Interim service £630?!! - Page 4 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

My 981 Cayman has turned 2 today so I realised I needed to get it booked in for its interim service (I'm quite surprised the car computer hadn't already told me that). I booked it in at Hatfield and was told it would be £630!! Is that normal? That seems a crazy amount for what will probably amount to no more than an oil change. Perhaps I've been living in a deluded bubble but that seems insane

after 2 years that's not bad, get a F430/458 price for the 12 month one !

Ring a few dealers and start haggling!

Get a local Porsche indie price and ask your OPC to match it.

I'm guessing you're paying for the OPC dealer stamp!

I think they have included a brake fluid change which you may not need.

johnmaddox said: I think they have included a brake fluid change which you may not need. Yeah they mentioned that, but that's got to be some seriously expensive brake fluid!

They charge circa £250 for an oil and filter change and £150 for a brake fluid change so you can see how the cost mounts up. As previously said, either take it to an indy or start haggling.

SimR said: Perhaps I've been living in a deluded bubble but that seems insane Welcome to the madhouse! I will soon be a similar position to you and may feel compelled to get service in the warranty period by an OPC. The first service is basically an oil/filter change and safety inspection and shouldn't really cost a third of OPC prices. Porsche have decided that they can't get away with such silly prices for 986/7s - we should apply as much pressure as we can to stop them doing it with current models.

If I went down the indy route (there's one quite close to me), would that invalidate the remaining 12 months warranty? I know it shouldn't, but given my experience with Porsche over these last two years nothing will surprise me!

bcr5784 said: Welcome to the madhouse! I will soon be a similar position to you and may feel compelled to get service in the warranty period by an OPC. The first service is basically an oil/filter change and safety inspection and shouldn't really cost a third of OPC prices. Porsche have decided that they can't get away with such silly prices for 986/7s - we should apply as much pressure as we can to stop them doing it with current models. I have actually just had some very expensive repairs done to my 2004 987 S and Hatfield Porsche told me that they offer a cheaper labour rate for older cars but had no latitiude on the servicing costs (which were bang on those quoted above). If anyone does find out differently please shout as it will be relevant to me too soon.

SimR said: If I went down the indy route (there's one quite close to me), would that invalidate the remaining 12 months warranty? I know it shouldn't, but given my experience with Porsche over these last two years nothing will surprise me! So long as the service schedule is stuck to religiously and only genuine parts used, there shouldn't be any issues. Make sure you get an itemised invoive for all work carried out.

go somewhere else. like OPC Cambridge for instance. just had my Panamera Turbo serviced there - circa 500 inc brake fluid change from memory can't believe a Cayman would be more ?

Think yourself lucky my 997 GT2 has just gone in, I'm having two front Rads ( one has a damp patch on it and they are the originals ) a spark plug service, new front splitter and front stone guards for the princely sum of around £1500. Yes you read that right!! Not bothered though it's not the kind of car that you can scrimp a few quid on, has to be kept in tip top shape whatever the cost really and it's not like it's every year.. You have to pay to play I guess.

Just had my Cayman OPC serviced, MOT'd, Brake fluid, Belt change, I supplied my own oil...just over £600.

Klippie said: Just had my Cayman OPC serviced, MOT'd, Brake fluid, Belt change, I supplied my own oil...just over £600. By comparison I had the same done recently but I didn't supply my own oil, came to £730 iirc.

I just had my 981 Boxster serviced at Hatfield on Saturday. It's 2 years old this month like yours. £630 for oil/filter and brake fluid change and pollen filter etc. I got a 10% discount for Porsche Club membership which helped a bit. It is a rip off but I felt on balance that the OPC stamp in the book would help come sale time. JZ Machtec at Kings Langley are cheaper and a very good Indie. They look after my Cayman R and have done bits and pieces on my 996 GT3RS.

Buy your oil from Opie - saves £100 Ask them to do the menu service for the menu price - you don't nned brake fluid yet - it's 3 years for the first one IIRC. Shouldn't be more than £300 or so at Cambs.

