Although the Carrera 3.2 is a tough old piece of kit it still needs regular maintenance. An Official Porsche Centre (OPC) is obviously going to lavish attention on your Carrera 3.2 - but at what price? My own Carrera has 12 stamps in the service record - all by OPCs. However I feel there comes a point in the vehicles life when the cost of maintenance needs to be balanced against the value of the vehicle. An OPC has a service charge of between £55 and £75 per hour. Think of an annual service taking about 5 hours and it soon builds up into a lot of money.

There are a number of very good independent Porsche specialists across the UK with a typical hourly rate of about £35 to £45 per hour.

The best list of specialists that I have seen is at www.911virgin.com. The link below will open this list for you in a new browser window.

Click here for list of Independent Porsche garages in the UK

My own choice? I use MR Performance Cars on the Salisbury to Warminster Rd. They prefer working on earlier models of the 911 but are very good on Carrera 3.2s. They recently replaced the oil pipes and oil thermostat on my 911 and are very knowledgeable - always willing to offer helpful advice. JZ Machtech also have an excellent reputation and would be very near the top of my list. Its a shame they are over 100 miles away.

The photo left shows a page of the service record of my own car - each service on that page performed by an OPC. A good service record is vital when you are buying a car and will also help you maintain the value of the car. I bought my car with a full OPC service history but I believe the cost of maintenance has to be judged against the overall resale value of the car. Don't be put off buying a Carrera 3.2 just because the service record has been stamped by an independent Porsche specialist.