Hi Everyone, This is a complete tabulation of what we have spent on our 2004 Porsche 996 Turbo X-50. There is also a little pre-channel history thrown in so you can see just what you might be in for if you are interested in a car like this. Let us know if you think it is a lot or not that much!
As a former 8 year 996TT owner, I was curious about your expenditures. My $ per mile over 50,000 miles was a mere $0.12 per mile. What a great car. 4 years ago, I swapped it for a Lamborghini Diablo Roadster...just a different stratosphere in every respect.....I'm currently at $8.00 per mile on that.
Well, I'm hoping that is more of a mileage issue than a cost issue ;) Diablo is pretty sweet though. I bet that is super fun to see when you got out the garage :)
If I had the choice of a Porsche dealership or Franny to do a PPI, it would be Franny. Thanks for being so open with all the details of your purchase. This is real car guy/gal content. Another excellent video. My only complaint, with being retired now, I have more time on my hands, and the wait for your next video seem longer . Lol. 🇨🇦
Hi Dwayne. So sorry. Weather has been ridiculously cold. We really have not been able to film. Hopefully we can get a few more videos happening. That was a very nice comment. We will do a PPI for you anytime. Heidi
What a great video! Thank you as always for being so thorough, you guys rock! I’ve always been curious of the maintenance costs on the 996 Turbo, so it’s nice to see an itemized break down; as Franny said, the cost isn’t bad at all considering the performance level of the car. Keep up the fantastic work
I'm coming to that nerve racking decision - what do I get myself into first with the long-term dream/goal being to one day own a Lamborghini Huracan. I've decided Porsche is a great place to start learning to drive/maintain/own a higher performance vehicle and that the 996 AWD Turbo is a great fit as a daily commuter in Northern New York. This video was amazingly helpful and I immediately hit subscribe. I'm hoping as I scroll through your posts, I'll find 'how to' videos on Franny's repairs that are just as thorough and informative. Keep up the magnificent work!
Another awesome video! I've had my '02 Turbo X50 for exactly an year and started to appreciate the reliability of this 16 year old car! I've replaced a water pump (could not get to the thermostat though) and a brake bleeder screw. The only major repairs so far. Random misfire and the failed rear wing hydraulic pump still bugged me. I'll get to those some day. Overall no regret and enjoy every second driving it! Thanks for sharing!
Well, I recommend the hoses that went as well. I don’t know about the 2002. Franny probably would, but that is something you might want to do. The CSF radiators have been great. Heidi
Heidi you're absolutely right. Even after replacing the water pump, if I push the car hard, I'd see a few drops leaking from hose ends. So little that I'm not worried at all. Even thought about adding those coolant stop-leak products, but would that destroy my baby?
Jerry, years ago my dad put one of those coolant stop leak products in the radiator of my Datson B210. I have been really dark on it since. I feel the same way about those tire fix a flat products. If you believe there is a real issue, I suggest that you replace the hoses or just wait if you don't mind getting a tow. We drive in the mountains enough that we didn't want to risk that again (which is why we did both). Heidi
Fantastic information here. Thank you for taking the time to catalog all the part numbers, etc. One note for viewers-- the $86 oil change is priced that low as a DIY affair. If you are not as comfortable as Franny in changing the oil on a 911, you can't take it to Jiffy Lube. An independent specialty shop or the dealer will charge north of $300 on an oil change. Using synthetic oil can defray the cost across many more miles, however.
Good luck in your search. Watch out for a leaky rear wing hydraulics, anything other than a rock solid idle at all temps, that it boosts to the correct amount (0.7bar for Normal and 1.0bar for S and X50). Looks at tire ware for a clue about the suspension... Then just all the usual suspects.
So glad I found your channel. Earned a sub from a HUGE car guy from SWFL ---> TN transplant. Soon to own a 996 turbo like you two! Always ALWAYS wanted one. Can't wait to get one and turbo swap it (yeah I'm one of those guys LOL) Love it! keep it up!!
Awwww, whom am I kidding? I'll never be able to afford one of these beasts, even aged 12 or more. But at least, I very much enjoyed your story. Honesty, detail, and candor compelled me to thumbs-up and subscribe!
Wow, you got a great price on that car. Also good to see the savings on maintenance doing the work yourself. Might just have to ditch the C4S idea for a turbo model. Thanks for the great info!
Hey ladies! Another great explanation of TT ownership. Making lots of folks jealous no doubt. I’ve just bumped up the factory sound system (PCM2) on my ‘04 TT X50 with a Sony Touch Screen receiver using the Bose amp and speakers. RCA-Fiber Optic adapters are available. Wow! Apple Car Play and Bose sound. Fun project Franny. Call Crutchfield.
Thank you for elaborating on the repair details. Very informative and helpful. I have a 2004 C4S cabriolet and have problems with both rear window regulators because the cables broke. I have the squeaky shock towers too. Radiators are still original but hoses and coolant reservoir had to be replaced. Charcoal canister cracked causing check engine light and was replaced. Also New Engine mounts at 86k miles. Currently have 112k on the odometer. Enjoy your beautiful Turbo!
Our top has been pretty good, but there is a small *pop* when it goes up... Probably not good ;) I did the engine mounts on the 3.2 Carrera. Easy Peasy on that car. Always a few little things, but all cars are like that to some extent. Enjoy your C4S!
Very interesting because I had a 987 that had similar problems. I kept it for three years and about 10,000 miles. I had to have four wheels refinished, new aircon condenser, crossover pipes, aircon pipes, top mounts, four shocks, coffin arms, four rotors and pads, four tyres and a few cosmetic items. It was a Porsche maintained car and had 68,000 when I exchanged it for a 718. At Porsche prices I’d spent £8000, partly because the previous owner hadn’t in the run up to sale. Yours are a great series of videos btw. They’re really helpful to this old man who’s been fixing cars for fifty years.
Heidi and Franny's Garage dear Both, the 718 is considerably more powerful through the range than the 987, it is extremely fast and will spin the wheels leaving a roundabout in the wet if you aren’t careful. It’s also quieter, rides better and handles better it’s wider at the rear and has GT4 suspension. Some say the GT4 is the best Porsche to that time. Overall it is a much better car and so far I love it. I’ve just toured the mountains of Picos, Cantabria and Ezcaray in Spain with it.. Selling the 987 was a wrench because my wife and I had our last holiday together in it and my neighbour had owned it from almost new, but although immaculate it was thirteen years old and I’d had a few bills for pipes that had corroded and I was beginning to worry lest I’d be stranded somewhere or whether the IMS would fail. The 718 was a lot of money, but it’s a good looking car with excellent in car electronics including Apple Play and I hope it’ll last a good few years. It doesn’t sound like the old six, but it has PDK and power everywhere, it’s a lot quieter, so a much better engine. A xx
A word of caution with driving in Snow with a 996 Turbo ... there are several components on the engine which IMO, are just not intended for snow & road salt ... the heat shields on the turbos and the fuel rails .. are notorious for corroding ... keep an eye on them, repair / replace before worse things happen. Really like those all aluminum radiators you put on your car, very awesome .. the cheap OEM ones with end caps are known to leak/fail .. same goes for the Turbo Intercoolers (Wagner makes some nice affordable all aluminum ones). Lastly, you may want to have your water lines "pinned", the original OEM housings have tubes bonded into them, those bonds can fail... resulting in total coolant loss (like your ruptured hose problem). Google some forums about this problem and the pinning method for preventative care (I think that is the easiest, lowest cost cure).
VERY informative and entertaining content ladies. As others have said, you definitely deserve many more subscribers, especially because your production values are so high. But, as you know I'm sure, that'll follow with value and frequency of content. I love the Denver area and you're so lucky being right on the Front Range. I did a lot of flying in and out of DIA and living locally several years ago, but am now back in Northern Ireland. I have to admit to running a Maserati Granturismo and even with paying for labour, my annual costs are broadly similar to yours. I'm really looking forward to more content and you are REALLY encouraging me to do some DIY work on my other cars. Think I'll leave the Maserati to a trusted professional though! Mike ;)
Cool and informative breakdown. A little bit scary for a guy only used to changing fluids and having no other issues. But sounds like it is worth it! Probably need to research common issues for the Porsche I intend to buy eventually.
