993t - annual servicing costs

[tallmat]

I've found a 993 turbo ('95, about 40k miles, FSH) and am getting Peter Morgan to do an inspection.

I'd appreciate any feedback on probable annual servicing / running costs.

The 996 turbo I had previously did cost more than I'd expected but it always went to OPC.

I'd be more inclined to use the indies with the 993.

Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[dparslow]

I have had my car for over 4.5 years now and I service it myself once a year, during that time it`s only done 12k, but still only on 34k. When changing the oil and all the filters oil, air, cabin, fuel, spark plugs, transmission oils and brake fluid etc it costs approx £250, when I do the oil and oil filters £120. I have fitted a full set of Michelins £700, the intercooler hoses £230, a battery £70 and the two front cooling fan slow speed resistors £66. It requires a slow speed resistor for the rear blower motor which I have ordered but not received yet so not sure of the cost of that. The front and rear brakes had already been replaced before I bought the car and won`t need replacing for quite some time.

The insurance has averaged out at less than £400 per year and road tax is still only £190 a year, fuel costs are approx £75 to every 320 miles. As the mileage creeps up I will eventually have the bigger costs of a clutch replacement and suspension rebuild, but it`s not been an expensive car to run so far.

IMHO buying the right car and then how you choose to drive it makes a BIG difference to running costs.

 

[davidcross]

I notice u say u service it yourself. Will that affect resale with no service stamps? I admire u for being able to do it frankly

 

[DivineE]

993tt looks anything but easy to maintain but I'd be very interested in hearing any info about running the cars and regular repairs on here? What is the cost of adding non return oil lines to the turbo's to prevent the smoke on start up problem and who does it?

Are there any other 'standard procedures' for long term owners I would need to look for or have done?

 

[Gordon Attar]

Fortunately I had Northways to maintain my car, costs of maintenance were £235+v for a 12k service and £395+v for 24k.

My total Bills for 3 years were £3.5k which inlcuded the following which were needed when I first bought the car, £700 for a 48k service and to replace all belts and fluids, £1300 for a full set of discs, pads and rear dampers and £400 for the obligatory camshaft weep. Subsequant bills were £400 to replace the MAF and £400 to replace the A/C condensor. As you can see maintenance, normal repair items are only slightly more than the std 993 even clutch replacement, the exceptions are of course the turbo's(less than £1k to upgrade/replace), intercoloer pipes (£300) and the engine which is pretty much bullet proof,

Insurance on classic cover is £400-500.

For a car of this cost I believe its important to keep up the service record and if you are still only doing a few k a year you should have at least an oil change and get the service book stamped, its way cheaper than the effect on the cars value.

Personally I had a 964 previously and it cost about the same over 3 years and my 944T was similar but over 2 years but again I had to spend £2k up front to get it up to scratch.

One word of warning you will get bitten with the upgrading bug as its not to expensive to get an extra 50bhp and only a few k more to go for 100bhp so consider yourself warned.

Good luck you wont regret it.

 

[tallmat]

Thanks to all for your replies. Gordon, I wish I'd been in a position to buy yours when you left the UK.

I have a price negotiation to conclude, not sure if I'll get the car, but will let you know.

Thanks again.

 

[turboww]

ORIGINAL: davidcross

I notice u say u service it yourself. Will that affect resale with no service stamps? I admire u for being able to do it frankly

I suggest you read Dave's profile........

 

[turboww]

ORIGINAL: Gordon Attar

Fortunately I had Northways to maintain my car, costs of maintenance were £235+v for a 12k service and £395+v for 24k.

My total Bills for 3 years were £3.5k which inlcuded the following which were needed when I first bought the car, £700 for a 48k service and to replace all belts and fluids, £1300 for a full set of discs, pads and rear dampers and £400 for the obligatory camshaft weep. Subsequant bills were £400 to replace the MAF and £400 to replace the A/C condensor. As you can see maintenance, normal repair items are only slightly more than the std 993 even clutch replacement, the exceptions are of course the turbo's(less than £1k to upgrade/replace), intercoloer pipes (£300) and the engine which is pretty much bullet proof,

Insurance on classic cover is £400-500.

For a car of this cost I believe its important to keep up the service record and if you are still only doing a few k a year you should have at least an oil change and get the service book stamped, its way cheaper than the effect on the cars value.

Personally I had a 964 previously and it cost about the same over 3 years and my 944T was similar but over 2 years but again I had to spend £2k up front to get it up to scratch.

