[harsh_ride]

Now that I really start to think about it, my 968 Cab needs a lot of work.



New top (starting to rub through) with new rear window plastic, say, $1000.

Belts and water pump, another what, $1200?

Seats recovered, both are in pretty poor shape, $1000 easily.

New engine mounts, $500+.

That stupid bushing, who knows.

Leaking power steering.

Radiator replacement, eventually (it's seeping).

Clutch is due sooner than later.



Don't get me wrong, I love the car, and as a boy's first Porsche, she holds a special place in my heart. But, for all I'd spend getting her close to right (and she'd still be a 12 year old high mileage car I wouldn't necessarily trust to get me to court, and she'd still be a relatively rare specimen I wouldn't necessarily want to expose to the uninsured motorists and crappy pavement that seems to surround all of our local courthouses), I'd have a nice down payment on a 987 Boxster, glass rear window and roughly comparable power and all.



About me -- I'm a recent law school grad not yet professionally employed (still attached, as a clerk, to a project that was supposed to wind down in November '05). So the above may just be my momentary poverty talking. I really do like the 968, and I'm considering getting a throwaway (I like the 4.0L 5-speed drop-top Mustang for $23k) to keep alongside the Porsche, while she gets nursed back to health. I'd also like to avoid, at least for the first couple of years (let me get well ahead on my student loans), a large car payment. So the Boxster probably wouldn't happen for a while, during which time I'd be Porsche-less. But the list of what my cab needs is long and daunting...

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[Beachboy]

Only you can answer that question. Personally I don't think a car this old and this difficult to get parts for makes for a sensible daily driver without a backup vehicle for getting to work. I think the vast majority of Porches are secondary cars, toys essentially. When mine breaks I hold my breath and hope I can get out of it for some portion of it's value that makes sense.

That said, I get a big smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel. I just had it in for a belt replacement and annual maintenance and got out for $700, I was smiling bigtime. They only found a bad CV boot and a small power steeering leak.

I would love to recover my seats too. I've been putting it off as I don't know of a good shop in the Boston area.

I guess in the end you have to re-evaluate what you want and see if the 968 fits. I doubt a Boxster is going to be any cheaper than a 968 to maintain and may very well have some very pricey, built in, engine glitches.

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[chris]

It sounds like you are not interested in the maintenance of owning a 968, so I think a new Boxster (...warranty...) would suit your needs.



I just couldn't do it, but to each his own.

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[harsh_ride]

[quote name='chris' date='Jun 22 2006, 08:45 AM']It sounds like you are not interested in the maintenance of owning a 968, so I think a new Boxster (...warranty...) would suit your needs.



I just couldn't do it, but to each his own.

[right][post="23143"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Not that I'm not interested, I just don't have the bandwidth to really take care of her the way I think she's meant to be taken care of. And every time I turn around it's some little thing that's part-and-parcel of owning a car this old...



Now it's the cruise control.

A while ago it was the intermittent wiper relay which, at $80...

Or the 8-way switches for my power seat, another $100 or so...

Or it's the brake light, for whatever reason I can never keep all of the little bulbs in the center light working, they seem to wiggle loose constantly. No cost but a constant annoyance.

Or it's the brittle plastic on the door pockets.

Or it's an A/C system that needs to be recharged.

Or it's getting around to swapping a Volkswagen Vanagon temperature sensor into the cooling system to keep the car's temp from bouncing off the upper end of the dash display in traffic.

Or ...



Even as a clerk I'm working obnoxious hours, that will only get worse when I'm an associate. I'll have the money but not the time to really take care of her (as opposed to now, when I have neither <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />). I don't want to let her go, but when every time I drive her something else snaps or is deteriorating or...



When she's purring I *love* driving her. But it seems like that's always short lived.



Might have to rent a Boxster for a weekend to see if it's all that.

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[GuardsRedCoupe]

I guess it depends which end of the spectrum you come from.



Coming from a '84 944, driving a 968 is like having a brand new car!!! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[w.a.]

You know, it sounds like you are having a relationship problem with your car. <s>



The world is full of distractions. I bought my 92' black/tan coupe almost five years ago when a friend of mine sold it to feed his racecar. In the beginning I was a meticulous owner. I believed that a car bearing the Porsche badge shouldn't go out in public dirty. It was an insult to the marque. Then I got distracted. First it was employee problems, then growth issues, etc...etc... Long story short, I got comfortable and started neglecting my car. Not from a service perspective mind you, but from an appearance one.



I once went a month without washing or waxing the car!



I recently fell back in love with my car and have begun to purchase and install some mods. I hope you fall back in love with your car again soon.

Best,

WA

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[TheMirror]

More than anything, it sounds like you don't have the time itself to devote to keeping the 968 ship shape.



