billatlanta

To each his own - I need to cast my vote for a 996, with emphasis on the 02 or newer models. Before I got my GT3 the 996 I traded was an unbelivable car. I also like the looks of the 996 better, albeit less classic 911. Do not underestimate this car. Now I need to point out my opinion is very biased since I never had an opportunity to drive or own a 993.

Davies

I looked at, and almost bought several 996's and then I test drove a silver
993 and that's what's sitting in my driveway now. I can't really put my finger on
why (price difference was negligible)...it just felt - and looked - right.
Nonetheless, this thread is about reliability and from that standpoint my 993 - which I drive daily - really is bulletproof.
Although I have to admit, when I was looking at them, I just assumed the 996's would be also, which anecdotally appears not to be the case.

Chris Picklo

If you plan on tracking it, go with the 993.

As stated on another thread, Porsche cut corners with the engine lubrication (not a true dry sump), with an exception to the GT3 and GT2.

See the "Downward Spiral" post for more info - there's a lot on there!

Chris

86Coupe

996s have a different lubrication system than the 993. 993s have a wet sump racing style system. If you're going to push it at the track the 993 is much more robust than the 996.

DJF1

Let's put it this way. Putnam club racing weekend. My race car with 80K+ on the odo( stock engine and class). 2 drivers, 5 hours of racing practice everyday almost non stop( 2 drivers 2 different run groups running back to back), 2 sets of tires, 2 sets of Pagid's, 2 half an hour race one and half hour enduro later and the car did not complaint at all! After so much abuse she was ready for more. Just change the oil and do it all over again...
Is that enough reliability?

Speedraser

86Coupe -- you mean 993s have a DRY sump racing style system.

Juan

Wasn't the car that won the 24 hours of Daytona last year water-cooled??

James Achard

Yes, Also, something to consider is the 993's are the heaviest 911's made and it's a bit difficult to get them on a weight loss program...

James

Speedraser

Water-cooled, yes, but it's the GT2/GT3/TT engine, which has a real dry sump and is based on the AIR-COOLED block -- a totally different unit than the standard 996 engine.

The 993 is no longer the heaviest "911." The newer 996s are now heavier than the 993 series.

JeffPlastow

When it comes to long term reliability, I suspect the 996 will win in several respects. For example, I haven't heard of anyone (60K+ engines) who's needed to replace their valve guides, unlike many of the aircooled engines. At the same time, I haven't heard of too many RMS failures on 993s. I suspect each car will have its own unique set of problems, and therefore the decision boils down to which one you can live with on a daily basis better.

Jeff

pig4bill

So far there is a lot of rah rah for the 993 and talk about the dry sump. Anything specific that make the 996 less reliable? I haven't heard of any engines blowing up from oil starvation.

Ed Bighi

I don't think some people understand this block thing. Guys, there is a world of difference between the standard 996 Carrera, Carrera 4, Carrera 4S in comparison to the 996 turbo, 996 GT2 and 996 GT3. Sure, all of those 996s have the same boring appearance. But as for motors, they are very different. If you guys still don't comprehend the differences, do what I mentioned earlier. Go to the dealership and have them look up the crankcase for a 97 993. Then have them look up the crankcase for a standard 2002 Carrera, but don't forget what the 993 case looks like. You will see that it is completely different. Then have them look up the 996 turbo, GT2 and GT3 crankcase. If you have halfway decent eyesight and a halfway decent brain, you will notice that all those higher echelon 996s have an air-cooled 993/964 crankcase. Or even easier still. Open up this month's Excellence magazine and look at the ad for Europipe. Then look at that picture of a GT3 motor without all the ancilliaries bolted on. Look real well at the center of the motor. If you guys know how an air-cooled flat six crankcase is supposed to look, you will recognize the one in the picture. Of course, there are air cooled heads and pistons bolted on instead of the usual heat sink units. GT1 based! LOL. The GT1 was 993 based. Look at the end of it and you will see that the fan bracket is still cast in. Why is the old air-cooled based 964/993 case still being used. For durability. It would take me too long to explain the reason for this, but the short of it is that other than the body, a 993 has more in common with a current day GT3RSR than even a bone standard 996. The 996 standard block is basically a two piece boxster block cast in with bigger cylinders. It is wet sump meaning that G forces do affect the oil pickup. Unlike every air cooled motor and the later air cooled based 996 turbo, GT2, GT3 motors which are basically a 993 crank, enclosed in two 993 crankcase halves with water cooled pistons and heads bolted on. As for what makes dry sump better, there are two ways to explain this. One is that almost every road racing car that has raced in the last two decades has had one. The other reason takes some time to notice. I realized this from years of going to the track and watching a couple of engines blow up every weekend because some bufoon thought that having an oil pan instead of an oil tank in his M3, Corvette or whatever was a good thing. High G oil starvation is a cumulative thing that does its damage slowly, but surely over time. Like taking in mercury from eating inshore fish. For examples, ask 944 and 928 racers about rod bearing failure. Actually, if avoiding bull, it is better to watch over time than ask. But it isn't just a dry sump issue but modular construction and number of main bearings is just as important. Not to mention casting quality.

But don't listen to me. Just look at the evidence and use your heads. Then ask yourselves whey the factory still uses the old air cooled crankcases with the eight main bearings and dry sump on the GT3RS and RSR? While the Boxster and 996 standard motors are quite strong enough for not only daily driving and track work, don't ever assume that they even approach the 993 and 996GT series motors, which are again, all related regardless of cooling medium. Good for the street and some track. But not for what I have been doing in my own 911SC with 210,000 un-rebuilt miles and eight, that's right, eight years of track. I feel that any air-cooled SC and later motor is capable of this. But I just don't see any non-modular wet sump motor having the same durability. Even from Porsche. Again, I have seen plenty of 944s and 928s have track issues even though they can do a couple of hundred thousand miles of street driving with no problems. And while those guys can talk plenty in their own defense, I have seen far more of those motors let go than I have air-cooled flat sixes. Actually, I have only seen one air-cooled flat six let go on a track. It was a two liter that threw a rod from overeving. But I have seen 928s, 944s and even Boxsters and 996s puke their guts.

Oh, and as for valve guides, they were only an issue on some Carrera 3.2s. Replace them with phosphorous bronze and that motor is good for a quarter of a million miles easy. And that includes redlining the **** out of it on the track. Year after year. No worries. It is a 911. You drive it like you stole it. For decades.