One word of warning you will get bitten with the upgrading bug as its not to expensive to get an extra 50bhp and only a few k more to go for 100bhp so consider yourself warned.

Good luck you wont regret it.

Hi Gordon,

Just out of curiosity, what is the car scene like in Oman and what is your current steed?

Cheers,

Martyn

 

[davidcross]

Oops Just read Dave's profile haha. Maybe thru the club he could get recognition as a Porsche specialist as a bolt on to his business then his car would have a perfect history as well!

 

[dparslow]

ORIGINAL: DivineE

993tt looks anything but easy to maintain but I'd be very interested in hearing any info about running the cars and regular repairs on here? What is the cost of adding non return oil lines to the turbo's to prevent the smoke on start up problem and who does it?

Are there any other 'standard procedures' for long term owners I would need to look for or have done?

I have just collected the oil feed pipe and non return valve kit from Powermarques 01724 784987 I have not had the bill yet but I think Nigel said it`s around £200 for each side. You have to remove the rear bumper, rear silencers and intercooler to access them and drill a couple of holes in the engine tin work as they are routed differently to the originals. Not a complicated job but time consuming as you need to remove all the above parts to access them. Nigel is a good man to talk to as he gets quite a few 993tt`s in for new turbos/power upgrades and therefore is extremely knowledgeable on them and is always very helpfull. I have managed to resist his suggestions to upgrade my own car to 450bhp with hybrid k16/24 turbos and an ECU change as I find 408bhp more than enough.

 

[DivineE]

Many Thanks.[] Interresting that you say 408 is enough? I feel very worried that coming from cars like my 3.2 944T and TVR Cerbera I'll be dissapointed with the 993 as its always been my dream car. Do they really feel sufficient? You seem to have had/seen your fair share of tasty machinery looking at your profile?

I'd hate to be dissapointed but at the same time I do rather like the idea of a standard car.

 

[fhauser]

Hi Tallmat
I have my 993TT looked after by Bob Watson Oxfordshire.He has been doing it for 2 years and I am pleased with the sevice and his friendly attitude.Car has done 30k ,He also looks after my 3.2

 

[tallmat]

I used Bob Watson a while ago with my 3.2 and he did a good job. He's not very conveniently located for me being based in London, but I know and agree his work is of a very high quality.

Have agreed a price today for the 993t that prompted me to start this thread so just can't wait to pick it up!

 

[dparslow]

ORIGINAL: DivineE

Many Thanks.[] Interresting that you say 408 is enough? I feel very worried that coming from cars like my 3.2 944T and TVR Cerbera I'll be dissapointed with the 993 as its always been my dream car. Do they really feel sufficient? You seem to have had/seen your fair share of tasty machinery looking at your profile?

I'd hate to be dissapointed but at the same time I do rather like the idea of a standard car.

For me the 993tt just ticks all the boxes, they look gorgeous, the acceleration is alarming and it can go through the twisty bits faster than you think possible, if you have the nerve to push it. It`s not too big, it`s involving, refined, economical, reliable, running costs are affordable and depreciation is very low, but above that, it just feels complete and a very well engineered car.

408bhp and 398ftlbs is sufficient for me as I find I very rarely need to use all of it when driving normally anyway. The torque delivery is so smooth and relentless it allows effortless overtaking without the use of gears and the redline. 993tt`s including GT2`s with the factory upgrades have more power (430 and 450bhp) but it`s at higher rpm than the 5750rpm of the 408bhp engine and yet the torque figure is about the same. I do know someone with a 430bhp model and in real world driving you would be hard pushed to tell the difference.

I guess it`s whether you want your performance raw, as in a TVR or as refined and reliable as in a 993tt!

 

[DivineE]

ORIGINAL: dparslow

For me the 993tt just ticks all the boxes, they look gorgeous, the acceleration is alarming and it can go through the twisty bits faster than you think possible, if you have the nerve to push it. It`s not too big, it`s involving, refined, economical, reliable, running costs are affordable and depreciation is very low, but above that, it just feels complete and a very well engineered car.

408bhp and 398ftlbs is sufficient for me as I find I very rarely need to use all of it when driving normally anyway. The torque delivery is so smooth and relentless it allows effortless overtaking without the use of gears and the redline. 993tt`s including GT2`s with the factory upgrades have more power (430 and 450bhp) but it`s at higher rpm than the 5750rpm of the 408bhp engine and yet the torque figure is about the same. I do know someone with a 430bhp model and in real world driving you would be hard pushed to tell the difference.

