What a pain in the ass! (short rant)

Z06C5R · 06-19-2008, 02:43 PM

It seems like all I've been doing lately is spinning my wheels. For the last 2 months, annoying little things on this damn car have been breaking literally every week... As soon as I get something fixed, something else breaks. And of course, most of the crap that breaks isn't exactly cheap to replace, and is incredibly frustrating to install onto the car. I got fed up today and finally broke out my calculator, and it turns out I may have actually been better off buying a car with a poor service history and just having a mechanic do all the big stuff. I thought I would have been largely in the clear having bought a car that had the water pump, timing belt, and clutch replaced recently, but it seems it's not as well maintained as it first appeared. At this rate, in a few more weeks there probably won't be an old part left on the car! I won't be able to afford the upkeep on this car much longer if it continues like this... Should it settle down soon enough, or do these cars really require multiple $100+ parts on a weekly basis for life?

944 Ecology · 06-19-2008, 02:50 PM

I spend an average of $100 per year on maintenance.

Of course, I have owned the car since new and do my own maintenance.

Eventually, it does get cheaper.

hpservertech · 06-19-2008, 03:17 PM

So far in the past 12 months I have spent around $1000 on mine out of my pocket.

It does get easier. And I'm sure you have already heard....once you do all the things that are wrong there wont be much left to go bad.

But thanks to guys like George things are always cheaper too when he parts out cars.

911paige · 911paige's Garage

Hi guys as you know by now my car has cost me way too much money 1000 on just bits and pieces wait till i get the timing belt water pump bill, not to mention i paid too much for the car ..... you know there is one thing though, these cars are so beautiful you can't even yell at them. frustrating as they are ..... great to drive I'm restoring mine that's why i've sunk in excess of 6000 already and it still needs paint, suspension,brakes and rotors, shall i go on ...... good luck on your car z.... don't give up you've spent too much to ever recoup.

JonA · 06-19-2008, 04:50 PM

It's a labor of love. No, they are not very reliable and there is always something that needs fixing but on the 2 that I have owned we eventually got to the point where they were being driven daily and not breaking too often and not taking all the grocery money. I enjoy working on mine and I don't need it, I have a Tacoma that's going to get me to work. If I'm not having fun, I put down the wrench and go do somethihng else.
But when things are running right and you're powering thru the exit ramp faster than you should and comfortable with everything, it's all worth it......

Jon

mikepellegrini · mikepellegrini's Garage

If it makes you feel any better, in the first year I owned my car, I spent over $5,800 on it just in parts. In the second year, I spent another $1,000 (most of which was on preventative maintenance).

How much you have to spend just depends how far the PO let your car go. In the case of mine, it was just one step from being parted out. It had really been let go...

I don't have any *****es about it. For my (almost) $7,000, I've got a car that's reliable and is really fun to drive.

It's just the price you pay.

I should say I do all the work myself (with one exception which will not be repeated - $600 to install a $17 cam tower gasket!!!). If I'd had a garage do all my work, I'd have probably $15,000 in the car instead of $7,000.

Dave L · 06-19-2008, 05:17 PM

you cant call it an old car if its made up of all new parts

Seriously, once you go through a lot of the things, its done. Others may pop up but as you fix them they are fixed and shouldnt bother you again. I think my car is great, I am slowly turning it into exactly what I want but does require effort and money.

Z06C5R · 06-19-2008, 05:19 PM

I wouldn't mind it if it were over the period of, say, a year or so... It just bugs the hell out of me that I've spent almost 1k within the last 4 weeks, and several hundred more only a month or two ago. It's like everything let go all at once. My fingers are crossed that it will settle down after this breakage-storm has blown through - I certainly don't mind a few hundred here and there as things go; I mean, it's an old car. But everything at once is another kettle of fish.

Of course I hate to jinx it, but I have to bring up my Z... It's 14 years older, and has proven itself extraordinarily reliable over 3+ years - about $1500 in replacement parts when I got it (mostly preventative measures) is all it took. Granted parts are somewhat cheaper, but you get the idea. And the thing with that car is that it gives me back so much more than the Porsche - Sure the Porsche drives brilliantly, but thus far that's all it's done for me. The Z not only drives just as well, but when I work on it there's always that sense of accomplishment. You go in, fix what's broke, and then it just works! It feels like I've not yet had that same sense of accomplishment with the Porsche because something is always wrong and it's always nagging me in the back of my mind, never allowing me to just settle in and drive. I'm always waiting for it to blow up, lol.

