ron_dargenio

+1 on that. Or, a lower-maintenance 911, like maybe a 1988-89 3.2 and a Toyota/Honda/similar daily driver. I'd bet that your maintenance bills would be far far lower than what you have now.

993inNC

My question is....
Is the MB, your way of appeasing a wife that is more constantly nagging you about repairs? Gives you a "sporty" car while still giving her what she needs? You have a great 993 that may or may not need any $$ infusion. The CEL is no big deal if its a SAI issue. You may never have to do anything if there are no other adverse effects. The suspension......leave it for now, or do it on the cheap if need be. The Bimmer......get rid of it, those cars are electrical night mares to start. I would keep the P and sell the B for something you can trade strait across for. That 55K MB will need big $$ some day too. They're not high dollar for no good reason.
You have a tough decision, I wish you the best of luck.

NEK

+1 on the 993/cheap daily driver option.

I'm looking for a cherry 993 for the weekends while continuing to log miles on my bulletproof '94 Lexus SC400 daily driver.

Have fun, but don't go broke on cars. No offense to anyone intended, but I think heavy super-powered coupes and sedans are Bor-ing! (and money pits on gas and mechanics down the road).

Just my .02.

-NEK, Chicago

Air Kuul TT

Steve,

You have a very tough decision to make and there have been some really good words said already... I agree with Peter R... I would rather keep my 993TT and have whatever for a DD... my current DD is a 97 540i with 175k miles and a 94 Accord EX with 253k miles. The only car that I continue to replace is my wife's DD as I want her to drive what she wants and so we both can be happy. And also having an older car well maintained car for a DD is great cuz I can park any where at any time and I dont worry about door dings, etc.

Just a thought... the 94 MB S55 is a great car... but think about owning it in about 3-4 years from now... I think you might be back in the same situation as you are right now.

Good Luck.

palladio

I'm with Peter. It's seems pretty clear that you are going to be unhappy losing the 993 after all the effort you've put into it. Why not just get something cheaper, more reliable, and more practical than the bimmer and keep the 993? I see several advantages to this:

1. Lower maintenance costs (I suspect the Mercedes will get very expensive to own when the warranty runs out, and you will then have to sell it and lose the $$$ on depreciation that you may have saved in maintenance).

2. You'll enjoy the 993 even more. I drive an SUV every day, and the contrast between that and the Porsche just puts that much bigger of a smile on my face when I switch cars. Plus not having to put money into the Bimmer will give you more $$ for Porsche mods if you so choose.

3. You should gain some credit with your wife. Giving up the bimmer for a Toyota 4-runner, Honda, etc. should look like a sacrifice for the cause, even if you secretly know that items 1 and 2 above mitigate most of that sacrifice.

Finally, go with your gut. Not what anyone else (including your wife) tells you. Drive the Mercedes and if it calls to you over the bimmer+porsche, then do it and don't look back. If it doesn't, keep the 993 and enjoy it without guilt!

chris walrod

Like Chris mentioned above, with the newer MB cars, you'll pretty much have to buy a new(er) one every three or so years just to keep the thing in warranty. They arent the most reliable cars out there, sadly enough.

I think if you forecast the cash outlay over time , whether it be trading up to a newer MB car or keeping what you have, I think you may find keeping the 993 to be the less expensive option.

Sure, your facing a rust repair bill, but once your 993 has been given attention to its' key areas, you may get to enjoy trouble free motoring for years to come. Just a thought.

993TurboS

I'm with Dean and Peter R on this one. There are a lot of cheap sedans that are completely reliable that you could leave outside and insure for next to nothing. Yeah, 496 HP is nice, but I've driven a lot of S-classes (not an S55, though), and I think they are becomeing dated in the way a DeLorean or 84 Cadillac is dated, whereas the 993 is dated as a '72 911 or 65 Mustang is dated.

Sure, I'd take the S55 and the 993, but given your constrants, why not consider a newer Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Lexus, Acura, or Infiniti, even certified pre-owned, for 20k and call it a week? Old luxury cars don't do if for me the way that old sports cars do anyway. The 2001 7 series and 2003 S55 both are ending their lives as cutting edge sedans. Get a new Civic and just drive the 993 more often to make up for it.

Amfab

About 12 years ago I got into an accident with my 3.2 Carrera. Nothing terrible but it was in the shop for a week. The insurance company got me an Acura rental car. Now being the summer in LA with old 911 A/C , the car never was that comfortable, I usually had the top off, and its loud relatively to other cars.

1st day:I settled into the Acura and I was thinking: "Wow! How comfortable, its reasonably zippy, the A/C kicks butt. Nice stereo. I can hear on the cell phone, people can hear me. . . Maybe I should sell the 911 and buy something like this."

2nd day: I hit a curved ramp at an interchange I almost lost it 'cuz I was used to coming in to it way faster than the Acura could, scared myself. Still, I thought, "once I get used to it it will be OK. . . its not as much a sports car, just pull back a little and you will be fine, its still really comfortable"

3rd day: No calls to make, I open the sunroof and the roads are open, not too much traffic, hmm, this car just doesn't have the . . . I dunno what.....

4th day: This car is kinda boring......

5th day Oh my god! I dont want to drive ANYWHERE, no life - I want my car back

You get the point

My friend was out of town a couple months ago and I borrowed her Turbo Beetle for a few days while I was doing some maintenance stuff on my 911. Same thing happened, after the 3rd or 4th day I wanted my 911 back

I have a 993 now and its been a maintenance pain since I got it a mont ago. But that is because it sat and was driven too infrequently, without being taken care of like it should have been. I can see by the way it was cleaned, it had this "taken to the car wash once a week" vibe to it. Some people buy these cars thinking they are like any other modern car.

