Wow,

I have started upgrading (having a shop do it cause I dont have any time) the car. The 951 is horrible.

Took it in for a clutch (KEP) and it has ended up that the flyhweel couldnt be surfaced (more money).

While everything was apart, decided I need a new Turbo put on (more money)

The car has an oil leak. The front seal is leaking. The shop also told me the oil pan gasket is leaking. To fix it and put the turbo on they are telling me its easier to pull the engine. They said, may as well change the bearings while the oil pan is off (engine out is more money).

At what point is it better not to throw any money at this car? I am damn near at that point now. The problem is its only a "little bit more" to fix everything.

I am thinking new rings may not be a bad idea either...but again...more money..when do I throw in the towel?

-Dana

 

"when do I throw in the towel?"

when the wallet is empty....

 

Having a shop complete your work complicates things. If you are expecting to get your money back from a 951 forget it. These cars just don't have the value right now. But remember there was a time when corvettes and cudas were worthless too.

 

Right before you took it in for the clutch!

 

If you don't want to lose money then throw in the towel before you even buy a 951!

 

Having everything done at the shop is way tough if your on a budget and who isn't.
If it's at a stage where you can stop, just bring her home and think on it for a while. If it's not your daily driver then it should be a lot easier to decide what you want to do.

But it is a fact that these puppies can swallow as much cash as you can throw at them...hey...

I "need' a new Turbo,3 exhuast, bigger injectors,oh rod bearings,might as well do the oil pan baffle kit, crankshaft scrapper, two piece exhaust crossover, three piece cross member mod, etc,etc

 

That would have been in about 1998.

-Dana

 

And now the thought going through my head is "while I am in there" do the nissan alternator conversion....

-Dana

 

Cant bring her home. I car is a few thousand miles away and will get farther before closer (am in Mass in Business and car is in CO where home is and will be going to europe before I return so wont be home for a few weeks).

No, not a daily driver. A fun car. Makes it harder to decide not easier. I want to have a fun car, but man this pit is just getting deep. It sucks not having any time and not being able to do anything myself like I used to. Makes me PO'ed about paying to have it done. Of course the income to shop rate is much different now than it used to be.

I guess just frustrated.

-Dana

 

Virtually everything you mention doing is not a luxury, it's a necessity. When you say 'new' turbo, do you mean an upgrade? If so, that's a luxury that will put further burden on your budget if you can't afford it and it's ancillaries. What you describe is pretty normal and it's just one of those times that you have with these cars. By comparison, what other 20+ year old car would still even be around and that gives you so much joy when it's all up and running again. They do need maintenance and this is that time. Refreshing the motor will give you the security that you won't have to do it again for some time. Average out the costs and it's not bad.

 

When I say need, the old turbo was just fine. I "needed" the Vitesse turbo while I was in there. This all started with a simple chip upgrade. Then the Vitesse MAF wasnt much more than a custom Vitesse chip for an Authority MAF system. And it needed a clutch (couldnt handle the power the car made cause the clutch was worn).

I guess the stuff it "needs" conflicts with my wants.

But realistically, I have had the car 12 years. It hasnt cost too much in maintenance in 12 years. This is the first big hit I have taken.

When its done, it should run nicely. It just all the non-luxury items are costing me a bunch.

-Dana

 

Whenever I get depressed about the money aspect of my car, I go to the Porsche dealer and read window stickers. Check out what even an entry level Boxter costs. Then I shop other cars. A even a Smart Car costs something north of $12K. I always feel better afterwards.

 

I think that's the way to look at it. If this is the first real 'hit' you have done well. It's all relative, but many of us have dropped way more into our cars so don't feel bad. The VR kits work well straight out of the box but you are upping your power quite a bit so you then may want to upgrade brakes, suspension etc...
In truth it's easy to drop a bundle on our cars and when they're going well we feel utterly justified. However once you start modifying, you open up a can of worms. So many things to do while you're in there. At least get the 'must do's' done and see how much you have left over for the 'want now's'.

 

Brakes, suspension, etc are all ok for the power (big reds, good suspension, etc, wheels, etc) but was all done before I bought the car.

I have done the little stuff like 968 M030 castor blocks, the rennbay lowered ball joint kit, a head gasket (only cost me about $1000 to replace headgasket/raceware studs/re-build head).

I guess overall, for a high performance car this one hasn't cost too much, its just a shock to drop 75% of what I paid for the car 12 years ago into repairs.

Realistically, over 12 years of having the car, I have probably spent $2500 on maintenance. This one is just a shock. Dollar per mile wise, it needs a lot of maintenance.

I know the sticker shock of a new car is high, but then its also not 24 years old and has much fewer miles.

-Dana

 

What does a typical short block rebuild cost for these cars?

I have seen Lindsey and SFR pricing. Is this "typical", expensive, or cheap?

I am weighing options of just biting the bullet and having a complete fresh engine. Frustration mixed with hopefulness mixed with aggravation mixed with excitement.

-Dana