Have you ever been tempted to buy a Porsche 996 Turbo? No IMS issue with that incredible Mezger engine and, if you find one with the X-50 Power Pack option, you get the same power as the current 911 GTS! These Porsches are the deal of the decade, but exactly what does it cost to purchase and maintain one of these powerful 996 Turbos?
Back in the spring of 2014, we found a beautiful 2004 996TT Cabriolet for sale with the desired X-50 option and ceramic brakes. We learned from the DMV that our 996 wwas originally registered with a sticker price over $170K! We purchased this beauty in Seal Gray with less than 49K miles for the equivalent of one dollar a mile.
We get a fair number of questions on our YouTube channel asking just what it cost to own a Porsche like this. Surely the maintenance must be insane! It is 450HP, four-wheel drive, carbon ceramic brakes, amazing traction control, huge wheels and zero to 60mph in about 4 seconds. With all that performance and complication, our 996 Turbo must eat us out of house and home with shop bills, right? We put together a video detailing all our costs and issues with our 996 Turbo so you can make your own determination. We run you through every repair and maintenance cost as well as a few of the extras we purchased.
Added Bonus
Have you ever been curious just how accurate a dealer Pre-Purchase Inspection is? We walk you through what they got right and what they missed. In the end, we give our final numbers as of the filming of the video.
Full disclosure
Since making this, an additional repair item has popped up. The front lower control arm ball joint failed due to a ripped boot (a common problem with the 996 suspension). We were able to order the part and, hopefully, it will just be a $100 fix. Check back to the channel to see how it goes as I’ll be producing a video for that repair as well.
Lastly
Take a few minutes to peruse the comments section of the video. I think you’ll find some of the responses interesting. Some feel that a Porsche that cost as much as this one did originally should have a completely clean service record. Or, when you lay down that kind of cash, are you paying for raw performance and some mechanical glitches are to be expected? Let us know in the comments what you think.
