Clutch was the first major item to be replaced after the last 40k miles or so. Even that wasn't too costly or difficult, for that matter, as a DIY. Otherwise necessary maintenance has consisted of oil, tyres and a couple of electrical items.

jt
-84 targa

It isn't that bad. It depends on what you have to spend on maintenance, what you want to do for upgrades and whether you do the work yourself.
I think the notion that maintaining a Porsche is going to be expensive can be overstated, probably because it's assumed that the majority of new Porsche owners are going to pay someone else to do all the work. The parts available here on Pelican run from very cheap (seat back levers, $1.25) to exhorbitantly expensive (replacement targa tops, $10,000).
In the year or so I've owned my 3.2 Carrera I've spent about a thousand dollars, but most of that was for new shock inserts and tie rods.
You should ask yourself how much of the work you are willing to tackle yourself and go from there. Of course, if you are one of the unlucky few who manage to blow the engine from an errant downshift, all bets are off. An 87 3.2 with the upgrades you mention sounds like a good example to start with. The flip side of the coin is maybe spend more and get one that is ALREADY well sorted out so you don't have to do all the work or pay for the parts.
For myself, working on the car is just another way I enjoy it, so I don't mind the thought of having to replace the clutch someday. It's like an adventure to look forward to.
If you read enough of the posts on the BBS, you'll realize you can spend up to $50,000 on your 911 or even get by for $5000.
But as it has been stated ad infinitum, it's a slippery slope.
I'll probably spend another $1000 this year as well.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do. You won't regret buying and driving a 911, even if it costs you your marriage. Last time I checked, there were over two billion women in the world, but less than one half-million 911s. Choose wisely.

Regards,

Famous last words! I think $1,500 a year is totally realistic though. I have 150,000 miles on mine, I've had it for three years, put about 20,000 miles on it, and that's about where I am with upgrades and DIY maintenance.

My 87 driver was used over 60K miles in the last 5 years (136K on it now). I recently spent a pile on it having a top end rebuild and got caught up in the "while you are in there...." To the point of replacing all oil lines, crank sensors, new tensioners, new clutch/pp, seals, etc etc etc....went waaaaaay overboard.

But I wanted to make sure we didn't need to go back in anytime soon for something relatively minor so I can't really count that as routine maintenance.

I do my oil changes myself and use quality dino oil. If you can monitor it yourself (i.e., make sure they drain tank and crank case, replace crush washers, etc) even at a quickie oil change place it'll cost you about $40 (since it takes 10+ qts) if you buy your own filter (Mahle or the like)...and you should buy your own filter. So at 10K miles a year thats about $100-120/year.

They will use up tires quickly...maybe its my driving or some camber I cranked in but I'm lucky to get more than 20K miles before I want to replace them...I replace before wear bars show cause new tires feel SOOOOOOOOOO good. So figure in 600-1000 every 2-3 years.

Quality brakepads...every 30K or so.....$200

R12 or R134 a/c conversion? Big difference on recharging


Annual antifreeze flush? Jes' kiddin'....

Seriously, mine was/is as reliable as they come. Never let me down with no more maintenance than any other car (oil changes notwithstanding)...just have to stay on top of things.

If you have a real live 15K mile service, you're looking at adjusting valves, flushing fluids, brake fluid, belts etc...run you about $800-1200 at a decent shop.

If you do some of the routine work yourself, then they can be very reasonable to operate...

$3k every 5 years is not unreasonable as the PO stated.

I think they are maligned as expensive because when something major goes wrong they can be very expensive....but for the most part they are tough, reliable little cars

outside of the engine rebuild (broken studs) and performance improvements (it went from stock street car to PCA race car) and normal upgrades (tensioners, pop-off, etc) I have the cost of an alternator, rotors, brake pads, spark plug wires, clutch, fuel, and oil in my 115k miles '83 SC.

p.s. I've owned it for five years and have put 10k miles on it, including about 8-10 track days/yr.

$225 for a set of lugs/nuts? Ouch, I just broke 2 of mine. That's $25 bucks.

Re: What is the average yearly cost of running an 18-20 year old 911?
 

As many others said, I also think that about $1500 is a good ballpark figure. The thing with a 911 is that you have to be prepared for the $7000 repair bill. Some years you may only need to buy oil and then in others you may need to refresh the tranny, do a clutch, or do something to the engine. Driving a 911 isn't as cheap as driving a Toyota. On the plus side, a well maintained 911 won't depreciate as much as a Toyota.

The other thing to consider is how much it initially costs you to get the maintenance current. In this case it sounds like the car was had a lot of maintenance and refreshing in the last few years.

I drive my car about 3K miles per year and it's gone like this over three years:

$900 (PPI, full service, fuel accumulator). The PPI was generally thumbs up but they found a leaky fuel accumulator and never having wrenched on a 911 I wanted a full tune-up by a trusted pro to start with.

$200 - Koni shocks, got a good deal on like new used inserts and rear shocks - self install

$200 - new brake pads and brake hoses all the way around, full flush. This job would have cost a lot at a shop. Being a first timer I spent most of a weekend on it. Rotors looked good so I kept them.

