buying a late 80;s or early 90's porsche. Thinking of turbo but also ok with non turbo. Just never really found anywhere what to expect from maintanence costs. Any real world advice? What am i really expecting for money to upkeep on eof these?

Thank you in advance

 

well this might not be of help but listening to what local guys are being charged by dealers for Routine service is shocking. I find the costs for my 78 allmost nothing compared to this.

 

what years are cheaper to maintain? why is yours cheaper the others?

 

A hint: You'll get more replies and people looking at your threads if you post the statement in the title. "think of" doesn't say much. Maybe "Need advice on buying an '80's or '90's 911 or Turbo"?

Look up Peter Zimmermann's (he posts here regularly) book "The used 911 story" and read it for all the info you need.

 

What Iceman was alluding to was the fact that he does all his own work. It makes a big big difference if you can do the work yourself or if you have to take it to a mechanic every time.

What is your location?

 

I have an 87 Carrera...I pay $100/hr for maintenance. If you can do your own maintenance or can afford the hourly rate then a P-car is for you.

+1 on Ed's advice.

 

ok so 100 / hr for service which is normal, but is your car in for service 100 hours a year or 2 for ust oil changes? Is there valve adjustment requirements etc.

 

I've had my car for about two months. After completing the PPI there were some things that needed attention. So far I have about $2K in maintenance so I may not be a good representative sample. I've had an oil change, valve adjustment, valve cover gaskets, new oil lines, new plugs, new o rings for the thermostat, oil pressure switch, engine oil cooler seals, idle adjust, a window regulator that broke while at the mechanics.

So here's the difference between doing your maintenance and paying a mechanic. Parts for the last visit totaled $165...the total bill including labor $1300. I did have oils leaks that developed after we changed to synthetic oil so a lot of time was spent trying to locate the leaks and correcting them.

 

Again, the best advice is to buy Pete's book, or if you want to get the answers here, learn the search functions. There is tons of info on what it takes to run an air-cooled 911.

 

+1

Pete's book, ''The Used 911 Story'' is a phenomenal resource. You can learn as much in an afternoon as you can here in many months. It will also enhance your ability to understand references made here.

I would also suggest that a PPI is in order before your purchase. A Pre Purchase Inspection will keep your initial service outlay to a minimum. A 911 engine can run well, and still need 5,000 + dollars worth of work done. Marry in haste and repent in leisure is an adage that comes to mind.

Do your due diligence and shop well. A good 911 is a joy to drive and own. LOL

 

Yeah to just expand on what I said earlier. i don't find I really need to do very much at all. I think if things need fixing to get the car how you would want it fine , I would not consider that maintanance.

Mine is not a daily driver but my maintanace consists of changing the oil twice a year, changing the plugs every 2 years , and changing the gear oil and brake fluid every four as an occasional driver ( non track ) car.
Oh of course i usually do something dumb and have to replace the belt every 6 months or so. The valve adjustment I did after 5 years ( 30,000 miles ) and it was perfectly fine.

i did it all myself so no big deal.

as to mats point a local took his 996 in for his 50,000km check up and was handed a bill for over 1500 dollars. They basically changed the oil and his wiper blades and said they did all these other checks that there was really no evidence of.
I think the newer cars with there KM checks to keep the warranty from being void are just a revenue generator for the dealerships that we don't have to worry about, therefore our cars are far cheaper to do routine maintanance on.

 

Thank You all will look for pete's book. And Will let everyone know how my search continues,