rss997

I have had 2 friends sell their 993's because of engine problems. One was looking at 4-5k bill at 40k miles and the other 4k at 30k miles...some people make it see like the 993 is like a Toyota Camry or something...

It is true the 996 has had troubles and their are thousands more on the road than the 993 as well so law of averages is in effect.

This guy bob is an idiot...

Riad

I'm on my second 996, my first was a 2001 C4 and now I have a 2004 C4S Cab... a few things about this story don't make sense to me. If it's true, then it's just really poor judgement. How could you spend 39K on a car and put another 30+k into it? If you could casually drop that kind of cash why wouldn't you get a newer car (70K buys you a very nice 996). The other thing that bothers me is the initial cost. Isn't 39K a little cheap for a 99 Cab?

This is by no means a reflection on Porsche or the 996. My first 2001 had 51,000 miles on it before I go my 2004. Now my 2004 has 16,000 miles on it and it's had zero problems - nothing.

Rob-

Chrisp3

I think if this was my first Porsche experience I would definitely be afraid of owning a "P" car. However, I have owned three of them in the past 20 years and have had my share of frustrations with each. But, that still did not deter me from buying a used car. I knew it wasn't going to be perfect....and I took the leap!

My current car is a 99 coupe and it too has had a an engine replacement (at 44,000 miles). Fortunately this happened prior to my taking possession and I still have a few minor (and maybe even major) issues to work out.

At the end of the day here's how I look at it.

I bought a 99 model because I wanted a newer P car and didn't want to dip into my children's school fund. So......I made the conscious decision to buy a car that wasn't perfect.....and one without any guarantee! I took a risk....and got lucky!

If I wanted a no-risk ride.....and I would have, if it was a daily driver....I would have gone down to my local dealer and plunked down 90+K for a new one.....end of story!

I might suggest that instead of burning the car, why not sell off some of the "new parts" that have been installed? I need a new interior.......Interested in parting it out?

rss997

This guy is full of it...No one would do such a thing....If it is true than he is an idiot and should not be allowed to have a drivers license.

This thread should be deleted.

R

fixnprsh

Another thread gone sour. I smell a Lock, wheres the moderator?

John D.

Just watching.. I know a few of us are......

John D.

munro86

MORON x 2

redcab

Sounds believable to me.
Some people have deep enough pockets that an $10k repair is nothing but an annoyance, particularly when it's not for a daily driver.
You never know for sure when you authorize a big repair, but you figure that you won't be putting out another $10k soon after. Just bad luck, compounded perhaps by less than fully trained mechanic.
And besides, what would be his motivation to make such a post? Can't think of any.

carbon_00

The same reason some people like to start fires............

mooty

let me put it this way. if i spend the money to put an engine in my car and within 1000 miles it blows up, i will not be here posting. i will hire a bunch of sharp shooters and mobs and torch the shop that did it. why don't you hired a lawyer and sue the shop that screwed you up? i would take them to court regardless of how much it will cost me.

Christer

I think that in cases like this, the new poster should be treated as innocent until proven guilty. Some of you should be ashamed, at least until it is proven...then you can tell all the rest of us how gullible we were and how clever you guys are....until then maybe a hot cup of something would be a good idea... If this thread is genuine, it really does suck to read through un-called for insults and other disrespectful replies. Potentially, you are letting yourselves and Rennlist down.

Mark Wheeler

The story doesn't make any sense. He mentioned using a porsche authorized service center, then several posts later he says it was a ford dealer. Since when does anyone trust a ford mechanic to turn a wrench on a porsche?? Doesn't make sense. Also, he mentions his car caught on fire on three separate occasions and that he called the fire department to come put it out -- come on! In all three cases the fire department must have been less than 1 block away because by the time they would have arrived 30-45 minutes later there would have been nothing left of a car on fire... except maybe a burned out carcass. At that point it would have cost a lot more than he claims to completely rebuilding a burned out carcass. Please, someone give me a break. This story is not at all believable.

Mark

bobporsche996

If you read my posts, you will see that I purchased the vehicle from a ford dealer, it surprised me that they had it on the lot, and I later found out it was an auction vehicle... the dealer most likely got a great deal on it... especially to be able to sell it to me for what he did... which explains the $39k price for a $95k msrp cab.. I have been bringing my car to an independant porsche service center for all my repairs, as I refuse to pay $150+ an hour for labor and 50% more for parts from the local dealer up here in seattle..

my car has caught on fire twice as I indicated, but i'm most likely setting
myself up for a third engine fire, as of what is happening with the coolant
and head gasket is a precursor to this event..

I did not call the fire department... on the first occassion, it happened on the freeway, and someone saw my car emit a huge plume of smoke from the engine compartment and fire come out of the exhaust, so apparently called 911 for me... the second time, the smoke was emitting and apparently the police saw that or someone called and they came and called the fire department within a few minutes...

