groovzilla

feel like venting....

having owned lots of porsche's over 25 years i am getting fed up with all the engine problems associated with most all models i have owned except formy 1959 356 which has been basically trouble-free.

cars i have owned have had these issues:

1. 1977 911s ...bad valve guides and head stiud breakage problem
2. 1983 911sc....head stud breakage problem
3. 1986 911 carrera....valve guide problem
4. 1990 964 C2....oil leaks and electrical problems.
5. 1996 993 C4....CEL issue associated with SAI ports getting clogged
6. 1999 boxster....oil leaks and rear main seal issue

**friends 1999 996 has had it's engine replaced because of bad rear main seal and another internal failure

i just got done trouble shooting the electrical problem in my 1990 964 C2 that was draining the battery...i'm still going to have to work on the ****ing airbag warning light iussue which has something to do with the clock.


you'd think german engineers would start getting it right

DaveK

No car is perfect though. Although I've had some issues with my car, I'd say relatively few and I still think it's very reliable. I did 1000 miles in 4 days last week, and it ran perfectly which is pretty good for a car that will hit 20 this year, and has 177k miles on the clock.

996s are a different issue I think - I've been tempted to get one as a daily driver but they do seem a bit like a time bomb waiting to go off (some of them anyway).

I think Porsche did a pretty excellent job with the 964. Can't comment on the other models though - never had one.

BlueHeeler

Mechanical things break.

Wikkid911

John Boggiano puts all that under the heading "The Bonding Process" and assures me that it is required or something is missing.
Not sure I totally agree but hope your airbag is sorted soon.

elbeee964

When I want refrigerator-like* dependability (& involvement), I take the Corolla.

When I want to drive, the 964.


* "open the door and the light comes on."

Bearclaw

I've had a lot of Volvos, which were put on this earth to provide electrical-system occupational therapy for people secretly wishing to rely on a vintage British car - in the rain. It's all relative I had a maddening battery drain in the Porsche, until I unplugged the boot light (which curiously was unplugged when I got it). No more battery drain. Do I need a boot light? Not enough to bang my head against the wall looking for that leak. Small potatoes...

Your airbag light may be the sensors on the front fenders, have you tried cleaning them? That cured mine. You will need to have somebody reset the light in any case. Checking my PO's records, it seems mine has had this as a recurring problem all its life. I kinda give Porsche a pass on this to some extent. These cars were still early in airbag implementation, and the installation environment is a little more "dynamic" than your average sedan in terms of positioning, vibration, etc. They were still learning, is my guess.
In fact if you think about it, to install a system like airbags in a mass-production car, exposed to all the vibration, temperature extremes, moisture, etc., over millions of differently-designed cars, and expect them to work 20 years later as well as they generally do - pretty amazing really.
Kind of like putting a Minuteman missile in the ground for 40 years or so, and expecting it to work when you push the button. Will it? Won't it?
Who knows!!!

cornerhans

It's called risk/reward!!!

dfinnegan

Airbag Light Fix

Don't know if it's related, or even if mine is fixed, but it has been good for about a month now (knock on wood!)

hawk911

I was expecting to hear of someone that hadn't done the dual vent mod on the dizzy

RichieRoo

I gotta say, I kinda agree with Groovzilla.

These are supposed to be great 'drivers' cars, but the enjoyment they provide is greatly diminished
by time off the road or the continuous fear of impending mechanical doom whilst driving them.

People often talk about the cars mechanical purity, but many of the sub-systems seem overtly
complicated (it shouldn't take three reservoirs, umpteen motors, one-way valves and meters
of piping to clean your windows for example).

I think the best defence for these cars failings are that they are low-volume and that this is the
price you pay for being 'special'. If you look at other low-volume cars I think it's fair to say that
it's a common factor - TVR and Lotus spring to mind.

When I purchased my car I did so in the knowledge that it was going to be a project, but I have
to conceed that I did not expect as many issues as I have experience thus far.

I guess in the end, the very fact we all keep them despite the flaws says we are getting something
out of ownership that is hard to define.

mada1

If the cars didn't have so many "bonding" opportunities, we wouldn't have the Rennlist community. What a shame that would be.

jimq

I am putting out $1200 on my Turbo for electrical problems with the Egas system tomorrow. I just had a alternator put in back in Dec luckily when still under CPO warranty. A alternator should last more then 60K miles. My 964 has been a lot more dependable plus I can work on it myself.

elbeee964

I hear Corvettes and NSX's are quite the dependable commodity (off the track.)

Those Acura S2000's -- why, I bet they'd go a hundred [yawn] years without any trouble whatsoever.

Now, Miata -- there's a dependable sports car. Very inexpensive, too. (And just four lug nuts per wheel! Keeno!)

But those Porsches, Ferraris, Astons, Loti, McLarens, Alfas,...
with all their PITA finickiness... [p'ttoui!]
Who needs 'em?


I consider myself quite fortunate to have found this red car. (My glass is way more than half full.)

deep_uv

Mine has been very reliable (knock on wood) and the small things I've had to fix have just made me that much more knowledgeable and confident in working on it. There's basically nothing I wouldn't tackle on this car or my SC. It's a labor of love.

Plus, it keeps me outta the pool hall.

Henry964

I am approaching the 2 years ownership mark with my beautiful C2 and the things that went wrong are many and some of them keep returning (got a small Christmas tree this weekend on the highway under heavy rain, just returning from an AX)

Would I sell my 964......NNNNOOOOOO CHANCE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!