Love it! The car is beautiful and its great to see the honest truth about little failures here and there. These cars can be so intimidating to purchase!
Thanks for the candid specifics Frannie and Heidi. I'm new in the game and still pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming. My '09 997.2 has 49K mi. Have noticed that my low horn is out. Any chance you still have an extra and whether it would fit? Love your enthusiasm and can do attitude about repairs.
You bet! Glad it was helpful. It really hasn't been very expensive at all. Like most used car purchases, there is an initial amount needed to get the car fully sorted. But from there it should just be mostly routine things. I hope you get your dream car soon :)
Great video. Costs are not too bad. Prices of the 996's seem to be higher than they were a few years ago, at least where I live, and you got yours at a good price. A little disappointing to see that they missed the radiators at the PPI. They probably have a list of things they check, but radiators should definitely be on that list, more so than half a horn. I don't think the standard radiotors with the steel plastic parts are a particular good solution. With the continuous expanding and shrinking over time do to temperature changes you'll most likely get in trouble at some point. As far as I know most manufacturers use this particular setup though. The all aluminium ones are well worth it. Wondering if you have more items changed on the 996 and the other cars as well.
I ticked like and the number turned to 911! It's a sign :) Really informative vlog so thank you. A little out of my league but a 981 Cayman is calling me!
That's crazy good! I'm going to be getting a Porsche soon! Hopefully only a year old. I'll let someone else absorb the depreciation lol 😅. Great video, loved the info. Much respect for doing the work yourselves. Awesome job keep it up!!
I am in the market for a 996TT and this is spot on! Thanks for the insight into what needs to be budgeted to keep such a great car on the road and running.
Great video!!!! I had a 996 Turbo back in 2007, my first high performance car. Had a Boxster and a standard Carrera before. The Turbo was black, fast and sooo nice, it will always be special to me!! Have you two ever been to Europe? Visited the Porsche factory and all that? Keep up the good work!! /M, Sweden
Hi. We have been to Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium. My family is in Brussels and all over Germany. We need to head back. We have not done any car factory tours yet. I also have friends in Norway and Sweden. Hopefully in the next few years. Heidi
That's funny, talking about the battery replacement, the only place i could find a replacement battery for my 951 locally was at my local Tractor Supply store, lol. Who would have thought the local farm supply store was the ONLY place to buy a Porsche Battery? Life is strange!!
Call me crazy, but I think I would leave a 996 in the garage during the winter. In southern Colorado the roads are pretty dicey during the winter and arguably during the summer, too. Kudos on the DIY!
I call you sane and prudent! It is a bit of a fancy car to be subjecting it to the crazy Colorado winters, but it really is very capable and totally fun on not-completely-horrible days!
Great video as always! I have a 03 996 turbo X50 Coupe with same color as yours. Now is 73000 km and had similar issues and repairs as yours ... Radiator ... clutch slave ... and now I am looking at your videos to budget for my next To-repair list! I do have some funny idle issue and left bank intermittent misfire (pop) ... which is kinda annoying! May be I can send you video to comment? As you said, this car is so daily drivable and reasonable cost for a supercar! Keep the great videos coming!!!
Hi Danny, Thanks! Do you think you might have a cracked coil pack on that side? If you can read the stored fault codes it might point you in the culprit. Porsche upgraded the coil packs to the 997 packs I think because the 996 paks were prone to cracking and missing. Pretty straightforward to replace plugs/packs on a NA 996, but the Turbo is a bit more work. Check the codes and see if it registers a misfire... Just a thought. Franny
I replaced a MAF on my Alfa and the dealer quoted me $900+. So I found the exact the same Bosch part and number of ebay and it was $200 which my mechanic installed in 2 seconds for free. I also like the Michelin PS2s there best tyres you can get easily
Chester, I haven’t done any videos like that yet, but we do have a video from last year that shows us taking the wheels off and putting on snow tires. ua-cam.com/video/n_5WmsU_7vU/v-deo.html
2 questions if you don't mind 1) What should I expect to spend for a clutch replacement on 2005 996 turbo S? 2) Regarding your discussion of what to expect from a PPI, I had a PPI prior to purchasing a 2005 996 turbo S and they missed or didn't tell me about a leaking hydraulic on the spoiler and clutch slippage above third gear (highway). Fairly large ticket items. (They missed several other things like incorrect size battery, front speakers not working, hood struts not holding ) Is it fair to go back to the porsche dealer and complain that the clutch issue and spider hydraulic weren't note? How would most people handle this? Thanks, JB
John, if you feel you were unjustly treated then call them on it. I almost always do, but I am like that. What do you have to lose? The worst they can say is no. Heidi
Do you ladies still have the car? What has your experience been with it since the video? Is it reliable? Would you recommend it? I found one I am very interested in. Well actually 2. Would love to hear your thoughts with additional 2 years of ownership. Great video
Hey you two! Hopefully you can answer a question I have about the Cab version of the Turbo. I've been looking for a nice, used Turbo for some time now and I've found a 2004 Turbo with the X50 package! Imagine that! It is also a 2004 Cab, manual tranny, Artic Silver with black interior and top, all original and sporting 55K miles. The owner is buying a new Beemer, so he's selling the Turbo. I do have one question that hopefully you can answer if you know. When driving the car with the top up, at say at, or over 65-75 MPH, how loud is the road noise compared to a standard coupe? Are the Cabs noticeably louder? Or just minimal different? I haven't driven the car yet, I hope to do so tomorrow. This car has some nice options so I hope things go well. Thanks for the info in this video, it's a big help knowing what to look for on a particular model, when looking for one. Thanks!
Great video, and it sounds like you made a great purchase. You guys have a good channel going. (But it does make me nervous to see Franny working under the car in a pink outfit, lol. ). If you guys are in the PCA I'd love to meet you guys at a treffen sometime. Yes, Mercedes used to offer 2 horn tones, one was a light sounding "city" horn---so as not to wake people sleeping in nearby apartments, and a louder "country" horn that could be heard from the end of a long country driveway. Mass air flow sensor......don't even get me started, although most of my MAF problems have been on BMWs.
Great video. I do like to hear what fails or causes problems, even across different makes of car. I discovered recently that some people routinely replace the radiator and hoses on a "new" acquisition. I'm starting to think it's a sound methodology, if a little pricey.
Very informative, thanks for sharing your information. It helps us who are in the market looking for a good buy. You didn't mention the ceramics so I assume they have not required servicing. What has your experience with ceramic brakes been like? I just looked at a 2008 turbo with 35k miles that unfortunately looked like it had been beat quite a bit. It had numerous scrapes and scratches on the paint, and numerous plastic air duct pieces under the front bumper/wheels were torn or completely ripped off. So I passed on it.
Mario, Turbos are extremely hard to find that have not been tracked, modified, beat up, or all of the above. We were super lucky. Try to find one locally. Put up search alerts from autotrader and cars. Let (bug) local dealerships. Sometime a local dealer has an entire nextwork of cars and can transport them back. Check Hemmings as well. Just be SUPER careful. There are a ton of con artists out there.
Hi Mario, The ceramic brakes have been great. No maintenance at all. They are 100K+ mile brakes with almost no brake dust. They do squeak around town a bit though. - To follow on what Heidi wrote, I would suggest trying to find a car that is as original as possible. If you would like a few tasteful mods, than that is fine, just be careful. Have someone look at the car that is familiar with them and look for anything out of place in the engine bay. Oh, and make sure the spoiler goes up and down... I think you have seen it, but check out the turbo review again. I think I go over a bit in there as well... Franny
Thanks for the tips on where to look and who to talk with. I am actually working with a local kid that is starting his dealership of performance cars. He's already found (and sold) numerous cars that were very close to what I am looking for. And he has another coming in this weekend. As my Dad used to say, "There's always another one." :-)
Great the hear that ceramics are up to their internet reputation. There are a few cars here locally that have ceramics that I'll be looking over. I hear you about having a PPI done by an expert shop. Luckily there are numerous shops within a few miles of my home that have an excellent reputation with the local PCA folks. These shops also have race cars that they race on weekends so they are capable of more than just maintenance and repairs. I've already talked with them and they were more than happy to inform me as to what to look for on various models. All my vehicles are very original, that's what I tend to look for even before I go out to see a car. Yes, I agree that tasteful cosmetic mods are okay, but not "LOOK AT ME" mods. I am not interested in highly modified ugly cars, especially Porsche's, and turbo's even more so! lol
You ladies should try Liqui Moly brand motor oil for your car. Best oil for German cars. A better quality oil upgrade used in VW, BMW and MB. I use the new green Molygen oil that lets you find oil leaks with a UV light. New LM oil specific to Porsche now available. Synthoil Energy A40 0W-40 is designed for the type of engine power Porsche vehicles demand from their motor oil. The new product from Liqui Moly is officially approved by Porsche for all vehicles that require an oil with the company’s A40 standard.
