Ron_H

That's another plus with my six: smog exempt. So long as I put in an engine no. that is the same year engine case or later, no problems. And since F.I. is considered cleaner than carbs, that gives me another option. And no extra weight; it already is light with lots of extra parts available for lightening it further.

Normy

Lets see....I did a total tonight, probably not correct, since I've lost a few receipts...

I own a 3300 pound car built in Germany with a gold-plated ornament on the hood. It has about 330 horsepower or so, give or take a few. It's aerodynamics limit it to about 165 miles per hour. Buy it off me and you can tell me if that's true, because I'm too scared to find out! The long and short is that this car is fast. I do know that it ran a 13.86 second quarter mile once, and that puts it in muscle car territory, despite the fact that these cars aren't known for being "drag queens"-

Nor am I....

Anyway [wiping the grease off of my crescent wrench~], I totalled up my expenditures on my '85 928S2 tonight. Close as I can determine...I have spent, including the purchase price... about $22,000 on this car. I have owned it since May 4, 1999. That works out to about $314 per month.

What car can go 165 mph for $314 per month?

drnick

im with normy and others who, even after totaling expenses, still find this car to be comparitively cheap comparing performance for the money. for the reccord ive spent quite a lot after the new fenders, re-paint, seats (twice), engine, gbox, wheels, etc etc etc none of which ive done myself and let me tell you that labour in the uk is not inexpensive! for the money i could have bought a new subaru or a nissan 350z, if id saved it and not spent it. i dont plan to sell it now and my greatest concern is of crashing out as im sure the insurance wont compensate.

about 2 years ago i checked out the money side to own and run a nearly new porsche from a dealer, the depreciation is massive if you actualy intend to put miles on the odo, and even after all ive spent on this old car im still better off. ok so its not a 'new' car and the windows wind too slowly and rattle a bit when down etc.. but its way more practical in that i can actualy drive and put miles on its clock.

i think BC should buy another 928. thats what i did but this time i bought a later model with fewer miles on the clock and its hardly cost me anything - and its good for 170mph!

bcdavis

Yeah...

I'm just thinking about how much $ I will need to put into this car still, to make it the way I want it to be...

I'd probably be better off getting a newer model 928, and start from there.

Another benefit would be the insurance issue.
If I buy a nice GTS or something like that, and it gets wrecked, insurance will pay for a pretty similar replacement.
If I wreck my Euro, there is no way they will be able to get me a comparable replacement.

rob rossitto

haven't really heard anything insurmountable/too bizzare...

insurance not a big deal, I picked up a collector's policy for only $450/yr $100k limits, full coverage, and for my old gal a valuation of $34k, about what the last round of upgrades is running... decidedly worth every penny, can't imagine anyone w/an older 928 not considering it as book on these is an insult...

as others have noted, gotta just put $$ into perspective w/other stuff - over 10 yrs it's not really out of line... I"ve probably blown 4k just in cleaning up the butcher jobs of PO's/PM's... there are cheaper cars to restore/modify for sure, but once something is fixed, it's usually good for quite a while (except tires for some reason)... if you really want stupid, compare it to a lease, like on my jag - nice tax writeoff but no residual value at all... so the maint issue isn't really a showstopper either...

as far as performance upgrades are concerned, IMO depends on what your plan is - blower or stroker... IMO, a blower is much more cost effective, especially for OB's pre-S4 are concerned... my stroker required R&R everything but the block, whereas an S4 could've re-used the heads/tons of misc stuff... but in CA, the smog **** capital of the world, it's a rational choice if you don't want to mess w/it every 2 yrs... later cars do have better brakes and features too, but I like the older lines a bit more, so.... IMO, that euro is a form of timeless art on wheels....

guess if I were in your situation, I'd just ask myself two questions:
1) how much more do I need to do to get her "happy" enough to "please me", compared to just getting another...
2) do I love her enough to do it...

funny, same questions I've used on... never mind... think toys are more of an emotional decision than one based on pure #'s or we'd all just put our $$ into real estate and be monks...

regards!

LukeSportsman

I spent almost $30k in the last 4 years on my wife's minivan It all in the perspective........$60k seems like a bargain if its being driven and enjoyed! Could of had 2 minivans.

Chazz

When you tote up the numbers, you should really (to feel better) separate your upgrade costs from your maintenance costs, or in accounting parlance, your capital costs from your expense costs. With special interest cars, such as these, the upgrade costs are potentially limitless. If you want to really see some big numbers, look at what some of the street rod guys spend to get their cars where they want them. On the other hand, I'll bet your maintenance costs have averaged a lot less than car payments on a new but ho-hum Toyota.

bcdavis

No, actually, when you divide it monthly, it comes out that I have spent over $600 a month.
So regardless if it is for upgrades or not, the idea is that I could have a 996TT, a Viper, a Jag,
or many other pretty cool cars for that price per month. Including extended warranty, etc...

Chazz

Well then you've answered your own question: sell it.

bcdavis

The question that remains, is this:

Since I have already put so much into making the car perfect, how much more will I put in?
Will it run perfectly for 200,000 more miles, with no more problems?
Will I be happy with it, and not put any more money into it?
I think the car *will* be reliable, since I have replaced almost everything.

