VirginiaF1

"I totalled all of my service receipts since 1990 for a grand total of $14,165..
Does not include the fluid/flushes or oil changes which totalled $3,205..
(40% dealer vs 60% local Euro shops)"
$17,370

1988 944 Base 8-Valve with Roof, Reno, Cruise, Alarm, Stone, Wiper and Bursch Headers.

So.... 232,000 miles on 6th timing belt & tune-up kit, 2nd Radiator and AC Compressor.

No clutch receipts so maybe on its 2nd or 3rd?

Excluding clutches, gas & sale price in '88, running costs roughly 7.5 cents/mile.

white924s

Threads like this are a terrible idea unless, of course, you are either single or particularly fond of sleeping on the couch.

I have a folder with all of my receipts and records for the car. It is never in the same room as a calculator for a reason

TexasRider

For my 951 it is going to be a LOT MORE. Especially as during 2010 and early 2011 I did (shop did) a complete rebuild of most of the mechanicals on the entire car.

I could add it all up

BUT....

TexasRider

One of these days though I am going to sit down and list all the services and costs by dates and items and mileage since Day 1 on my 951 Turbo.

Maybe the mods wil make it in to a sticky here if I do all that work.

Then again after seeing that there wont be any of the how much does it cost threads.

There also probably will be a drastic reduction in the number of 951's that continue to be sold too after that thread is read.



Then again there is always the guy that thinks he needs a shiny Guards Red Porsche and is going to get a heck of a deal. He wil be looking good and feeling good. Oh well, one is born every minute they say .

VirginiaF1

Funny..I was just thinking I needed a Turbo..

But seriously folks.. while not for the faint of wallet this thread does teach nonTurbo owners like me just how different the running costs can be, ya?

Is there any way to postulate (same driving style, history and no mods) an extra percentage from my $17k over 232k miles that my hypothetical 951 costs would've exceeded my 944 costs??
TIA

odurandina

Texas, i believe the words you put down in your last post have oft been repeated before. after you get the car sorted, in the back of your minde you know there's more you can do. and soon after you do one of those upgrades, something needs mending... and then here's another goody.... so you do that one, and before long she's looking at you more and more like you're crazy and then one day you catch her (when she thinks you're not looking) glaring at the car in disgust.... at that moment you're in big trouble. but it's already too late. there's no Betty Ford Clinic gonna save you. you're a full addict now. just rememver that for every so many dollars that goes into the car, there better be some extra set aside for wifey.....

and before you order the next set of Big Reds from evil bay or L.A. Porsche, how many of you all have done the fuel lines in the bay?

TexasRider

My car has been very well taken care of over its life. The car has not been beat on or driven hard. It has never been abused. This 951 has no modifications and essentially has used all Porsche parts and Porsche trained professional shop labor. This 951 cost was $35,000 when new in October 1985 with all its options, and its sport suspension, Fuchs 16 inch alloys, and leather seats.

Almost all of the mechanicals on the car were rebuilt and/or replaced last year except suspension, some minor paint, some minor interior work to be done, and the rods, pistons, crank and bores which looked excellent and were left alone. The wheel beaings were excellent but will be done with the suspension work. The turbo is the original unit as well. From there much of the car is now new, rebuilt, or both. All the transaxle, gears etc are original Porsche but have been gone thorough. The clutch had been replaced at about 83,000 miles.

The turbo, along with the fuel system and electronics will get some more attention, and replaced where necessary, if the car is modified for more power either for street or track. The first step was to have the rest of the car ready for that additional power.

So here is my best postulation.

My car has 91,000 original miles from October 1985 to July 2011. It easily has accumulated over double the total amount of costs of your car for those 91,000 miles.

That includes over $17,000 spent on the above work over the last year alone. If you extrapolate that out to the 232,000 miles of your car, it does not look good. That would come in at roughly 5 times the amount of your car !! Of course this is a small sample of 2 cars. You have to think you can get lucky there somewhere right? Maybe if the 951 was driven more over the course of a couple years the cost per total miles would start to fall. Maybe.