Hi Heidi and Franny, I've got the same car as you ladies and I was wondering if you have changed out the Radio /Nav Head unit for something a bit contemporary. If you did swap it, can you let me know if you installed a MOST adapter to still use the optical system your car came with. It seems that the 2004 996TT with Nav and Bose has presented some challenges until this new adapter came to market a short while ago. That would be a great video if you ever thought about swapping it for new one! Maybe you prefer to just listen to the exhaust note as a purist would. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Michael, the radio is modern enough for me. Franny does not like the radio (she prefers to hear the engine). The former owner may have installed, but It is an original Porsche radio. Sorry, I just don’t have any advice. Phones will always have the latest and greatest Nav and so I just don’t see the need. We use our phones a bunch with all our classics for navigation. It just works for us. Now, not having a USB port or cigarette lighter, that is what I would have issues with. Heidi
Great video. I’m a little surprised at how many parts were amped and the amount of work you’ve had to do on the car. I’ve run a 2009 987.2 cayman s for 4 years and haven’t had to do anything other than regular servicing, tires and brakes. I even use my car on about 5 track days per year and daily it during the winter. Am looking at replacing it with a 996 turbo, but I’m sceptical because it seems like reliability got a lot better in the years after the 996. What do you guys think?
I am not surprised to hear that. We had a 2006 Boxster until a woman smashed into me. It never needed any work but bleeding the brakes and oil changes. However, radiators go bad in those cars too. Your Cayman is ten years old. Not to curse you, but you should be watching for radiator and hose wear. And yes, the extras for the turbo do add up, but well worth the amazing Mezger engine. Used cars will cost money. No doubt. How you deal with that is up to you (pay someone or do it yourself). Heidi
@@HeidiandFranny You guys are so cool, especially because I always get a reply :) It's funny you should mention radiators, becuase I've just fitted mesh in front of them to protect them, but I appreciate the gist of what you're saying. And I imagine that what one might spend in maintainance on a 996 turbo, would be countered by the total lack of depreciation, but who knows...
Great video as I'm shopping for a similar car myself. Concerned though, at the number of repairs that had to be done with such low milage on the car... multiple clutch components, front wheel bearing, axle and that doesn't include the radiators that weeped after so few miles. Is this normal for this car?
I don’t think you are going to find any cars that do not have wear items after 18 years. I think the age was why the radiators went bad (and yes, other cars have to have radiator replacements), the turbo’s slave cylinder is not something you will see in the non turbo 996s. However, the non Mezger engine have IMS bearing issue. It is a trade off. Turbo’s are more then likely going to be more expensive to maintain, because of the all wheel drive (therefore, the 996 C4s too). We had to replace hoses which is probably normal for a 16 year car. Hoses go bad. Turbos are great. As the video states, it has not been that costly year by year, but if you find a cheap turbo, perhaps all this maintenance has not been done. The car will let you know! Good luck. Get a 996 that is at least an 02 or newer. Sig. changes were done to the 996 turbo in 2002. Car does well in snow and can honestly be a daily for anyone who is not afraid to do some work on it now and then. Heidi
This is an extremely high performance car. You can not expect it to maintain its original tolerances like a Honda Civic does. If that's what you want, you shouldn't even consider a car of this performance caliber.
I like the way you explained the costs but it would be nice to know what these things would have cost at a repair shop. But I definitely enjoyed your video.
Agreed, but this car has not done that. In fact, as every other Turbo in Porsche history, I believe (I have been wrong), that this car will hold its value if not appreciate. Depends on the care of the car too. Heidi
Take out the cost of the Radiators and the figure drops almost in half! Considering the rads should last for years to come that's really good! Porsche...there is no substitute!
Great video! Have you had to do (or received an estimate for) the brakes yet? I see you have the ceramics... If you haven't looked in to it yet, you may want to in order to be prepared
They can be a bit pricey for sure, but if well taken care of they will last well into the 100K miles with no issues. Ours look brand new - no visible wear at all.
First thing: I must say that your videos are EXCELLENT! Now to the useful stuff: Yes I love Porsches but I do not miss having them. For the last 10 years I have bought and owned 12 Corvettes. No issues with those cars whatsoever. Porsche is still to problematic compared to a Corvette and if something goes bad it costs a fortune. That being said, even the more exotic and modern of all Corvettes is not as problematic as a Porsche. Porsche is great to look and to drive but since 2007 when Chevrolet changed the gearing of the Corvette steering to make it quicker and more responsive I see no reasons to have a modern Porsche except I still like the classic air cooled ones. But, in life, it is all about taste and everyone should have what they like. Thanks for the video!
I think I'm at $1500 in parts this year for my 996tt. That includes both alternator and battery, which should be multi-year fixes. Such great cars! Get video too!
If you can luckily get one with fine radiators, it's gonna be like $1600 less, so it's fairly less than $600 per year at this point :) For me personally 996 is my favorite car, just another version - Coupé Carrera 2. I am saving money now to get a broken/salvage one and repair it completely myself. Luckily i will get 996 working and shiny in less than $9k, which would be a fantastic price.
The NA 996 is a great car! In every measure far better than the 993 it replaced. Feels like Porsche's first modern car. They are quick and ride great and as you said, pretty darn affordable! Highly recommended. Just service the IMSB and you are set.
That sounds like it had a rough life prior to you buying it.I have had mine for 7 years and haven't spent much on it at all. Apart from the Radiators changed and 2 Cv boots and just normal servicing oh and an Alternator.It's been very reliable
Christian B well, it has higher mileage than maybe most. The guy before us drove it a lot! He was good to it. Took it to the dealer. Unfortunately, they couldn’t figure out the mass airflow sensor issue. Franny solved that but it was not easy. I wish we had done the channel then. Her troubleshooting skills were on it.
It is really amazing that the high price does not at all reflect high quality. I think this is the reson electric cars is going to take over the market, since the engine is not as complicated and error prone.
Hi Roger, It does use about a two quarts between changes (one year). My guess is there is a bit of blow-by on the turbos coupled with the usual flat cylinder layout. You just want to check it now and then, but nothing to be too worried about.
Hello Franny and Heidi! I love your content! Would you be interested in doing some consultant work on my vehicle? I think you should give my tt a looksy loo. A woman in her 50's like me feels abandoned with my porsche. I really need the company and the amazing advice.
Great video. Those are big misses for the dealer PPI. Hard to believe they didn't road test the vehicle as part of the inspection. Seems to be a lot of little things that needed to be done on this car. Is that typical of this model or is it just age? Just under 4k over 4 years isn't bad at all, but you are doing a lot of your own work. I have no experience working on cars so would I be doubling that price to have a shop do that work for me?
Sorry for my english , and thanks for the interresting video. I am maybee wrong, but for a Porsche, low mileage and summer car, it feels like some parts are not very high quality....
996 was a drastically different car from the 993. So, yeah, there will be some growing pains. The turbo is different from the 996 911s too. It really is a bargain car with the Mezger engine and pricing for a car of this superpower. We are not complaining. Most turbos cost more to maintain, esp all wheel drive.
Wow I was surprised how expensive some of those items were $45 or a fuel filter, $148 for 2 Radiator hoses, $500 per tyre etc seems really expensive but I live in New Zealand and don't drive a Porsche. My last fuel filter cost about $10 and I think I paid about $20 for a radiator hose. I suppose you pay a premium for Porsche parts. Good vid though.
