Date:         Wed, 30 Oct 1996 17:36:55 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         mholser@Adobe.COM (Malcolm Holser)
Subject:      Re: Syncro Westie pages

> 928's are beautiful and somewhat affordable cars now days as they
> age, one of the worlds finest GT's, but engine rebuilds are prohibitive.

Considering what they cost new, these things are being given away.  I can't
think of any other car that has depreciated the way these do, and it's a
real shame.  They are great cars.  The engine was made of an aluminum alloy
that was cast as a slurry with some carbide material (either silicon carbide
or tungsten -- wolfram -- carbide).  The material is rather impossible to
machine short of diamond tools.  After the cylinders were cut, they were
acid etched to remove the aluminum, resulting in essentially a carbide
cylinder that holds oil well.  I heard a rumor that Porsche will remachine
a damaged case for about $20k.  Thankfully they are supposed to wear forever.

I looked at buying an S4 once (for $15k) in perfect shape, down from its
new price of almost $90,000.  Wife objected.

All this is, like most of what I write, from foggy memories in my head, and
so is likely to be wrong...

malcolm