Cost of running a 997.1 Turbo over 6 years.

[T8]

I'm just coming up to the end of 6 years ownership of my 2007 997 Turbo Tiptronic and as I can't drive it – SORNd, part because of Covid lock down restrictions and partly the weather – thought I'd take the time to calculate what the cost of ownership over that 6 years has been.

The total - £30,422 - made me fall off my chair but, after picking myself up and reminding myself of my Honours Degree in Man Maths, I applied the old-faithful 'cost per mile' equation and was able to reassess this figure as a far more palatable £1.01 per mile.

It also dawned on me that the £30,422 figure is not actually that enormous when you take into account that this represents a cost of only £5,070 per year and includes Insurance, Road Tax and MOTs that would be needed to keep any car on the road – let alone a 473 hp monster capable of 0-60 in under 4 seconds and with a top speed not that far off 200 mph.

For the record the figures that make up the total can be broken down as follows:

Service and repairs: £6,742
Consumables (Tyres and Brakes): £2,516
Warranty Inspections and Renewals: £7,094
Tax, MOT and Insurance: £5,931
Petrol and Oil: £8,139

Total: £30,422


For most cars an additional, often significant, factor in the cost of ownership would be depreciation. I haven't included this in the figures above as the sale value of my car would depend largely upon how I sold it (i.e) Trade-in, privately or on a 'sale or return' basis. Looking at current advertisements it seems that, if I was to sell my car privately, I'd recoup most of what I paid for it.

After a lot of deliberation over the winter I have decided to keep the car for at least another 6 months so will incur the cost of a minor service and a full set of tyres. The existing warranty lasts until February 2022 so I'm anticipating no other expenditure in that time. How these items will affect my 'cost per mile' will depend upon how many miles Covid restrictions permit but I'm hoping to add at least another 4,000 so they shouldn't change much.

For those contemplating the purchase of such a car it is important that I stress that (a) the car was only 8 years old when I bought it and (b) I invested in an OPC warranty from the outset and have maintained that since.

The importance of these two facts is that obviously any 997.1 Turbo being purchased now would be at least 13 years old and would therefore only be able to get an OPC warranty for, at best, the next 2 years. Items that I have had replaced under warranty would have added up to a lot more.

Sadly, for now, the best I can do is look at the car but I've already started planning some routes for UK fun runs for later in the year.

 

[shantybeater]

Very interesting post and a good incite into costs of ownership. The 30k figure is a frightening one for sure!

I'd love to see the comparison including depreciation of your average Audi A5.

 

[Slayer]

We don't realise how expenses mount up over a period of time. I will possibly get a heart attack if I look back on the money lost on swapping cars :roll:

 

[T8]

Very interesting post and a good incite into costs of ownership. The 30k figure is a frightening one for sure!

I'd love to see the comparison including depreciation of your average Audi A5.

I couldn't do it for an A5 but have for a GT86.

My missus has just sold hers after 7 years and 21k trouble-free miles.

I - and more to the point - she, were surprised to find that her 'total cost of ownership' was very similar to me running a 911 Turbo and that her 'cost per mile' was actually 10% more than mine - at £1.13.

Significantly, it's depreciation that has caused this as the car she bought at one year old for £22k was sold to a friend for the part-ex value of £9,250.

Comparison figures:

Service and consumable costs: £3,465
MOTS, Tax and Insurance: £3,792
Petrol and Oil: £3,912

From that it is clear just how the £12,750 depreciation figure was 'the killer'.

 

[FZP]

:lock: that ugly word depreciation must come into play if a true TCO is to be calculated. Often overlooked, and biggest cost of car ownership. I've seen my neighbour swap rep mobiles over the past 6 years and I've guessed to he could have put a very tidy 911 on the drive with the money he's lost in depreciation in that time.
His Mrs is a nightmare so he seems to be comfortable making really bad decisions. :grin:

 

[now in white]

We don't realise how expenses mount up over a period of time. I will possibly get a heart attack if I look back on the money lost on swapping cars :roll:

It took an early heart attack to get me into Porsche ownership (life's too short etc etc) Best not dwell on the costs but relish the joy!