Adam, it depends on how rare (easy to get) the parts are and whether or not they are originals or cheap knock offs. I am sure we could find cheaper versions. We evaluate that. We had to replace the left drive shaft on the MINI and it was 800 thru MINI. We ended up using a cheaper part that cost 80 dollars. It just depends. The Turbo is in good enough shape to actually be entered into Concours. It just isn't very old yet. We try to keep all of our P cars as original as possible. Heidi
Thanks for the honest opinion, will you be making how to videos since you all do your own work? Also. how does clear coat hold up with that mag-chloride CDOT in it's infinite wisdom has chosen to put down on icy roads?
Yeah, that is nasty stuff! I don't let it sit on the cars for long. No problems yet though... We put out a Winter Washing video for some tips for getting that stuff off after a snow event. We have several How-Tos for this car and the others on the channel. Some of that work, (the radiators and MAF was done before we started the channel, unfortunately... I do have lots of photos so I was able to throw some of those in.
As I clicked this video, I was skeptical that it would be worth watching. I was wrong. Great job! I like that the information was presented thoroughly, concisely and that you listed all of the maintenance and costs. Pictures of some of the repair issues was also a nice touch. Incidentally, I'm unsure if you replaced the serpentine belt yourself, but I understand it's also an easy job.
Thanks! Yup... Did the belt myself - There is an earlier video :) Can I ask you a question? Another commenter felt your same skepticism. May I ask why? What was it that made you think it may be a bit silly/thin? Maybe the thumbnail? Love to hear your thoughts... Thanks! Franny
Women rarely get involved with car maintenance to this extent. The two of you are more hands-on than most men. The benefit is that you know your car well, rather than knowing that a mechanic fixed some rattling noise and it only cost $1,000+. You're far less likely to be cheated by a dealer/mechanic. You shop around for good deals and talk to others in car forums about the car. You keep up with preventative maintenance rather than addressing maintenance issues after they happen. I'll bet you know your 911 so well that you would feel comfortable driving it cross country without concern for reliability. And if you did encounter issues, you'll feel comfortable troubleshooting the car and making a determination whether it's reasonable to do the repair yourself or take it to a mechanic. I don't own a Porsche. I'm the original owner of a 2004 Volkswagen GTI VR6. I rarely take it to a mechanic and the car runs great. In fact, I'd say my '04 GTI VR6 is the best one on the road today. The car looks like new even though I don't have a garage to park it in. I keep up on preventative maintenance, I'm the only driver and I keep it looking nice. I also haven't made any aftermarket modifications to it..it's all factory. A very well kept car that I don't intend to ever sell. I'm keeping the car for a few reasons. First, every year I drive it, means I'm saving more money for my first 911. Second, the car's book value depreciated so much in 14 years that it's worth
Thanks! Glad you are happy with your VW. I always liked ours - it is a better piece than the Mini. Do you need a newer 911? I bet you would really enjoy a 3.2 Carrera... All the Air-cooled are going up in price though... Good luck in your quest. Let us know if we can help :) F
The 964 and 993 911s are nice but too small. In 4-5 years I'll be interested in buying a used 2019 991.2. I'm tall and don't fit in the older 911s. I sat in a 991.1 and it fit much better, even though it's also slightly too small, but still roomier than the older generation 911s. Considering the cost of late model 911s, and the wide variety of options Porsche offers, my one big frustration is that they still haven't found a way of custom fitting seats for the specific owner. I realize this would make their $5,000 seats even more expensive, but when you consider that one of the biggest appeals to owning a 911 is how connected a driver feels to the car, well, the seats are a bit of a let down. The car should fit like a glove. I need a seat that's about 1" or 1.5" lower, with a head rests that's about 2" or 2.5" higher. Unsure if it's even possible to fit an aftermarket seat like this into a 911. Separately, my hope is that in 4-5 years we'll be in a severe recession and Porsche owners start trying to offload their cars, bringing the prices down. Currently, the economy has a lot to do with keeping the prices of these cars higher. The dealers don't even sell the cars for MSPR. They hike the prices far higher than MSRP and justify it by saying that they only get a small allocation of particular models, and they have a long waiting list of buyers. Supply and demand. I get it, which is why I'll wait to buy at a time when people want to get rid of their expensive cars. I anticipate that the push to electric vehicles will also result in some of the most expensive late model 911s dropping in value. We'll see what happens when the Mission-E is introduced. At that point, I'd still love to have a Carrera, a GTS or a GT3.
I dunno, those are the sort of things I've never even thought about on my '95 NSX. Powersteering? Front-axle leak? Slave cylinder? Inconsistent idle? Sorry, but I gave up on Porsches in the late1990s. Just too many issues for such a pricey marque.
Hi Everyone, This is a complete tabulation of what we have spent on our 2004 Porsche 996 Turbo X-50. There is also a little pre-channel history thrown in so you can see just what you might be in for if you are interested in a car like this. Let us know if you think it is a lot or not that much!
As a former 8 year 996TT owner, I was curious about your expenditures. My $ per mile over 50,000 miles was a mere $0.12 per mile. What a great car.
4 years ago, I swapped it for a Lamborghini Diablo Roadster...just a different stratosphere in every respect.....I'm currently at $8.00 per mile on that.
Well, I'm hoping that is more of a mileage issue than a cost issue ;) Diablo is pretty sweet though. I bet that is super fun to see when you got out the garage :)
So cheap to run such an amazing car! Comparable mid 2000s supercars would probably be 10x higher.
If I had the choice of a Porsche dealership or Franny to do a PPI, it would be Franny. Thanks for being so open with all the details of your purchase. This is real car guy/gal content. Another excellent video. My only complaint, with being retired now, I have more time on my hands, and the wait for your next video seem longer . Lol. 🇨🇦
Hi Dwayne. So sorry. Weather has been ridiculously cold. We really have not been able to film. Hopefully we can get a few more videos happening. That was a very nice comment. We will do a PPI for you anytime. Heidi
I just noticed the number of views and likes on this video! That's crazy! This is a very good channel just stick with it, the views will come.
+Jack Allen thanks for your vote.
What year did porsche go to all water cooled motor?
Yeah Frannie does a great job explaining the mechanics. This is highly informative
@@donthomason252 I believe it was 1998
I stumbled on your videos & watched a few. Holy crap you two are great! Keep up the great videos.
Thanks so much!
You are inspiring me to act on my midlife crisis. Another well done, and informative video. Thank you both, again.
I think we had pre mid life crisis a bunch! Lol. Heidi
How old? I’m about to also lol
@@415bayshark i'm 40 and i'm going through one. 911 TT X50 cabriolet is my only cure I think.
You guys need more subscribers.. great content 👍
Thanks David! We are working on it :)
What a great video! Thank you as always for being so thorough, you guys rock! I’ve always been curious of the maintenance costs on the 996 Turbo, so it’s nice to see an itemized break down; as Franny said, the cost isn’t bad at all considering the performance level of the car. Keep up the fantastic work
+TheKRVR you bet. Thanks. Heidi
I'm coming to that nerve racking decision - what do I get myself into first with the long-term dream/goal being to one day own a Lamborghini Huracan. I've decided Porsche is a great place to start learning to drive/maintain/own a higher performance vehicle and that the 996 AWD Turbo is a great fit as a daily commuter in Northern New York. This video was amazingly helpful and I immediately hit subscribe. I'm hoping as I scroll through your posts, I'll find 'how to' videos on Franny's repairs that are just as thorough and informative. Keep up the magnificent work!
Thanks so much! Good luck in your quest!
Another awesome video! I've had my '02 Turbo X50 for exactly an year and started to appreciate the reliability of this 16 year old car! I've replaced a water pump (could not get to the thermostat though) and a brake bleeder screw. The only major repairs so far. Random misfire and the failed rear wing hydraulic pump still bugged me. I'll get to those some day. Overall no regret and enjoy every second driving it! Thanks for sharing!
You bet. Yeah, it isn’t bad if you keep up. What about your radiators?
I don't see any leak on garage floor from front end, and I don't see any weeping sign when I shined a light behind the grille....