To me, that makes you a perfect candidate for a second car. One that you can count on day in, day out for transportation. Be that a V-6 Mustang or whatever, see what you can do to keep the overall cost down of becoming a two car family. I did it with my TSX and 968 and its the only way to go for me.



Cheers,

-Mirror

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[mick968]

Some of the maintenance or repair scenarios you are portraying are just the price you pay for owning a Porsche.Unless you can afford to buy new every 2 years and or drive sparingly you will have that scene with the 911,Boxter,928 whatever and potentially more issues(best I can tell,the 944/968 are fairly economical and robust-Porsche wise-to keep running)(Over past 20 yrs I had 3 944s and one 944 turbo so I've been thru every maintenance issue possible).With that being said,before I bought the 968 I had done everything but hand over the money on a 2001 Boxter when I realized that my golf clubs(not to mention my wifes clubs also) would not fit in it so it made the decision on the 968 easy.I actually like the idea of having a somewhat rare(limited production) car that(in St.Louis) I can go a year and not see another one on the road.I just drove mine to Colorado and back and it was a blast and didn't miss a beat.I don't drive it every day but look forward to the days I do(as I did with all the other P-cars I've had).Ocassionally,the expense of the maintenance or repairs does get frustrating but if you want be in the "There is no substitute" automobile it is what it is.

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[Glau]

[quote name='mick968' date='Jun 26 2006, 12:38 PM']I actually like the idea of having a somewhat rare(limited production) car that(in St.Louis) I can go a year and not see another one on the road.[/quote]



mick968 -- You wouldn't happen to drive a black coupe would you? I saw one driving down Forsyth coming from Clayton toward Wash. U. last week. I was driving with my wife in her car (no 968 because it was raining) and we both said at the same time OMG a 968! bummer we aren't in ours haha. Anyway it was only the third 968 I have seen on the road in St. Louis, the other being a grape coupe that I believe Mrs. Reid Vann drives. Another forum member here (Spieln968) lives out in St. Charles who has a 968 coupe and a s2 cab. I have a white cab and am down in Maplewood.



Harsh_ride -- I would hold onto the 968 and buy an inexpensive daily driver. Then slowly try and get the important stuff on the 968 taken care of. Personally I would avoid getting another car that requires a loan. The interest alone on a loan for a $23k Mustang could pay for some of the repairs on the 968. There are a lot of nice older cars availbe these days for under $5k which would be close to the down payment on the Mustang. Also the list of needs your 968 has could make it tough to sell at a respectable price, it sounds like you would really need to throw some money at it just to get it ready to sell.



Glau

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[mick968]

Yeah,its a black 92 coupe.Used to see a white coupe out on 270 by Ladue Rd. occasionally but as the years go by you see fewer and fewer of them.When I was looking for the one I bought,I also was enamored with a 94 968 cab with the Tip trans(which I actually drove home to show the wife and she said we couldn't get any more golf clubs in that than we could get in the Box.I was trying to stuff the golf bags behind the seats,taking clubs out of the bag,saw them in half,anything to make that car feasible but in the end couldn't do it.Good omen,we found the one I have now from a guy in KC that was looking for a 968 cab for his wife.He was a Porsche mechanic(actually raced 944Turbos-) and had this car in perfect condition inside and out.As I was coming home from returning the 968 cab, my son(who was in KC for the weekend) called and had test drove the black coupe and said this is the car and I should get out there and buy it now.(he had driven my 944's and said he couldn't believe the difference in performance and technology.Its good to know there are a few more in the area.Are you a PCA member?Haven't had this one to any of their get togethers yet(just built a new place across the riv in Ill. and have been busy.

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[harsh_ride]

[quote name='mick968' date='Jun 26 2006, 10:38 AM']Some of the maintenance or repair scenarios you are portraying are just the price you pay for owning a Porsche.[/quote]



Perhaps. But the car's been basically flawless (well, there was that transmission thing, but that wasn't its fault) until about a year ago, and then like a wave, everything went wrong. If I got 10 years out of a new Boxster before the wave hit, I'd be ahead. And a lot of the stuff that the 968 requires, the 987 wouldn't; the 987 has a timing chain, for instance, not a belt. A glass rear window. Rubber and seals and gaskets and etc. that aren't 12 years old. The list goes on.





[quote name='mick968' date='Jun 26 2006, 10:38 AM'](in St.Louis)[/quote]



Whereabouts? I'm flying in on Wednesday for a long 4th of July holiday. Hitting the Katy Trail, etc. Splitting my time between Ladue (McKnight & 40) and Chesterfield (roughly 141 and 40). Won't have a Porsche with me <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> but will likely have a 330Ci drop-top, an '01 with under 10K on it. (We don't drive our cars much! I've put ~28K on my 968 in the past 6 years, and I live in SoCal where it's always Porsche weather! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Oh, btw, you can just barely fit two sets of clubs in the trunk of a 968 Cab, even if the forward part is taken up with a small subwoofer enclosure. Trust me.





