2001 996TT in Canada - on a tangent - 993

Published Nov. 12, 2008 at 12:54 a.m.
I realize I've written quite a bit on the repair & upkeep of the 996 turbo...For what I expect of it, it's been an extraordinary example in terms of reliability, given that I've been doing winter use and such.

My porsche experiences started with a '95 911 that I purchased in 2005...At the time, I was very in to driving events, and had done 40-45 track days in various other cars, most recently a '98 M3...I was at the point where I was likely to start modifying the M3, and rather than spend the money there, I thought I'd just go and buy the 911, which already had 5pt harnesses, a DAS roll bar, lowering springs, and was generally very well maintained.

There's just no comparison between the money required to run a Porsche and a BMW...my first indication was that the previous owner had spent about $27k on service, the largest sum being for an engine top-end rebuild due to valve guide wear.

I then got to find out first-hand that the older cars will always be love-hate...and that while grossly more modern than the 930, they still are not the car-drives-itself type of vehicle that the 996 (ex. GT3) and 997 are...So despite putting very few miles on the car, here have been my outlays...

$550 for oil service & install steering rack brace for 18" wheels - Nov 2005
$600 - front brake pads installed & AC diagnosis, repair
$286.00 - brake pads, track

In early 2006, at my first track event of the year, the jack slipped from under the car and cracked a rocker panel...I got that repaired for $350, but not before the car had been out of my hands for a month after the dealership either received or ordered the wrong part three times.

Then, at the end of the 2006 driving event season, I decided to have a turn 2 off at Mosport, hitting the inside wall after spinning off the track...I think my error was adding more steering, and then more throttle, mid-corner...but we'll never know...What we do know, is that it cost $10,000 in repairs, not all linked to my "off!"

$2000 - rear bumper refinished
$200 - rear lens, used
$750 - race cats (original cats damaged)
$2300 - install cats, replace front trans. cover (breaks off as a safety item in a wreck), ignition distributor belt replacement
$1775 - install new A-arms (monball), install new shocks & springs [front shock leaking], rear rotors
$450 - ERP monoballs, front, on sale (rubber bushings in A-arms was ripping).
$950 - TRG "cup" suspension
$700 - wing repair
$600 - rear window area repair

And then 2008...I finally decide to repair some what I thought to be small issues, a wheel bearing, and hopefully address the airbag light that's been on since 2006...But, on closer inspection...cracked wheel rear, puncture in tire, CV joint leaking, wheel hub is worn ($1460)...and, it's not just the airbag control unit, it's the seat belt buckle and passenger airbag ($1700).

$370 - airbag central control unit, Sunset Imports
$120 - driver's seatbelt, Sunset
$350 - pass. airbag, used, LAPD
$100 - rear wheel bearing, sunset
$930 - rear wheel bearing, hub (let that go too long!), CV boots, airbag unit labor.
$880 - install pass. airbag, further AC issues (vacuum tube leaking)
$430 - rear wheel hub
$100 - rear wheel crack welding

So, despite only logging about 10,000 miles on the car this whole time, it's been quite the ride in terms of expense...Now how annoying was that M3??

The remaining issue is the occasional clutch squeak, which I believe was caused by re-using the release bearing in the clutch when it was replaced.

I guess the real lesson I learned here is that you don't get more by necessarily getting a car with a stack of maintenance records...The airbag stuff happened for no reason, so far as I can tell, and the hub, wheel bearing, shocks, control arms were all because I'd bought a car that had seen a fair share of track days.

I suppose the other thing that's been a little disappointing is that because the 993 is a harder car to drive, harder to replace, and more expensive to repair, I stopped enjoying track days as much as I had in the past...I did have the M3, the turbo, and the 993 at one time, and in taking the M3 back to the track in '06 while the 993 was having its rocker panels replaced, I realized what a fantastic car that was to drive...Easy, point and squirt - throttle modulation was very straightforward, and the steering precise and wonderfully weighted...Short-geared, yes, and the brakes are nothing compared to the 993, but it sounded wonderfully (Dinan exhaust) and performed well.

At the time, I think I paid roughly a $5k premium (15%) for the car relative to market due to the pedigree and my nervousness on getting into a 993 without having too many Porsche friends, or established mechanics...Both the M3 and the turbo were ebay finds, and I paid broker prices - which I believe, after my 993 experience, will be the way I go forward with future car purchases!


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