heinrich

Easily. My 928 costs nothing to maintain. I can get in and drive till I'm 90 and she will just run fine. Water pump and tbelt cost relatively little. The cost problem comes in where I want to continually improve the car. Don't like the cracked dash, don't like the wheels, don't like the non-sport seats, don't like vinyl, don't like the oil she ingests under high revs. All that costs a lot. It's all up to me.

tresamore

Time and money just don't seem as readily available as they use to be. I seem to have one or the other, but rarely both.

Shane

Yes, it is the upgrades for two cars that is taxing the funds, but at some point those upgrades will be complete, and I'll have to buy another shark to have something to work on.

Adam C

I can afford it.

After having two 928s before this and having to sell them 'cause i needed the money, I changed a few things.

1. The car isn't a daily driver. It really makes a difference, because of point #2
2. I do all my own work now. In order to do this, it can't really be a daily driver since some work takes more than a weekend or overnight. Not done? take the other car.
3. I fancy myself as having good mechanical skills. If you are like this, and can read, you can probably get a copy of the WSM and figure most things out.


I agree with Heinrich - the biggest things for me are the upgrades, not the maintenance. My wheels and 6.5L stroker and a few other bits I bought are like $10k - this isn't maintenance, it is an uopgrade.

I used to be held hostage at the dealership with my other cars - no more - i drew the line in the sand. Especially after seeing some of the nearly illiterate mechanic types who worked on the car before. I am a salesman, and I know bull****. Especially when the Porsche mechanic obviously doesn't know what's wrong and goes on a parts spending spree with your money.

Incidentally, I never, ever saw the work shop manuals out and in use on my car when i went into the shop to see what was going on. First one I ever saw was long after I had given up on the dealer.

intrepidjohnson

I have not had the excessive maintenance cost that most of you are describing. However, I do have a cancelled check for $80,454.17 for my purchase. If my 88 is now worth $10,000 then I guess my trouble free 928 has still been very expensive.

drnick

both my cars have very different track records with the 88 hardly costing me apart from tyres plugs and wiper blades when i got it. the 86 on the other hand.... new paintwork, GTS arches, new suspension, seats, GTS engine etc etc

jserio

I think Intrepid wins....

It all depends on the care the cars recieved before us owning them. Gotta remember they are old cars and with age comes repairs. I guy at the gas station the other day said to me "what year?" I told him it's an 87. He said "wholly **** thats in nice shape for an 18 yr old car" 18 yrs, man thats old.

bigs

I've had my '93 GTS for almost exactly a year now. And yes, since I don't do much of my own work, it has consumed some fairly big bucks this past year. However, during that time it has always been driveable, and now it's become a pretty darn smooth, solid, fast, and reliable ride.

Like a previous poster, my torque tube also whines, so at some point in time, that will be my next project. I'd also like to do a total re-paint, but a real quality job will cost me an estimated $7.5K, so I'm saving for that. "Ketchmi" at Motorsport in Salt Lake is installing a completely new interior carpet set as we speak.

So a torque tube re-do and a re-paint are the only major things on the horizon.

But even with the expense, it's been worth it for me. During nice weather, I take the car for a speed run up Provo Canyon for about a 35-mile round trip maybe 3-4 times a week. It's a great run and is the second-best stress reliever I know!

Even my wife is OK with the expense of repairs and maintenance. She is a very wise and perceptive woman - at least where I'm concerned. She understands that most men are pretty simple (and I certainly qualify there) to maintain - give us three things and we're happy: 1. Feed us, 2. Give us reasonably frequent and enthusiastic sex, and 3. Let us do at least one "guy thing."

So the Porsche is my guy thing. It's less trouble than a mistress and cheaper than a divorce. That's how we look at it!

heinrich

Applause Bigs ... nicely put.

kshipp

Can I afford it? So far, yes. I'm somewhere between FIY and pay-a-mechanic. I would like to be able to do it all myself, but my free time is very limited. No major expenses yet (just maintenance items - tires, etc.), although a TB/WP replace is coming up soon. Mine is not a daily driver, so my maintenance items may not come around as quickly as daily drivers' would.

I have some "nice-to-haves" on my list, but those aren't necessary items.

Overall, to own & drive one of these is a high school dream come true. Each time my garage door opens and I see the 928, I find it hard to believe it's mine.

Can I afford it? I'm going to keep trying.

Nicole

Bigs takes the cake. Or his wife? Not sure...

I definitely could NOT afford a 928 as a daily driver - and would not want to use it as such. I'd worry about it all the time, and I would not appreciate it as much... Also, I like to have something more practical for running errands, and my Saab does that very well.

As some others pointed out, the overall cost of a 928 is not that high anymore, if you are an educated owner and do at least some of the work yourself. Granted, I have invested about $15k in the past four-and-a-half years, while I drove only 20k miles.

Relate that to the depreciation of any new car in the same time, and the overall cost is not very high. In fact, I think that a new Honda Accord (high depreciation, high registration fee, little maintenance/repairs) would have cost me at least as much as the 928 (high repair/maintenance cost, low registration fee, little depreciation) during the time I owned it.

But the 928 sure was more fun... and it made me connect with lots of nice people, too!!!

SharkSkin

So far, yes... I do have some things in mind that will be a bit pricey this coming year, such as suspension and S4 brakes. My TT is a bit grumbly, and I'll probably want to do my input shaft bearing and clutch at the same time. So, probably $3500 next year. The $1000 for brakes is unnecessary but nice to have; the shocks are not critical but ought to be firmed up. The drivetrain stuff has to be done. Plus whatever little stuff needs to be done. But, as bigs stated so eloquently, the shark is a key component in my happiness at the moment. So long as I can drive it, I doubt that I'll ever get too concerned about the cost.

ViribusUnits

I almost certanly can't afford my car.

However, the damn guy I had lined up to buy it ain't paid up yet. The longer he waits, the more likely I am to say screw it, and keep the darn thing. (The longer I scrimp and save, the more money I have, and the more likely I am to being able to afford the car. The longer he waits, the longer I am forced to scrimp and save...)

docmirror

Nope, I can't afford it unless I turn wrenches. From what I've seen and heard of P car mechanics and 928 "gurus" I'm glad they haven't touched my car.

TB/WP Shop est: 15-1700
Motor Mounts Shop est: 8-1300
Top reseal and intake refurb Shop est: 24-3100

My cost for all of the above will be about $450 total.

I to have a neck snapping Geo Sweatro(summer) that gets 50MPG for day use. Here's a funny story about the Geo, had me in tears....

http://www.web-cars.com/humor/

Jim R.

Yes I can afford the car by doing the work myself. At $100/hour, I can't afford to use a shop for maintenence and mods. I also have a daily vehicle, so any work on the 928 can wait until I have time to finish the job in hand. My wife looks at this as a relatively harmless hobby, and it will stay that way as long as I never add up all the receipts.

Jim R.