993 advice please!
993 advice please!
Author
Discussion

c9jcw

Original Poster:

2 posts

234 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all
hello all

I'm looking at getting a 993 but am being "scared off" by people saying it will cost me thousands to maintain every year (i.e. £8-10K) and that it's not a car I should drive every day (which I would want to do).

I'd appreciate some advice from those that have one please...

kennyboy

641 posts

269 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all
Lots of people use a 993 every day - they are great.

Don't listen to the scare mongers - they clearly don't know 993's.

As you probably know they are built like tanks - though as with any high performance car they need regular maintenance.

Lots on here about using them everyday - main pointers for me are:

* do you have a good local indie - if not would you want to use OPC?
* have it inspected
* things that do go: shocks, clutch and discs though 2nd 2 should be in good condition as part of the sale IMO. I recently bought a 993 from Strasse and it needed a new clutch - I requested that a new one be put on at no cost as condition of sale.

Pickled Piper

6,452 posts

265 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all
You can us them every day. I would budget about 2K every year for upkeep, maintainance and general refurbishment.

pp

tertius

6,914 posts

260 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all
Pickled Piper said:
You can us them every day. I would budget about 2K every year for upkeep, maintainance and general refurbishment.

pp


Sounds about right. I service mine twice a year, but don't use it every day.

Unless of course you are very unlucky, which can happen with any carof course but if it happens with a Porsche the bill could be quite large.

POORCARDEALER

8,668 posts

271 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all


Get some decent security on it too, there has been a spate of 993s been nicked

colin993rs

68 posts

259 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all
I have run a 993C4 as my everday car for 18 months.

Major running costs to date:

Replace front and rear suspension bushes (inclu full wheel alignment) £ 630
Correct valve timing slip and replace oil pipes and seals £1,140
Replace worn 6th gear £1,400

Sundry maintenance and cosmetic items:

Fit HID headlights
eplace rear PU supports
Replace both bonnet supports
Replace rear wiper-arm (they do not like extreme cold) £2,200
Replace front electric window switches
Replace/repair elctric mirror and seat motors
Two 'annual' services

Rear P-Zeros pretty worn - will need replacement soon.

So, not a car without cost, but nowhere near the figure you have been quoted.

I put aside £300 a month for 'routine' maintenance for my two 993s - worked so far (dipping into other savings for the bigger items).


Formatting is rubbish - rear screen wipers are not that expensive.


Edited by colin993rs on Monday 30th April 18:40

johnfm

13,751 posts

280 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all
tertius said:
Pickled Piper said:
You can us them every day. I would budget about 2K every year for upkeep, maintainance and general refurbishment.

pp


Sounds about right. I service mine twice a year, but don't use it every day.

Unless of course you are very unlucky, which can happen with any carof course but if it happens with a Porsche the bill could be quite large.



Why do you service your car twice a year???

sidned

479 posts

246 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all
I use mine every day and it has never let me down in 2 years of ownership. Apart from regular services, she hasn't cost any more than your average hot hatch. A new clutch set me back around £650 fitted (it's a C4 and the engine does NOT have to be dropped for this) at Templeton's in Rushden, Northants, but I knew this when I bought the car. 105,000 on the original clutch is very reasonable!
The only expensive thing I've had to get used to is tyres. I run PZero all round and the last set only lasted 7,000 miles so I've just had to put a new set of rears on. The fronts have done over 10,000 miles and still have over 4mm of tread left. You can get different tyres that will last longer, but I wanted to keep the same make and style all round, so if the fronts need changing at the same time as the rears next time I'll consider something that will last a little longer.
Anyway, the depreciation on these cars is very small, if anything, so this should offset any outgoings.
Just make sure you get a thorough inspection before you commit and keep a couple of grand to one side for the unexpected and you won't go far wrong.
You only live once, and she makes me smile every time I drive her. Apart from a Turbo or GT3, I can't think of anything else I'd want to own and drive every day.


Edited by sidned on Monday 30th April 19:06

colin993rs

68 posts

259 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all
"You only live once, and she makes me smile every time I drive her. Apart from a Turbo or GT3, I can't think of anything else I'd want to own and drive every day."

Seconded (save possibly a Club Sport of either the 968 or 911 variety).


Edited by colin993rs on Monday 30th April 19:43

tertius

6,914 posts

260 months

Monday 30th April 2007
quotequote all
johnfm said:
tertius said:
Pickled Piper said:
You can us them every day. I would budget about 2K every year for upkeep, maintainance and general refurbishment.

pp


Sounds about right. I service mine twice a year, but don't use it every day.

Unless of course you are very unlucky, which can happen with any car of course but if it happens with a Porsche the bill could be quite large.



Why do you service your car twice a year???


Umm, good question, mainly because I don't use it every day, however, when I do use it it does get tracked, Vmax'd and the like, so a second service (which is not a full service, not much more than an oil change really) seems sensible and not expensive. Mind you it didn't save me from the rebuild so what do I know? rolleyes

MauriceC2S

230 posts

285 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
colin993rs said:
I have run a 993C4 as my everday car for 18 months.

I put aside £300 a month for 'routine' maintenance for my two 993s - worked so far (dipping into other savings for the bigger items).