 

[T8]

:lock: that ugly word depreciation must come into play if a true TCO is to be calculated. Often overlooked, and biggest cost of car ownership ......

:thumb: It seems our posts were in the ether at the same time.

Regarding my car, I did mention depreciation in the initial post. Obviously it doesn't come into the equation until the car is actually sold but at this moment in time I'm working on a zero figure as a realistic likely sale price seems to be around the same as I paid for the car.

 

[shantybeater]

Very interesting post and a good incite into costs of ownership. The 30k figure is a frightening one for sure!

I'd love to see the comparison including depreciation of your average Audi A5.

I couldn't do it for an A5 but have for a GT86.

My missus has just sold hers after 7 years and 21k trouble-free miles.

I - and more to the point - she, were surprised to find that her 'total cost of ownership' was very similar to me running a 911 Turbo and that her 'cost per mile' was actually 10% more than mine - at £1.13.

Significantly, it's depreciation that has caused this as the car she bought at one year old for £22k was sold to a friend for the part-ex value of £9,250.

Comparison figures:

Service and consumable costs: £3,465
MOTS, Tax and Insurance: £3,792
Petrol and Oil: £3,912

From that it is clear just how the £12,750 depreciation figure was 'the killer'.

That helps hugely with the man maths 😂

 

[FZP]

:lock: that ugly word depreciation must come into play if a true TCO is to be calculated. Often overlooked, and biggest cost of car ownership ......

:thumb: It seems our posts were in the ether at the same time.

Regarding my car, I did mention depreciation in the initial post. Obviously it doesn't come into the equation until the car is actually sold but at this moment in time I'm working on a zero figure as a realistic likely sale price seems to be around the same as I paid for the car.

Ah yes, timing was spot on

 

[IMI A]

My running costs from new very similar over 100,000 miles. £1 per mile and 1.30p per mile if I include 9e mods and glass out paint. Thought they'd be cheaper :?

 

[Jam911]

Remind me to never do the maths !!

 

[T8]

Remind me to never do the maths !!

:grin: Motoring is an expensive game isn't it. It's just feels a bit better if you can run a 911 for the same £££s as a mundanemobile.

 

[Julesturbo]

Firstly lovely looking car 8)
Having modified cars for years this is something I would never ever
Do :lol:
I don't think fuel should be included as you need fuel in any car but yes
I'm sure many do more miles per gallon but less smiles.
I'm sure depreciation shouldn't be to bad as it's normally the first few years
They have the big drop.
I consciously bought mine now as looking at the way the 996 turbo has gone up recently i believe the 997 will follow.
So I'm apart from maintenance I hope I can enjoy it for a few years and not lose anything. :thumbs:

 

[Lordjimimac]

FWIW ive owned a 987s, a 996 tt, and now a 997.1 4S.

Each of these were/are pre-inspected and great examples but all +10 years old.
They cost between £3k and £5k per year each to maintain - very similar profile of expenditure to your very nice 997tt.

On the plus side, i sold the 987s and 996tt privately with ease and for good money, and ive a gut feel the 997 would sell well with the giant folder of well filed invoices.

The TCO equation has entered my mind, and tbh i think the only reason ive bought this way is because the purchase funds i allow myself dont stretch to newer models! Im effectively financing ownership via maintenance fees vs actual car finance but am ok with that. I also think that the mid-life refresh list (suspension, cooling, turbos, etc etc) creeps up on all cars sometime - so at least going through the list eyes open on an older car (rather than spending high on a newer one and encountering these things sooner than i expect) is more expected.

great cars all of them. i dipped in and out of M cars in between Porsches and really enjoyed the experience. The running costs in my experience were less than half those on the cars above - but ultimately nowhere near as special to look at, drive, and own

 

[porkerjag]

Bought myself a Jag XFS 3.0D for my 50th mainly to tour Europe with mates and lost 32k in depreciation in 4 years.....The same as my 997.1 C4S Cab. cost me