Well, I recommend the hoses that went as well. I don’t know about the 2002. Franny probably would, but that is something you might want to do. The CSF radiators have been great. Heidi
Heidi you're absolutely right. Even after replacing the water pump, if I push the car hard, I'd see a few drops leaking from hose ends. So little that I'm not worried at all. Even thought about adding those coolant stop-leak products, but would that destroy my baby?
Jerry, years ago my dad put one of those coolant stop leak products in the radiator of my Datson B210. I have been really dark on it since. I feel the same way about those tire fix a flat products. If you believe there is a real issue, I suggest that you replace the hoses or just wait if you don't mind getting a tow. We drive in the mountains enough that we didn't want to risk that again (which is why we did both). Heidi
Fantastic information here. Thank you for taking the time to catalog all the part numbers, etc. One note for viewers-- the $86 oil change is priced that low as a DIY affair. If you are not as comfortable as Franny in changing the oil on a 911, you can't take it to Jiffy Lube. An independent specialty shop or the dealer will charge north of $300 on an oil change. Using synthetic oil can defray the cost across many more miles, however.
I'm in the market for a 996TT, this was a really good, straightforward breakdown on the costs of ownership. Thanks!
Good luck in your search. Watch out for a leaky rear wing hydraulics, anything other than a rock solid idle at all temps, that it boosts to the correct amount (0.7bar for Normal and 1.0bar for S and X50). Looks at tire ware for a clue about the suspension... Then just all the usual suspects.
Beautiful car & great information as always! Thank you ladies!
Glad you enjoyed it!
So glad I found your channel. Earned a sub from a HUGE car guy from SWFL ---> TN transplant. Soon to own a 996 turbo like you two! Always ALWAYS wanted one. Can't wait to get one and turbo swap it (yeah I'm one of those guys LOL) Love it! keep it up!!
Cool. Have fun. Glad you found us too. Heidi
Awwww, whom am I kidding? I'll never be able to afford one of these beasts, even aged 12 or more. But at least, I very much enjoyed your story. Honesty, detail, and candor compelled me to thumbs-up and subscribe!
My 996tt just turned 20k miles. Thanks for informing me of what to look forward to.
+Rupert Scrubins yeah. It wouldn’t hurt to check some of those hoses based more on the years (age) vs the mileage.
Great video. Your open honest approach to documenting the costs of ownership is super. Thank you!
Thanks!
A new subscriber, and happy to have found you. More useful and informative content than most. Keep it comin' ladies! Thanks for sharing!
Cool Terri. Glad you like
Our channel. Thanks. Heidi
Wow, you got a great price on that car. Also good to see the savings on maintenance doing the work yourself. Might just have to ditch the C4S idea for a turbo model. Thanks for the great info!
Yes, Franny saves us thousands. .
Excellent video! I especially like the photo insets showing the damaged/replaced parts. Good work, ladies!
Thanks!
Great video! Thank you for making this! So helpful as I look for one!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for sharing. I enjoy your passion for your cars.
Thanks Colin!
Hey ladies! Another great explanation of TT ownership. Making lots of folks jealous no doubt.
I’ve just bumped up the factory sound system (PCM2) on my ‘04 TT X50 with a Sony Touch Screen receiver using the Bose amp and speakers. RCA-Fiber Optic adapters are available. Wow! Apple Car Play and Bose sound. Fun project Franny. Call Crutchfield.
Cool.
Thank you for elaborating on the repair details. Very informative and helpful. I have a 2004 C4S cabriolet and have problems with both rear window regulators because the cables broke. I have the squeaky shock towers too. Radiators are still original but hoses and coolant reservoir had to be replaced. Charcoal canister cracked causing check engine light and was replaced. Also New Engine mounts at 86k miles. Currently have 112k on the odometer. Enjoy your beautiful Turbo!
Our top has been pretty good, but there is a small *pop* when it goes up... Probably not good ;) I did the engine mounts on the 3.2 Carrera. Easy Peasy on that car. Always a few little things, but all cars are like that to some extent. Enjoy your C4S!
Very interesting because I had a 987 that had similar problems. I kept it for three years and about 10,000 miles.
I had to have four wheels refinished, new aircon condenser, crossover pipes, aircon pipes, top mounts, four shocks, coffin arms, four rotors and pads, four tyres and a few cosmetic items. It was a Porsche maintained car and had 68,000 when I exchanged it for a 718.
At Porsche prices I’d spent £8000, partly because the previous owner hadn’t in the run up to sale.
Yours are a great series of videos btw. They’re really helpful to this old man who’s been fixing cars for fifty years.
Deferred maintenance is a bummer! Thanks. So, you sold it for a 718? Do you feel the 718 has similar power? I would think it does not. Heidi
Heidi and Franny's Garage dear Both, the 718 is considerably more powerful through the range than the 987, it is extremely fast and will spin the wheels leaving a roundabout in the wet if you aren’t careful. It’s also quieter, rides better and handles better it’s wider at the rear and has GT4 suspension. Some say the GT4 is the best Porsche to that time. Overall it is a much better car and so far I love it. I’ve just toured the mountains of Picos, Cantabria and Ezcaray in Spain with it..
Selling the 987 was a wrench because my wife and I had our last holiday together in it and my neighbour had owned it from almost new, but although immaculate it was thirteen years old and I’d had a few bills for pipes that had corroded and I was beginning to worry lest I’d be stranded somewhere or whether the IMS would fail.
The 718 was a lot of money, but it’s a good looking car with excellent in car electronics including Apple Play and I hope it’ll last a good few years. It doesn’t sound like the old six, but it has PDK and power everywhere, it’s a lot quieter, so a much better engine. A xx
A word of caution with driving in Snow with a 996 Turbo ... there are several components on the engine which IMO, are just not intended for snow & road salt ... the heat shields on the turbos and the fuel rails .. are notorious for corroding ... keep an eye on them, repair / replace before worse things happen.
Really like those all aluminum radiators you put on your car, very awesome .. the cheap OEM ones with end caps are known to leak/fail .. same goes for the Turbo Intercoolers (Wagner makes some nice affordable all aluminum ones).
Lastly, you may want to have your water lines "pinned", the original OEM housings have tubes bonded into them, those bonds can fail... resulting in total coolant loss (like your ruptured hose problem). Google some forums about this problem and the pinning method for preventative care (I think that is the easiest, lowest cost cure).
Once again, you both put out a great video. I do find it disappointing though that so many things had to be fixed under warranty so early on.
mac daddy yeah. I know what you mean. Heidi
Great video as always !
+David Lucas awesome. Thanks.
Great video, very helpful. Thanks.
I LOVE this channel!!! Beautiful collection ladies!!! Sub from Nebraska.
Thanks!! Welcome!
VERY informative and entertaining content ladies. As others have said, you definitely deserve many more subscribers, especially because your production values are so high.
But, as you know I'm sure, that'll follow with value and frequency of content. I love the Denver area and you're so lucky being right on the Front Range.
I did a lot of flying in and out of DIA and living locally several years ago, but am now back in Northern Ireland. I have to admit to running a Maserati Granturismo and even with paying for labour, my annual costs are broadly similar to yours. I'm really looking forward to more content and you are REALLY encouraging me to do some DIY work on my other cars.
Think I'll leave the Maserati to a trusted professional though! Mike ;)
Awesome. Please spread the word.
Cool and informative breakdown. A little bit scary for a guy only used to changing fluids and having no other issues. But sounds like it is worth it! Probably need to research common issues for the Porsche I intend to buy eventually.
We were lucky, the car was just about three miles from our house. We could have been on a mountain road with no reception.
Love it! The car is beautiful and its great to see the honest truth about little failures here and there. These cars can be so intimidating to purchase!
Thanks Ted! Heidi
Thanks for the candid specifics Frannie and Heidi. I'm new in the game and still pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming. My '09 997.2 has 49K mi. Have noticed that my low horn is out. Any chance you still have an extra and whether it would fit? Love your enthusiasm and can do attitude about repairs.
Enjoyed watching that, it's sort of a dream car so it's good to see what sort of costs they entail over the years.
