all seats, and check full operation of all seat electrics 35. Check condition of carpeting and remainder of interior 36. Look for cargo net and luggage cover in rear hatch 37. Lift hatch carpeting and look for specifications sticker - if not present, very likely that the car has been shunted from the rear 38. Check operation of all interior electric lights 39. Check operation of heater/air conditioning/rear defog/heated mirrors and check all heater fan speeds 40. Check wipers, screen wash and intensive wash operation 41. Check operation of headlights, sidelights, foglights, brakelights, indicators 42. Check condition of all glass areas and seals including mirrors 43. Check condition of headlining and sunroof operation 44. Check operation of stereo and speaker condition 45. Lift carpets front and rear and check for stains/undue wear/rust/other damage Driving 1. Car should start smoothly after no more than two or three turns 2. Check for steady idle speed of around 800 - 1,000 rpm 3. Check for any vibration when running or severe body twist when starting - possible failed motor mounts 4. Accelerate in neutral and check for exhaust smoke when engine is cold 5. There should be no dashboard lights illuminated when driving normally (for digital dash, also check for error messages on startup and when driving) 6. Does the car drive and brake straight. All 928s have some tendency to follow road camber, especially the later ones, so expect some following of road contours 7. Check the brakes for snatching or judder 8. Accelerator should be smooth and light to operate - if stiff, accelerator cable may need replacing 9. Check ABS operation (on an empty road, HARD emergency stop from 15-20mph) 10. Check odometer and trip meter work 11. Check cruise control works 12. In a car park, drive the car in tight circles - there should be no noise or clonking from front or rear suspension 13. Smooth gear change operation (although manual gearboxes are usually notchy when cold and nothin to worry about) 14. In a manual, check clutch operation and biting point 15. In an auto, change between reverse and first should take no longer than a second or two with the car at a standstill 16. In an auto, check for smooth changing of gears (up and down - press down 2/3 to kick down) and kickdown switch operation (press accelerator hard to very end of travel). Gearchanges should be quick with no judder or clunking 17. Check handbrake operation 18. Check all gauges work correctly 19. Under acceleration, power should pick up smoothly throughout the rev range with no flat spots 20. Under acceleration, engine should not hesitate around 4,000 rpm (S4/GT/GTS only)