I have this to come to but have to say it will be a cold day in hell before I pay someone £630 to change the oil filters and brake fluid on my car when its due at 2 years charging that sort of money should be made criminal ! I have no idea what you get for your money but at 2 years circa 20,000 miles it cant need a lot other than oil and filters surely ? breaking the bill down the dealers will buy oil in bulk and will be costing them Quids per litre , brake fluid will be costing them less than a tenner , and filters are not going to be a lot, that leaves an awful lot in labour which the bloke operating the spanners on minimum wage isnt going to see! I have no problem in paying for a job but hate to feel ripped off when my hard earned is going to the snooty blokes in the sharp suits and pointy shoes that are walking around trying to look busy !

johnmaddox said: I think they have included a brake fluid change which you may not need. You MUST change the brake fluid every two years irrespective of mileage beacuse over time it absorbs moisture.

I believe that when they changed the service interval from 1 to 2 years, they almost doubled the price. Ahh but now you only need 1 service every 2 years so you are still saving money???? On the plus side you will get a nice Porsche for the day and if they do find something that is wrong and under warranty they will replace it. My old boxster went in for its first service and had a new water pump fitted as it was leaking... which was nice - they never checked the coolant level after - which was not nice, or repair one of the faults they were supposed to. Nice Cayman though.

Servicing is an absurd rip off. It is such a huge money spinner that OPCs turn away most other work or give ridiculous times for it like "We could carry out that minor repair in about a month but would need the car for two weeks and no courtesy car". (I know this because some t t bumped very gently into my car in a car park and cracked the rear light slightly - 6 weeks to wait! And I phoned every OPC in the south)

JeffC said: I have this to come to but have to say it will be a cold day in hell before I pay someone £630 to change the oil filters and brake fluid on my car when its due at 2 years charging that sort of money should be made criminal ! I have no idea what you get for your money but at 2 years circa 20,000 miles it cant need a lot other than oil and filters surely ? breaking the bill down the dealers will buy oil in bulk and will be costing them Quids per litre , brake fluid will be costing them less than a tenner , and filters are not going to be a lot, that leaves an awful lot in labour which the bloke operating the spanners on minimum wage isnt going to see! I have no problem in paying for a job but hate to feel ripped off when my hard earned is going to the snooty blokes in the sharp suits and pointy shoes that are walking around trying to look busy ! That's exactly how I feel! As for getting a nice Porsche for the day, I'm pretty sure Hatfield won't be doing that. Last time I checked if I could get a courtesy car they said it would be a Fiesta or something like that believe it or not!! Shocking. Thanks for all the thoughts / advice. I'm going to give Hatfield a ring now and see if I can do a bit of haggling (and check what the courtesy car will be), and also give Cambridge a ring to see what they say. Given the car's only done 11,000 miles it really does stick in my throat that they can get away with charging so much.

SimR said: That's exactly how I feel! As for getting a nice Porsche for the day, I'm pretty sure Hatfield won't be doing that. Last time I checked if I could get a courtesy car they said it would be a Fiesta or something like that believe it or not!! Shocking. Thanks for all the thoughts / advice. I'm going to give Hatfield a ring now and see if I can do a bit of haggling (and check what the courtesy car will be), and also give Cambridge a ring to see what they say. Given the car's only done 11,000 miles it really does stick in my throat that they can get away with charging so much. You'll get almost nowhere. Not that there is a secret agreement between OPCs not to discount by much or anything...of course not...that would be illegal. In fact, I doubt any such agreement is needed, as losing work doesn't bother them - there are always plenty of others lined up waiting to pay full whack because its an expensive car so probably has expensive oil or something The quality of servicing work at the 3 OPCs that I have used has been dire. About the standard of the spanner operative at the end of the road.

ORD said: You'll get almost nowhere. Not that there is a secret agreement between OPCs not to discount by much or anything...of course not...that would be illegal. In fact, I doubt any such agreement is needed, as losing work doesn't bother them - there are always plenty of others lined up waiting to pay full whack because its an expensive car so probably has expensive oil or something The quality of servicing work at the 3 OPCs that I have used has been dire. About the standard of the spanner operative at the end of the road. It's such a racket isn't it?? I appreciate that most people who own a Porsche probably have a fair bit of money (although I'm sure still don't like getting ripped off!). For me this was very much an 'aspirational purchase' so to basically get conned out of £630 is so annoying. I really don't mind paying decent money for good value, but to get little in return is just a con.

