@@DerpEye I mean, it is middle class. An university graduate easily earns 80k annually, a 30 year old should be at around 90-100k. At that point, if you like your cars, you can easily afford a car like this if you take care of it.
@@DerpEye the most overused and meaningless word, how many times have you heard someone say that they are upper or lower class versus middle class.....
one of the best reviews ive watched so far and I didn't skip a single second, I actually rewinded some of the information you presented and even got out my money converter out just to follow through and get an idea for myself. thank you soo much ive added this to my favourites for further review
I’ve spent a lot on mine over 4 years but I’ve never had major issues or a breakdown. It has been completely reliable. But I have completely renewed the suspension and have had the electrics overhauled. I’ve been through three front splitters. The air conditioning still needs to be fixed. Overall about £12,000 over four years.
Have a 2020 Triple Black Panamera 4 (my favorite) and Artic Silver Black Wheels 2001 911 Turbo. My goal is to add a red 944 Turbo to the mix! I have to have all three!
It would be worth noting if the Porsche service was with main dealer (Porsche) or independent specialist. I would assume because you don't mention it, that it was the former? Can you confirm please? Thanks
It was not done at the Porsche dealer. I have been having my cars serviced for a long time by my local garage, which used to be an indy and now has become a Honda/Peugeot dealership. They do good work and work mostly on other brands (to quote the owner: "If we only serviced and repaired Hondas we could not afford to keep the workshop open". Their rates are reasonable for Switzerland (CHF 125.-/h vs. CHF 200.-/h at Porsche).
take into account normal car deprrcistion of say 10-15k and figures change dramatically. German cars atr jusy endless moneypits - overengineered and insanelly expensive services not sttributsble to anything else but greed. I.e. original VW oil is 33€/l at dealer and 7€ over the net.
Very interesting video. I've had mine for about 3.5 years and I'm averaging $5-6k/year USD to own it so far. Had to deal with lots of deferred maintenance for a nearly 20 year old car - new clutch/slave, 2 batteries, welded the coolant lines, starter, water pump, tires, washer fluid tank, fuel tank sending unit and several other small things. They're fairly reliable cars once you've sorted them, but definitely have a slush fund at the ready for when stuff goes wrong! They also like to be driven.
Did you have your IMS bearing replaced? Ive had two mechanics tell me independently not to bother replacing it and it was more of a 'scare'. Just bought my first 996, 2002 Cabriollet - 40K miles, one owner. Still nervous about not replacing the bearing in spite of my mechanics reccomendation.
Kinda like a the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head. It can go or it won't.. It's not an issue with Twin Turbos. I just drove the hell out of my Turbo, loved every second. Enjoy your ride..
Tks for vid. The Porsche 996 Turbo the best of the old and new. Awesome Le mans racing style with the famous Rock solid Mezger engine a pure and beautiful, everyday all weather urban icon.
Thoroughly enjoy your pod casts. Honest, great delivery accurate facts that can be applied in real life. Thank you for your time and effort regarding the production of the cast. Keep up the great work.
996 Turbo is VERY Expensive!! > 1st year: Turbo Upgrades, new exhaust ~$15,000 > 2nd year: Racing Coil Overs, sway bars ~ $11,000 > 3rd year: Fancy HRE Wheels, new tires ~ $10,000 See it all adds up, LOL.
Very comprehensive review and pragmatic data on true ownership. Too many people buy these cars cheap and either do cheap repairs or cannot afford to repair them.
Should have kept this car, put it in the garage under a blanket in 10-20 years it will be worth heaps... not sure how many there are in Switzerland or Germany.. Not many in Australia. This is an iconic car, you have great taste in cars.. SL 55, SL500, 911 turbo, GTR,, just got to add the 930 turbo ..
Thanks for the informative review. The 996 TT is a gift that keeps on giving. Prices in the US are up more than 20% for 2020-2021. But my question is ... how did you manage to get 11.9l/100km? That's an exceptionally good value! You seem to drive "spirited" and that usually means 15l/100km with these cars. Well done, Sir!
I drive spirited when pushing but in normal driving I tend to drove at low revs. I accelerate quickly and immediately shift into a high gear. Also, lots of motorway driving helps keeping consumption down. That said, 996 Turbos are just phenomenaly fuel efficient in my opinion. I mean, beside a 1.2l Lancia Y the 996 has been the most fuel efficient cae I have ever owned.
This a super useful review! I'm in university and I wanted a car to replace or add my 1994 M5 (since it's quite expensive to maintain, mostly because of the inexistent support of BMW M in my country that times) and I was so interested in a 911 Turbo and it seems it's a great option, even better than the M5 I own, good gas mileage, reliable and beautiful. This review opened my eyes and now I want to sell my M5 and get myself a 911 Turbo, it's my dream car and it's surprisingly inexpensive to maintain, thank you so much.
Great video but a few comments: 75km/h average over the age of a 911 can also be an indication that the car has been tracked. So rule is to look for 50-60km/h average. Also replacing the car stereo and the whole winter wheel story isn’t properly speaking a maintenance or service cost, more of a choice. Then insurance and fuel cost are also variable country to country. So what you are really saying is that in 3 years and 60,000km the car service and maintenance - a car you bought at near 150,000km- cost less than $5,000 in total service. For a near super car that’s quite amazing!
