Got my '03 996TT at end of April. Well modified, in decent shape. I knew going in that I would have a few routine things to fix/update (tires, brakes and whatever unknowns). Paid at the high end for the vehicle (stretched a bit to get there), but I was OK with that due to the mod level. Planned on dumping $1k-$2k into it within 6 months, as I knew about tires/brakes/maybe a hidden item or two. Then hoped to get onto a schedule/routine plan for ongoing updates.

For the first 3 months of ownership, the car has been in the shop for @5 weeks total. I am at over $5k in maintenance already (however, alot of this could have been deferred and/or was preventative - so take it with a grain of salt).
- Replaced rear tires, but this caused excessive PSM kicking in due to mismatched brands front/rear. Old fronts still had meat but were 9 years old - so I replaced front tires to match the rears. Routine Maint.
- Replaced front rotors/pads. Oil Change. Routine Maint
- Power steering fluid leak, took 2 shops and a long time to diagnose. Turns out it was leaking due to a previous botched GT2 slave/accumulator job. Previous job opened the factory seal for an unknown reason. Had to replace pump. Unexpected Job.
- Welded the more problematic coolant lines. Only doing the most common ones kept cost lower. Preventative Maint.
- Temperature sensor working intermittently, minor. Unexpected Job.
- Lost max boost. Needed to replace an N75 solenoid. As they were in there, they found a few other hoses needing replacement (F hose, brake booster hose), and rebuilt the Diverter valves as preventative. Routine and Preventative Maint.

I will say that after the latest hose replacement - the car feels much 'fresher'. I likely was not building/holding boost as I should due to split hose, etc. which made the car feel 'tired' <even thought it still felt pretty good to me!>. Car feels superb now - boost is stronger, more immediate.

Still to come =
- have a problem with adjusting the rebound on one strut (JIC Cross), it is hung up and I really don't want to force it. I'll likely target different coilovers next year.
- Interior and exterior detailing, cosmetic stuff, needs a good bit of work - will take care of that after mechanical gremlins are exorcised.
- Silicone hoses, wheels, headunit

Summary =
While I still feel that I made a good purchase, it did not go to plan (haha). (I knew about brakes, tires and expected coolant weld and boost leaks at some time in the future - just not all at once!).

I don't know that I am out of the woods yet, but I hope to be. (I started to think that a newish Cayman S for @the same money with warrantee may have been wiser...but I quickly dashed that thought from my mind as I mashed the throttle)

I'm trying to fix things right - get it done properly the first time vs doing frankenstein jobs. Hoping to get a fun 7-8 years out of this.
Luckily the unexpected extra money for maintenance did not hurt me too badly (however wife recently quit her job! We deferred some house maintenance for the 996TT) - but I'll have to slow my pace a bit in the near future.

No regrets....yet.
Hope it is time to relax and enjoy.

 

It's always a crap shoot when buying a used vehicle especially a high-end/exotic vehicle even if it's a 1 owner low miles car with no stories. The good news is you have the right mind set by doing everything you can at once (i.e. overlapping labor, etc...) and better news is the cost of ownership is lower vs. other exotics in the same class.

 

From what i have read on this and the other forum i see no evidence that the cost of ownership of a porsche is lower. A strong case could be made they are more expensive. As against an Fcar or lambo i concede the point, but not ZO6, ZR1, GTR, Mercedes, or BMW.

 

How many miles does it have?

 

That's why I have always said... Pay upfront for a nice low mileage car that feels and smells like new or pay later for a higher mileage car that has been used by few owners.... There's no way around it

On a side note, atleast when you are done the car will have all the bugs sorted out...

 

63k miles. However, the point is more of a highlight to the likelihood of maintenance costs.
We often hear 'bulletproof' and 'I've driven mine for x years with zero problems'. Not always the case, maintenance will always catchup. You could either do a little each year, or wait/wait - then get whacked with alot at once. Even then - you never know when a major issue may occur.
I had done 10 years of maintenance on my previous Audi. Honestly, the Porsche - so far - is not 'out of this world more expensive'. More? yes. But not outrageous.