Thanks :)
You bet! Glad it was helpful. It really hasn't been very expensive at all. Like most used car purchases, there is an initial amount needed to get the car fully sorted. But from there it should just be mostly routine things. I hope you get your dream car soon :)
Great video. Costs are not too bad. Prices of the 996's seem to be higher than they were a few years ago, at least where I live, and you got yours at a good price. A little disappointing to see that they missed the radiators at the PPI. They probably have a list of things they check, but radiators should definitely be on that list, more so than half a horn.
I don't think the standard radiotors with the steel plastic parts are a particular good solution. With the continuous expanding and shrinking over time do to temperature changes you'll most likely get in trouble at some point. As far as I know most manufacturers use this particular setup though. The all aluminium ones are well worth it. Wondering if you have more items changed on the 996 and the other cars as well.
I think all cars have wear items, but I agree. They should have used a different material for the radiators.
I ticked like and the number turned to 911! It's a sign :) Really informative vlog so thank you. A little out of my league but a 981 Cayman is calling me!
That is fun!
That's crazy good! I'm going to be getting a Porsche soon! Hopefully only a year old. I'll let someone else absorb the depreciation lol 😅. Great video, loved the info. Much respect for doing the work yourselves. Awesome job keep it up!!
I am in the market for a 996TT and this is spot on! Thanks for the insight into what needs to be budgeted to keep such a great car on the road and running.
Michael Langford cool. Glad it helps. We also have a lot of DIY videos. Please watch our 996 playlists. Heidi
Heidi and Franny's Garage Yes, I have subscribed as all of your DIY maintenance is super helpful! Keep up the great work.
Michael Langford yes, Franny is trying to pass her extensive knowledge on and help all of us save money (and time).
Great video!!!! I had a 996 Turbo back in 2007, my first high performance car. Had a Boxster and a standard Carrera before. The Turbo was black, fast and sooo nice, it will always be special to me!! Have you two ever been to Europe? Visited the Porsche factory and all that? Keep up the good work!! /M, Sweden
Hi. We have been to Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium. My family is in Brussels and all over Germany. We need to head back. We have not done any car factory tours yet. I also have friends in Norway and Sweden. Hopefully in the next few years. Heidi
That's funny, talking about the battery replacement, the only place i could find a replacement battery for my 951 locally was at my local Tractor Supply store, lol. Who would have thought the local farm supply store was the ONLY place to buy a Porsche Battery? Life is strange!!
Wow. Seriously? I believe it. Heidi
Cool.
Jack Allen Well, Porsche used to manafacture tractors. I believe they still do hahahaha
I just bought on 04 with 50k miles. I’ll be praying that I dont have many issues!
Nice job ladies! Great vid.
Super helpful video! keep killing it
The 2 ladies are good Porsche mechanics :-)
Call me crazy, but I think I would leave a 996 in the garage during the winter. In southern Colorado the roads are pretty dicey during the winter and arguably during the summer, too. Kudos on the DIY!
I call you sane and prudent! It is a bit of a fancy car to be subjecting it to the crazy Colorado winters, but it really is very capable and totally fun on not-completely-horrible days!
Great video as always! I have a 03 996 turbo X50 Coupe with same color as yours. Now is 73000 km and had similar issues and repairs as yours ... Radiator ... clutch slave ... and now I am looking at your videos to budget for my next To-repair list! I do have some funny idle issue and left bank intermittent misfire (pop) ... which is kinda annoying! May be I can send you video to comment?
As you said, this car is so daily drivable and reasonable cost for a supercar!
Keep the great videos coming!!!
Your going to like our next ones! Heidi
Hi Danny, Thanks! Do you think you might have a cracked coil pack on that side? If you can read the stored fault codes it might point you in the culprit. Porsche upgraded the coil packs to the 997 packs I think because the 996 paks were prone to cracking and missing. Pretty straightforward to replace plugs/packs on a NA 996, but the Turbo is a bit more work. Check the codes and see if it registers a misfire... Just a thought. Franny
Thanks Franny, I had upgraded to 997 coil packs and OEM spark plugs 10,000 km ago. So far, there is no fault codes!
Danny
... Looking forward to it !!!
I replaced a MAF on my Alfa and the dealer quoted me $900+. So I found the exact the same Bosch part and number of ebay and it was $200 which my mechanic installed in 2 seconds for free. I also like the Michelin PS2s there best tyres you can get easily
Hello, I am starting to get into Saudi's Porsche and other high end cars. I found your video to very informative and enjoyable.
Thanks.
Love the video, it’s very comprehensive and now I am dreaming of getting the same model!!!
Great content. It looks like you guys are having a blast with it!
It is super fun! Thanks. Heidi
I would be interested in a video with your thoughts on snow tires for your Porsche(s).
Chester, I haven’t done any videos like that yet, but we do have a video from last year that shows us taking the wheels off and putting on snow tires.
ua-cam.com/video/n_5WmsU_7vU/v-deo.html
2 questions if you don't mind
1) What should I expect to spend for a clutch replacement on 2005 996 turbo S?
2) Regarding your discussion of what to expect from a PPI, I had a PPI prior to purchasing a 2005 996 turbo S and they missed or didn't tell me about a leaking hydraulic on the spoiler and clutch slippage above third gear (highway).
Fairly large ticket items. (They missed several other things like incorrect size battery, front speakers not working, hood struts not holding )
Is it fair to go back to the porsche dealer and complain that the clutch issue and spider hydraulic weren't note?
How would most people handle this?
Thanks, JB
John, if you feel you were unjustly treated then call them on it. I almost always do, but I am like that. What do you have to lose? The worst they can say is no. Heidi
Do you ladies still have the car?
What has your experience been with it since the video?
Is it reliable? Would you recommend it?
I found one I am very interested in. Well actually 2.
Would love to hear your thoughts with additional 2 years of ownership.
Great video
Hey you two! Hopefully you can answer a question I have about the Cab version of the Turbo. I've been looking for a nice, used Turbo for some time now and I've found a 2004 Turbo with the X50 package! Imagine that!
It is also a 2004 Cab, manual tranny, Artic Silver with black interior and top, all original and sporting 55K miles. The owner is buying a new Beemer, so he's selling the Turbo. I do have one question that hopefully you can answer if you know.
When driving the car with the top up, at say at, or over 65-75 MPH, how loud is the road noise compared to a standard coupe? Are the Cabs noticeably louder? Or just minimal different?
I haven't driven the car yet, I hope to do so tomorrow. This car has some nice options so I hope things go well. Thanks for the info in this video, it's a big help knowing what to look for on a particular model, when looking for one. Thanks!
Great video, and it sounds like you made a great purchase. You guys have a good channel going. (But it does make me nervous to see Franny working under the car in a pink outfit, lol. ). If you guys are in the PCA I'd love to meet you guys at a treffen sometime. Yes, Mercedes used to offer 2 horn tones, one was a light sounding "city" horn---so as not to wake people sleeping in nearby apartments, and a louder "country" horn that could be heard from the end of a long country driveway. Mass air flow sensor......don't even get me started, although most of my MAF problems have been on BMWs.
Huh, interesting about the horns. We will make it to some meet ups at some point.
Great video. I do like to hear what fails or causes problems, even across different makes of car. I discovered recently that some people routinely replace the radiator and hoses on a "new" acquisition. I'm starting to think it's a sound methodology, if a little pricey.
Sounds like a good idea.
Hi ladies. MAF sensor in the UK 149 for a Bosch and 325 bridgestone potenza N rated are 700 a pair fitted. Your OPC pricing is sky high.
Glad yours are lower... The tires were from a national chain too... Maybe the UK is where the reasonably priced parts on EBay are coming from ;)
Cool videos. Love the details you got in these videos.
Thanks.
Very informative, thanks for sharing your information. It helps us who are in the market looking for a good buy. You didn't mention the ceramics so I assume they have not required servicing. What has your experience with ceramic brakes been like?
I just looked at a 2008 turbo with 35k miles that unfortunately looked like it had been beat quite a bit. It had numerous scrapes and scratches on the paint, and numerous plastic air duct pieces under the front bumper/wheels were torn or completely ripped off. So I passed on it.