Nice table of prices here that would help with the negotiations... http://www.northwayporscheltd.co.uk/pages/service

To keep a warranty I can understand things like oil and brake fluid, as they get a stamp in the book. But what about things like brake discs and pads. Could you change these yourself when they needed doing, without even telling Porsche they had been changed? Therefore not invalidating any warranty you might have? Oh and as said, supply your own oil. Cosco sell it at a good price. Will save you over £100.

ORD said: You'll get almost nowhere. Not that there is a secret agreement between OPCs not to discount by much or anything...of course not...that would be illegal. In fact, I doubt any such agreement is needed, as losing work doesn't bother them - there are always plenty of others lined up waiting to pay full whack because its an expensive car so probably has expensive oil or something The quality of servicing work at the 3 OPCs that I have used has been dire. About the standard of the spanner operative at the end of the road. It is worth ringing round, when my 911 was due its major service I rang three OPC's and there was a difference of several hundred pounds between the cheapest and the most expensive (ironically the most expensive was were I'd bought the thing - so much for good will!! I won't mention the OPC's as there could be trouble if I did!

V800MJH said: To keep a warranty I can understand things like oil and brake fluid, as they get a stamp in the book. But what about things like brake discs and pads. Could you change these yourself when they needed doing, without even telling Porsche they had been changed? Therefore not invalidating any warranty you might have? Oh and as said, supply your own oil. Cosco sell it at a good price. Will save you over £100. If it's the oroginal warranty then using original parts will keep the warranty. If it's the extended warraty it will invalidate it.

SimR said: As for getting a nice Porsche for the day, I'm pretty sure Hatfield won't be doing that. Last time I checked if I could get a courtesy car they said it would be a Fiesta or something like that believe it or not!! Shocking. My indy uses Fiesta's as courtesy cars but they only charge £45 an hour labour.

It was regarding a major service in my case, but I did manage to get around 25% off the originally quoted price from an OPC. Though it wasn't any of those already mentioned unortunately. From the OPC Servicing menu pricing... --986 Boxster The following items are included: •Drain and replace oil •Replace oil filter •Replace pollen filter •Top up screen wash •Minor service inspection £265 Brake fluid change £75 --987 Boxster The following items are included: •Drain and replace oil •Replace oil filter •Replace pollen filter •Top up screen wash •Oil top up kit •Minor service inspection £480 Brake fluid change £150 Go figure...

V800MJH said: To keep a warranty I can understand things like oil and brake fluid, as they get a stamp in the book. But what about things like brake discs and pads. Could you change these yourself when they needed doing, without even telling Porsche they had been changed? Therefore not invalidating any warranty you might have? Oh and as said, supply your own oil. Cosco sell it at a good price. Will save you over £100. Thanks for the tip about the oil. Is there any particular brand that I'd have to get from Costco? I could imagine that might be the sort of thing they might get sniffy about!

ilduce said: That doesn't make sense. It makes perfect sense - new car warranties are covered under certain EU rules and thus using original parts is sufficient. For the extended warranty this does not apply. The Porsche extended warranty is actually an insurance policy and the insurer can specify exactly what their requirements are for your cover to be valid - in this case OPC servicing. ilduce said: Anyway....Original parts? What rubbish are you spouting now? Porsche don't make discs or pads. Original parts equals those as specified by the manufacturer. Obviously. ilduce said: I changed the front discs, pads and sensors on my CS. Some months later a caliper was changed under warranty without problem. 1. Which warranty (see above)? 2. Just because you 'got away with something' doesn't mean that someone else would.

SimR said: Thanks for the tip about the oil. Is there any particular brand that I'd have to get from Costco? I could imagine that might be the sort of thing they might get sniffy about! It has to be the approved oil for your car - check the website, but probably Mobil 1.

SimR said: Thanks for the tip about the oil. Is there any particular brand that I'd have to get from Costco? I could imagine that might be the sort of thing they might get sniffy about! You want oil that is Porsche A40 approved. Most people use Mobil 1 New Life now, as far as I'm aware. (I had my Cayman serviced last week, and that's what I supplied them with)

Great - thanks. I'll find out how much they're going to use and go and get me some!!

