Troy,

You will have the fastest car in the trailer parK

BTW, when I lived in one it was called a Mobile Home, or I got beat with a stick.

 

Well I'm looking at buying my first p-car as well. Now I consider myself in good financial shape, Married with no kids (own my own business, own a house and wife works for government).

If you can work on the car that will defiantly save you on Large bills..However I would strongly recommend having a reliable daily driver.
If something does go wrong and its a bigger job you need a way to get to work. You don't want to be forced to pay Porsche labor rates.

As long as you truly can afford the car go for it! Just don't put yourself in a position if you can't afford if something does go wrong

Keith

 

Gotta love the polarized responses. From 'Go for it, dude!' to 'Stick with a minivan...'

Adam: Not enough posts yet for a PM back. Thanks for the offer and the info, as that's about what I was thinking. Doable, but definitely not the easy road.

Jitsu: Ha! Ours is a nice place, but it's one thing I definitely laugh about. "Porsche in the driveway. Now THERE'S someone gots their priorities in order!"

Aroon: I'm the first one to sacrifice, and my wife gets EVERYTHING she wants. Fortunately, I'm the one with expensive tastes (not really 'expensive', I just think it's worth having something nice if you have it at all. Like a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses instead of the $10 ones from the pharmacy.) and she clips coupons. We took a trip to LA a few years back, and on Rodeo Drive I told her she could pick out anything she wanted. She bought a purse. The CHEAPEST one she could find.

MY996TT: Bright, but not horribly educated. I thought myself 'too smart' to stay in standard University, being too stupid to realize that the sheepskin is all people look for. I manage the IT systems for a growing steel company. Pay is lower than you'd think, but cost of living here is relatively low as well. Heh, my situation would definitely be in the NO category... But like I said, I'm not that bright. *Laugh*

FFWD: Thanks for the lowdowns, and Aroon for the prices. I'd definitely have a backup vehicle I could use, and would do pretty much all the work myself. If it's one thing I've learned, it's that you can almost never trust a mechanic, no matter how 'skilled' and 'qualified' they are...

I heard back from one warranty place, Ensurall, that could sell me a warranty for only $1,200. The catch is their maximum payout is only $2,500! I'm pretty confident I could keep the thing together long enough so that if something drastic did happen, I could always sell it for a modest loss. Who knows? It may turn out I'm so old I won't even LIKE a sportscar anymore! I find myself shaking my cane at most kids that buzz past me in their Rice Rockets these days...

 

Best car I've ever owned. I love it so much that I've decided it's a keeper. I'll get other cars, but this one will always be there if I can make it happen. I happen to have a daily driver, so when this thing becomes starts to become ho-hum, I just park it for a week or two. Eventually the itch drags it out of the garage and the fun stars all over again.

Do it. You'll enjoy every time you get behind the wheel.

 

Pelican parts says:Alternator $330Brake pads 550 F+RRotors $460 f $400 rClutch kit stock $1050These are not the cheap knock offs either. Just because you own a Porsche doesn't mean you can't price shop a little and find good deals. Plan on paying higher prices, but don't be afraid to shop around. As for the shop rates, use a good independant shop and save yourself a lot on maintenance you can't do yourself. Spend some time on Pelican parts looking up stuff that is normal wear items to get an idea of costs. You can find genuine Porsche parts new on ebay too, just be careful. Their are some knockoffs there to avoid. Just be smart and don't get your self too deep with whatever car you get.

 

You quote as sacrifice. May I doubt as blindful. Your wife is sure a gem though. You are a lucky man.

 

A turbo will change your life. And all the guys at work and in the 'hood will offer a new found respect that will make you a hit. That being said, expect 12 -15 miles per gallon, new tires ($1000) every year, 1 ticket a year and exorbitant parts and maintenance fees.

 

We are currently doing a build on a 996tt, has about 50-60K of DD and hillclimb events around here, and it is in BAD shape... Engine looks like it sat in a lake for a couple years, the only way we could get the exhaust off was by taking the turbos with it, which had a boatload of play in them....

Just beware and take care...

 

Troy,

I consider myself a working class guy who can just barely afford to have a 996TT, and while I wouldn't tell you not to do it (particularly since you work hard and deserve to have some fun), I'd just caution you about stuff already explained in this thread.

- Your published budget probably won't buy you the cleanest or lowest mileage car around, so this could already be starting off on the wrong foot.
- Parts and maintenance costs are much higher than for an average car.
- Insurance can be a lot more. I've never paid more to insure a car than for my 996TT, and I've owned quite a few sports cars through the years.
- Parking a nice car like this at your home could lead to some negative attention and situations. I don't live in a terrific neighborhood myself, and my 996TT sticks out like a sore thumb. I've had a lot of neighbors comment on it, and have even been followed home on occasion. Not good for piece of mind.