Excellent video. I have watched quite a few about buying and owning "cheap" 911 models, but this one was the best; very informative, and gave a good feel for what the experience might be like. Well done Sir.
They are great cars, but my advice to anyone considering buying one is, get the cam chains replaced by a specialist Porsche dealer as a matter of course. It'll cost a couple of grand but worth it for peace of mind. It is the engines only weak link (no pun intended) I speak from bitter experience!
I thinking about buying one. I wonder what the us cost of what you spent on service with your car. I really would love to own one but I’m terrified of the upkeep
I reckon the US will be about 25% less. Parts will be similarly priced, but labor should be considerably less expensive than Switzerland. It's certainly going to be more expensive than owning a Kia but downright cheap compared to a Ferrari. If you can put aside/budget ~2.5k a year for repairs and maintenance, then you should be alright. Of course, it depends on how much and how hard (racetrack) you drive. If you only do 5k mls of street driving per year then you could go 2-3 years between services. Stuff will obviously break as it is an old car. But really, they are very well built cars.
Nice video - also good to mention these cars are very easy to work on. For example, I replaced coils and spark plugs myself, and cost of parts was only $250. I have owned mine for a year now and maintenance has been low so far. With these cars it's easy to get carried away with modifications, like suspension, exhaust, tune. If you can resist that urge, it's actually a very affordable "super car" to own and still holds its own 17 years later. Can't see myself ever selling mine. Like you said, even saying $5-6 k a year in costs - I've seen cars depreciate twice as much as that. Knowing I will sell this car for what I paid for it makes a huge difference.
That's the way to do it! I am too lazy/incompetent to do the work myself, so I spend more money at the garage. If you can do it yourself, a 996 Turbo can be really quite a cheap super car. I also understand the urge to 'upgrade' the car - I might have the only Nissan GT-R on the planet that is completely stock as I just see no point in spending loads of money making the car even faster (and possibly less reliable).
But what about the BIG questions?? Did the Porsche get you laid? Did it help you marry rich? Got you free valet and into any world class Swiss ski slopes? Score you high roller entires and world class negotiations? Otherwise, you’ve completely missed the marketing caché of Porsche’s “There is no Substitute” slogan. I sense you’ve been preoccupied with finding loose change & fucking around for days changing dash screens. Cudos Though on (1) the increased sale’s value, and (2) otherwise letting your seller pay the depreciation. Don’t sweat the small stuff! Stay thirsty my friend!
I sadly have the same front bumper issue with my MX-5, including some overlooking it when they reverse from the spot parallel to my spot and turn their wheel to early, meaning they also scrape my front wheel arch :( So I've learned to try and park with the front up to a wall and similar when ever possible. Some people should just not be allowed to drive.
I hear you, brother. At some point I even considered installing a dash cam, but didn't as I learned that they are not great at recording in such instances where they have to wake up once they register a bump.
I bought my 2002 996TT brand new. I've now had it 24 years. It has about 80,000 miles (not km) on the clock. My only significant expense over the 24-year period has been a new clutch. When I had the work on the clutch done at the closest Porsche dealership to me, (replacing the clutch is 0bviously an engine-out repair and I don't have the facilities for dropping the engine) I also had them install a new flywheel, pressure plate, throwout bearing, etc. All other repair and maintenance work (oil changes, tire switches, etc.) I do myself. Smaller expenses: the usual rear wing hydraulics and a clutch slave cylinder, each about $400-$500. I also did a brake job myself, replacing the pads but the rotors were fine. So not counting fuel, insurance, taxes, oil, filters, etc., and license plate fees (which have to be paid for any car), let's say I've spent repair and maintenance costs that total of about $16,000 in 24 years, for a yearly cost of $667/year. Of course, the car has depreciated a lot from its initial cost but prices are going up and who knows? Modifications: I have good spray equipment and knowledge, so I've painted the seat backs, rear square bumper pads and the front bumper the same color as the bodywork (slate grey). I also masked and painted the headlight area and the headlight area now looks pretty much like a 991 if you don't look too closely. My experience is obviously not typical, as I am a PhD engineer and have built race cars and engines, but for me, the 996TT has been a wonderful car. I don't actually plan to sell it ever.
The 996 Turbo has been in my sights since 2016. Unfortunately I couldn't afford it back then and now they've gone up by about €20000 so it's still out of reach...😕 Will have to make due with the 1989 944S2 Cabriolet I already have for now.
You made more money on the Porsche than all the rest of the cars. I suspect you don't miss it too much. I hope the insurance company covered the backing incidents. I've heard the oil must be changed on those Turbos. Glad you like the GTR's. The 996 is a great car. The headlights get no love. AF
I am having a great deal of trouble believing you paid a guy 30k francs for that car in 2014...a casual look online couldn't find a turbo under 40k Francs 6 years later. A cheap Porsche 911 is a 996 Carrera Coupe. Besides, what is the point of a sports car in Switzerland...when you get a ticket for something like 2km over the speed limit. I loathe having to driver there on business, lol. In 3 years...did you neglect your oil changes??? No mention of that that I noticed.
