Travis - sflraver

If you are in to doing the work yourself there are many new products on the market now targeted toward the "do it yourself-er." They are helpful in bringing the cost of maintenance down considerably for someone willing to put in a few hours into the job. For instance, before, when the late model ball joints went bad in a 944 you would have to replace the whole arm ($200-$400 each). Now with the kits that are available (www.rennbay.com) you can replace both joints for under $75.

But aside from the products on rennbay, there are many great new things coming out all the time that are bringing the high cost of maintaining one of these cars down to a reasonable price. The Rennlist forums is the best place to start when you have a problem or need to find inexpensive parts to do whatever needs to be done.

Dave951M

Mine is coming out to about $750/yrUSD, BUT I do all my own work and scrounge for the best deals. That figure will change when I have to buy new tires. My car has 170k on it and is driven "in a spirited manner" on a semi-daily basis.

RussRPJ

A lot depends on what shape its in when you buy it. I've had mine for 8 months, and I've sunk $3,200 into it because the PO didn't take care of it. New waterpump and belts, radiator and hoses, motor mount, idle housing, and a few small items were necessary. Tires look OK, but I'm not comfortable in taking it on a long trip without new ones. And the damn AC still doesn't work. So, best advice is the one I've seen so many times. Get an inspection before you lay down the money. That way you know what you're getting into. And buy the best example you can (everything works, critical high-cost stuff has been done, etc.).

elvisizer

in my first year, i spent about $800, and that was all in one shot- getting the main rear seal replaced as soon as I bought it.
now, i'm just starting the second year of ownership, and some routine maintenance has pushed things up a bit- $500 for motor mounts and the 30k mile service, and i'll have to do the timing belt and chain within 10k miles, so i'm sure i'll be between $1000 and $1500 for this year . . . .
the most important thing with these cars is to check out a LOT of them before you buy, and make sure you get a ppi before taking one home. i did my homework, and i've been very happy with my costs.
In the same amount of time that i've owned the 944, i've spent probably almost double on repairs for my wife's '92 toyota corolla!

Dave951M

Even if you have a disaster costing upwards of $2k to fix (broken timing belt), it's still cheaper than car payments. I've seen several plans advertised as "low down" $350/mo. By my finger math- that's $21k across the life of the loan. Since the 944 series is already at or near the bottom of its depreciation cycle, it won't lose 30% right off the lot. I can live with a few mechanical issues for that kind of change. By that logic, most of the cars I've owned through the years were mechanic's specials. One very memorable one (bought at my usual price point of $300) was an 81 Corolla. That got me one complete car and one (minus the body) "parts" car. Drove it for 3 years and sold it for $300 when I got rid of it. It pays to learn to wrench. The 944 series is now near that point. You can ante up for a loan or get a Porsche for cash, put some more in for needed maintenace and not have to deal with payments or interest.