Hello,
I am new to the forum, but not new to Porsches. I decided to buy a 911 and because I had a number of them before, I am looking for the 'next level'. Although my track days have past, I enjoy a spirited mountain drive (only 30 minutes away) and the great looks of the GT3. I am sure that the car will perform way above my abilities/expectations.
Here are my concerns:
I chose a 2015 991.1, as I found them reasonably priced and thought they might be a good entry level GT car. Of course I came quickly upon the "finger follower" issue and read up on the 10 years extended engine warranty. My concern is, that the car I was looking at was a 2015 model sold in December of 2014. The car is now 6 years into that extended warranty period. Soon after I buy it the warranty will expire. That seems to indicate that the resale value will take a significant hit. What are everyone's thoughts on that subject?

To make matters more confusing, I read a Wikipedia article (see link: Porsche 911 GT3 - Wikipedia) that says that Porsche recalled all 785 GT3's that had been sold until the problem became evident and issued the warranty extension for all future 991.1 cars. My question would be, how many cars had engine failures after the first 785 cars were recalled and corrected? I assume the warranty was extended by Porsche to assure all future buyers of the cars. Did the failures continue and if so at what percentage of cars sold?

How much of an issue is this now and for the future value of the 991.1 GT3 cars?

If any of this was already covered on this forum and I didn't find it, I apologize. In that case, please give me a link or direction so can follow up. Thank you.

 

All 2014s had engines replaced due to connecting rod screw failures which led to at least 2 fires. This was before the finger follower issue arose. Take a look at the "COG" sticky thread. And also see the How many 2015 and 2016 engine replacements thread. Much discussion on the topic. The common advice to 991.1 GT3 owners is drive the cars hard and if you have the finger follower or other engine failure you win the new engine lottery.

 

Thank you, I read the 15/16 engine replacement thread. It appears some engines have been replaced even more than once. This makes we wonder why so many people here are willing to put up with these issues and are willing to pay a lot of money to deal with lots of problems. In a 'normal' setting anyone would head for the exits. What am I missing? My GT3 balloon is deflating fast.

 

Don’t despair, just get the 991.2 GT3. Problem solved 👍🏻 😁

 

By most reports Porsche has been reasonably prompt with the engine replacements. It's a bit of inconvenience especially if it happens early in a track weekend. Just observation, but owners put up with it for the performance and driving experience for the price point. To me the ideal .1 GT3 purchase would be a car that just got a new engine. It would have the latest version and depending on in service date would have around 4 yrs engine warranty left. Of course you can get a .2 instead which has solid lifters but you pay more. The 4.0 seems reliable so far at least relative to the 3.8. Not sure that helps. Have you driven one?

 

No, I have not driven one. I was really looking forward to owning one. I have a 2016 Boxster Spyder and like everything about it. Just hoping for a good experience.

 

No problems with that car yet? They are starting in 2017? Looks like they run about 40K more?

 

True on price, but so far no common engine failure issues like 991.1...

 

Items to note:

- 2014’s that got a replacement engine do not have the final revisions that corrected (or at least strongly mitigated) the finger follower issue. So yes, you could have had a recall on the rod bolt and turned right around had had the FF issue surface later

- The G6 engine failure reported by user Manifold wasn’t due to finger followers, it was a freak failure on the bottom end - also heavily tracked. There’s no documented report of the final revision engine having the FF problem. There’s no reason not to have full confidence in them.

Net of it is - it’s a problem and one that will be a bit of a storm cloud over your ownership experience. But the cars are cheap and a ton of fun. Personally, I’d try to find one with a replacement G6 so you don’t have to worry about it.

My suggestion is to make sure you take it to the track as it seems to be the common denominator on speeding up the FF wear issue. My .1 is in the shop as we speak, original engine with 18k gets dropped tomorrow - I’ll be elated if it results in a replacement and have that whole thing behind me.

 

Never in a million years would I buy a 991.1 GT3. Pony up for a 991.2 - especially if you plan to keep it a while. The engine in that car is miles ahead of the .1 and it has proven to be incredibly robust. Agree with the "storm cloud" comment. Even if nothing ever goes wrong, you will always be worried about it. The peace of mind in a 991.2 is worth the investment alone. Objectively, the .1's will see a significant value drop when the warranties start to expire, and the .2 will hold strong. In the end, washing out some / all of the price difference.

 

When I purchased my 2016 .1GT3, it was my intention to mitigate some risk by only buying a 2016, that had the updated "G" series engine. This engine is the most similar to the RS. At that time, there was no extended engine warranty negotiated with Porsche by COG. It was also my intention to retain the car for 2 years and replace with a newer .2GT3. Well that we 4.5 years ago and I still have the .1GT3. I came to the following conclusion and decision process:

1. There are two components on these cars that are very costly, the engine and the PDK-S. - The engine is covered in my case to 11/25 or 120,000 mile. I certainly will not reach the mileage threshold before 10 years. My remaining big ticket risk is now limited to the PDK-S, which has been pretty much bulletproof since 2014.
2. Service Downtime - Now that the extended warranty is in force, Porsche has realized it is more efficient to drop and replace an engine that to rebuild the top end. Replacement is a few weeks from diagnosis to drive off with the replacement. While it can ruin half the track season, not a terrible price to pay for a new engine.
3. Comparative Warranties - I could not justify selling the .1 for the .2, when the engine warranty on the .1 would extend several years beyond the .2.

I remain comfortable with my decision so far, there has not been any engine issue whatsoever, including the finger follower issue which is main culprit. You must be mindful that the more you read, the more you will be frightened. Many 2014 and 2015 cars are just fine and still with the original engine. These cars are a ton of fun to drive, especially on the road circuit. There is no way to describe the sound one experiences from 8k to 9k.
In the end, you have to be comfortable. Owning a GT car is a life experience and nothing like a 991 or 992 911. Good luck with your journey.

 

Huh? I wasn't aware of the storm cloud or that 991.1 GT3 owners are always worried. I can't say that I've ever worried about my 2015. 26,000 miles on it, but none those are track miles. It's my autocross weapon and I plan to keep it a long time. So, I'm not even worried about resale value.

 

Haha, I love the pony up comment - glassing over that the ~1.5x price difference of a .2 is simply a rounding error. Nobody will argue that it’s not a superior car - but a .1 GT3 in the low 100’s opens up a completely different customer segment.

The “storm cloud” that I speak of is just my own personal experience, waiting and wondering if my number will get called before 2025 (which it looks like it may have anyway).

The G6 engines are solid - so if luck is on your side, you can save a crap ton of money. Or just prepay that negligible $50k price difference now.

 

I am in your same position and all the research I’ve done I’ve come to the conclusion to buy a 15 or 16 which would have the F or G motor and purchase an extended warranty or extend a CPO warranty. My experience with cars in 30 years of motorsports racing is if somethings going to go bad it usually happens sooner than later. So that warranty should cover you through that process the dock to still have a pretty steep depreciation hit coming once the 992 is released so I’ve chosen to save the money and enjoy the 991.1

i’m interested to hear if anyone has a different opinion but that seems to be if you want to have fun today the cost of admission besides it’s a lot cheaper than a Ferrari running cost🤣

 

I can’t count on luck being on my side in a the purchase of a > $100k car. I’d rather not buy it at all.