But I still think I will keep putting money into things.
I KNOW that I want a supercharger.
I really want a body kit.
I want some brand new seats at some point.
I want wider wheels and tires.

I doubt I will stop spending money on this car.
I'm a nut when it comes to cars and bikes.
I love it, but at the same time, I would prefer
to have something that is just as fast and fun,
but also more reliable, and something that will
not always be in the shop getting modified
and improved...

Kaz

My friends at Meridian have a 996TT that you can have for a cool $165 grand. You see, someone else bought that car for over a hundred grand and instead of waiting 8 years to spend 60 grand, they did it all in one grand swoop of modifications, giving the car 560 or so claimed hp in the process. Warranty obviously voided.

Point is, the piper will be paid one way or another. Being that you're an auto enthusiasts your choices are as follows, buy used and spend on upkeep and mofications or buy new and spend on the car itself and modifications with the occasional voided warranty hassle. The last choice is to buy a used 993TT for 60 grand or so and never touch it besides oil changes, brake pads and tires. This isn't going to be about the car so much as it is going to be about your disicpline.

We've got a bunch of guys in the Audi S4 (B5 model) world who are pushing the price of a used Lamborghini Diablo all to have 500+awhp, all in a car that new cost 40 grand. Now the new V8 S4 is out for 50 grand...and guess what? Yeah, supercharger 7-10 grand and voided warranty means 10 grand for the tranny if you break it, 10 grand + for the engine if you break that..... you get my point. So to me it doesn't much matter what platform it is, if you didn't think it through, or lack discipline you are going to spend an arm and a leg on your car. Might as well be real about it and enjoy it.

bcdavis

Well, what I may do, is get a new, regular daily driver kind of car.
Something to replace my 4-Runner.
Then think about my hot-rod fun vehicle.

Maybe keep the euro, or get a newer GT/GTS, and drop a SC on it.

I'm just afraid that my euro will gobble up quite a bit more $ to get it to the level I want.
Might be better off with a Viper. Those are down in the $40K range now.
Not that there will never be any problems, but it will be at the level of preformance
I want, without having to build a stroker, etc...

docmirror

BC, first, I want to cogratulate you for public posting your costs over the past 8 years. I know I wouldn't have the stones. Next, I can't help but notice you live in a rather tony neighborhood, where even the most mundane of accomodations is in the low million catagory. So, do you want to keep throwning money at a +20 year old car? Is it now bulletproof, and you've found all the bugs? What would you get to feed the need for speed? What would it cost?

All interesting and somewhat rhetorical questions. I think you're actually looking for validation or even approval from a decidedly biased audience. Ask the same quesiton on the 'Vette forum, or maybe on FerrariChat. They would laugh uproariously at you, but not us. Not the addicts, fanatics, engineers, inventors, or just plain Users of this forum. I've owned, and do own some bizarre cars. Things that defy a man's ability to fathom "why the *%$@*^! did they do this"? The 928 shows the same idiosyncracies, with it's miles of wiring, obscure transmission location, super long timing belt, also driving the WP, and other things like the Weissach axle. Some of it works out fab, some of it doesn't.

Here's what I can glean from your ruminations;

You are thinking of cheating on your car.

Sometimes, those thought turn to another marque.

'Different', may mean 'better'.

You can possibly save some money on a newer, more mainstream fun-machine.

I would say normally, to keep the car, and just deal with the problems as they arise. However, I think you don't wrench on it, so in that case, I would advise you to consider selling. Get something racy with a long (or even extended) warrantee, and drive the hell out of it. If something breaks - Dealer has to worry about it. Less angst, less involvement, less hassle, less is more.

I once had a top-of-the line motorhome by Revcon. Power everything, FWD, air ride, etc. I called it a 500 miler, 'cause I could go about 500 miles before I had to fix something. When I bought it, I was so proud. The third time I had to get greasy on VACATION, I let someone else have that priveledge. About two years after I sold it, there was a propane leak, caught fire and burned to a crisp in Nevada. Good riddance.

Metal, plastic, leather, glass. In a rather pleasing arrangement. It's a car. If you want to keep spending, keep the 928. It will never be completely fixed. If you want to have fun ond only deal with depreciation, sell and get a Viper, Vette, or as is commonplace in PDR, Ca maybe a Ferrari 360 or something. Best of luck.

bcdavis

Even though I have money to spend on my vehicular interests,
I still was raised with a lot of common sense regarding money and finances.
So I always look for a bargain.
I have always owned all my vehicles outright.
I have never had an auto loan. I always paid for all my vehicles outright.
My logic was that not having car payments, would add up in the long run in my favor.
The 928 was a perfect example.
Rather than buy a Viper, Ferarri, or something I would need to take a loan for,
I got a Porsche that was very fast, looks great, and is a great car, for an AMAZING price.
And no payments! It looked like the deal of a lifetime.
But adding up all the repairs and improvements, it seems like I could have just taken out that loan,
and actually ended up saving money by getting something that already had 500 horsepower,
instead of trying to spend so much money to make my 928 that fast, etc...

rob rossitto

we resemble that remark!

buy a viper for $40k plus etc, so you don't have to spend $15-$20 on a stroker?

hmmmm... maybe just get a fast 2 wheeler for the adreline fix and be done w/it...