I hate to say it but I dont think my 951 has ever been more than 5,000 miles without requiring some service or repair. That may be a touch off but not far. It might not be Porsche friendly either. But it is real.

These are good cars. They are classic Porsches in their own right. They are pretty cars. They are also maintainance intensive and were even when they were new. 26 years down the line they are even a bit more.

While I like my 951, all of this is one reason why I am seriously looking now at purchasing and racing a FORD !

When guys tell me my 951 is not a real Porsche, I respond that it costs like a real Porsche !!

VirginiaF1

Awesome post.. thanks for your insights.

xschop

Why not keep the 944 Handling and suspension and stick in a Ford?

Van

Virgina F1, it's my gut feeling that, all things created equal, it's probably 50% more to maintain a 951 over a 944. That's based on the cost of parts and the fact that certain aspects of the 951 are more complex. By that I mean: the intake, exhaust and cooling systems - but everything else is about the same.

I also feel that estimate reflects the purchase price of a good car - NA = $5,000; turbo = $7,500.

Over the course of 10 years, you might have $15k in the NA and $23k in the turbo.

It is frequently stated that you should buy the newest Porsche you can afford. I also think that's true. You might pay more up-front, but it will pay off when, after a few years, you realize that you've only spent a minimal amount on routine maintenance. It's amazing how, even if you do the work yourself, how fast a 944 can swallow $500 or $1000 in parts. (And, as a car approaches 25 years old, how much stuff needs replacing to keep it fresh.)

odurandina

so true.

with my 968 and zero repairs (except the ps hose that i still haven't changed). subtract the upgrades and i've done 55,000 miles w/ only routine maint and the 120,000 mile engine service. after rotating the rear tires, i might see 70 k miles before i finally pull one of the Dunlops off the car. sorry, but it seems obvious that the $$$ involved with driving a 944 Turbo (25 year old car) 55 k miles is more than doing the same with a 968.

xschop

What does it cost to replace a turbo? I turned down a local nice-looking $900 944S because the Head was damaged ($1600 just for rebuild, not including gaskets or T-belt).....I don't miss that friggin' timing belt LOL

Dawgz83948

CRAP!!!!! Almost forgot, thanks for reminding me.

9U Turbo 944 Transmission $1200
N/A 5th gear swap = Free

User 52121

I refuse to add up how much I have into mine. I paid a premium for mine when I bought it - the previous owner had already dumped well over $25k into it. Motor rebuild, trans rebuild, etc. Despite all that already done I've still sunk a pretty penny or two into it just to keep it tip-top.

It's a labor of love though. I love my car, I love the 944. I'd love to pick up a Boxster or Cayman (specifically the Spyder or R) - but it will be *in addition* to the 944, not as a replacement. I autocross a lot and it's sometimes a little frustrating knowing that I'd be doing a LOT better if I were to AX a 986/987 over my 951.

TexasRider

There is another way to look at my post above but I did not take that route.

Over the life of the cars and NOT INCLUDING my big rebuild over the last year
then the costs are roughly about even. About $17,000 to $17,000.

Then you would have to equalize the mileage. In one way I am not so sure mileage hurts them when just normal driving. But you will get to the 30,000 mile belt and waterpump job faster too.

But what is happening day to day now of course is that these cars are just getting on up there in age so things are going to break. I have read posts here from lots of guys that have issue after issue and are constantly in fix mode. I was trying to avoid that. And pulling my hair out from frustration.

I know guys that have restored a number of older cars. They love them. They also have told me that "If old cars were so good they would still be making them." And that is true .

And separately I had it in mind to set this 951 up for a run at the Targa Newfoundland. So that was also one of the reasons I went through the car so in depth. I did not want problems and I wanted to be ready to add power to the car and have it be reliable My navigator is one of the lead men on the Space Shuttle (congrats on another good launch and return ) and we got hit by that and the Porsche shop race I used here going out of business. So no Targa right now.

But I kind of agree with the others that maybe 50% higher. Then again that can easily jump up.