I've been reading more and more threads recently with the hope being that I can purchase a 996TT in the coming months.

My quick question is regarding the true cost of maintenance: I have read in a few different threads that some members peg the average maintenance cost at 10% of car's value ($4-5k) and others have said to expect an average of $400/month.

Aside from factoring in new rear tires every 10-15k miles (every 18 months for me), would you say the above numbers are about right as an average not counting modifications or maintenance due to modifications?

Thanks!

 

This is a very difficult question; it has many variables. Obviously, maintenance cost varies from car to car. Was the car driven by a maniac or was it just a gentle Sunday cruiser? Personally, I would worry about finding the right car that was respected correctly instead of maintenance costs. For example, I spent over a month looking for the right turbo and I was really glad I did. Did the PPI and ended up only paying around $900 in maintenance off the bat. Other than that, no real maintenance issues! (knock on wood). The major maintenance cost will come from oil, these cars DRINK oil

 

Really depends on how many miles you are driving and who will do the maintenance. The big $$ maintenance is every 30k miles. I recently bought mine with 67k mi (major service done). The only maintenance the car needed was new CV boots (I had both front axles fully refurbished instead), new front rotors and pads and I changed the oil and filter. All that together was probably $1400 but I shouldn't have anything for a year now (unless something major breaks), which will be another oil and filter change that I will do myself for $100. I'll probably drive 3k-5k mi/year.

I also spent some money on restoring the headlights; that wasn't necessary but I want to car to be perfect

Other thing to keep in mind is insurance. I was quoted $1600/year (before my group discounts). Not horrible but about $1000 more than my BMW.

All that said, the 996TT is supposedly one of the most reliable Porsches you can buy

 

Lol, the worst case here but maintenance on turbos turned into a 60k+ in parts and 16 months of down time.

 

$3-4k / year is about right for a daily driver. This includes regular parts and maintenance (tires, brakes,oil etc) plus the items that will break in a 10 year old car. The best point that someone else made regarding maintenance is that these were ~$130k cars when new so thinking that they are cheap to maintain is simply naive. Yes they are bulletproof compared to other HIGH PERFORMANCE cars. To give you an example, last month I had a abs brake pump failure (apparently very rare issue). Cost for part + labor $2700.

 

16 months of ownership. 1 set of tires, still at 80%, 2 oil changes @ DIY $65 each, 1 accumulator (DIY) $139. I have 3 other cars and several motorcycles so the Turbo sees less than 6K miles/yr.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys. Much appreciated and while I can fully understand the anomalies occurring (like the ABS pump, etc), it seems the consensus is that $4k/year might be the minimum expectation to "play it safe".

Insurance is also a good point. My record is spotless, but being 27 with that car likely won't be cheap. Similar to maintenance...guess you have to pay to play.

 

I'm 25 and pay $126/month

Maintenance on the other hand? About 4600 through 13 months/7500 miles

 

i have put 12k miles on my car since i got a little over a year ago. Just changed the oil for the third time. So, around $240 in oil changes, and replaced the front wheel bearings, about $200... car just turned 80k miles. Parts for these cars are not overly expensive, if you are able to do your own work, you can save a lot of $$

 

I bought my TT 996 in February, drive it everyday, all I've had to do is put gas in it and change the oil. I've been driving a little over 1k miles a month too. It looked to be very well serviced when I bought it. The brakes appeared new, air filter looked new, oil had just been changed and it had some repairs to the window regulators. Mines been rock solid.

 

I've owned mine three plus years and in that time I've replaced stupid little 80-100$ items but nothing major. Parts are at least decently priced if you shop around compared to my Infiniti.
But three to four thousand a year in running costs? No way, at least for me. My biggest purchase is the stupid high insurance prices we pay up here in Canada.
Please be aware that I maintain my car myself and buy all my parts I online. My car is a daily driver but never tracked.

 

So you've never done tires, brakes, or a clutch? In parts alone that's easily 2.5k.

 

You can't really put an "average" on it. It widely varies with how many miles you drive and who will do the maintenance.

In the upcoming year, the only thing I *should* need is maybe rear brakes, which is a few hundred $$. A lot less than $3-$4k.

 

I'm betting it's like 2-3k per year. The thing is that I suspect you need to be prepared to get hit with that 3k in one shot, on one thing. So I think cash reserves is key

 

Oddly enough, my insurance premium would only increase by $28 a month (to $104/month) over my current 2005 WRX by swapping to a 2003 996TT.