OLD_ian
New member
So I'm just over one year of ownership of the porker. I thought I should share my experiences so far.
In summary I love it, but wow has it been expensive! Yeah, i know it is a Porsche so what else should i expect?
I've mentioned in other postings about the issues with me having a new UK drivers license and the rather pricy insurance that has resulted. Well after a year of no claims and a clean license the insurance has come down from £1800 to just over £1000. I've been told that with no claims and a clean license I can expect a similar percentage decrease next year. So that's insurance dealt with - what about the other costs of ownership?
Well, all i can suggest to other prospective owners is read the buyers guides and don't ignore them. I bought my car because I'd looked at a number of cars that were falling apart from rust. I bought one that wasn't. it was the first car I checked out that wasn't composed of rust, so I rushed in. So what was the downside? I don't have a place to work on the car and have limited mechanical experience. So I'm in the position of having to take it to an independent to have work done.
In the last year I've fixed or replaced:
new radiator
caster mounts
suspension bushings
arb bushes
wheel bearing
belts
water pump
front engine reseal
front disks and pads
rear wiper motor
new heater control unit
sort out problems with read window defroster
drivers side door window motor and associated bits
thermostat
2 oil changes
clutch master and slave cylinders and all hoses
adjust handbrake
driveshaft seal replaced
steering U-joint
sunroof microswitch
plugs and air filter (which i was able to manage myself)
DME relay
gosh... as you can imagine even at an independent that's come to a fair bit more than i paid for it in the first place. Certainly more than i'd see if i sold it. Probably several thousand more than I'd see:-( I've somehow gone down the cost no object route. I've got to say it's driving beautifully. I liked it when I bought it, but now it's just gorgeous to drive. 7000 miles later it's immensely better than when I bought it. I drove it home today in the pouring rain and it felt taut and responsive and the best car I've ever owned. So i'd say it's worth it.
Had I known it would cost this much when i bought it, would i have gone this route? hmmm... probably not. I'd most likely have bought a Boxster. Certainly my total outlay wouldn't be too much different, but who knows what the bills would be there.
Doing it again, I would read all the buyers guides and avoid any cars without recent history of fixes for the known problem areas. I'd pay to get it inspected - merely acknowledging my lack of mechanical knowledge. For someone with mechanical skills and somewhere to work on it, a 944 is a massive bargain. Even having to pay for all that work I still think it's a better deal than most new cars that will depreciate like mad in the first year. So even though I did it all wrong, the car is now superb. I love it and on balance yeah it's worth it! Best car I've ever owned by miles.
In summary I love it, but wow has it been expensive! Yeah, i know it is a Porsche so what else should i expect?
I've mentioned in other postings about the issues with me having a new UK drivers license and the rather pricy insurance that has resulted. Well after a year of no claims and a clean license the insurance has come down from £1800 to just over £1000. I've been told that with no claims and a clean license I can expect a similar percentage decrease next year. So that's insurance dealt with - what about the other costs of ownership?
Well, all i can suggest to other prospective owners is read the buyers guides and don't ignore them. I bought my car because I'd looked at a number of cars that were falling apart from rust. I bought one that wasn't. it was the first car I checked out that wasn't composed of rust, so I rushed in. So what was the downside? I don't have a place to work on the car and have limited mechanical experience. So I'm in the position of having to take it to an independent to have work done.
In the last year I've fixed or replaced:
new radiator
caster mounts
suspension bushings
arb bushes
wheel bearing
belts
water pump
front engine reseal
front disks and pads
rear wiper motor
new heater control unit
sort out problems with read window defroster
drivers side door window motor and associated bits
thermostat
2 oil changes
clutch master and slave cylinders and all hoses
adjust handbrake
driveshaft seal replaced
steering U-joint
sunroof microswitch
plugs and air filter (which i was able to manage myself)
DME relay
gosh... as you can imagine even at an independent that's come to a fair bit more than i paid for it in the first place. Certainly more than i'd see if i sold it. Probably several thousand more than I'd see:-( I've somehow gone down the cost no object route. I've got to say it's driving beautifully. I liked it when I bought it, but now it's just gorgeous to drive. 7000 miles later it's immensely better than when I bought it. I drove it home today in the pouring rain and it felt taut and responsive and the best car I've ever owned. So i'd say it's worth it.
Had I known it would cost this much when i bought it, would i have gone this route? hmmm... probably not. I'd most likely have bought a Boxster. Certainly my total outlay wouldn't be too much different, but who knows what the bills would be there.
Doing it again, I would read all the buyers guides and avoid any cars without recent history of fixes for the known problem areas. I'd pay to get it inspected - merely acknowledging my lack of mechanical knowledge. For someone with mechanical skills and somewhere to work on it, a 944 is a massive bargain. Even having to pay for all that work I still think it's a better deal than most new cars that will depreciate like mad in the first year. So even though I did it all wrong, the car is now superb. I love it and on balance yeah it's worth it! Best car I've ever owned by miles.
]