SimR said: Great - thanks. I'll find out how much they're going to use and go and get me some!! They take around 8 litres iirc. Get 10 litres and you will have some left over for topping up if need be.

sidicks said: ilduce said: It makes perfect sense - new car warranties are covered under certain EU rules and thus using original parts is sufficient. For the extended warranty this does not apply. The Porsche extended warranty is actually an insurance policy and the insurer can specify exactly what their requirements are for your cover to be valid - in this case OPC servicing. Are you saying that for the third year warranty to be valid you have to have any servicing IN THAT YEAR to be by an OPC or that all servicing so far has to be by an OPC? ie if you used an Indy for the first service BEFORE the car was 2 years old you would be covered in the third year, but not if you serviced the car just after its second birthday.

ilduce said: sidicks said: ilduce said: That doesn't make sense. It makes perfect sense - new car warranties are covered under certain EU rules and thus using original parts is sufficient. For the extended warranty this does not apply. The Porsche extended warranty is actually an insurance policy and the insurer can specify exactly what their requirements are for your cover to be valid - in this case OPC servicing. ilduce said: Anyway....Original parts? What rubbish are you spouting now? Porsche don't make discs or pads. Original parts equals those as specified by the manufacturer. Obviously. ilduce said: I changed the front discs, pads and sensors on my CS. Some months later a caliper was changed under warranty without problem. 1. Which warranty (see above)? 2. Just because you 'got away with something' doesn't mean that someone else would. Who are you? Soovy535's wife? He can ask his own questions .. oh hang on.. forget it. Looking at all of that; the pi55take prices and hoops you have to jump for the warranty, I wonder why people bother buying Porsche a second time? It really isn't that good to put up with all of that shi'te. No. Really. It isn't. Ooooh get her. Look, it's simple. EU Law means that you can service your car where you want for the duration of the new car warranty, subject to using original parts etc. For the used car warranty, this does not apply, and they contractually oblige you to use OPC. It's that simple.

ilduce said: Who are you? Soovy535's wife? He can ask his own questions .. oh hang on.. forget it. Looking at all of that; the pi55take prices and hoops you have to jump for the warranty, I wonder why people bother buying Porsche a second time? It really isn't that good to put up with all of that shi'te. No. Really. It isn't. I think it's pretty standard among premium brands. It's aggravating as hell but neither unique to P nor difficult to understand from their side of the thing.

ilduce said: Who are you? Soovy535's wife? He can ask his own questions .. oh hang on.. forget it. Please grow up. ilduce said: Looking at all of that; the pi55take prices and hoops you have to jump for the warranty, I wonder why people bother buying Porsche a second time? It really isn't that good to put up with all of that shi'te. No. Really. It isn't. Please feel to act in whatever way suits your personal circumstances. If that means you spend less time within this forum, I'm sure few people will be disappointed.

sidicks said: Please feel to act in whatever way suits your personal circumstances. If that means you spend less time within this forum, I'm sure few people will be disappointed. Sometimes true things are funny

A question for those moaning about OPC service prices... When it comes to selling your car and Joe Bloggs rings about it from the opposite end of the country you tell him it's got full service history, he turns up to buy your car and looks at the service booklet and doesn't see an OPC stamp in there but some unknown to him indie garage, this garage could be the best at looking after Porsche cars but he doesn't know that as it not his local garage...what do you say when he asks why it's not Porsche maintained then walks away. My point is for the people who know nothing about these cars seeing it's been looked after by the dealer network is a major confidence booster when it comes to buying a used Porsche, for the extra money it costs you stand a better chance of making a sale if OPC serviced.

Twelve years ago I purchased my 993 turbo and immediately took it to old Tonbridge for a full service at a cost of over £1500 with the view of continuing the full dealer history... Basically they f ked everything up.... I've been taking it to my local garage ever since. No warranty. I'm probably up £20k over the years. Car has never missed a beat and they diagnosed every issue first time ever time. Become quite the expert in fact.

Klippie said: A question for those moaning about OPC service prices... When it comes to selling your car and Joe Bloggs rings about it from the opposite end of the country you tell him it's got full service history, he turns up to buy your car and looks at the service booklet and doesn't see an OPC stamp in there but some unknown to him indie garage, this garage could be the best at looking after Porsche cars but he doesn't know that as it not his local garage...what do you say when he asks why it's not Porsche maintained then walks away. My point is for the people who know nothing about these cars seeing it's been looked after by the dealer network is a major confidence booster when it comes to buying a used Porsche, for the extra money it costs you stand a better chance of making a sale if OPC serviced. Speaking personally it's a difficult one to answer, almost like the old Tom n Jerry cartoons with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other. If you use a good independent I don't believe technically that there is much that they cannot do, so then you're into basically knowing that you're paying 2x or 3x the price for a stamp, a nice showroom, and the possibility of some goodwill if you do have an issue. Of course, if you've spent £40k on a car it's fair to ask "Do you care about £300 that much?" but the principle is bloody hard to ignore IMO - I couldn't ignore it when I had my Boxster. I now have a Golf where servicing is £150 or £250 ish at the main dealer, still not cheap but cheap enough to maybe not really care about saving £50.

