SeanInLA

To begin the Accord is about 30K MSRP the Porsche is about 110K. I can do the simple math to come up with 80K more. But since I have not owned a Porsche I don't know what else to expect.

What is the Porsche going to cost me to operate the next 10 years/150K miles?


Here is what I pay for a Honda:

Gas: 87 unleaded; 16 mpg around town-26 highway (in CA some stop and go)

Maintenance:
Every 5K Oil change: $30
Every 15K Filters (air,cabin): $40
Every 30K Tune up 5 fluids (oil, trans, brake, coolant, ps) & filters: $400
Every 60K Tires: $600-700 set of 4 quality tires
Every 90K Timing Belt: $400

Insurance: Full Coverage - Average cost for CA. About $1200 year in CA.

Worry: Low, I don't worry about parking my Honda a the airport parking garage or in the street. People tend to leave them alone. Also, in Los Angeles the roads are littered with trash. So at least once a month I run into a tire retread or a box that fell of of a truck. (yes, this car will be my daily driver)

Fun: Medium; the V6 is quick 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds due to the high hp and low weight. They handle better then most domestic cars but it's not a BMW. It's easy to drive the car for 3-4 hours and not feel worn out. I drove a Mustang rental car and could not wait to get back to my Accord.

Tickets: This car does not attract attention. None. Zero.

The Honda warranty covers the car for about 50K miles; from 50K-100K miles they are solid. From 100K-200K miles Honda's usually requires about $300-500 of repair every 20K miles. (just misc stuff that adds up) After 200K it's better to just buy a new Honda to avoid trouble.

gota911

I drove a 996 for 3.5 years until June 1 of 2008. Since then I have driven a Honda Accord Coupe. The Accord is as good of a car as you mentioned above, but it is no Porsche. You will spend more on tires for your Porsche than you will spend on regular maintenance for the Honda, but it is worth every penny for the difference in enjoyment that the Porsche delivers.

I can't wait to get rid of my Honda and get a 997. Hopefully, that will happen sooner rather than later.

sbpsu354

There's another hidden cost to add to Tim's list. I too started with a 996.2, and then moved to a 997.1. Next will be a 997.2, and then.... See where I'm going?

VGM911

Porsche 997 C2S vs. Honda Accord cost of ownership? (Financial and Mental)

What a silly question! Thanks, OP, for bringing a smile to my face.

fgv1it

The biggest regular expense with a 997 will be tires: A set of rears every 10,000 miles or so, at $300-$500 each tire, balanced and mounted. A set of fronts, at $250-400 each, every 20,000 miles.

Next, regular services: a minor one every 15,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first, at ~$400-$750, depending on where you have it done. Major service every 40,000 miles or four years, at around $1000 - $1500.

Premium fuel only. Milage should be around 15-18 miles per gallon in mixed city/highway driving, although I have seen as high as 24 miles per gallon on sedate, long and steady highway driving.

If anything out of the ordinary breaks, parts and service are expensive. As a rough guide, figure two or three times Honda costs.

ADias

To the OP: With all due respect... if you have to ask about maintenance costs you do not afford a Porsche. This is not a snob reply. (i) A 911 is (even if used) far more expensive to buy than a Honda. (ii) even if it has no major issues, dealer maintenance costs more than Honda's. These are just facts. Draw your own conclusion.

springgeyser

I own both brands and do almost all the maintenance work myself. The only differences are the cost of the Porsche parts that hits the pocketbook much more deeply and my Hondas all lasted >190k. My 996's engine (93k), I am not sure how much life it has left.

The Honda Civic brings a smile to my face getting >38mpg commuting to work.
The 996 always brings a smile to my face driving it to the limit (legally).

Edgy01

Recall that a Porsche purchase is an irrational act--it's not simply transportation.

What you failed to include is the money saved in a shrink helping you over an inferiority complex. The Porsche helps you avert that expense!

Mike in CA

As others have pointed out, maintenence cost will be significantly higher for the Porsche; pick any given item and multiply by 3 as indicated in an earlier post and you'll be in the ballpark. Honestly, though, when the delta between the Honda and Porsche is $80,000, differences in service cost are pretty meaningless relative to your ability to make a case for affording one or the other. The old adage about comparing apples to oranges is overused, but in this case you really are. You should consider a car like the Porsche only if a) you really want one and b) you can afford the price of admission. Nothing at all wrong with owning an Accord, but I don't see the two as being substitutes for one another either in terms of automotive satisfaction or any kind of cost/benefit comparison.

Canyon56

This is the first time I've heard of somebody shopping a Porsche 997 and a Honda Accord. Honestly.

Weissach

Well, why stop there. If it were logic, the civic is even smarter.. Better yet, used...everyone knows the moment you drive of the lot you lost some big $$$. How about a sexy Corolaaaaa.....lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtlvPAAW0-0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtlvPAAW0-0

ClaylG

Simply asking about maintenance costs means the OP can't afford one?

jplanaux

I also came into Porsche from driving Honda products. I also knew exactly what my cost per mile was on the Honda vehicles.

>> What is the Porsche going to cost me to operate the next 10 years/150K miles?

I bought a new 2007 Carrera. I keep the Porsche maintenance costs low by keeping the car as a garage queen. I know this type of behavior is discouraged on this forum, but this is how I choose to spend my money. My daily driver is a BMW Z4 (ex garage queen). I am not saying that the costs of maintenance would be high, but having the Porsche as a second car hopefully will allow the life of this car to be extended to way into the future. I am fifty. I plan on retiring in five years. The Z4 will be worn out by then. Then I will transition over to the Porsche as my daily driver. I hope the Porsche will be my last car.

Depreciation is probably the main cost. I would assume that used is a better way to go, if money is the biggest concern. But if money is the biggest concern, then it is probably best to stay with a Honda.

cviles

I would point out the OP also asked about the "mental" cost to owning a p-car -- his "mental budget" if you will. Regardless of how much money he has in the bank, if he is not prepared to regularly spend the money required on simple wear-and-tear items like tires and fuel without regret or remorse, he is unlikely to enjoy the car. As Edgy01 pointed out, these cars aren't rational purchases for basic transportation. You buy a Porsche for its intangible properties as much as its ability to get you from point A to point B.

Why waste the purchase price if you're just going to spend the new few years grousing about how much it costs instead of smiling every time you get behind the wheel?

DRJMK

I have one waiting for you, Tim!