I guess it`s whether you want your performance raw, as in a TVR or as refined and reliable as in a 993tt!

Thank you for a very informative response. That last question is a really tough one to answer. I'm a Porsche man, always have been. Buying a Cerbera was just one of those.. I have to own one before I die kind of things. Raw vs controlled performance I think is a sliding scale. The TVR realistically is at 11. It's not a road car and needed fully re-building after an hours driving flat out (was a truly great hours drive though I could barely stand afterwards). At the complete opposite end of the scale the 997 turbo in my eyes is so competant that it borders on dare I say it.. dull. It appeals massively to my love of comfort and quality but its too far detached from the raw adrehnalin driving experience. The 993 C2 is the perfect ballance but it lacks the power and the looks of the turbo. I just hope the turbo will be 'enough'. Very interesting comment on the differences between the 408 and 430 that is helpful to know. Real world overtaking ability is important to me.

 

[Gordon Attar]

ORIGINAL: turboww


Hi Gordon,

Just out of curiosity, what is the car scene like in Oman and what is your current steed?

Cheers,

Martyn

Just did a lengthy response and it got lost in transit, will try again later

 

[Gordon Attar]

ORIGINAL: DivineE

Many Thanks.[] Interresting that you say 408 is enough? I feel very worried that coming from cars like my 3.2 944T and TVR Cerbera I'll be dissapointed with the 993 as its always been my dream car. Do they really feel sufficient? You seem to have had/seen your fair share of tasty machinery looking at your profile?

I'd hate to be dissapointed but at the same time I do rather like the idea of a standard car.

I remember the first time I drove my 993TT, it scared me to depth with the extra power and speed over my 964. It was like chalk and cheese! The scariest part was how quickly you got used to it!!

As you will notice I had a 944T as well as a daily driver and the difference with the 993TT is huge, so much so, that I had to fit a dual port wastegate to get it up to nearer 300bhp so it had enough go......

 

[Gordon Attar]

ORIGINAL: dparslow

For me the 993tt just ticks all the boxes, they look gorgeous, the acceleration is alarming and it can go through the twisty bits faster than you think possible, if you have the nerve to push it. It`s not too big, it`s involving, refined, economical, reliable, running costs are affordable and depreciation is very low, but above that, it just feels complete and a very well engineered car.

408bhp and 398ftlbs is sufficient for me as I find I very rarely need to use all of it when driving normally anyway. The torque delivery is so smooth and relentless it allows effortless overtaking without the use of gears and the redline. 993tt`s including GT2`s with the factory upgrades have more power (430 and 450bhp) but it`s at higher rpm than the 5750rpm of the 408bhp engine and yet the torque figure is about the same. I do know someone with a 430bhp model and in real world driving you would be hard pushed to tell the difference.

I guess it`s whether you want your performance raw, as in a TVR or as refined and reliable as in a 993tt!

I can but say Ditto to all of the above, though the acceleration with no wheel spin is brutal in 1st gear and lasts about a second (30'ish mph) and accelerating hard in the wet is seriously scary.

The only thing I would add is that I spent £700 on a RS tuning enhance ECU and £300 on a second hand extra cooler. This upped the power to around 450 bhp and the torque was so much that I had to abandon two runs at Janspeed at 4400rpm and it was measuring just under 500ft-lbs and pulling itself of the rollers with 12 straps holding it down!

The difference that made was more than worthwhile, as it brought the torque peak down by about a 1000 rpm and also it upped the upper rev limit to 7000rpm which for me helped with 1st and 2nd as it was so easy to red line it in first. So if you want a bit more its fairly easy and not to expensive any more than this then it does get expensive.......and its a long slippery road

 

[DivineE]

Superb responses from all thank you. I know ALL about the slipery slope of tuning! Thats the main reason I want the car to be enough to satisfy as standard (or chipped as you say). I think the furthest I'd go with it is K24 turbo's but really its not the sort of car I want to mess around with. Just want to buy one in black, customise the interior with a fresh re-trim to black with white carpet (black mats) and enjoy it. I've been waiting a LONG time to get one. Really should wait 4years as I'm changing my life but not sure I dare wait any longer as the examples for sale are getting fewer and worse for wear as time goes on :-(