With my 911, the first year of ownership, (I bought it used too) took a lot of this and that to get it where I wanted, then I drove it for 18 years maintaining it. I kept it so long because it was a wonderful car and was so durable. I drove it yesterday for someone to look at (its for sale now) and I was still amazed at what a great car it is.

The first couple years I owned the 911, a couple acquaintances commented on what an impractical car it was, from a financial standpoint as well as an everyday use standpoint. As far as everyday use - see the attached photo. From the financial perspective, that was in the late 80s they made those comments. . . . over 15 years with no car payments for me later, I bet they cant even remember the car they owned back then. I'll probably tear up when this one finally leaves my garage.

Depends a lot on how you see value.

Hopefully The 993 will be as good a car, although it does seems to be a bit more fragile than the 3.2. But when I'm winding through Topanga Canyon, or through the hills north of Santa Barbara, its a feeling that someone stuffing a $20 bill in my pocket every mile can't compare to.

So I look at it that way
Nothing is free. But everything is relatively equal.

If someone is calculating their budget, and how the monthly payment on a 60k MBZ factors in, they should also consider the extra value to their life that is lost not driving a 993.

The formula should look like this, but you have to figure the dollar value to you personally for each one:


+Sale price of the 993
-price of new MBZ
-price of MBZ maintenance
+Avg enjoyment per mile MBZ
-price of 993 maintenance
-Stress induced by over extending yourself upgrade 993 maintenance-wise
-Stress induced by complaints of significant other regarding above
-Stress induced by not wanting to induce stress in significant other
+Avg enjoyment per mile 993
+Enjoyment significant other gets from you being happy


If you are negative in the above equation, sell the 993

-Andrew

Amfab

Did I get the pluses and minuses right in the above post?...... god I hope so, otherwise I may have to sell my car.
-Andrew

They didn't say there was gonna be math

Ed Burdell

Topanga Canyon, what a perfect place to drive a Porsche!



Scratch what I said earlier, Steve - keep your 993. Figure out a way to make the maintenance cost bearable. You may have just hit a rough spot, and soon it will be relatively clear sailing ahead.

There is something about these cars that is insanely addictive. Sounds like you'll go through a horrible withdrawal if you let her go...

AOW162435

Steve,
A toughy for sure. Hopefully you find the right answer without too much lost sleep.

I think maintenance costs mean different things to different owners. Some of us are mechanically inclined and derive a great deal of satisfaction from completing a maintenance or modification task. Others would rather spend their time doing other things and pay for the work to be done. This is what makes all of us different, and what keeps our economy rolling right along.

If I reflect back on my 20 months of ownership, I have to say that the 993 has been utterly reliable - with zero mechanical, electrical or other problems. In fact, I've put more than 10,000 miles on it to date and look forward to owning this very 993 until I can no longer drive. I mean that.

That is not to say it’s been a cheap 20 months. In fact, far from it! Actual maintenance costs have been extremely reasonable, and I would limit those to the two oil changes I’ve performed. Everything else has been because I’ve simply wanted to refresh numerous aspects of the car that have aged over time. I immediately purchased new wheels and tires – big hit. Since then it’s been a steady stream of knick-knack parts that I felt warranted replacement. The list is very long, but in no way should be seen as a reflection on the PO’s care of the car. I just have certain standards and will continue to upkeep and preserve this specific 993. I purchased it for myself – not for the next owner. Every minute spent working on it or cleaning it brings me pleasure. I love the car I found and also have no desire of selling it for a Turbo or other variant. It just works fine as it is.

I too would like a nice sedan for daily driver use, but make do with my high-mileage 4Runner. Purchased new in ’01, it’s been almost completely trouble free and has served us extremely well. Getting into the 993 after driving the 4Runner all week is a wonderful gift. It makes me appreciate how special the 993 really is, and how functionally perfect the 4Runner is – for me.

If you decide to sell the C4S, I’ll take The Rattler!



Andreas

porscheralph

Hi Steve - if you want to drive one these guys have one for sale. http://www.funktionauto.com/carsfors...ls_amg_e55.asp
I think you know the place and I saw the car on Friday. I love them also and as soon as my divorce is final I will get one and keep my two Porsche's.

hddude

None of the cars you have mentioned owning or potentially owning logically make sense. Logically, you should buy a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, drive it for 200,000 miles or more and then replace it with another one. Luxury cars are terrible pocketbook decisions. I seem to recall hearing somewhere that Warren Buffett drives Buicks. Now that's a logical decision.

Personally, I have found the maintenance costs of my two 911s to be reasonable -- usually a few hundred bucks a year for my 993. But I only put a couple thousand miles per year on the car and I have not experienced the dreaded clogged SAI issue. As for any Mercedes, I have been told by people I trust that the quality of newer Mercedes is not up to the company's historical standards. I can't imagine trading my 993 for any Mercedes, and if I did, sound logic certainly wouldn't be the reason.

Wilder

There are many long posts here already so I'll keep mine short and sweet...

1 - There will never be any other car that drives and feels like your 993. You WILL miss it sorely if you sell. I speak from experience (see sig). Yours is not the only 993 out there and you can always buy another. That however would be economically ineficient which runs counter to your financial goal.

2 - If you're in a position where you have to make choices at your expense to keep the wife happy, so be it. In that case, sell the 993 and the 740 but I would consider an S6 before the S55. The S6 will be faster and more nible and will also give you AWD which I'm sure will come in handy where you live. Keep in mind however, that if you want to sell your car well, you'll have to repair the rust and the CEL anyway otherwise you'll probably take a bath, thereby defeating your financial goal yet again.

ron_dargenio

I am quite in agreement, especially point #1. Beyond that you can count me as one of those who just doesn't want to be without a 911 in the garage, ever.