(OT?) Allmost makes the 993 look like a bargain (in $)
04-18-2011, 07:33 PM
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(OT?) Allmost makes the 993 look like a bargain (in $)
Our daughter's Subaru - 5 years old under 50k miles, blew a head gasket. From doing some reading on-line, it seems bad head gaskets are endemic to the 4 and 6 cyl. pancake engines of these cars. The dealer is asking about $2700 to replace both sides.
When I paid a bit over $2,000 for the 60k mile service on my '95 - three years ago, I thought "this is bad". Then I read up on doing the cam belt replacement on a Ferrari 308 or 328. Can cost up to $10,000 (if you do it at a dealer).
More reading, I've concluded maintenance costs on the '993 (I have it all done by a local indie shop) is not really that bad. Other than my 60k service, all the other work has been "routine". Oil/filter changes under $200. Next "big" service item will be front and rear brakes. I can see that the rotors are going to have to be replaced as well as pads. I'm expecting about $1,000 for this item. Again, over-all, these costs are not out of line with just about any other car.
The other point is every car I've ever owned (over 60) has had its weak points. Yeah, the '993 has the valve guide issue. But every other high performance car seems to have its issues. What other 16 year old car can be maintained for such a relatively low cost. Plus the market value of my '95 Cab has, in fact, gone up in the 4 years I've owned it.
When I paid a bit over $2,000 for the 60k mile service on my '95 - three years ago, I thought "this is bad". Then I read up on doing the cam belt replacement on a Ferrari 308 or 328. Can cost up to $10,000 (if you do it at a dealer).
More reading, I've concluded maintenance costs on the '993 (I have it all done by a local indie shop) is not really that bad. Other than my 60k service, all the other work has been "routine". Oil/filter changes under $200. Next "big" service item will be front and rear brakes. I can see that the rotors are going to have to be replaced as well as pads. I'm expecting about $1,000 for this item. Again, over-all, these costs are not out of line with just about any other car.
The other point is every car I've ever owned (over 60) has had its weak points. Yeah, the '993 has the valve guide issue. But every other high performance car seems to have its issues. What other 16 year old car can be maintained for such a relatively low cost. Plus the market value of my '95 Cab has, in fact, gone up in the 4 years I've owned it.
04-18-2011, 08:08 PM
#2
Yup, they are quite reasonable unless you open the engine (which seems simple). Some things like distributor & plugs or clutch are pretty difficult. Lot of stuff (like brakes) are a fairly easy DIY, if you are so inclined.
