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993 parts prices and other costs - ouch!

Counter Of Beans

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10 May 2018
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654
My late 1995 993 is, I suppose, an old car - 24 years old to be precise. I'm becoming aware of the costs involved in keeping it in really nice condition. And I don't mean perfect, concourse standard - I dread to think what "perfect" would cost! I also don't mean regular servicing either; you get that on any Porsche, ditto discs/pads/tyres.
For anyone considering a 993, mine is in good nick, has done 102k miles and has had 21 services but still needs the following doing, amongst other things:
*Chassis leg inspection and waxoyl (no corrosion present, thank goodness)
*Air con evaporator needs replacing (estimate £3k, yikes!)
*Handbrake cable is frayed + new shoes needed
*Varioram seal is weeping
*various bulbs in centre console need renewing
*oil cooler fan resistor replacement
*door seal (OEM Porsche price is crazy!)
*engine sound pad sagging
*brake caliper refurb
*SSK and Golden Rod to sort gearchange
*front seats could do with restoring

And that's before I ask Center Gravity to look at the suspension! Now, some of these things I can sort out myself - the door seal and the saggy engine sound pad for example. And I'm not complaining; it was my choice to buy an old car and these costs go with the territory.

I really just wanted to highlight, for anyone considering a 993 (or 964 I suppose) that if you want your car to be really nice there will be ongoing costs, most of which seem to be age related. I imagine as time goes by 996 and 997 models will incur similar costs?

Thoughts?
 
Seems like a pretty modest list for a 23 yr old car.

I liked the gearchange on my 993... I've always thought of it as a strong point to the car. Funny how times change.

I would explore the idea of replacing the aircon with an electric system which will save weight, power drain and could cost a similar sum.
 
Hi

With any older car it pays to be handy with a spanner for sure.

I would think that 997/991/992 will be a lot worse in this respect because of the pervasive electronics and lack of user serviceable parts.

Time will tell!

I think the 993 is a very reliable car. It had enough development time after all.

Berni
 
It's easy to buy a 993 and spend the same again over the course of a few years. But it's fun deciding which bit to do next then enjoying the "improvement"! You can't take the money with you when you go, so enjoy!
 
:hand: the 993 are one of the cheapest classic cars you can buy :thumb:

most of the costs you have stated you could spend (and much more) on an MG, MX5 etc.....the aircon evaporator is probably the least cost effective / most expensive jobs as although the part itself is cheap (a few hundre £ at most) it involves a full front end strip down to get at it ie its the labour cost as its a few days work..........it is very much the exception.

As with any classic car you can "choose" to spend as much as you like but in terms of "have to spend" the 993 is very much on the cheap side and espcially so as a % of value :wink:
 
Billy Bumpsteer said:
Where on earth did the £3K for the aircon come from? :dont know:

To answer literally: Precision Porsche. Actually 3.3k! But, it's only an estimate, and they might be including a new condenser, drier, evaporator, expansion valve, labour and gas in that number. I've read that it's 12 hours plus for the labour, so that's £1200 for starters. I trust them to charge me fairly for the work done and they are reputed to be totally competent.
 
Tobesetc said:
It's easy to buy a 993 and spend the same again over the course of a few years. But it's fun deciding which bit to do next then enjoying the "improvement"! You can't take the money with you when you go, so enjoy!

So true. And it's what I've told myself; it's a hobby and we all know hobbies are expensive, right? Phil997 will be along shortly to remind me that you can spend a fortune of playing golf or something. Or at the hairdressers in my wife's case.........
 
COB, I guess you can feel fortunate you ain`t running a 21 year old Ferrari, Lambo, Masser or others...? Old cars have their issues, and old sports cars are likely to have more than most...? While the 993 is not a basic bit of kit it lacks the extra complexity of water cooling and ever more digital controls and circuitry of the later cars, not to mention the other all to obvious issues... CORROSION is something to keep an eye on for the long term.

Parts pricing is one thing, availability can be quite another... Helping a pall with K-Jetronic similar to 911 SC, parts for that system are expensive if available, and dare I comment that a Ford Capri hardly seems worth the bother in my book.... though each to their own.. :?:
 
993 cost of living

I enjoy the planning of what to do next, spent a lot over a few years on mine with suspension, bodyworks and brakes plus loads of other bits and pieces. Most parts from OPC with discount not silly money.
 
Counter Of Beans said:
Billy Bumpsteer said:
Where on earth did the £3K for the aircon come from? :dont know:

To answer literally: Precision Porsche. Actually 3.3k! But, it's only an estimate, and they might be including a new condenser, drier, evaporator, expansion valve, labour and gas in that number. I've read that it's 12 hours plus for the labour, so that's £1200 for starters. I trust them to charge me fairly for the work done and they are reputed to be totally competent.

We use the same Indie and they are a very professional outfit. would you like to hazard a guess on the price of a 993 Targa door seal. As a Bean counter you might well want to sit down first!

I have found a non Porsche one for £193 which still sounds excessive to me, but Porsche want to charge is frankly OBSCENE
 
COB,

When you say "...sort the gearchange" Is that personal preference or are you having shift problems?
 
I did the evap a couple of years ago with a fellow 993 owner and a/c expert.
It's a real pia but not beyond diy, if you have the time and patience. Cost less than £500, but then I do like tinkering. I have the varioram converion badge and the engine drop t-shirt. I used to race an MGA in the 70's and 80's same then, diy or pay.
At least if it goes wrong you've only got yourself to blame but good mechanics are gold dust and charge what they are worth.
 
pietrzj said:
COB,

When you say "...sort the gearchange" Is that personal preference or are you having shift problems?

Hello pietrzj, it's two things really. One is that I find shifts from 2 to 3, or from 4 to 5 (i.e. lower left to upper right) a rather long throw, and would like to shorten them a little bit. The other is that it is currently a tad rubbery for my taste; I prefer something more mechanical, ideally more precise. I'm hoping the FD SSK + GR will achieve this. So it's personal preference really.
Apparently, Singer use the FD items in their cars, and if it's good enough for the mighty Singer, it's good enough for my humble 993!
 

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