hddude

I have had my 993 for 4 years and do all scheduled maintenance. I have spent very little over those four years, no more than for my daily driver Honda Accord. The car runs and looks great and has been "like any other modern car." One of the things I have loved about my 911's is that they really aren't routine maintenance nightmares like exotics such as Ferrari's. BTW I live in a large city (Phoenix-area) and fortunately have been able to find an independent Porsche-only shop which knows my car well. The owner, a veteran Porsche mechanic, actually does much of the work on it himself. His labor rates are less than my Honda's shop and he caters to owners who tend to be of somewhat modest means, i.e., he is not greedy like the stealership.

95 C4 993

I thought your wife just got a new Acura TL? She ought to get rid of that, you get rid of your BMW, buy the Mercedes for your wife, and you keep your Porsche. Of course if your wife doesnt like the MBS55, your back to the bats.

Now you have went from 3 cars to 2 and any additional $$ you dump in to your Porsche is easily justified becasue you have elimated a 3rd car, insurance, and the cost of ownership because there will be none.

Of course, my household has 4 cars so I know all about the ongoing maintaince costs. Im glad 2 of the 3 of mine are paid for and the 3rd is about 1.5 years away from being paid off. That just opens the door for Porsche # 2 !!

chris walrod

LOL! Same here, only my 993 feels like a rocket after driving my daily Scion xB, 86 hp in all

Berkley

You've got some expensive things to take care of now:
-your bride
-your Porsche
-your BMW
-your lust for expensive watches
-your desire for expensive trips
-your bride's expensive taste

I am sure there are more to add to the list. The ones noted above are those you have talked about in the past.

When you buy used high performance cars out of warranty you have to expect high cash costs......If you buy an '04 MB/AMG out of warranty you are still in the same place......there are good reasons why folks hedge and sell

There is the old addage about "needs versus wants" What do you really need Steve?

Everyone can tell you what they would do, but we are not crawling in your marital bed every night

The most expensive brands to maintain for me have been BMW and Mercedes and not Porsche....I have one now that is going soon; a '03 ML 500 with less than 40,000 miles....to be replaced by a new '07 E350 SW 4Matic

Good luck

Amfab

hddude thats good to hear. Ive just been reading RL too much lately, making a lists of things I need to do and I am a bit overwhelmed in the last month with maintenence items, as it seems Steve is.
I know my DIY/Cash outlay will stabilize once I get everything sorted out.
-Andrew

f8vr993

Hi Steve,
Here is my 2cents worth on your situation...
1)S55 is not all DAT. One of my collegue bought his then new S55 AMG version for his retirment 2 years ago. I drove it and thought it was a nice dragster(HP!) but still felt like a boat, no a yacht.

2)If you must consolidate then my suggestion is sell the 7's(did you know that 7 was one of the highest maintenance car during that period?) and 993 but why not consider 2000~2004 BMW M5! Have you driven that car?

3) My final advice would be sell the 7 and keep the 993 and buy a cheap DD car. I DID!!

993TurboS

Sounds like a consensus is building!

air eater

Buy an extended MB warranty if you buy this AMG car. My wife owned a 2002 CLK500 for four years (41,000 miles) that thankfully was under the factory warranty the entire time. What a piece of junk! I can't remember how many times it was in for something. She drove the loaners nearly as much as her own car.
Did she learn from that? NO! She goes out a buys a new 2006 SL55. Granted it now only has 8000 miles, it has been to the dealer several times for the usual MB software or hardware issues.
It runs like a scalded cat when everything is right.
My daily driver is a 2002 LandCruiser with over 100,000 hard mountain and MX. beach miles. Problems? Nah!
Oil, gas, filters, four tires and one battery in nearly five years.
Moral of the story: German cars though pretty and fast need to send their QC people across the Pacific for a lesson on how to put them together

FLYT993

IMHO, keep the 993 they're too precious.

If you check consumer reports (I've found their ratings and statistical data to be very accurate) you'll find the MB has alot of black circles where reliability/dependability are concerned. Hence, if an S55 breaks, it's going to be $$$$$$$$$$$. Get yourself a Toyota/Lexus DD. I have a 4Runner and LS400. All they require is regular maintenance and they perform flawlessly. Your running costs would be greatly reduced.

jdistefa

Steve,

You've got lots of good advice here. I would second/add two points:

1) Sell the 7-series, it's full of electronic crapola that's going to break someday, probably sooner than later. Buy an 'appliance' as a DD. I've got a 2004 VW TDi wagon; $1k in good springs and Konis, and the rest is oil changes and an occasional car wash. Plus: 900km to a tank of diesel. Easy, and will run forever until the body rots off.

2) I've driven the 2004 MB E55. It's a sled, goes like stink in a straight line, but has numb steering and minimal 'butt' feel. Skip it, you'll get bored asap after a 993.

Good luck!

Terry Adams

We bought a loaded '07 CLK 550 and a loaded '07 Lexus IS 350, each with identical extended warranty. $4200 on the CLK and $1700 on the Lexus. I think there is a message there about expected service costs.

I got the Lexus for those short trips when you can't warm up the oil in the 993. A hoot to drive - 306 HP, shift paddles, 18" wheels - but it's no 993.

95 C4 993

FWIW, depreciation vs. maintenance on the 993's seems to be pretty good. I have put $14k in my 95 C4 in the last 4 years. Probably $10k of that is in performance mods and upgrades. Maybe a $1k ($4k in 4 years) a year average for service, tires, misc. things on average. I only average about 5000 miles per year.

Bought it for $36k ($38 and change with taxes) with 33k on it. Take out the modes and add another $4k on top of it for service and tires. So from a "normal" standpoint of a 95 C4 993, I would have about $42k in with out the mods (choices we make with our cars)

Name me vehicles that are 12 years old, that are still worth nearly 72% of what you have into them after ownership of 4 years? Being conservative, Im basing the value of my 95 C4 with a laundry list of upgrades at $30k.

Janis Joplin, bless her heart, but "Oh Lord wont you buy me a Mercedes Benz..my friends all drive Porsches...I must make amends" You know deep down inside she's laughing at the Mercedes drivers while she cruised around in her 1965 Porsche Cab Super C!

csertich

Not long after I bought my 993, I realized my automotive life had taken a drastic turn. In all my previous car purchases in the last 20 years or so, I was always chasing an improved level of looks, performance, etc. I found after about a week with the 993, the chase was over. This is what I wanted. Everything came together in this car to me. I had been trying to replicate the 'feel' of the '73E I had over twenty years ago. There'd be too many regrets if I were to sell my car.

Think it through carefully. In the end, do what your heart tells you.

I have a 2004 Acura TSX as my DD and it's a nice compromise between luxury and economy (26 mpg).

Best of luck. There's lots of fun cars out there. How about an Audi RS4?

chuck

Steve 96C4S

[QUOTE=porscheralph]Hi Steve - if you want to drive one these guys have one for sale. http://www.funktionauto.com/carsfors...ls_amg_e55.asp
QUOTE]

I appreciate that link, but that the E55. I want an S55 . 469 HP on the E55 isn't enough - I need the 496 of the S55. Yeah, I need that much HP like a hole in the head...

Ok, so you guys are really starting to make sense with the whole "keep the 993, sell the high maintenance dollar nightmare 740i and buy a Honda Accord for a daily driver".

In theory, that does make all the sense in the world. The problem is that I've been driving 3 - 740i's over the last 8 years, a 91 M5, an 87 535is, her 95 540i and 91 850i, and a 1974 2002 before that... and it'll be really hard to go from the BMW culture to ...a 1 or 2 year old Honda Accord.
Not that there's anything wrong with a Honda Accord. A doctor friend of mine who had a new 745i BMW and new Acura MDX decided to downsize and get a DX, simple, barebones Honda Accord brand new for about $16500 and loves it. He was tired of the maintenance and high dollar gas usage. Frankly, I can't imagine doing what he did, but if it means keeping my 993 in the process, it might be worth it.

I guess I lost sight of how great my car is due to temporary problems. Not having driven it in weeks now, it's not fresh in my memory.

Steve R

Steve 96C4S

[QUOTE=95 C4 993]I thought your wife just got a new Acura TL? She ought to get rid of that, you get rid of your BMW, buy the Mercedes for your wife, and you keep your Porsche. Of course if your wife doesnt like the MBS55, your back to the bats.
QUOTE]

She got the Acura RL because it's all wheel drive and fits 4 to go to the ski slopes with, so that's why she didnt' get the S55. Plus, she LOVES that Acura more than any other car she drove including a 2005 Audi A8 AWD. She found the MB S500 4matic too big and ponderous and the back seat wasn't all that comfortable to her...

But thanks for the suggestion.

Steve R