Keep in mind I live in downtown Seattle, there are police and people everywhere, as it's very centrally compact.. it's not some spralled out country city.. both times they arrived within a few minutes, which is unfortunate, as it probably would have been to my advantage to have the damn thing burn to the ground and collect insurance...

I'm sure many of you in the Porsche Northwest club went to the annual Park Place Limited party.. there were actually about 300+ porsche owners in attendance.. so I would think someone would have recognized the white car up on the service platform.. that was open to the public... most people that went back in the bar area, probably saw a white car about 6 feet in the air? with fire damage under it? That was my car...

In terms of the shop I brought it to, they deal with exotic cars all the time, bentley, ferrari, lamborghini, porsche, etc.. they aren't some rinky dink shop.. and have been working on porsche for 40+ years, so I do trust them... what I don't trust is the reliability of any porsche parts, or porsche themselves, for denying all these problems arising from the 996 and instead of offering free or discounted parts, to overcharge for them... which in my book is taking advantage of a situation they created.. such as their cost for their plastic coolant bottles, which they know have been faulty, and instead of lowering it down to $40-$50 or so, instead charging hundreds for a part for a problem they created... of course I could go on and on about certain overpriced parts... which were created faulty originally.. which shouldn't have to be replaced in the first place.. but my feeling, of a company taking advange of a fault on their part, and not willing to accomodate purchasers of their vehicles with discounts of any kind... is quite insulting.. I didn't become successful in life by being ripped off... and as I've said before, it's not the money, it really is the principle of the situation... and how i've been treated and the crap i've dealt with in the short time i've owned this vehicle... with a $100k vehicle, one would expect $100k service... not yugo service and parts quality...

regardless, I really don't feel the need to have to prove my story to anyone that disbelieves it... the first post, was posted an hour after I found out about my second engine having to be replaced, so I was quite upset.. I've calmed down now... regardless, there would be no sense for me to lie about this... like i've said many times in my posts, this has been the most enjoyable car i've ever had to drive, I think it's beautiful, and has many great aspects, that no other vehicle can compare with...

my disappointment lies within the fact of porsche parts reliability and customer service, which after dealing with many other car manufacturers, from lexus to bmw, mercedes, etc... has been horrible and not accomodating at all... I would expect much better treatment... than the basically "oh well, so sad, too bad, we didn't do anything wrong, our products and engines are perfect, it's all you're fault" philosophy from porsche that they have conveyed to me through my various encounters with them...

regardless, if anyone believes me or not, it really doesn't matter... what it comes down to, is unfortunately I purchased a vehicle that is not typical to most porsche 996 owners, yet not completely atypical.. and it's simply a suggestion or warning to anyone considering a used 996 out of warranty, to really take the warranty factor into very serious consideration, and to see the nightmare story to arise from it if you are out of warranty of something that could potentially happen to you...

In terms of making up this story, I have no reason to make it up, and I do appreciate all the assistance from everyone that has helped... for everyone that has said less than nice things, there's no sense in wasting my time trying to convince them of the facts of the matter.. they've come to their own judgement, and they are entitled to their own beliefs, even though they are untrue.. I simply know what i've encountered with this vehicle thus-far, and that's honestly all that really matters.

thanks again to all that have offered useful advice and/or opinions to assist me in this matter...

jw97C2S

You apparently have strong opinions as far as the reliability of the 996. This I can tell from the length of your post detailing all of your problems. If you really wanted to make an impact and prove your credibility, you could easily post your invoices for the repairs. It would only take a few minutes and would prove your point. Very little is believable on the internet these days. Without proof, most would think you were doing nothing more than attempting to cause controversy - including myself.

Palting

bobporsche996,
Like I said in a prior post, it's the car that's bad. Bought at auction by a Ford dealer for a song probably because no one else who knew anything about the car wanted it. Then, since they really didn't know anything about the car other than it was a cheap buy for them, sold it to you as a bargain. And now you are stuck with a car that was probably abused and neglected. Only 300 miles after you bought the car, the transmission grenades. There was already something wrong with the car to begin with.

Now, based on this ONE experience with bargain car bought at a firesale, you start blaming other people, the service, the parts reliability, Porsche company, etc, etc, etc. It's like you bought a used Rolex watch from a guy at the corner with the shoebox and now blame Rolex and their service representatives for not being able to make the watch work right.

You'll get a new engine, and that will work fine. How about the suspension? The steering? Brakes? It's only a matter of time befor something else will grenade. This car had the living daylights beat out of it before you got it. Caveat Emptor. It was a risk you took, and you paid for it. Sell that car from hell and be done with it.

Ranting and raving here or at any forum about a bad deal that you got from buying a beat up Porsche from a Ford dealer will not get you any helpful answers. You'll get exactly what you have already gotten. