taylor34

First time poster here with basically zero porsche experience, so I was hoping that some of the members here might be able to answer a couple questions here.

I've been doing a bunch of research into possibly buying a porsche boxster or 996, and I'm aware of the IMS bearing issue and some other minor things that happen.

What I don't know though is how much a boxster or 996 costs to use on a yearly basis, for say like 5000 miles. I read that oil changes can be expensive, but I can't really tell if I'm going to be nickel and dimed to death if I buy one. Basically, what I'm trying to avoid is buying a car in the $10k to $20k range but then have it cost me $3k a year in expenses. I was originally looking at c5 Corvettes but I'm not sold on the interior in that car, so I'm expanding my scope some to c6's and the only modern porsche's I can afford, lol. It was never an option before now for me, so I'm trying to expand my horizons some. This car would be driven by both myself and my wife. I'm 6'4", so I know my height will make a boxster pretty tight possibly.

Probably the biggest thing that concerns me is that when I look at used vehicles, I see tons of c5/c6 corvettes in high 100k mileage and even some boxsters up that high, but not very many 996's. So I don't know if that's because:
a) nobody drives them to that high of mileage
b) the repair costs at some point cause it not to be worth it anymore
c) the car just physically isn't meant to go that high (which kind of is like b)

I'm just in the dark about a lot of that stuff, and I've been reading a ton to catch up, but most of the responses I read haven't covered those subjects (or they weren't specific with numbers). I've owned cars like c) where the repairs were literally more than the car was worth (had a Ford probe in college that eventually got to be that way). Would prefer not to do that again.

I'm just trying to educate myself before making a possible mistake. Thanks in advance for any responses, I appreciate it.

DBJoe996

It's a Porsche! It's like a high-strung race horse, if you can't afford it don't buy it. Factor in 3-4 times the normal cost for replacement parts. If you are not a Do-It-Yourself type of person, 3K a year on a close to 20 year old 996 is nothing. Don't plan on driving to the nearest Jiffy Lube for an oil change. There are 2 million modes of failure (joking) and it will get expensive. If you start with the right car with the right maintenance records, that would be a good start. It is not a Toyota so you have to really love the car and spend the money on it. Mine is at 141K and it is simple logic with long-term car maintenance...it needs stuff replaced. So I spend the money and move on, because it is just such an awesome car. And I am a DIY person. No one else has touched my car for repairs/maintenance. I told my wife when we bought the car that it was going to be all in DIY wrenching, so sometimes the car is going to be down for days while I repair it. Same goes for our other car. Just the way I like to do it.
A DIY oil change @ twice a year w/filter will run you around $200. A dealer will charge you around $400 each oil change, and Indy around $150-$200 per oil change. Just for example....let's not talk about coils/plugs, starters, AOS, water pumps and thermostats, clutch and brake items, shocks, battery's and so on wear items.....

AWDGuy

$2500-$5000/year.

budget this. If you don't spend this, the extra in the account will be for your rebuild. And it will need to be rebuild. Between 100 and 150k km usually. Wether it's because you need to replace brittle timing chain pads or because​​​​​​ your cylinders are scored, it will need a rebuild.

Woodman71

As you have perhaps ascertained from this forum, this comment of yours:

"c) where the repairs were literally more than the car was worth (had a Ford probe in college that eventually got to be that way). Would prefer not to do that again."

Can be absolutely 100% true if an engine goes south. If mine grenaded today, I would most likely opt to sell it as a roller rather than spend more than my original price on a proper engine rebuild.

As far as yearly costs, that's a bit of a crapshoot and there's no real way to estimate them with these cars, IMO. I've read of people who buy seemingly perfect cars who suddenly have expensive problems, and vice versa.

ejdoherty911

Taylor34, the best advice I can give you is that owning a Porsche 996 is NOT the best choice for anyone on a budget or worried about maintenance costs. It's really not. There is no such thing as a "cheap" Porsche 911, it doesn't exist. If you are stretching your budget to get into that high mileage "cheap" 911 which "only" costs $15,000 it probably needs maintenance, a lot. A suspension refresh will run $4,000 easily once all is said and done. I would go for the very best Corvette you can afford. Get the newest one possible with maintenance records. Spend the money up front for the very best example. This is also true for a 911 but the very best examples won't come cheap.

