Guards Red 5-Speed: 1985 Porsche 928

There’s something I have learned in recent years about having a mechanic work on your car: the closer it is to running, driving condition – like the kind where you can drive it every day at a moment’s notice – the more inclined they are to mess with it. I know this is likely completely obvious to many of you, but in the world of finicky European cars with limited production numbers, beggars can’t be choosers. I’ll get into this more shortly, but it’s a helpful reminder that when buying a car like a Porsche 928, especially when you don’t want to work on it yourself (and who can blame you?), buy one that just needs tinkering instead of a teardown. Find this desirable 5-speed 1985 928 listed here on craigslist.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the tip. The 928 is one of those cars that is often seen in two forms: total basketcase disaster project, or really quite nice, and thus, quite expensive. I like to operate in the narrow middle ground, which is why my 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E has been such a topic of conversation lately. It’s a runner, but it’s got some fine-tuning to do that really does require a mechanic who worked on these vehicles when they were new. Otherwise, you’re left with a shop like mine that is running on limited resources, and the staff, many of whom weren’t alive when these cars were new, is literally reading shop manuals to try and figure out why the transmission is flaring. Sigh. Fortunately, with this 928 having three pedals, your transmission issues likely will be nominal at best.

My long-time mechanic in Rhode Island got to a point where he wouldn’t take on a needy 928 unless he knew the owner and/or was related to them in some way (and even then, it wasn’t a guarantee). He couldn’t tie himself up for hours at a time working on a 928 with unknown history, and his young techs would be learning as they went (leading to a very high invoice for the customer). You can see where this is going. That’s why buying a 928 like this one makes sense: even with high mileage (over 172,000 on the odometer), it’s clearly been cared for. The only issue is that no service records are included.

That’s a real bummer with this car, because everything else checks out. Guard Red paint in excellent shape, a clean engine bay with evidence of sensible upgrades like those red silicone intake tubes, and an interior with nicely aged leather all point to years of attentive ownership. You’ll definitely want to ask about belt changes, as a snapped timing belt will ruin your day in a hurry. And with a 5-speed manual, 288 b.h.p. and 302 lb.-ft. of torque, you definitely want to enjoy this motor in running condition.