EnglishBulldog

Eveyone says these cars are expensive to maintain, but what does that mean?
Looking for typical costs associated for rotors, pads, oil changes, valve adjustments, engine re-sealing ect...

Please don't respond if I have to ask, I can't aford it. We all have different opinnions on what $$ mean. I own a boat and drive M cars so I'm used to the >$120 oil changes, rotors & pads that cost almost as much as a ounce of gold .

Thanks,
EB

EnglishBulldog

I forgot to mention that I'm in the US.

Boeing 717

I spent around 8500 dollars over 5 years. But I did a lot of work, rebuilt suspension, new brakes, wheel bearings, most external stuff on the engine, A/C, turbo, bushings, hoses, alternator,......etc etc.
If the car is in good working order its really not too bad, especially if you do the work yourself. Of course the parts are kinda pricey but shopping around can save lots. Remember that the cars are 20 years old and are "supercars". Age seems to be as big a factor in maintenance as high mileage. If you get a basket case that needs internal engine work or transmission then yes it will be expensive. But general maintenance not too bad. In my humble opinion.

EnglishBulldog

That seems reasonably especialy when you factor in age. I would expect to spend around $1.2K to $1.5K on up keep per year.

What I have heard is verying info on valve adjustments. This would be on a 3.3 turbo. Some people are saying every 15K, and others are saying it really is not all that important. Thoughts?

Francisco Martinez

1.5k a year on average to maintain sounds reasonable, but I had to spend 4K on the first year just on clutch, flywheel, clutch cylinders, A/C stuff and so on. Then, you have to think about the performance bug, if it bites you, then it will be a lot more per year........

Boeing 717

Yea, I think i read here a long time ago that 1.5 per year is about average. Im not sure on valve adjustments I did mine every 5000-10000. But I would think that it is very important to do it as the valves are the weak spot in these engines.
The thing is even if you buy a car thats in good shape, by now hoses, bushings, belts and brake lines and stuff are all starting to crack and get brittle. Once i had my engine out i saw so many things that needed to be changed just because they were old. If you find a car thats been really well maintained you should be in pretty good shape but youll have to spend a little more on the front end.

EnglishBulldog

The one I'm looking at needs brakes and a valve adjustment now.

The clutch is a race clutch, and engages at the very top, but does not seem to slip. I have no experiences with 911's and their clutches, but the mechanic felt the clutch was still good, as he felt no slippage either.

What would you all suggest as money off asking price for the needed maintance? I don't feel the asking price is reflective of these two, possible three issues.

pcar964

Best thing to do would be price out the brake parts on Pelican (does it need just pads, or rotors also?) The valve adjustment is ~$300 depending on the shop, but there are other things you might as well have done at the same time.

EnglishBulldog

Pads only. Valve job was $1500. I wonder if that also included re sealing the top half . I will have to follow up on exactly what was included in the $1500 as we discussed a couple things at the same time.

pcar964

A "valve job" is quite a different thing to a "valve adjustment."

C2 Turbo

Maintenance:

2002----Fuel sending unit $800
2010.....30,000 miles service $1300
2006 alignement and balance $240
2002-2011 oil changes 12 at $70 each $850
2010 Tires $1000
2010 alignment $200

Others

2006 Bilsteins struts & H&R springs I would say $1000
2011 Replaced stone guards and painted the lower rocker panels $400


This is all i can remember spending in my 9 years and 23,000 miles owner ship

$6000 in 9 years that comes out to $666 per year or 2 c/mile

EnglishBulldog

Adjustment.

Metal Guru

It isn't so much the normal maintenance stuff that makes these cars expensive (although 964 parts are more pricey than old 911 parts), it's when things go wrong with stuff that like fuel injection, for instance.
If the wur goes bad and your wrench spends 10 hours running down the problem, things begin to add up in a hurry. Throw in the fact that he has to remove the intercooler and intake duct to do anything too.
Just this year I had a boost leak and control pressure issues that would have cost me a fortune if I had to rely on a professional mechanic. As it was, buying parts and test equipment wasn't cheap.
As our cars get older we can expect more issues to crop up and thats' where the real expense is.

Y65MPH

Exactly!!!! It is not the expected stuff that is expensive on these cars it is the unexpected. I often have to remind my self that these cars on average are old enough to vote and if it wasnt a Porsche we probably would not even consider owning the car. Can you imagine the cost of ownership on an 18 year old Ferrari or Lambo. Probably $10 per mile. One of the main reasons I did my engine build was to have the old school looks with a modern trouble free drive train. Since my build I have not spent one dime on the car except of a oil change or two. Prior to the build I spent THOUSANDS chasing stupid little issues. As far as I am concerned the list of repairs shown so far is just normal maintance. Wait until the WUR takes a crap.

C2 Turbo

Well now i can't sleep

Care to explain what the heck WUR is and what are the symptoms of this bad boy going wrong

Thanks