Here's my actual experience: 2002 911 purchased with 117,000 miles on it for $15,900. Then I had to put about $10,000 into it to get it right and driving like a Porsche 911 should. That included wheels and tires all around, new keys, entire suspension, water pump, alternator, starter, ATF fluid and filter, differential, alignments, on and on.

Nickshu

This is accurate...they are all $25-30K cars. You either buy a cheaper one then spend the balance on maintenance and repairs or you spend it up front for one that is nice and well sorted.

Dr_Strangelove

996's are exactly this. Sorry to tell you :/

jllphan

^THIS. I paid $22k for an 03 C4s last Sept that upon a PPI was made aware of two things: 1. It was a pretty solid car and 2. Needed some maintenance. This was perfect for me as I'm a DIY'r.

Since purchase I've:
-Replaced the coolant tank, fluid flush, water pump, thermostat and several hoses
-It's currently in the shop for a new clutch, RMS and IMSB (didn't wanna tackle any of this myself and was part of my plan). While they have it, they're also gonna do a AOS, brake fluid flush and inner/outer cv boots

So I'll have an additional $8k into a car i just bought (again, all part of the plan).

And once back home, I plan to do a full brake refresh, suspension refresh and new wheels and tires. Once all that's done, I'll have a 15 year old car with 100k on the clock, which means it's only a matter of time before it needs something else.

Worth it? No, not to most. But a vette wasn't even in the running when it came time to buy a new car. If it is for you, go that route as it's a lot more bang for the buck. Just do yourself a favor and don't drive a C5 and a 996 back to back. Not saying a C5 is a bad car, it's just not a 911.

RSBro

These are still $85-100k cars when new (mine stickered a tad over $100k), so when they break, they still cost what Porsches cost. 996s are a good value right now because the air-cooled snobbery is quite high, and this model did have some teething issues and people won't let it rest with the headlights...
But like an early 00's Ferrari, Lambo, Jag, etc., the maintenance is still going to cost today what they cost new to keep up (if not more in some cases), so yeah, plan accordingly. All IMO anyway. I mostly bought a 996 to test the practicality of a 911 as one of two family cars, and so far it's shining through well, but that also means I'll be upgrading to a 991.1 even sooner than expected if I start to experience major issues with mine more frequently.

hatchetf15

cds72911

lol, even the $6K car ends up costing you $25-30. Spend it on buying a nicer one to start with...

taylor34

Sounds like it's what I feared, I shouldn't get into a vehicle like this unless I'm ready to commit some more serious cash for continual maintenance. Bummer.

While I'm here, does anyone have an suggestions for something I might look at in the $10k to $20k price range that I haven't thought of? I was looking for something sporty that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to maintain, but also has to get decent gas mileage and actually fit someone of my 6'4" height. I'd been through this list:

Honda S2000--too small
BMW Z3--too small
C5 corvette--interior just isn't great, wasn't a fan
c6 corvette--I like but really presses the price range
porsche boxster and 996--too expensive to maintain
viper--too expensive
pontiac solstice--not my favorite

Basically something fun that I or my wife could drive for trips, work sometimes, etc. My height causes major issues with a lot of the candidates unfortunately. I don't really want anything newer that's still rapidly depreciating, nor anything that's too common (you're probably like Vette's are common, but in the midwest US they aren't). I'm sure there are options I'm missing. Maybe there aren't any other options.

Thanks for all the info on the maintenance, that's really good to know. Maybe someday when the kids are grown I'll think about it again.

jandackson

Woodman71

I was about to say Penn from Penn & Teller is 6' 5" and owns three Minis. But Minis aren't known for their massive reliability, at least not like a Miata. But they are fun to drive.

jllphan