Mario, Turbos are extremely hard to find that have not been tracked, modified, beat up, or all of the above. We were super lucky. Try to find one locally. Put up search alerts from autotrader and cars. Let (bug) local dealerships. Sometime a local dealer has an entire nextwork of cars and can transport them back. Check Hemmings as well. Just be SUPER careful. There are a ton of con artists out there.
Hi Mario, The ceramic brakes have been great. No maintenance at all. They are 100K+ mile brakes with almost no brake dust. They do squeak around town a bit though. - To follow on what Heidi wrote, I would suggest trying to find a car that is as original as possible. If you would like a few tasteful mods, than that is fine, just be careful. Have someone look at the car that is familiar with them and look for anything out of place in the engine bay. Oh, and make sure the spoiler goes up and down... I think you have seen it, but check out the turbo review again. I think I go over a bit in there as well... Franny
Thanks for the tips on where to look and who to talk with. I am actually working with a local kid that is starting his dealership of performance cars. He's already found (and sold) numerous cars that were very close to what I am looking for. And he has another coming in this weekend. As my Dad used to say, "There's always another one." :-)
Great the hear that ceramics are up to their internet reputation. There are a few cars here locally that have ceramics that I'll be looking over. I hear you about having a PPI done by an expert shop. Luckily there are numerous shops within a few miles of my home that have an excellent reputation with the local PCA folks. These shops also have race cars that they race on weekends so they are capable of more than just maintenance and repairs. I've already talked with them and they were more than happy to inform me as to what to look for on various models. All my vehicles are very original, that's what I tend to look for even before I go out to see a car. Yes, I agree that tasteful cosmetic mods are okay, but not "LOOK AT ME" mods. I am not interested in highly modified ugly cars, especially Porsche's, and turbo's even more so! lol
You ladies should try Liqui Moly brand motor oil for your car. Best oil for German cars. A better quality oil upgrade used in VW, BMW and MB. I use the new green Molygen oil that lets you find oil leaks with a UV light. New LM oil specific to Porsche now available. Synthoil Energy A40 0W-40 is designed for the type of engine power Porsche vehicles demand from their motor oil. The new product from Liqui Moly is officially approved by Porsche for all vehicles that require an oil with the company’s A40 standard.
A car that appreciates in value AND it brings you joy. Sweet.
+Deer Creeker lol
Hi Heidi and Franny, I've got the same car as you ladies and I was wondering if you have changed out the Radio /Nav Head unit for something a bit contemporary. If you did swap it, can you let me know if you installed a MOST adapter to still use the optical system your car came with. It seems that the 2004 996TT with Nav and Bose has presented some challenges until this new adapter came to market a short while ago. That would be a great video if you ever thought about swapping it for new one! Maybe you prefer to just listen to the exhaust note as a purist would. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Michael, the radio is modern enough for me. Franny does not like the radio (she prefers to hear the engine). The former owner may have installed, but It is an original Porsche radio. Sorry, I just don’t have any advice. Phones will always have the latest and greatest Nav and so I just don’t see the need. We use our phones a bunch with all our classics for navigation. It just works for us. Now, not having a USB port or cigarette lighter, that is what I would have issues with. Heidi
@@HeidiandFrannyThanks for the update. My radio LED has given up the ghost. Now I'll have to get a new one.
Another fantastic review/info video for a Porsche shopper
Great video. I’m a little surprised at how many parts were amped and the amount of work you’ve had to do on the car. I’ve run a 2009 987.2 cayman s for 4 years and haven’t had to do anything other than regular servicing, tires and brakes. I even use my car on about 5 track days per year and daily it during the winter. Am looking at replacing it with a 996 turbo, but I’m sceptical because it seems like reliability got a lot better in the years after the 996.
What do you guys think?
I am not surprised to hear that. We had a 2006 Boxster until a woman smashed into me. It never needed any work but bleeding the brakes and oil changes. However, radiators go bad in those cars too. Your Cayman is ten years old. Not to curse you, but you should be watching for radiator and hose wear. And yes, the extras for the turbo do add up, but well worth the amazing Mezger engine. Used cars will cost money. No doubt. How you deal with that is up to you (pay someone or do it yourself). Heidi
@@HeidiandFranny You guys are so cool, especially because I always get a reply :) It's funny you should mention radiators, becuase I've just fitted mesh in front of them to protect them, but I appreciate the gist of what you're saying. And I imagine that what one might spend in maintainance on a 996 turbo, would be countered by the total lack of depreciation, but who knows...
I love you ladies. Keep up the great 👍🏽 videos!!
Great video as I'm shopping for a similar car myself. Concerned though, at the number of repairs that had to be done with such low milage on the car... multiple clutch components, front wheel bearing, axle and that doesn't include the radiators that weeped after so few miles. Is this normal for this car?
I don’t think you are going to find any cars that do not have wear items after 18 years. I think the age was why the radiators went bad (and yes, other cars have to have radiator replacements), the turbo’s slave cylinder is not something you will see in the non turbo 996s. However, the non Mezger engine have IMS bearing issue. It is a trade off. Turbo’s are more then likely going to be more expensive to maintain, because of the all wheel drive (therefore, the 996 C4s too). We had to replace hoses which is probably normal for a 16 year car. Hoses go bad. Turbos are great. As the video states, it has not been that costly year by year, but if you find a cheap turbo, perhaps all this maintenance has not been done. The car will let you know! Good luck. Get a 996 that is at least an 02 or newer. Sig. changes were done to the 996 turbo in 2002. Car does well in snow and can honestly be a daily for anyone who is not afraid to do some work on it now and then. Heidi
This is an extremely high performance car. You can not expect it to maintain its original tolerances like a Honda Civic does. If that's what you want, you shouldn't even consider a car of this performance caliber.
Like arny says in the UK advert bye bye to the PPI I check cars myself
Great video! Thanks guys :)
+Liam isdeBOM thanks.
Love all your videos.
+Diggie Mounts thank you.
I like the way you explained the costs but it would be nice to know what these things would have cost at a repair shop. But I definitely enjoyed your video.
Multiply it by three.
@@HeidiandFranny TU! :)
@@HeidiandFranny THX!
A depreciation value over the time of ownership would be a good point of reference to get total ownership cost. Great toy. Great info.
Agreed, but this car has not done that. In fact, as every other Turbo in Porsche history, I believe (I have been wrong), that this car will hold its value if not appreciate. Depends on the care of the car too. Heidi
Excellent report! Priceless for prospective user education.
Thank you!
Take out the cost of the Radiators and the figure drops almost in half! Considering the rads should last for years to come that's really good! Porsche...there is no substitute!
Great video!
Have you had to do (or received an estimate for) the brakes yet? I see you have the ceramics... If you haven't looked in to it yet, you may want to in order to be prepared
They can be a bit pricey for sure, but if well taken care of they will last well into the 100K miles with no issues. Ours look brand new - no visible wear at all.
First thing: I must say that your videos are EXCELLENT! Now to the useful stuff: Yes I love Porsches but I do not miss having them. For the last 10 years I have bought and owned 12 Corvettes. No issues with those cars whatsoever. Porsche is still to problematic compared to a Corvette and if something goes bad it costs a fortune. That being said, even the more exotic and modern of all Corvettes is not as problematic as a Porsche. Porsche is great to look and to drive but since 2007 when Chevrolet changed the gearing of the Corvette steering to make it quicker and more responsive I see no reasons to have a modern Porsche except I still like the classic air cooled ones. But, in life, it is all about taste and everyone should have what they like. Thanks for the video!
Thank you.
Thank you for another fantastic video :)
+Jeffrey Wood cool. Thanks.
I think I'm at $1500 in parts this year for my 996tt. That includes both alternator and battery, which should be multi-year fixes. Such great cars! Get video too!
If you can luckily get one with fine radiators, it's gonna be like $1600 less, so it's fairly less than $600 per year at this point :) For me personally 996 is my favorite car, just another version - Coupé Carrera 2. I am saving money now to get a broken/salvage one and repair it completely myself. Luckily i will get 996 working and shiny in less than $9k, which would be a fantastic price.
The NA 996 is a great car! In every measure far better than the 993 it replaced. Feels like Porsche's first modern car. They are quick and ride great and as you said, pretty darn affordable! Highly recommended. Just service the IMSB and you are set.