At any rate, I do hope it gets better.

DSPTurtle · 06-19-2008, 05:39 PM

I have had my 83 since 1985. Most of the time the car works awesome. It only stops working when I decide that something needs fixing. I took it to a DE three weeks ago and decided that I needed to replace the rear wheel bearings. That turned into having the front rotors turned, repacking the front wheel bearings, rebuilding the front a-arms, repacking the cv boots, and last night I decided to remove the struts and replace the springs in the process. Oh yeah, the rear bearings are almost done... just waiting on a snap ring that I destroyed. This weekend I will probably replace the thermostat too. Did any of this really need to be done??? Who knows, but my credit card is almost melted and the car is missing a stub axle and a front strut. It worked fine (relatively speaking) before I put it up on jack stands. Now it is a lump waiting for me and the UPS guy to get our butts in gear. Totally my fault but man, there is something to be said for not having to work on the 930 tranny and motor that are sitting on the floor next to the 944 because I just don't have the time. Our local Porsche guru is constantly telling me to stop screwing with them and just drive the darn cars. I think once I get this mess all cleaned up I may finally take his advice

DSPTurtle · 06-19-2008, 05:39 PM

I have had my 83 since 1985. Most of the time the car works awesome. It only stops working when I decide that something needs fixing. I took it to a DE three weeks ago and decided that I needed to replace the rear wheel bearings. That turned into having the front rotors turned, repacking the front wheel bearings, rebuilding the front a-arms, repacking the cv boots, and last night I decided to remove the struts and replace the springs in the process. Oh yeah, the rear bearings are almost done... just waiting on a snap ring that I destroyed. This weekend I will probably replace the thermostat too. Did any of this really need to be done??? Who knows, but my credit card is almost melted and the car is missing a stub axle and a front strut. It worked fine (relatively speaking) before I put it up on jack stands. Now it is a lump waiting for me and the UPS guy to get our butts in gear. Totally my fault but man, there is something to be said for not having to work on the 930 tranny and motor that are sitting on the floor next to the 944 because I just don't have the time. Our local Porsche guru is constantly telling me to stop screwing with them and just drive the darn cars. I think once I get this mess all cleaned up I may finally take his advice

Z06C5R · 06-19-2008, 05:52 PM

Ah, the infamous "while I'm under here" disease, LoL! I must admit I've fallen prey to it many a time, even with this car. Hell the brake pads didn't really need to be changed, but I didn't like them so I did them anyway. And that seems to have broken my MC, whooo! But I must say, for as many times as I've thought "I should change / fix / modify that, I've also gone through and found all the things I don't ever want to have to touch, LoL!

jcommin · jcommin's Garage

I'm the original owner of my 83 and I think my 944 has been very good to me. I didn't suffer from PO's who may have 'fixed' their cars. I have done all of my routine maintenance but usually have my local Porsche shop do timing belts and the like.

Just last year I went off the deep end and completely redid my car. I went thru it top to bottom. Some of the work I did and what I dared not to do was left to my local Porsche dealer and other professionals. I know what I know and I know what I don't know.

I don't find this car any more of a headache to maintain than my MB. What I have become is fussier because it is a 25 year old car and I'm keeping it.

phoenix_iii · 06-20-2008, 04:59 AM

There is no such thing as a cheap porsche.

Lesson Learned. =)

But once a part is replaced, it shant bother you again. =)

ssmith · 06-20-2008, 08:57 PM

I believe that you have to put your car in respect to an ex-wife that's collecting alimony or a kid being put through college (& med school) or something similar which will be a constant, but necessary, $ drain and when it doesn't cost you an arm and leg, be pleasently surprised. Like the phone call home from that college student and they don't need money, just wanted to tell you how much they loved you. But come to think of it, only the newest and most expensive Porsche's and Mercedes have the "phone home" options as yet. And if you retro-fit that option into your 944, you'd probably just end up paying for a big phone bill too. Oh well, time to put the scotch bottle away.