We didn't buy our Porsche from a dealership, the model we bought simply doesn't seem that popular with them, focus seems to be on the 911 and Boxster models. But I've found Porsche dealerships to be amongst the most helpfull and downright enjoyable companies to deal with.
In the time we've ... Read review
Advantages: Friendly, helpful and polite. Disadvantages: Price tags!
We didn't buy our Porsche from a dealership, the model we bought simply doesn't seem that popular with them, focus seems to be on the 911 and Boxster models. But I've found Porsche dealerships to be amongst the most helpfull and downright enjoyable companies to deal with.
In the time we've owned our car I've naturally needed a few parts which weren't available elsewhere, as you'd expect any part which comes from a dealership had a ... ...every little item has the Porsche logo on it from the glass in the windows to the carpet and even the pen you use to sign the bills.
Unfortunately this is the point where you realise things are going to get expensive, all this luxury comes at a high premium. Not only are the parts heavily priced, but the service charges are too - when we bought our car there was no rear seatbelts fitted (it's a 1978 model) so I enquired as to the "rough" ... more
We didn't buy our Porsche from a dealership, the model we bought simply doesn't seem that popular with them, focus seems to be on the 911 and Boxster models. But I've found Porsche dealerships to be amongst the most helpfull and downright enjoyable companies to deal with.
In the time we've owned our car I've naturally needed a few parts which weren't available elsewhere, as you'd expect any part which comes from a dealership had a worrying price tag on it - a simple fuel pump relay switch for the fuse box was almost £30, when looking at it you'd think £10 would be overpriced! On entering our local dealership you are greeted with all the glitz and glamour you would expect from a top class sports car manufacturer, every little item has the Porsche logo on it from the glass in the windows to the carpet and even the pen you use to sign the bills.
Unfortunately this is the point where you realise things are going to get expensive, all this luxury comes at a high premium. Not only are the parts heavily priced, but the service charges are too - when we bought our car there was no rear seatbelts fitted (it's a 1978 model) so I enquired as to the "rough" cost of this... I was horrified at the approximate quote given, it was in the region of £700! Granted this was to fit belts with the nice little logo on, which in themselves were expensive, but the labour charges are what shocked me most - £70 per hour + VAT! My local garage does a sterling job yet manages to make a good living charging only £20 per hour. I ended up buying aftermarket universal belts and fitting them myself, the job took barely half an hour once I got into it and cost me less than £40.
For anyone owning a Porsche I would seriously advise learning to do your own mechanics, of course for many owners they are in a position where running costs are nothing to them, but those of us who have bought on a budget really need to avoid the dealerships.
I really can't stress enough that the staff and the environments of the dealerships are par-excelence, they know everything about the cars they are dealing with and every customer is made to feel like they are spending a million pound regardless of they are buying from them. They really do need to get a more realistic pricing policy though!
Advantages: Fun to drive-decent gas mileage Disadvantages: expensive to maintain
I have had two 944s over the past few years. This little review is to forewarn any prospective 944 buyers as to what they might be getting into. I loved these cars. They are fun to drive and somewhat entertaining to work on. If you don't know anything about auto repair or don't want to learn you better have a very good paying job or a sugar daddy. These cars are not cheap to maintain. If you plan on letting a Porsche Shop take care of your maintenance you better just buy a new car. Labor rates on these cars are extremely high and Porsche OEM parts are out of sight.
If you are thinking of buying a 944 you definitely want some documented maintenance history on the car. These models have rubber timing belts and have Zero valve clearance. This means if you break a timing belt the pistons crash into the valves virtually destroying ...
Advantages: Fast and eye-catching Disadvantages: Restricted visibility - fuel guzzler
PORSCHE 924
“Go on Dad, spoil yourself.” This was one of my daughters on the occasion of my approaching 65th birthday. I must admit that this beautiful car was one of the possessions I had always aspired to but had never somehow got around to it. My finances would not stretch to a new one and I had spotted a gleaming white model on sale for £9995 (this was way back in 1990). So, my arm was twisted, not requiring much effort, and the deed was done and I said farewell to my faithful Opel Manta GTE.
The 924 was four years old and had covered 68,000 miles, more than average, but was in excellent condition. As Porsche owners will know, the eye-catching characteristics are well known and I had to put up with several good - natured comments such as “You’re getting on a bit to be driving around in a flash car ...
rokkafella8 28.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Porsche 924
Advantages: Great handling and reasonable running costs Disadvantages: Can attract unwanted attention
The extravagant claim in the title is based on the fact that these cars no longer depreciate noticeably, and can be driven on classic insurance. They are also very long lived and generally reliable, and don't do too badly on fuel. Essentially you can run an old Porsche for a fraction of the cost of a new Mondeo!
The text below describes the features, weaknesses, and benefits of the 944 model variations.
First a bit of history. The Porsche 944 was introduced in 1983 based largely on the earlier 924 model. However the 944 included many changes and upgrades compared to the earlier model, the most obvious visual clue being the flared wheel arches to cover the wider track of the new model, the air dam and the rear spolier. Perhaps the biggest change however was in the engine department.
The 924 used a VW derived 2 litre engine, but ...
peteshone 10.05.2005 (23.02.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Porsche 944 Coupe
