I only have just shy of 12,000 on mine however I would agrre I don't see much wear if any on them , so it's possible you are correct!

I know I'm hoping your correct!

Joe

 

All other things being equal the 2004 should be cheaper to run because it is a newer car and any issues the earlier cars had will likely have been sorted out.

I have an 03 -- which stickered new for $120K -- and have put 95K+ miles on it since I bought it used in 09 with just 10K miles. Since the car came with a CPO (2 year, 100K mile) warranty early (new car) issues were covered by the warranty.

These include noisy idler roller, broken radiator fan shaft, leaking 6-speed selector shaft seal (tranny replaced), broken shifter linkage, clutch accum/slave cylinder.

The only things I've had to cover out of my pocket is a battery, and a valve in the power steering system failed and required nearly $1K in parts and labor to replace.

The spoiler system is busted and I'll have a new one installed next month at an est. cost of $2K.

Oil/filter services run around $200 or a bit more now. I do not have the time or place to work on my Porsches so the dealer handles these services for me.

Tires.. oh the tire cost. I get good tire life - up to and over 20K miles on the rears and double that on the fronts, but I keep the car properly aligned.

Flat tires are a pain, though.

Thankfully the last few sets of tires though have come with a road hazard coverage (approx. $7/tire) and as long as the tire has 3mm of tread left it gets replaced free of charge.

In one case the tires had close to 23K miles and the right rear picked up a nail. The tire had 3mm of tread left believe it or not and so was covered. I had to of course pay for the other tire.

Then about 8 months later the right rear picked up another nail and was replaced free of charge but the left rear tire because of the amount of wear -- Porsche allows just 30% difference in tread depth between tires on the same axle -- had to be replaced at a cost to me of just over $500.

Oh, I forgot about the plugs. I forget how much this cost. In fact they've been replaced twice now. Brakes are original and are cast iron too not that longer wearing PCCB stuff. I have the brake fluid flushed/bled every 2 years.

I had the tranny/diff fluid replaced a while back. I do not recall the cost off hand but it requires 0.3 hours (at $150/hour) and around $150 worth of the tranny fluid. The last time the dealer had some fluid left over from some warranty work and I got the fluid at around $5/liter.

Had the coolant drained and refilled once. Do not recall what this costs. $300?

So it looks like from June of 09 to say (getting a bit ahead) June of '13, iOWs 4 years, my out of pocket costs for things other than wear/tear items, oil, and the like is or will be $3K, or about $750/year.

Add in the tires, oil/filter, other fluids, plugs, and what have you and this $750/year could easily be $1500/year maybe closer to $2K/year.

 

4k as a per year cost sounds preposterously high.

I do think that when you buy it, you should set aside 4k as a slush fund as others said in case one of the bigger repairs hits you (i.e- clutch etc.).

My first year 1.5 years of ownership probably set me back 6k but 4k of that was clutch work. I don't expect any more big expenses other than tires and dumb mods I don't need.

 

God no. These cars are not the glass jaw Ferrari type. They are built well and strong. Just change the oil and run them forever

 

therein lies the rub. it's those "didn't expect any big expenses" that'll bite ya every time. i just changed out a radiator in my driveway ( no lift time ).. i had help.. got the used rad from a porsche graveyard.. and it still ended up costing $500.00 or possibly more, though beer was on sale. now consider it could've been THREE rads gone bad.. so let see.. they're 400-450 each new... 2+ hours labor.... adds up quick.

point is, that was last weeks expense. next week may not cost anything beyond gas/rubber and oil.. but i never count on it. as reliable as they are. the way i see it; a ten year old car that is capable of 0-60 in 3+ seconds and topping out at potentially 200+ mph is gonna be *relatively* costly... to DRIVE, and in point of fact .. is. sitting in the garage doesn't count

 

How exactly does a radiator go bad?

 

just started leaking. who knows.

 

you cant put a price on the grin on your face when driving a 996tt just push the peddle further and you will say its well worth it. im in this year for like 10 g over the winter but some was maintenance the rest mods. i get it back tomorrow but going on vacation so the day i get back i will say money well spent! good luck if you get one you will not regret it

 

Tscales, I assume you've done some work yourself? I know nothing about cars like a lot of folks who own a vehicle, and so if 2000 is what you've spent each year, for 4 years, that's a great deal--considering the fact we're talking a supercar here!


I'm no car guy, so when some of you listed specific things that went wrong with your 996's, like; radiators, slave cylinders, shifting gears, etc... how would i even know if these things went bad in the first place, since i know nothing about cars/ how often should i take my car to a indie shop to have the mechanic go through a thorough checkup and see if anything is out of order/

 

if you get one of these.. there's a learning curve and you'll be on it, and no getting around it. following the porsche recommended service intervals is key. but you WILL experience unanticipated events/malfunctions and/or breakdowns at times, that will put you on a first name basis with whoever you enlist to do the work.

not trying to unnecessarily dissuade you from jumping into a supercar. just know what you're getting into.

 

It will be very difficult to spend $10,000 a year in maintenance unless something catastrophic happens. Now $10,000 in mods, that is easy haha.

 

Yes, modding is an easy 10k plus.

Maintenance wise - I get away with $135 oil changes and a $13 quart every 1000-1500 miles.

MAF was just replaced, a $265 part if you shop online, dealer charges $1000.

Clutch, not cheap if you need a new one, might as well upgrade.

Motor mounts, just swapped mine with an RSS set for $365 - 10% discount for 6so.

Brake fluid flush, 3 liters of Motul.

About to do the trans/diff, another $75 in fluids.

I tend to upgrade every time something needs replacing, so it gets expensive.

 

I can honestly say i won't do any modding, except choosing rims for my tires, LOL

For any replacement parts, can i get them from 3rd party manufacturers, rather than getting them from Porsche?

Also, is labour going to be more expensive on turbos as opposed to normal Carreras, regardless if it's at an Official Porsche shop or an independent shop?

 

Yeah, that's what I said.

Absolutely. You can often get the same parts from the discount online places for half the price.

I wouldn't say that. Most of the car is the same basically, the engine has a few extra goodies but the hourly rate is set and much of the same work would take the same amount of time. The turbo motor is a little more bullet proof though and shouldn't need repairs.

 

X2, 10% is crazy talk. The normal maintenance is more expensive than your average car,(oil, tires, brakes ect.) but they don't just fall apart and break.