That sounds like it had a rough life prior to you buying it.I have had mine for 7 years and haven't spent much on it at all. Apart from the Radiators changed and 2 Cv boots and just normal servicing oh and an Alternator.It's been very reliable
Christian B well, it has higher mileage than maybe most. The guy before us drove it a lot! He was good to it. Took it to the dealer. Unfortunately, they couldn’t figure out the mass airflow sensor issue. Franny solved that but it was not easy. I wish we had done the channel then. Her troubleshooting skills were on it.
It is really amazing that the high price does not at all reflect high quality. I think this is the reson electric cars is going to take over the market, since the engine is not as complicated and error prone.
The turbo looks so damn good from the rear quarter view... and look at those mountains @@...
Thanks!
Hi Heidi and Franny, could you inform me on the motor’s oil consumption? Do you have to add oil regularly?
Kind regards
Roger
Hi Roger, It does use about a two quarts between changes (one year). My guess is there is a bit of blow-by on the turbos coupled with the usual flat cylinder layout. You just want to check it now and then, but nothing to be too worried about.
Hello Franny and Heidi! I love your content! Would you be interested in doing some consultant work on my vehicle? I think you should give my tt a looksy loo. A woman in her 50's like me feels abandoned with my porsche. I really need the company and the amazing advice.
Great content! Subscribed!
Welcome!!
Great video. Those are big misses for the dealer PPI. Hard to believe they didn't road test the vehicle as part of the inspection. Seems to be a lot of little things that needed to be done on this car. Is that typical of this model or is it just age? Just under 4k over 4 years isn't bad at all, but you are doing a lot of your own work. I have no experience working on cars so would I be doubling that price to have a shop do that work for me?
Triple. Heidi
Very informative! Thanks.
Sure!
What do you ladies do for a living to afford such cars? I am interested to know. Thanks for your time and efforts. Cheers 🍻
Nice video! What is the name of the group where you were able to source a group buy on Facebook? I have a 996 C4S and would love some more input.
Keith, probably the 996 forum on Rennlist and those sort of things are just on occasion. Not on facebook. That was years ago. Heidi
Doesn't sound out of line. Nice little Video.
love your vids it helped me to make the decision to buy mines..
Sorry for my english , and thanks for the interresting video. I am maybee wrong, but for a Porsche, low mileage and summer car, it feels like some parts are not very high quality....
996 was a drastically different car from the 993. So, yeah, there will be some growing pains. The turbo is different from the 996 911s too. It really is a bargain car with the Mezger engine and pricing for a car of this superpower. We are not complaining. Most turbos cost more to maintain, esp all wheel drive.
This is a prime example of how a low mileage example can have just as many problems as a high mileage car
Wow I was surprised how expensive some of those items were $45 or a fuel filter, $148 for 2 Radiator hoses, $500 per tyre etc seems really expensive but I live in New Zealand and don't drive a Porsche. My last fuel filter cost about $10 and I think I paid about $20 for a radiator hose. I suppose you pay a premium for Porsche parts. Good vid though.
Adam, it depends on how rare (easy to get) the parts are and whether or not they are originals or cheap knock offs. I am sure we could find cheaper versions. We evaluate that. We had to replace the left drive shaft on the MINI and it was 800 thru MINI. We ended up using a cheaper part that cost 80 dollars. It just depends. The Turbo is in good enough shape to actually be entered into Concours. It just isn't very old yet. We try to keep all of our P cars as original as possible. Heidi
Thanks for the honest opinion, will you be making how to videos since you all do your own work? Also. how does clear coat hold up with that mag-chloride CDOT in it's infinite wisdom has chosen to put down on icy roads?
Yeah, that is nasty stuff! I don't let it sit on the cars for long. No problems yet though... We put out a Winter Washing video for some tips for getting that stuff off after a snow event. We have several How-Tos for this car and the others on the channel. Some of that work, (the radiators and MAF was done before we started the channel, unfortunately... I do have lots of photos so I was able to throw some of those in.
Check out the playlist.
ua-cam.com/play/PLESd2KXwHSVIX3XBwKRQLqJPDbJRVdoRz.html
Thank you
you guys ever had any trouble with the brakes at all??
Great videos, Thanks!!!
+Kepa thanks.
As I clicked this video, I was skeptical that it would be worth watching. I was wrong. Great job! I like that the information was presented thoroughly, concisely and that you listed all of the maintenance and costs. Pictures of some of the repair issues was also a nice touch. Incidentally, I'm unsure if you replaced the serpentine belt yourself, but I understand it's also an easy job.
Thanks! Yup... Did the belt myself - There is an earlier video :)
Can I ask you a question? Another commenter felt your same skepticism. May I ask why? What was it that made you think it may be a bit silly/thin? Maybe the thumbnail? Love to hear your thoughts... Thanks! Franny
Women rarely get involved with car maintenance to this extent. The two of you are more hands-on than most men. The benefit is that you know your car well, rather than knowing that a mechanic fixed some rattling noise and it only cost $1,000+. You're far less likely to be cheated by a dealer/mechanic. You shop around for good deals and talk to others in car forums about the car. You keep up with preventative maintenance rather than addressing maintenance issues after they happen. I'll bet you know your 911 so well that you would feel comfortable driving it cross country without concern for reliability. And if you did encounter issues, you'll feel comfortable troubleshooting the car and making a determination whether it's reasonable to do the repair yourself or take it to a mechanic.
I don't own a Porsche. I'm the original owner of a 2004 Volkswagen GTI VR6. I rarely take it to a mechanic and the car runs great. In fact, I'd say my '04 GTI VR6 is the best one on the road today. The car looks like new even though I don't have a garage to park it in. I keep up on preventative maintenance, I'm the only driver and I keep it looking nice. I also haven't made any aftermarket modifications to it..it's all factory. A very well kept car that I don't intend to ever sell. I'm keeping the car for a few reasons. First, every year I drive it, means I'm saving more money for my first 911. Second, the car's book value depreciated so much in 14 years that it's worth
Thanks! Glad you are happy with your VW. I always liked ours - it is a better piece than the Mini. Do you need a newer 911? I bet you would really enjoy a 3.2 Carrera... All the Air-cooled are going up in price though... Good luck in your quest. Let us know if we can help :) F
The 964 and 993 911s are nice but too small. In 4-5 years I'll be interested in buying a used 2019 991.2. I'm tall and don't fit in the older 911s. I sat in a 991.1 and it fit much better, even though it's also slightly too small, but still roomier than the older generation 911s. Considering the cost of late model 911s, and the wide variety of options Porsche offers, my one big frustration is that they still haven't found a way of custom fitting seats for the specific owner. I realize this would make their $5,000 seats even more expensive, but when you consider that one of the biggest appeals to owning a 911 is how connected a driver feels to the car, well, the seats are a bit of a let down. The car should fit like a glove. I need a seat that's about 1" or 1.5" lower, with a head rests that's about 2" or 2.5" higher. Unsure if it's even possible to fit an aftermarket seat like this into a 911. Separately, my hope is that in 4-5 years we'll be in a severe recession and Porsche owners start trying to offload their cars, bringing the prices down. Currently, the economy has a lot to do with keeping the prices of these cars higher. The dealers don't even sell the cars for MSPR. They hike the prices far higher than MSRP and justify it by saying that they only get a small allocation of particular models, and they have a long waiting list of buyers. Supply and demand. I get it, which is why I'll wait to buy at a time when people want to get rid of their expensive cars. I anticipate that the push to electric vehicles will also result in some of the most expensive late model 911s dropping in value. We'll see what happens when the Mission-E is introduced. At that point, I'd still love to have a Carrera, a GTS or a GT3.
I think I would be too scared to add up all the work I’ve had done to my Audi B5 RS4 ! With 12 years of ownership and 145k miles driven in that time !
My grocery bills are feeling that way lately!
I dunno, those are the sort of things I've never even thought about on my '95 NSX. Powersteering? Front-axle leak? Slave cylinder? Inconsistent idle? Sorry, but I gave up on Porsches in the late1990s. Just too many issues for such a pricey marque.
Spectacular info!
Thanks.