My best advice is to think the numbers through before you pull the trigger. Life isn't so great when you're financially stressed, and you can always buy one of these cars later on if the timing isn't quite right yet. Best wishes to you on your decision!

 

Steve, ya said it best.

 

I’m working in IT, make OK money. Wife is a CPA makes good money. She ran all the numbers ( cost of maintain, insurance, gas, tickets.. etc.etc…) before i bought the car, the bottom line is that she wants me to have some clean fun.

 

You are the one has a real good wife.Lucky man,you must be also a good person.

 

^x2! Was just thinking the same thing. Although you probably make 1.5x what I do, and my wife's idea of a job is house-cleaning when she feels like it, at around $8k a year. But she still had me take her to Hawaii a few weeks ago for our 10th. It was worth the trip, though.

Gforced/Steve: I know what a turbo does from having the Talon. Thankfully I've got the patience and self-control to stay completely out of it unless I really feel like flying. A few friends (and my mother) just couldn't stop themselves from accelerating when they drove it. And I'm not ghetto. Where I live is actually pretty nice, especially since all the dealers moves into the new semi-detached subdivisions. I've thought of the 'jealousy' and all that, and there would be cameras and alarms galore purchased. I also have the option of storing the car at my parent's if I'm away any length of time. They're so isolated it's not funny.

Neil: That sounds pretty extreme. I suppose there'd be some young kid with NO money and a dream who would buy one, then TOTALLY be unable to keep the thing up afterwards. Neglecting these cars should be a capital offense... Do you know the Tym Switzer who started off with Dave Buschur with tuning Eclipse/Talons? I used to talk to him, LONG ago...

Scum *Chuckle*: I was thinking that about the parts as well. I think I'd be okay so long as I didn't have to buy something like an ENGINE.

Aroon: I'm serious! For example, I just paid out to take my wife to Hawaii. Now I'm a computer guy...that doesn't own his own computer. Mine was broken for so long I just rebuilt it and gave it to my father-in-law. The wife wants me to spend $2k to build a new gaming computer, but I won't. She's more free to buy the stuff she wants (it's cheap, but she buys a LOT of stuff ). I can only justify the car because it's one thing I know I'll spend a lot of time using...

And there is the 'waiting' thing. But right now they're at their best in terms of their age compared to how much they cost. I'd spend $2k on a decent Talon/Eclipse, spend $10k to mod it to 500+hp easily, but the cars themselves are 'old' now. It just gets more difficult to find good parts and keep them going. I'm sure they don't have the 'Porsche' feel, and I'd probably go ahead and buy one anywhere before I'd look at a 944...

 

i had a 760hp talonthat i built myself, i now own a 01 996tt with a few mods. im young and a working man.

what i can say and i didn't understand HOW important it was when i bought mine was the PPI and who does it. i was sooooo excited to get my dream car i was flooded with joy and my judgement was clouded. I have a beautiful modded car by a previoous owner that got rid of it for a reason, my motor is coming out and has to be tore down and done properly.
So if you decide this car is for you which if you drive one it wont matter the price you will own one being the back ground you had with DSM's. Find somone on here that really knows these cars and get the PPI done there it could be a 1000miles from you it dont matter, the difference of 1-2k in travel and PPI costs could save you 20k ona new motor or transmission etc. Porsche dealer mechanics have been known for laziness and ive seen many a car lately with expensive problems. This does not mean all cars are this way so the PPI is so important i wish i knew how important then what i do now.

that being said i think you should sit down and ask yourself if you cant afford Porsche rates for mechanics. are you willing to let your car sit until you can fix it? Working on these cars can be a pain because nearly all major work involves dropping the motor with is around 15-20hrs labor for a novice maybe more. If your mechanically inclined i beleive you can do anything short of tearing the engine down. This bottom end assembly is Complicated ive built probably over 100 internal gas engines of all types and i dont like the idea of me rebuilding this bottom end.

If i was back in my shoes the day before i bought mine would i change anything? i would of found an unmolested car and stayed with bolt ons, because now im in the boat of the endless modification stage that is insanely pricey compared to what even a buscher 4g63 would cost.

I love my car i have dreams about getting on a plane and getting it out of storage to drive around. I cannot believe the experience that driving a car like the 996TT can give someone like me that has 100hp 2 stroke atv's built 4000hp drag cars, and raced with pro level motocross riders. You wont be disappointed by this car.

just make sure you have a few thousand ready for tires, maintence, clutch etc it will sneak up on you.

William

im livin my dream and it was made in 2001 and its Seal Grey

 

The only red flag I see is where you live and how others will treat you now that your car may be too flashy. All other issues presented in this thread are good and very, very valid none weight that driveway exposure. Be prepared for vandalism.

I purchased my first 911 S Targa at 18 years old. I lived in Newport Beach, Ca and still experienced ill intentions towards me and my car.