Are Porsche parts expensive?

Many people dream of owning a Porsche, but can you actually afford to service one? We asked Lee Sibley from 9Werks to answer the burning question for us: Are Porsche parts expensive? Over to you Lee...

There’s a well-known adage among automotive enthusiasts that no matter how cheap a 911, Cayman or Boxster may be to buy, they all cost “Porsche money” to run.

And it's right. These may well be renowned for being brilliant ‘all-rounder’ sports cars capable of delivering thrills on any drive, from a track day to a pop to the shops, but they do require you to keep on top of the maintenance.

In reality, this often just comes down to the basics such as oil changes, and monitoring of tyre and brake wear. While you can expect the big brakes and wide tyres on a Porsche to cost more than your average Ford Fiesta, you shouldn’t expect to chew through these expendable items any faster than your run-of-the-mill motor – unless something is seriously array with your driving style or geometry setup. 

However, you should ignore the maintenance side of your Porsche at your peril. It’s often when you let this side of things slip, effectively kicking the can down the road, that problems can manifest and evolve, leading to open-wallet surgery. 

So, we’ve established that being proactive rather than reactive in your attitude to the maintenance of your Porsche is wise, but are Porsche parts themselves expensive?

The answer is going to be subjective of course but the reality is parts for a Porsche, be it maintenance items, replacement components or even upgrades, are generally always going to be more expensive than those for that aforementioned run-of-them-mill motor. 

The good news is, these days there are plenty of resources available to you as the consumer, allowing you to shop around for the best price. For example, while your local Porsche dealer will have access to unending parts for your Porsche, there are solutions provided by aftermarket companies such as Heritage Parts Centre, who can generally offer a more reasonable alternative, monetarily speaking. Front and rear suspension arms are a great example: a lower control arm can cost hundreds from Porsche, whereas a MEYLE lower control arm is a direct fit, around 60% less and comes with a 2-year warranty too. So it’s important to shop around. 

There’s a valid argument that such a strong aftermarket parts industry has in fact forced Porsche to rethink its product strategy to remain competitive. Initiatives including its recently-launched Classic Register allow owners of sports cars over ten years old to take advantage of a discount on parts, in a similar way that Heritage offers discounts to 9Werks collective members. Whilst they would love you to only ever shop at Heritage, they fully appreciate they cannot match this depth of product range, and understand the importance to the scene of having Porsche supporting the classic vehicles themselves. 

Of course, with a 'main dealer service'  comes main dealer prices, and some Porsche parts can be considered extortionate (think circa £1,500 for a 996/986 steering rack, or nearly £400 for a plastic coolant expansion tank!). Others, however, are more affordable. It really is a bit of a lottery and a case of asking the question and assuming a seated position ready for the reply. 

There’s also a bigger picture to consider when it comes to the cost of Porsche parts, in relation to the overall value of the car. Unlike your nippy little daily driver, which is very likely depreciating with each month that passes, values of Porsches haven’t really tended to decrease – certainly in the last ten years or so. Very many models have, in fact, gone the other way. This means your Porsche is not just a premium sports car, it is an asset. Therefore, one way to look at it is that any expenditure in this department is merely maintaining your investment, which isn’t as much of a bitter pill to swallow when it comes to shelling out on quality parts. 

If you are keen to maintain your Porsche effectively while juggling a smaller budget, there are a couple of options for you. One is looking at reconditioned parts – that is, previously used parts that have been recalibrated or fixed to a certified standard. Steering racks are a popular choice here, which could save you around £1,200 over a brand-new item. Likewise, buying a reconditioned alternator could save you some cash compared to the purchase of a brand-new one. Again, shopping around is crucial, if you’re hell-bent on saving those pennies. 

So far we’ve covered the maintenance aspect of Porsche parts pricing, but it’s important to remember there’s a bustling industry serving customers with performance parts too. A Porsche may be a brilliant sports car right out of the box, but with a few choice tweaks, it can improved further, particularly when it comes to better serving individual needs and tastes. 

Just as with maintenance parts, when it comes to upgrades for your Porsche, you have a plethora of options, ranging from wallet-friendly to wallet-bursting. For example, you can spend thousands on a switchable and lightweight exhaust system… or, for just a couple of hundred quid, a simple exhaust gundo hack will do the job. And don’t forget, if you are feeling particularly thrifty, there is a performance-enhancing upgrade which anybody can do, from home, that doesn’t cost a penny: removing excess weight. With Porsches, many kilos can be stripped from the car just by removing its thick sound deadening, for starters. How far you go with the whole mantra of ‘adding lightness’ is entirely up to you. 

You can also delve into the second-hand market, though we would NEVER advise you to fit anything into your car that could potentially jeopardise the safety of the vehicle (think suspension top mounts, brakes, tyres etc.). However, many people buy used when it comes to bolt-on parts like wheels, wings, or even seats, though bear in mind the condition of these parts will vary greatly depending on the life they have previously lived, and likely won’t come with the protection of any sort of warranty. Nevertheless, if you’re a competent DIYer or fixer-upper, then this could be a good avenue to explore.

Another added bonus is that Porsche parts which can be bought and sold on the second-hand market, tend to hold their value no matter how many owners they pass through. For example, a pair of 997 Sports seats might set you back around £2,500, but should you wish to sell them again at any point in the future, you’re extremely likely to get your money back for them, provided their condition has not deteriorated. Likewise with a hard top for a 986 Boxster: these always tend to sit around the same price bracket, with obvious minor fluctuations depending on the time of year you wish to buy or sell. This all makes the prospect of that initial spend-up easier to swallow… money tied up is very different to money spent, remember! 

So, in short, yes: at face value, it may seem that Porsche parts are more expensive than those associated with your run-of-the-mill motor. However, before you start bemoaning the existence of the so-called ‘Porsche tax’, it’s important to remember that relative to the value of the overall vehicle, prices for Porsche parts aren’t necessarily any more expensive than other brands. A Porsche is considered a financial asset, too, and maintaining your asset is likely (if not guaranteed) to look after you and your wallet in the long run. There’s more good news too, Heritage proactively check their part pricing to ensure customers are getting the best deal. Seen something you like the look of cheaper elsewhere? Speak up, and they'll price-match it for you. 

Parts for air-cooled Porsche tend to be a little higher than their water-cooled counterparts, but again, that tends to be relative to the overall value of the car. In either regard, a commitment to keeping your Porsche in fine fettle should result in a positive owner experience, delivering handsomely on thrills and allowing you to spend the majority of your time with your car right where it matters – on the asphalt. 

Lee