[quote name='mick968' date='Jun 26 2006, 10:38 AM']Ocassionally,the expense of the maintenance or repairs does get frustrating but if you want be in the "There is no substitute" automobile it is what it is.[/quote]



Again, it's not the expense per se, it's the age of the car and the sense that /everything/ is starting to go wrong. A switch here, a cruise control brain there, an opaque plastic window on the back, a leaking reservoir on the front...



I'm not thinking about leaving the marque, just debating whether I want to pour money into Sartoris or put the money instead into a Boxster.



Hmm. Maybe I'll compromise. Get a Cayman and set aside Sartoris for a rebuild as $$ permits.



Right now, just gotta get out there and find a real job, as soon as my current project finishes winding down. (I'm basically irreplaceable; it would take as long to get a replacement up to speed as the project has life left in it, so as a courtesy -- to some prominent folks in my industry -- I'm sticking around until it's over. A few months of continued scholastic-style poverty in exchange for not burning some key bridges will, I think, prove to be the best route through this. But for the nonce, it hurts! =)

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[mick968]

Whoa,get the Cayman!I see one every morning on my way to work(dark blue and it is one good looking unit-sounds good too!)I too,don't drive mine(968) very much(even though I sit around and think of reasons to fire it up and go somewhere).After driving it(968) to Colorado and being in it for 5 straight days,it sucked getting back in my drive to work car(Benz 190E) when I got home.Theres just something about those cars(Porsche) that make driving fun(even in rush hr).My wife has a VW Passatt (1.8 turbo)(which is fun car with a lot of performance) but it is very expensive to repair and or maintain(maybe more than the Porsche) and at the end of the day it is still a Volkswagon.Keep the 968 cab and buy the Cayman as your driver and you would be the ultimate Porsche guy.

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[flash]

no good sports car is cheap and no cheap sportscar is good



you've already realized this, and come to the same conclusions i have



i would either mothball the car until you have 10 grand or so to really go through it, or dump it and move on - trying to rubber band and bubble gum it together never works, and without funds to do it right, you'll never be happy with the result



if you love the car, keep it and wait until you can do it - otherwise, let it go

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[mick968]

As far as the golf clubs fitting in the trunk(or anywhere else for that matter) in the Cab,I tried sideways,angled,took my driver out of the bag, ect. trying to prove to my wife that they would fit and it would be fun with the top down and she just stood there and shook her head at me.I loved that car(dark blue with blue rag top,cashmere int. with 18. wheels)(had the Tip trans which I never fully got a feel for) and was sad when I couldn't make it work and had to take it back.I pouted like a little kid until my son called with info on what is now my black coupe.

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[flash]

oh man - i have to take a picture of how i do it the next time - it can definitely be done - done it at least a half dozen times now - that's the whole reason i bought the car over others

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[mick968]

I believe you,I just don't know how you did it.The pics would be great.I will show my wife because as we were standing there looking at the trunk and at the storage area behind the seats(had a my golf bag stuffed behind the seats,looked ridiculous) she was naysaying that "do you really want to spend this much money on a car you can't drive on a golf trip?".She even went as far as insinuating that I might want to think of a non Porsche solution(BMW) and I said "never"(even though I really like them) and told her I will find a way.

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[flash]

here you go



   

   



one in one way - the other inverted - tons of room



now, i did consider the space when choosing the bags

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[Beachboy]

No offense here Bob, but you must have a kinda short driver.

BTW, two sets of clubs pluss luggage in a coupe no sweat; a major consideration when buying a 968.

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[flash]

lol - no worries



both of them are as long as it was when they were new - never shortened them - one is a first generation calloway knock off and the other is a wilson women's driver



but, i've fit my buddy's full calloway set in there with mine



i get a fair amount of luggage in the cab too - there is still enough room in the boot for a mid size duffle or a garment bag, and then behind the seats i can fit 2 cases of wine and a pretty big garment bag, or a very large duffle, or a large suitcase - you get the idea



as i said, that was the entire reason i chose this car over a boxster, Z3, S2000, etc



a hatchback, GT, or sport coupe, like the 968 hardtop, was not even in the running - i wanted a 2 seat sportscar - by definition that meant ragtop - for me, this was strictly a toy , and never intended to be out for more than an overnighter - we would take the 325i convertable if we were going for longer



now though, we drag the 968 to events, when we are going to be longer than a weekend, and the luggage goes in the denali



this gives me an idea though for a photo shoot - thanks

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[mick968]

I'm impressed!Your bags must be smaller than ours because there was no way(even contemplated luggage rack on back and then thought that would look idiotic also).Where theres a will,theres a way.I don't have any problem with storage in my coupe.Different priorities for different Porsches.All good.

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