Cheap Thrills: The Case of the Porsche 928

Back in my hometown in the 1980s, the only doctor with the cash to drive a Porsche 928 made his living installing aftermarket breasts on trophy wives. This was the car Tom Cruise put in Lake Michigan, as untouchable and desirous to kids like me as Rebecca De Mournay. "Porsche. There is no substitute." The phrase sure as hell didn't mean the rusted out 914 your buddy picked up for $800. So how is it that the sharks are now a dime a dozen, often eclipsed in price by the lowly 914?
The first reason Porsche guys give for the crash of the 928 is that rebuilding the car's V8 costs an ungodly fortune. A good argument if there ever was one, but it's just as true of a 911's six, which can set a driver back the value of the car when it grenades. Others chalk the fall up to the "not a real Porsche" stigma the 911 guys throw around about all front engine water cooled Porsches.
Despite the goofy stigma (and the not so goofy repair bills) the 928 is cheap thrills tops. It's got great styling (we love the phone dial rims) and it halls ass (172 mph stock at the Salt Flats). Here's a $4,500 specimen on San Diego Craigslist. How much work could it really need? Come on, Joel. Sometimes you just gotta say, "what the fuck."