$150 - three oil changes - self install

$150 - new clutch cable and rebuilt pedal cluster. This job would have been over $1K if a pro did it. It took me a full weekend of time stretched over a couple weeks.

$200 - miscellaneous stuff from Pelican

Anyway, there are lots of little jobs that need to be done even on well maintained 25 year old cars that are only driven a few thousand miles a year. Some are time consuming and if you can do them yourself, you will save a small fortune. Just don't think you'll own a 911 on the cheap without a healthy does of DIY.

Which car is that here in Austin? (Not that I know the car, but it makes a difference who did the services on it.)

If you're less risk averse, plan on spending $1500 right after you buy. Then I think everyone who said $1000/year over a three-year average is right on.

A lot depends on you. It's possible to change the oil (or not even that) and just drive these cars, letting the little things go until some later time or the next owner. Little oil leaks, rattles, torn weatherstripping, iffy brake lines, worn out tie rod ends and things like that won't usually keep you from driving the car. And this is why you have to get a PPI from an independent shop. If you're buying a car from someone who may have thought like this, you deserve a discount. PM me for my recommendation on a local shop for a PPI, if you wish.

All work over the last 12 years was done by Moorespeed. I hear that shop is pretty good. I would want to keep the car up and so if it needs anything, I wll likely do it. Maybe I can diy sometimes though.

Here is just a tid bit from my initial experience with my 74... It was a great running car when I bought it but the paint was faded.... I used it as a daily driver putting down a monster 45 - 50K miles a year without issue except for oil changes and valve adjustments that I did myself.

However, even the day I bought the car I knew I wanted an RS / RSR clone so that is where the mega buck spending hit... If you like it the way it is they are very well built cars and it will cost you about the same as any other car to maintain. Of course engine rebuilds are the exception to that rule.

I like the sound of that. My conclusion -- I can afford this car!!! With a little saving every year and keeping the car as beautifully stock as the factory intended, it can be done without a ton of cash. You guys are testament to that. I do get bitten by bugs at times though so have to keep repellent nearby. I have an 02 BMW R1150RS (but that's another web site alltogether) and bugs make you pay 350 bucks for peg lowering kits, 700 for hard bags and 60 for stainless bolts tht look shiny! It's silly but lots of fun and the moto looks very sharp.

If you ask around, I think you'll find that Moorespeed is the hands-down best around here.

Jason -
At 137K you'll want detailed records and a qualified PPI because lots of expensive stuff can wear out and it's been some time and miles since the rebuild. With the installation of Euro P&C, chip, and suspension setup it sounds like it was prepared for autocross or DE.

My own 87 cost about $4000 the very first month to fix problems that were identified in the PPI. Seller, mechanic and I worked out the details to adjust selling price based on work needed. Very civilized. In the following years it was lightly driven and cost about $1200/year in routine maintenance that also included replacing miscellaneous odds and ends myself. Then I went racing and stopped keeping track of cost.
Bill

Seller assures me that it has not been tracked more than 2 short times. It is not his thing. He wanted more aggressive setup for the street. This same guy owns a 1970 911s and leased a GT3 so he is no doubt interested in extremely harsh rides for better performance.

The ppi should tell me what condition things are in and whether money will need to leave my wallet shortly after purchase.

If you find the right one you'll be pleased. You'll learn to work on it yourself. P-cars are not really expensive to maintain if you treat them well and pay attention to what the car "tells" you.

About $2000 a year for me. That's averaging in a $5000 total tranny rebuild & clutch over the 4 years in owned my car. Didn't do any of the tranny work but I do most every thing else. That also includes Bilstiens & turbo tie rods before they were needed. Most things I've done, I've done before they were needed. So it could be less.

Obviously, it depends on how many miles per year the car is driven. An everyday driver with 10-15K miles will have a much higher maintenance cost than a 1500 mile Sunday driver. And that includes insurance, since a classic car which is garaged and not driven much can be cheaply insured ($250 or less).

When you buy an old car, you can expect to put about $2K into it, unless you've paid a premium price. Maybe new tires, fix an oil leak, replace a warm up regulator, heater blower, oil change--stuff like that. If you can avoid dropping the engine, the costs can be kept reasonable, even without doing it yourself. It surprising how rebuilt parts can be gotten cheaply if you shop around. It's the labor costs you have to watch out for.

I suspect the key to keeping maintenance costs down is simply not driving much--use your old car as a 2nd car, to be enjoyed for leisure drives--not for long trips or short hauls to the shopping mall. The word is Garage Queen.

The old axiom that every Porsche is at least a $20,000 car proved true in my case.

I've kept maintenance records on my 79SC nearly 24 years and have done most repairs and preventive maintenance other than opening the engine. The average is a little over $1300 per year over that 24 year period.

However, if I remove discretionary expenses that are also included like the Dansk muffler, SSI exchangers, turbo tail, front spoiler, thicker torsion bars, sports seats, etc., it's more like $1000 per year or something like $0.15 per mile driven.