Is a classic Porsche 911 Carrera expensive to maintain?

When this afternoon I picked up my Porsche 911, (996 generation, model 4S) from the Porsche Specialist with new suspension dampers I realised that I bought it exactly 1 year ago.

Arriving home with my first Porsche 911 Carrera

My first Porsche Carrera. Something that I once dreamed of.

Considered a classic by Porsche, the 996 is the internal designation or project code used by Porsche to name the 911 manufactured between 1997 and 2006. It’s the first water cooled Porsche and it was the model that allowed Porsche to survive after low sales of previous models.

For me, Porsche was always a dream car. I remember watching the Rothmans Porsches winning the Dakar rally, enjoying them in the flesh when the rally visited Barcelona or seeing the occasional one on the toad. The proportions, the legend, the flat six engine, the key on the left … a Porsche is something else.

Porsche 911 Rothmans on the Dakar

And with being surname, Carrera, well … I think it had to happen .

The 996 is the perfect entry point to the 911 family:

• Half classic, half modern
• Cheaper than its predecessor, the 993. And cheaper than the next model…