Klippie said: A question for those moaning about OPC service prices... When it comes to selling your car and Joe Bloggs rings about it from the opposite end of the country you tell him it's got full service history, he turns up to buy your car and looks at the service booklet and doesn't see an OPC stamp in there but some unknown to him indie garage, this garage could be the best at looking after Porsche cars but he doesn't know that as it not his local garage...what do you say when he asks why it's not Porsche maintained then walks away. My point is for the people who know nothing about these cars seeing it's been looked after by the dealer network is a major confidence booster when it comes to buying a used Porsche, for the extra money it costs you stand a better chance of making a sale if OPC serviced. There is some truth in that, but the savings over 5 years would be pretty substantial. And there is the point that OPCs are generally fairly incompetent. I have had my car serviced twice and had: (1) Oil not actually changed. (2) Drive belt knocked out of place so it fell off 10 miles later. (3) Windscreen royally scratched to s t by someone cleaning it with an old brick and a knife. (4) Air conditioning screwed up so it rattled constantly. And not a single apology from either OPC until I went ballistic. Astonishing service. It was all fixed (and more), but my impression is that servicing is done by drunk kids on work experience while everyone else plays cards.

Klippie said: A question for those moaning about OPC service prices... When it comes to selling your car and Joe Bloggs rings about it from the opposite end of the country you tell him it's got full service history, he turns up to buy your car and looks at the service booklet and doesn't see an OPC stamp in there but some unknown to him indie garage, this garage could be the best at looking after Porsche cars but he doesn't know that as it not his local garage...what do you say when he asks why it's not Porsche maintained then walks away. My point is for the people who know nothing about these cars seeing it's been looked after by the dealer network is a major confidence booster when it comes to buying a used Porsche, for the extra money it costs you stand a better chance of making a sale if OPC serviced. I think you've kind of missed the point here (or at least the point I was trying to make) - it's about fair value for a piece of work. If you think that £630 for an interim service is fair value then we clearly are living in two very different worlds.

Klippie said: A question for those moaning about OPC service prices... When it comes to selling your car and Joe Bloggs rings about it from the opposite end of the country you tell him it's got full service history, he turns up to buy your car and looks at the service booklet and doesn't see an OPC stamp in there but some unknown to him indie garage, this garage could be the best at looking after Porsche cars but he doesn't know that as it not his local garage...what do you say when he asks why it's not Porsche maintained then walks away. I say it has a FSH and was correctly described as such, it was not advertised as FPSH or "FSH at OPC" or "main dealer"

Mad March Taffy said: Nice table of prices here that would help with the negotiations... http://www.northwayporscheltd.co.uk/pages/service bloody hell - I know is it ex VAT, but that is very good if including all parts and labour - might be getting my car serviced when visiting parents near Reading! Particularly as I intend to service annually rather than every 2 years Spark plugs £220 vs 9E £344 on my 997 turbo

quickly looking at VW golf serviceing costs (main delaer) looking at the 4 year total cost, to service My Panamera costs £100 per year more than a Golf... It costs me more than that to fill the tank with fuel... I wont lose sleep ove the cost difference. And for me, OPC Cambs have given very good service over the years I've used them. Not so keen on Hatfield or Reading, but Silverstone (despite one blip) have been pretty good too And most people buying used will look for main dealer service records on 'Vanilla ' porsches - if it was a GTx I'd be happier if it was schedule serviced with additionals from the known specialist independents

Adam B said: Mad March Taffy said: Nice table of prices here that would help with the negotiations... http://www.northwayporscheltd.co.uk/pages/service bloody hell - I know is it ex VAT, but that is very good if including all parts and labour - might be getting my car serviced when visiting parents near Reading! Particularly as I intend to service annually rather than every 2 years Spark plugs £220 vs 9E £344 on my 997 turbo It is cheap, my major service on a 997.1 GT3 is costing me £660 + vat including brake fluid and spark plugs at a respected indy, that would be £445 + vat at Northway who also have a good rep, it's a big difference, big enough to drive to reading next time maybe?

