Vandit

Next on A&E, Hoarders: 964 Edition

DWS964

Is there medication for this? I have three....
And a little voice in my head (the spouse, she is always in my head) says "sell one or two". I just need to get one ready to sell. Now, which one...

Silvertarga

My 964 Mantra:

If I could not do the work myself I could not afford the car..

I chose Targa because I like having the roof off, No mechanicals like a cabrio or sunroof, leaks sometimes and sometimes it doesnt..

ryanmac

So are you saying since I am not a mechanic I should stay away from a 964?

That's a bit worrisome. I anticipated higher than normal maintenance costs, but nothing that was going to break the bank.

Paulie964

A clutch job is about a 10 hour job at a mechanic, x about $130/hour depending on where you live, plus parts

Silvertarga

No I am not saying that at all just be aware that these are not cheap in upkeep and its a 20 year old car I Love my car and would not consider anything else..but then I can do my own work..

.Not even considering dealer retail, Valve adjustment is what...$500 to $800?
Plus you get the myriad of electrical glitches to chase down/repair, About 12 quarts of oil every oil change and so on

I just ignored a noisy spoiler (was a five dollar part gone bad) Spoiler motor gave out...retail $500, lucky to find one for $60..I cant guess what a shop would have charged to do this..Put a new starter in, I paid 250 for the starter (found it brand new..not rebuilt!!)..my labor was free and it would have been quite a bit at a shop..

Have you priced parts like plug wires? yes you can make them yourself...if you cant they are gonna hit you deep in the wallet..Complete clutch parts is gonna cost about $900 so with labor quoted above you are at 2 grand..

Sensible is a Toyota Camry..just not for me..

1985mb

+1, a Targa offers much of the open-air benefits of a cab with none of the worries of future mechanical problems (as long as you find a good targa/top).

Paulie964

Haha, we are really not trying to scare you off here, but thats why I mentioned you should do some searches and some more research. The rewards with these cars are great, and they are very reliable. Yet, for lack of a better phrase, "**** happens"

If you find yourself having to have the motor rebuilt, 10k ... my sunroof tranny broke, $1500 ... brake master cylinder, $1500 .... 12 quarts of Brad Penn oil $8/quart ....

Being able to do your own work, HUGE plus ... Remember, you aren't buying a Civic ... you are buying a car that cost $70k in 1990 when it came out.

Silvertarga

A positive aspect oft overlooked, I used to have a few hobbies...now I have my PCar..

stinkydog

I've trained my tranny to keep all body parts inside the car, even when the sunroof is open. Less wear & tear on him/her/it/whatever.

Makmov

Take the test.

If you gotta take it somewhere

Oil service $200 - $300
Annual valve adjust 10 hrs X 125ish + oil service + gasket set + plugs $1500
Clutch with a DMF $700 - $900 DMF $600 - $ 800 clutch kit $100 guide tube + 13 hrs labor maybe 3 grand.

Dealer on a master cylinder 2K

AC, which was quoted $3800 fixed myself for about $300.

I promise any thing you can do yourself, source you own parts will be fractional to what the Dealer or even a good indy is.

Oh you want to lower you car... $2500 - $3000 for bilies and H&Rs 6 if you want something fancy.

Like I said before most people cannot afford to own a 964 if they have to have someone else work on it.

People forget that a 91 Carrera 4 was a $75,000.00 car without any adds and many stickered closer to 80. That equates into a $130 - $140,000.00 car in todays money.

You might pay $20 or $30,000.00 to get one and join the club, but it is still an $80,000.00 car to up keep.

The 964 took a lot of cues from the 959 which was the most hi tech advanced sports car in the world when it came out.

Makmov

Yeah, funny how that happens, all my previous hobbeis have been consumed by my Pcar.

Makmov

Not so much if you are not a mechanic, you dont need to be one to learn how to do stuff. There is always plenty of help around unlike some other makes. Try being a DIY Ferrari owner. Even BMW owners are a world away.

It is a big responsibility, it is taking on a dependent, all we are saying you don't mind getting your hands dirty from time to time.

Unless you are a complete mechnical incompetent, there is no reason why you cannot learn to take care of your own 964.

Vandit

I'll repost what I said in the other recent prospective owner thread which can be found HERE.

You don't have to be a professional mechanic, you just have to be willing to get your hands dirty and accept that you may have to troubleshoot problems or turn some spanners to keep your car in good running order. It's not impossible, but it is a commitment.

The information found on this forum, and PelicanParts forum, is a complete blessing when it comes to the situations you may encounter with this car. The people who I tell about my old Porsche wrench turning endeavors always ask "is it hard to work on those cars?" and I always tell them "not really, plus the online owner community is so robust, that you can find a solution to most problems you encounter because chances are someone else on the forum has already encountered the same problem and figured it out."

I'm a friggin' accountant and in the 10 months that i've had my 964 so far, i've turned more wrenches than I had ever turned before in my 27 years of life. Some of that was out of necessity due to maintenance and repair issues (remember, 20 yo car) and some out of a desire to improve/modify the car. I've easily DIY'd a couple of thousand $ or more in stuff, simple stuff, but even lots of simple stuff will add up if you are having to pay a shop to do it all for you.

Paulie964

aaaaaaand after all these recent replies about $$$$$, Ryan has LEFT the building