I think your C4 has been unusually demanding - never heard of a worn 6th gear, for instance .. perhaps you bought in on a downward spiral ? Mileage, inspection ?

Touch wood, but in my 6 years ownership, the actual running costs on mine would average less than £1K, mostly using OPC. But it has been under extended warranty most of that time, although they made a good profit on that !

Upgrades is a different matter .. cheers, Maurice

robmug

1,047 posts

293 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
£2k per year seems to be the figure most often quoted these days, and I don't disagree, although some years I spend less...do 12,000 miles a year and that's one service only, probably one set of tyres and a bit towards a clutch, suspension and brakes.

I've done 60,000 miles in my 964 over 3+ years, and the clutch was the largest expense (but only because I also upgraded to RS flywheel and clutch at the same time.)

Regular use actually HELPS these cars. Sitting in a cold garage never going anywhere is not something a 911 enjoys.

£2k per year is a lot less than depreciation on many other cars...

leosayer

7,840 posts

274 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
colin993rs said:
Replace rear wiper-arm (they do not like extreme cold) £2,200

yikes

david hype

2,296 posts

282 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
c9jcw said:
hello all

I'm looking at getting a 993 but am being "scared off" by people saying it will cost me thousands to maintain every year (i.e. £8-10K) and that it's not a car I should drive every day (which I would want to do).

I'd appreciate some advice from those that have one please...


c9jcw, you have no need to be scared off a 993.

It just takes time to find the right one, there are plenty of good ones around. You just need to be patent and find one with a good history.

Find one that has had all of the usual jobs already done, make sure copies of the bills are there, to prove the work was carried out by someone that knows what they are doing. You need to find one with a full service history (Porsche or specialist)prefereably with the bills.

Search on here about what fails on most 993`s, make a list and use it to evaluate potential purchases. IMHO the more jobs that have been done, make it potentially a cheaper car to run.

The replacement of consumables (tyres, brakes and clutches) need be no worse than any other high quality car. Driving style and usage will always be a factor in this, but they are very usable everyday.

When you have done your homework and found what you think is a good car, get an inspection!


SNDa

1,107 posts

238 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
sidned said:
I use mine every day and it has never let me down in 2 years of ownership. Apart from regular services, she hasn't cost any more than your average hot hatch. A new clutch set me back around £650 fitted (it's a C4 and the engine does NOT have to be dropped for this) at Templeton's in Rushden, Northants, but I knew this when I bought the car. 105,000 on the original clutch is very reasonable!
The only expensive thing I've had to get used to is tyres. I run PZero all round and the last set only lasted 7,000 miles so I've just had to put a new set of rears on. The fronts have done over 10,000 miles and still have over 4mm of tread left. You can get different tyres that will last longer, but I wanted to keep the same make and style all round, so if the fronts need changing at the same time as the rears next time I'll consider something that will last a little longer.
Anyway, the depreciation on these cars is very small, if anything, so this should offset any outgoings.
Just make sure you get a thorough inspection before you commit and keep a couple of grand to one side for the unexpected and you won't go far wrong.
You only live once, and she makes me smile every time I drive her. Apart from a Turbo or GT3, I can't think of anything else I'd want to own and drive every day.


Edited by sidned on Monday 30th April 19:06



Darren,

I may get flamed, but I think yours looks great with MY02 18" Carreras.

verysideways

10,271 posts

302 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
Having put 80k miles on 4 993s in the last 5 years (one of which was a tt) i would say £2k a year is ample for a daily driver.
12k service costs me £210, 24k service costs me £365, rear pair every 6k miles at £370, front pair every 10k @ £260, and outside of that the usual brake discs, pads, and two clutches.
Only breakdown i've ever had was when my turbo threw the alternator belt. Once i got a new belt fitted and recharged the battery i was up and running again.

You WILL spend money on upgrades... wheels, seats, HID headlights, paint, exhausts, and so on

I've just worked out, i've spent more on tyres than all the other stuff put together!

david hype

2,296 posts

282 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
verysideways said:

You WILL spend money on upgrades... wheels, seats, HID headlights, paint, exhausts, and so on



Oh yes! yes

c9jcw

Original Poster:

2 posts

234 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
thank you all for your replies

is anyone able to recommend someone who could do an inspection in the Manchester/Cheshire area ? (I'm assuming that the usual RAC inspection wouldn't be good enough)

johnmaddox

141 posts

242 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
Most of the cost is more or less in the first few months of ownership. You always buy carefully but no-one seems to maintain them as well as they should !!

I spent about £2500 on mine to get it how I wanted but no cost apart from Diy servicing for last 2 years and I have used it a lot.

Pickled Piper

6,452 posts

265 months

Tuesday 1st May 2007
quotequote all
c9jcw said:
thank you all for your replies

is anyone able to recommend someone who could do an inspection in the Manchester/Cheshire area ? (I'm assuming that the usual RAC inspection wouldn't be good enough)


RAC and AA type inspections are completely useless with this type of vehicle. You need a Porsche specialist to inspect it. Someone will be along in a moment to recommend one in the Manchester / Cheshire area.

pp