red997 said: quickly looking at VW golf serviceing costs (main delaer) looking at the 4 year total cost, to service My Panamera costs £100 per year more than a Golf... It costs me more than that to fill the tank with fuel... I wont lose sleep ove the cost difference. And for me, OPC Cambs have given very good service over the years I've used them. Not so keen on Hatfield or Reading, but Silverstone (despite one blip) have been pretty good too And most people buying used will look for main dealer service records on 'Vanilla ' porsches - if it was a GTx I'd be happier if it was schedule serviced with additionals from the known specialist independents Must admit I've not looked in depth as I've not long had the Golf and it's been a few years since I had the 987 but IIRC Porsche did have this weird habit of "service costs" not actually including things like plugs and brake fluid. I'd be really interested to know the numbers as I just had a really quick look at a minor for a "Panamera Diesel" is £420 and a major is £550 excluding brake fluid. Not be unnecessarily argumentative but I'd expect a Porsche to cost more than a Golf, what wasn't really my point though

I was taking my VW figures from the Volkswagen Website... And partially, from my past experience of owning VW & parents more recent service costs. Would never say a Panamera was going to be cheaper to service than a Golf What I am saying is that if you find a good OPC, who appear to be sensible about costs & work that realy needs to be carried out, you wont feel stiffed. The prices that porsche quote on their website is quite a bit more than I have paid but then again OPC Cambs are not part of the Porsche UK network - unlike Reading etc who are - so maybe that is why they can be more cost effective ? not stating, just speculating Again, from experience, I've never had parts such as plugs filters etc excluded from the service costs estimated - always fully inclusive. considering that typically you are going to be servicing in a 2 year cycle, minor, then major,the average costs aren't unreasonable IMHO Just make sure that consumables such as brake pads are changed in the intervening periods, and not necessarily by the OPC (I change my own, using Porsche parts - i.e. with the Porsche part no stamped on them - it aint rocket science if you are patient and are a bit handy with tools) The service that I had recently didn't change the air filter - 4 year service period on this item (!) - so I did it myself when I got the car back - £30 for the part and a couple of hours labour on my part on a nice sunny day on the drive. Mind you - the neighbours think I am mad - air filter replacement on a Panamera requires you to remove the entire front PU & assocaited gubbbins...

So in reality it's not £100 a year difference between a Panamera and a Golf. And that's before adding the ridiculous spark plug change at 4 years: how the hell can they call it a major service and NOT change the plugs but charge it as an extra thing? It's laughable.

I dont know exactly what VW replace - but they do have staggered pricing so it appears to vary from year to year I still dont think that £1200 for 4 years service is that bad; aknowledge that is routine pricing not worn out parts. I will spend more than that on tyres in the same period

red997 said: I dont know exactly what VW replace - but they do have staggered pricing so it appears to vary from year to year I still dont think that £1200 for 4 years service is that bad; aknowledge that is routine pricing not worn out parts. I will spend more than that on tyres in the same period But you actually get something from the tyres I think OPC servicing is a very acute example of fools paying money because other fools want them to. It's not even so much about the prices as the fact that I don't think they take servicing remotely seriously / have a clue / do it properly.

Adam B said: bloody hell - I know is it ex VAT, but that is very good if including all parts and labour - might be getting my car serviced when visiting parents near Reading! Particularly as I intend to service annually rather than every 2 years Spark plugs £220 vs 9E £344 on my 997 turbo And if you search on the forum, you will see that Northway are a good bunch to deal with too - I've used them since I got my first Porker about 4 years ago and they are very fair - if it NEEDS doing, they will tell you - if you can wait to get it done, then they will tell you that too.

Why do you think it's expensive to service a premium brand German sports car compared to a common FWD hatchback...it's brand image Porsche know they are at the top of the tree and charge accordingly. People buy into Porsche just as they do with Apple products if you want one you'll have to pay the Porsche added tax for the privilege. Look at the price difference between the Cayman / Boxster range and 911's, is a 911 tens of thousands of pounds more expensive to build I think not...Porsche do this because the 911 is their premium brand model so you pay more.

