Skip to main content

Porsche 911: Six Month Report

Overview

Writing about the 911 was planned from the beginning.  To that end, I'm periodically recording my thoughts and experiences regarding what it's like to live with a 10 year old Porsche on a daily basis.  Without further ado, here's the six month report.

Maintenance & Repairs

One of the goals of this little adventure is to see how much it costs to operate a 911 on a daily basis.  As mentioned earlier, this car is not a garage queen.  It's used as...well...a car.  As such, it not only has to put a smile on my face as we cruise through the canyons, it must get me to work and back reliably.  In the first six months of ownership, the following work was performed:

Pre-Purchase

  • Replace AOS (symptom - oil leak) 
  • Install new clutch kit (clutch disk, pressure plate, throwout & pilot bearings, shift fork)
  • Replace left AC condenser
  • Replace window regulator
  • Replace accessory belt & idler pulleys
  • Replace grounding strap

Unexpected Repairs

  • Ignition coils.  Proactively replaced plugs.  Cost after warranty - $290
  • Water pump.  Proactively replaced thermostat.  Cost after warranty - $580

 Maintanence

  • Oil change.  $130
The work performed as a result of the pre-purchase inspection would have cost ~5K at the dealer.  It was done free of charge for me by the seller, Carmax.  Without the warranty, the coils & water pump would have cost $1000 and $1500, respectively.  The unexpected repairs could have cost me less, but it would have been silly not to proactively replace the plugs and thermostat.  The above seems like a lot because it is.  It drives home the importance of a PPI and maintenance records.  Had a PPI not been performed, the 5K for the work specified in the first set of bullets would have come out of my account.  Likewise for the service records.  This car was in need of some deferred maintenance that was fortunately covered by the warranty.  In lieu of service records proving the required maintenance has been performed, I'd strongly recommend a warranty to cover the cost of anything that pops up.  Better yet - get both.

Executive Summary - total cost: $7500, out-of-pocket: $1000.

The Drive

Now that the bean counting is out of the way, it's time to address the question - "How's it do as a daily driver"?  The answer is - quite well.  The 911 has a reputation for being easy to live with on a daily basis.  Based on my experience over the last six months, that reputation is well deserved.  It's a bit loud over certain surfaces, but cruises comfortably on the highway.  I'd drive this car across the country with no reservations.  In addition to being a fantastic cruiser, it's a capable canyon carver.  I'll run out of guts long before the car runs out of grip.  It's unobtrusive enough that I can part it almost anywhere and slides under the radar most of the time.  My STi received *much* more negative attention, both from the local constabulary and bone-headed drivers of other fast metal.  I've only been challenged once at a stoplight & it was from an older gentlemen in a brand new Jaguar F-type Coupe R.  Unwilling to boost his ego, I refused to bite.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I'm satisfied with the purchase.  It's both a pleasure to commute in anda blast to fling around our local mountain roads.  The repairs can largely be attributed to deferred maintenance.  Frankly, I was expecting stuff like that to pop up and bought the warranty to lessen the sting.  Hopefully, it treats me well over the next six months.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2015 WRX STI - Changing gears

I bid farewell to the Porsche about six weeks ago.  It was a fantastic car to drive, but nagging and potentially expensive issues convinced me that it was time to let it go.  Coming as a surprise to absolutely nobody, I bought a 2015 WRX STI.  Here she sits, dirty and about 2 miles outside of the break-in period on one of my favorite driving roads: It's good to be back in Scooby.  As an prior owner of a GD STi, I can say this is a very different car.  The interior is a much nicer place to be and they finally sorted the chassis tuning.  The steering feedback is great, turn-in is fantastic and the car is a much more competent handler than any prior stock STI.  Actually, this STI is *almost* as composed in the twisty bits as the Evo X (yeah, I had one of those, too).  The inside of the STi is a much nicer place to be.  It's not luxurious, but it's far better than the late sixties eastern bloc motif sported by the Evo.  In addition ...
Post a Comment
Read more

1995 NSX - 1 Year Report

Unlike the 911, the NSX has been an easy car to own.  After catching up on some deferred maintenance, it required a set of tires at the six month mark.  That trend continues past the year mark.  Since having the tires installed, I performed an oil change.  I'm beginning to think reporting on life with the car at six month intervals is overkill (knocks on wood).  Life with the Porsche meant being on a first name basis with a service advisor at our local Porsche dealer.  In contrast, life with the NSX has settled into the pattern: drive, add gas & check oil, occasionally wash.  Repeat. Not surprisingly, the oil change was easy.  I followed the instructions on the NSX Prime Wiki with one modification.  To prevent the oil from the filter draining on the rear suspension components,  I placed newspaper, folded at crease, over the suspension before removing the filter.  As planned, the oil drained over the paper into the oil pan, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

1995 NSX - Six Month Report

Six Month Report The NSX adventure got off to rocky start, so I was unsure of how the car was going to treat me after the somewhat eventful drive home.  After taking car of the initial round of issues, the NSX required the following things during its first six months in my care: Tires Yep, that's it.  Tires .  My experience with this particular car is consistent with what other owners have said - parts are expensive, but the NSX is a reliable vehicle if maintained properly. That being said, getting tires was somewhat of an adventure.  I ordered a set of four Michelin Pilot Sports from Discount Tire (yeah, yeah...I know).  The tires arrived after a bit of a wait & I rolled down the canyon for an early Saturday appointment.  The NSX was too low for the shop's floor  mounted lift, so they dispatched a couple guys with floor jacks.  I explained to the manager the proper procedure to jack the car.  He acknowledged me and went about hi...
Post a Comment
Read more