Hi guys,

I'm looking at an 03 gt2 on eBay with 32.5k miles for 65k. Clean title. The fixed cost of the car is what it is. But what I need to know are the maintenance and breakage costs that can be expected or anticipated with driving a gt2 10k miles/year.

After searching for a few months, the following is what I've found:

-2nd gear pop out
-Rear diff problems
-Pccb rotors are 16k new (not a big issue, just replace with steel when necessary)
-leaking coolant hoses/radiator

What other maintenance or common issues are there with these cars? Is it easy to change the oil, plugs, diff fluid, trans fluid, clutch, suspension components? I'd like to get an idea of how much I should budget for any maintenance/breakage expenses that may be incurred in the future.

Thanks,

Nick

 

I'd be more concerned with abuse/neglect than "typical issues" the cars may have. All the stuff you listed in the last sentence is all easy to do for the DIY'er say but the clutch.

PCCB's are fine unless heavily tracked without proper cooling/cooldown laps. They're quite exceptional for a street car and other than the cost I'd take them over steelies all day long if I had the choice. 2nd gear issue is hit and miss on the cars.

Get a reputable shop that knows the 996T chassis to do a proper PPI on the car and go from there. If the price is right and the car is IGC, there's nothing much better on the road than a GT2

 

What is typical labor cost on a clutch job?

 

Thanks for quick response btw. And yes, it's either 996 gt2 or c6z, but I'm heavily leaning towards the gt2. Just hoping I can get away with maintenance costs of 5k a year or less.

 

As with any car it all depends on what you do, how you drive, how much you drive, etc, etc. And when it comes to doing work, there are places that will be honest and others that will rip you off(like $7K for a turbo install ). A competent tech with proper tools and knowledge around a p-car can do a 996T clutch in ~6-8 hours with little fuss as long as there are no issues.

Z06 bah... dime a dozen.

 

5k per year? Never heard of any 996 Turbo or GT2 costing that much to service in one year, unless you have to do all fluids each year, plus clutch and brake pads every year?

 

And even then that's pushing it.

 

Thanks for the input, and its good to know a clutch job can be done fairly quickly. On a side note, several years ago my job entailed fabricating induction components (including I/C piping), custom exhaust manifolds, and other custom go fast parts for the EVO market. So I am somewhat of a DIYer, and can make the distinction between a great operation from a decent one.

First of all, that is great to hear! 5k is an average over the first 5 years. I'd be driving the car +/- 10k miles a year, and also tracking the car at least 5 times per year. Pads for pccb's incur a premium (I believe), will probably need a clutch over that period, drop the engine for a leak in the coolant system perhaps (happened to my friend in his 996 gt3 2 weeks after he purchased it), oil/filter at least 3 times/year, I'd change the diff, trans, clutch, brake fluids upon purchase, and maybe some things I'm missing? I just want to be prepared for anything that may come my way. I'm not used to owning german cars (besides the b5 s4 I had), so I know parts can be expensive, if something were to happen. So I'm trying to figure out what can happen.

 

5K a year can be quite ambitious. I rejected an x50 996tt with 50k miles because i didn't want to mess with maintanance so i bought a C4s for my first Porsche.
The most difficult part is find a trustworthy shop. A friend was charged 6000$ for a full service of his 986 S!!!

 

yearly maintenance is that much less on a c4s ?

 

Over a 5 year period what could one expect to average annually when buying a 50k mile 996TT or GT2?

Would $2k be a more reasonable expectation ($10k total over 5 years)?

 

Ι don't know but buying an almost 10 years old twin turbo machine...I don't know, i think needs some consideration especially for a first Porsche.

 

Mods are only as much as you spend...
Maintenance isn't crazy, but it can add up. Probably 3-4k year if you are meticulous and include tires.
If something rare does go wrong -- tranny, engine rebuild, etc.... we're talking $10k+ events.

 

i think its the mod bug you need to prepare yourself for rather than maintenance.

also - expect to go through rear tires very quickly

 

Look at the maintenance / service manuals. There isn't that much "maintenance" required on a 996 turbo or GT2. And you don't have to worry about typical 6 turbo problems like spoiler hydraulics and slave issues.

With your anticipated use -

Oil change twice a year;

break fluid flush twice a year;

Spark plugs every other year;

fluids every other year.

Even if you change the plugs and fluids every year, you're well under the stated budget amount assuming you do the work yourself. And even if you don't you're still under the stated budget.

The gamble - without a detailed PPI or full service history - is that there is something major lurking round the corner, i.e. transmission or engine issue, that will blow your stated budget.

Good luck with your search