^thats so very true! I bought a 98.5 M3/2/5 at about the top of market value in 2012, they were becoming cheaper and the documentation and history of the car demanded the price I paid. The forum was great, helpful, and knowledgable members were always around. Fast forward two years and the median price was 5-7k and it was nothing but stance and wheel threads; it was sad to see clean cars go down a path they wouldn't return from. I'm not saying that bagging a car ruins it but you do it cheap blow a line and damage a fender the cost to maintain goes up even more and the car value goes down leading to an easier buy in.

I don't think the 996T will go this way, this is my first Porsche and I can afford it but probably like a few others a transmission or engine failure will significantly hurt my feelings/ bank account. The car brand image and buy in I think will keep these cars going in the right direction for a long time, I say this using the 996/997 platform as an example. I'd love to have a NA 996/997 as a daily fun car but the prices aren't where it makes sense to me, even a very early boxer for 6G isn't appealing because of the lower power, dated look, and the Porsche tax you're still going to pay when things go wrong. If Porsche was going to be a "easy car to own" I think this would reflect in the NA market and they would be a lot cheaper to buy into then they are.

Bottom line, the Porsche tax as much as it hurts protects the car from being a BMW.
Shawn

 

Funny, I have never related having money with having class or good tastes.

I do agree that modifications tend to get more questionable as budgets shrink.

Later, Steve

 

Lol point was its harder to buy and maintain a Porsche than it is a Vw/Audi/BMW ect. I mean who wouldn't love a Ferrari if they could.
Shawn

 

This is what I believe will stay true, otherwise we'll see some good deals come up in the future. P car tax is still up there and maintenance is paramount. This is why cleaner older BMW are getting harder to come by as kids would rather spend 3k on an air ride setup than 3k on maintenance and those cars are maintenance heavy. We'll see what happens.

 

Dude.....

 

Good to see you may have skirted a major bill, but a 90mph no wobble pass doesn't mean you're done. Ever see one of those car races wher the guy goes off track then recovers then snaps into a wreck a couple laps later?

I'd make darn sure you double check the carrier, hub, LCA, etc. closely, with the rotor off.
Then maybe do the same after you drive it a couple hundred miles.
Aluminum suspension pieces don't take shots very well and you'd hate to have a stress crack that shows up at 90mph or way faster.

 

^^this!

Really have to disagree here; sorry, but putting a BMW M on air suspension ruins it. Period. Done. The M stands for motorsport. That is effectively over with an air suspension.

An I was known as an air suspension **** on Range Rover forums because people were speaking of converting to coil springs with every minor issue...


Gotta wonder how many of the rock-throwing, ball-busting race car drivers live in glass houses.

 

don't tell me you don't like this ......



haha, praying to gods - I hope this won't happen.

 

Lol nah not me. Smh

 

this epitomizes san diego drivers and a slightly moistened road...

really sorry to see this happen, but "c'mon man"...

 

Lol... Apparently you have never owned a B5 Audi S4. The 996TT even with a cheap buy in, is quite cheap to maintain. Even comparing to a 996 NA which has a higher engine and transmission failure rate. I always laugh when people talk about the maintenance cost of the 996TT. It is only an issue when you blow the car up. But the risk never occurred to anyone when they were bolting on Billet turbos and a 5bar FPR. Sure the car can bite, and bite hard. But, when compared to other german cars this car is is rather affordable.

 

^ i completely agree. this is a hopped up karman ghia in terms of maintenance costs relative to its daily reliability.

running into curbs costs extra lol

 

I would disagree and this is also why you don't see many cheaper "kids" driving these cars.

OEM drive belt is over $100. OEM coolant is $ 45 a gallon with discount. Oil filter is expensive, etc, etc, etc.

I do all my own work and I think in the arena of high end sports cars, yes, the 996tt is cheaper to maintain, but it's all relative. These cars are not cheap at all by any means.

 

Update:
Got the car back from the mechanic today. Rear right Lower control arm (track control arm) was bent. Replaced both control arms (rear rt and lt LCA) for better alignment. The mechanic also replaced Spark plugs, spark plug coils (997TT part), transmission oil, front diff oil, brake fluid (as a part of 30K maintenance). Also got a hollow spoke rear wheel from ebay to complete a spare set of wheels for DE, Autocross. The car is running fine now.
Thanks for all the advice, helped me a lot. Happy motoring and happy holidays to all of you.

 

I was about to suggest to also check spark plugs and coils for damage! They tend to fail after a "crash" like that. I hope you've learned your lesson. PSM is there for a reason.