Klippie said: Why do you think it's expensive to service a premium brand German sports car compared to a common FWD hatchback...it's brand image Porsche know they are at the top of the tree and charge accordingly. People buy into Porsche just as they do with Apple products if you want one you'll have to pay the Porsche added tax for the privilege. Look at the price difference between the Cayman / Boxster range and 911's, is a 911 tens of thousands of pounds more expensive to build I think not...Porsche do this because the 911 is their premium brand model so you pay more. You can con all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can't con all of the people all of the time. Or something like that.... Some of us aren't (and strongly resent) being conned any of the time...

Klippie said: Why do you think it's expensive to service a premium brand German sports car compared to a common FWD hatchback...it's brand image Porsche know they are at the top of the tree and charge accordingly. People buy into Porsche just as they do with Apple products if you want one you'll have to pay the Porsche added tax for the privilege. Look at the price difference between the Cayman / Boxster range and 911's, is a 911 tens of thousands of pounds more expensive to build I think not...Porsche do this because the 911 is their premium brand model so you pay more. Totally agree with your view of the world of premium brands. I have knowingly, and happily, bought every iPhone since the 3GS. Yes, I've paid top dollar compared to other brands, but I've enjoyed the ownership experience and always found the residual value to be good when eBaying them after 2 years. I've just placed an order for my first ever Porsche (a Boxster GTS) but I'm anticipating an average annual outlay of about £1,000 - £1,200 for servicing and/or tyres, which I am happy to pay as part of the Porsche ownership experience. I had priced tyres, insurance, servicing, road tax and economy before making my purchase decision - happily the overall package proved financially acceptable (for my personal circumstances) for the opportunity to fulfil the dream of owning a Porsche.

Some years ago, as part of my job, I was in a group tour of the Pirelli factory. When I asked the finance director why larger tyres for Jags and Mercs etc, which he admitted cost little more to manufactur than regular size tyres cost so much more to buy. He said, people with Jags and Mercs expect to pay more for their tyres. Changing the oil and filter on a Porsche is no more difficult than a Ka, but a Porsche is a special car with special prices apply.

Some years ago, as part of my job, I was in a group tour of the Pirelli factory. When I asked the finance director why larger tyres for Jags and Mercs etc, which he admitted cost little more to manufactur than regular size tyres cost so much more to buy. He said, people with Jags and Mercs expect to pay more for their tyres. Changing the oil and filter on a Porsche is no more difficult than a Ka, but a Porsche is a special car with special prices apply.

Zeddsded said: Totally agree with your view of the world of premium brands. I have knowingly, and happily, bought every iPhone since the 3GS. Yes, I've paid top dollar compared to other brands, but I've enjoyed the ownership experience and always found the residual value to be good when eBaying them after 2 years. I've just placed an order for my first ever Porsche (a Boxster GTS) but I'm anticipating an average annual outlay of about £1,000 - £1,200 for servicing and/or tyres, which I am happy to pay as part of the Porsche ownership experience. I had priced tyres, insurance, servicing, road tax and economy before making my purchase decision - happily the overall package proved financially acceptable (for my personal circumstances) for the opportunity to fulfil the dream of owning a Porsche. Happy? As part of the ownership experience? I would be quite a lot happier to pay a reasonable sum rather than £1k for 28 minutes work from the drunken 17 year old on work experience.

Zeddsded said: Totally agree with your view of the world of premium brands. I have knowingly, and happily, bought every iPhone since the 3GS. Yes, I've paid top dollar compared to other brands, but I've enjoyed the ownership experience and always found the residual value to be good when eBaying them after 2 years. I've just placed an order for my first ever Porsche (a Boxster GTS) but I'm anticipating an average annual outlay of about £1,000 - £1,200 for servicing and/or tyres, which I am happy to pay as part of the Porsche ownership experience. I had priced tyres, insurance, servicing, road tax and economy before making my purchase decision - happily the overall package proved financially acceptable (for my personal circumstances) for the opportunity to fulfil the dream of owning a Porsche. You sound like the ideal customer for such brands

Adam B said: You sound like the ideal customer for such brands Stella Artois had a "reassuringly expensive" theme to their ads not so long ago. I notice that now Stella is reassuringly cheap. It would be nice to think that Porsche would have a similar rethink - but I'm far from hopeful...