what's up everyone, I'm new to the forum and new to Porsche
I recently sold my 330 and planned to get in an e46 M3 but I've been thinking about Porsche after driving a friends 996. with my budget I'd be looking at a 99 996.

here are my questions:
I'm a college student (almost done) and work full time, would it be stupid to get into a Porsche right now?
how much do you all spend on maintenance?
what are some things I need to look for and have checked out before buying?
are these cars easy to work on like BMW?

any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Get into what you want. A 99 996 worked for me. Set aside a few thousand $$$ for upkeep. Oil and tires would be your fixed items. Depending on mileage and use, other items such as clutch, tuneups, and surprises would be your variable items. Get a PPI, and be aware of the one, and only, fatal issue: IMS (intermediate shaft bearing) failure. Though a very low percentage of 996's have developed this issue, it would certainly be an issue to research on this forum. Considering the placement of the motor, Beemers and Benzs are easier to work on. Good luck.

 

Exactly, get a PPI!!! Very important, and set aside some money for unforseen repairs just as you would any other car. Very simple to work on for the most part, except the spark plugs of course...LOL Don't be scared away by the small rate of engine failures, that's what you will read about the most. However, we had the same discussions over at the Bimmer forums and only the worst seems to come to the forefront of most topics. Here is a link you can check out, TONS of information.
http://www.germanautoforums.com/foru...ead.php?t=2935

 

thats some great info...WOW those parts cost a lot more than BMW parts..maybe I should put off a Porsche till I'm older and stick to what I know for the time being..

 

Depends on which parts you are talking about, most of the really expensive ones are going to be one time and done. But if you get your car like i did, new clutch, new IMS, new RMS, well I'm looking pretty good other than routine maintenance for quite a long time. I have a '99 with 55000 on the clock and the 60K service done, that's my recommendation to you as well. Otherwise I would hold off a little longer. Even a 12 year old car is not going to be cheap in the arena. But, as I have learned, you have to pay to play. I say, It's SOOO worth it!

 

well looking at the buyers guide, the clutch and brakes alone are going to be more than i can budget for. and it says you need to get a tuneup every 15k miles..maintenance seems to be a lot higher than BMW. with my budget I'd ether be getting an M3 with all maintenance up to date or a Porsche that will need a little bit of work on it.
that being said the Porsche is A LOT of fun to drive...just dont know if i could keep up with the maintenance.

how much do you spend on monthly maintenance?

 

I just bought a 04 C4s , mine has 42000 , new clutch , new Rms, new belts and hoses, and I had 2 different ppi done . So far I had to replace the passenger side headlight ballast and bulb. Scored those both of eBay for a total of$180. The other thing that I spend the most money on is Gas ! I just love getting on this car !!!

 

That's why you buy one with a recent clutch, anyone who has done a clutch will almost for sure have done the other major items. Don't forget as well that many things can be worked around. For example, I found out this morning while installing my new intake that my serpentine belt was pretty worn. So i did a little research )about 15 minutes really) found it's a 15-30 minute job i can do myself with a couple hand tools, ordered a belt from PelicanParts (AWESOME BTW) for $30, and it will be here on Thursday for me to fix right up Friday morning before work. Dealer estimate when i called this morning? $400, cost to me? $35 with shipping. I plan on doing everything myself, and finding my own parts for much cheaper. Oil change is half price and doesn't take long at all. I didn't mean to deter you with the things to look for, and the prices, but you need to know the associated costs honestly. But there is money to be saved in many places. I am willing to say an E46 is going to be just as much maint as the 911. Valve adjustment on my 2003 M3 was around $1200, timing chain replacement? NOT cheap. Those are high rev, close spec I-6 engines and require much care and attention. And not to mention eat up tires like they are cheerios. Good fun, but hey, what great car isn't expensive to own right?

Jon

 

Oh, I totally missed your question at the end, I would say monthly, maybe $100. But it comes in chunks...

 

I could do 100 a month that number is a lot less scary than the numbers on the buyers guide. I guess I have some more research to do before I can really decide if I'm biting more than I can chew with a Porsche.
I plan on doing everything myself too, I never once took my Bimmer to a shop and I replaced the entire front end and bushings.

I guess its just a little more scary because I'm going to be diving in a car that I've never worked on instead of getting one where I'm not scared of working on.
in the mean time I'm going to go test drive some more 996s

thanks for all the info...definitely leaning towards a Porsche now...

 

Some years are worse than others, and the older the car gets, the more I seem to spend per year. I've spent $5,585.66 so far in 2011. In 2010 I spent $1,470.34. In 2009 I spent $3,034.86. In 2008 I spent $2,133.28. In 2007 it was $2,394.45. If you average my last 5 years (assuming I don't spend anything else in 2011, which is unlikely) then I spend $2,923.72 per year.

My car is relatively high mileage - I have approximately 105,000 miles on it and it's essentially 9-1/2 years old, so I am averaging just over 11,000 miles per year.

I hope this helps. Personally, I wouldn't buy a car like this until I was out of college and had a steady income with enough extra for repairs and mods. Once the mod bug bites you, things get even more expensive.

Good luck with your decision.

 

thanks closer to what I figured I'd be spending on a car like this. And I would be picking up on with higher millage also. I spent about 6k on my 330 (mods included) and I know modding a Porsche would be a lot more expensive.
hard decision because they are such great cars when there's nothing wrong with them.

thanks for the info

 

Hope we could help with your decision.

 

My $.02

College student and Porsche don't belong in the same sentence unless you are part of the DSR crew(daddy sponsored racing).

College professor, yes.