I've heard a lot that to have a porsche car in Swityerland is extremely expensive on running costs. But 6-7k per year don't looks expensive at all. I'd say it's around same like in other countries.
Why do I watch this? To get knowledge of the cost of ownership of a 996 Turbo. Why do I enjoy watching this? Becasue Swiss Car Guy could read a phone catalog and it would still be super interesting.
An average below 80Km/h does not mean the odo has been tampered with... if you live in the city, you may simply make most of your driving in slow traffic and spend endless hours in stop and go. I would look for other indicators such as worn pedal tops, steering wheel, side bolster of the seat etc. I would be surprised if my average is 50 ;)
Nice well broken down review, I’ve owned 2 Porsche’s I still have my present one never looked back, although my present one is a second car I only use it in descent weather. my other car is my company car, so I can afford to keep the Porsche just for fun.
Good discussion - but I would separate maintenance/depreciation from upgrades for instance - and what costs were specific to the 996 over other cars as well. Every car consumes tires, fuel, needs insurance for instance, and choosing to upgrade a stereo is not a function of the cars reliability, that was your choice. If you factor all those costs out, how to the numbers look, compared to another similar level of car? Comparing this car's costs to say a Honda Fit makes no sense. I have been lucky, I drive air cooled cars (currently a 993 Turbo) and due to good timing, my total costs including fuel are less than what the car has appreciated! .. :-).
Great review, I’ve never sold a Porsche for less than I paid. I bought my ‘03 Turbo for $32k, with only a broken spoiler mechanism. This led to inventing a new wing lift system and business. :o)
I have been living in the Suisse Romande side. Great video. I would recommend you get a Goluk camera, front and rear. I have had these for years now and they work in parking mode with a battery saver. So it is on all the time recording any movement front and back. I had LaPoste hit and run in their elecrique moto.
For me it was owning the cars that were unattainable when I was 18. Good luck on your journey. If you need infos or an opinion about a specific car when it's time, hit me up.
.... ein Porsche zu kaufen macht immer Sinn . Es sind einfach gute Autos . Klar , umsonst fährt man nicht damit aber , für das Geld gibt es nichts vergleichbares . Beim Wiederverkauf sieht man es immer .
There were only 2 service appointments and a battery change, you don't need to do summer winter tires or infotainment, etc, as far as general costs it's quite cheap to run
awesome video man, well done. older vehicles like this can sometimes make financial sense but the risk of breakdown at inopportune times makes it something i unfortunately cant stomach. add to that the massive risk of extremely costly repairs; the prior owner took a massive beating on repairs, you got mildly lucky! 👍
Average speed of 80km/h plausible? My daily driver has an average of 32.1km/h (this is over 40k kilometers). Googled the average speed in the world and got "30 km/h (or) 18.6 mph" (I admit that the search was shot but these numbers seem to make much more sense to me).
32 km/h is a normal average if you mostly do city driving, which is not something I expect people with a manual 911 Turbo to be doing for 150k km (unless they are masochists). These are cars that tend to be enjoyed a bit more and driven more on country lanes and motorways rather than stop and go traffic, which usually leads to higher average speeds compared to more normal commuter cars. So, low averages are suspicious with these cars and _can_ be an indication of odometer tampering. I'm not saying that it has to be that way, but on a sports car a higher average speed feels more reassuring to me.
I've read many comparisons between the GTR and the Porsche Turbo. Most have admitted the GTR was a better car but was soulless and too mechanical. The Porsche was often described as a better driver's car and had a definite soul. What are your thoughts after having driven both cars for periods of time, back to back?
Between a GT-R and a 996 Turbo, the GT-R is the clear winner in my book (or I would not have sold the Porsche to replace it with the Nissan). The GT-R is more brutal, faster and just feels more special all around. They are however very similar in many aspects: in my opinion both do not sound great and both basically only become fun to drive above 4000 rpm. Both are 4WD and perform wonderfully in all sorts of weather. The Porsche is more compact and easier to park while with the GT-R it's 3 or more-point-turns all the time due to its massive turning radius. On the other hand, the GT-R has a large trunk, which helps using it as a daily driver. The GT-R is not available as a manual, but to me the 996 gearbox does not feel that precise and the hydraulic clutch has very little feel. Personally, I don't get the soulless-thing. It's not like the 996 Turbo is any different in that regard. The GT-R may have felt soulless to some when it came out due to its traction control and the multi function display, but compared to any new car it now feels positively mechanical and old-fashioned. If you've ever driven a GT-R you know what I mean: you will hear constant bangs and noises from the drive train / transmission. This is normal in a GT-R and I cannot think of any other mass-production car I've driven that makes that kind of noise. Let me describe it that way: I sold the 996 Turbo because I found the GT-R to be more exciting. And that matters to me.
Thank´s for the info ,was helpful because i am looking for a Boxter low miller and i think it would be a lot cheaper to run and no turbo´s .I hope to get a decent Boxter for about 20 K but i need a low miller in good nick ,do you think it´s possible? Best regards Luís Pontes Portugal (ex south africa)
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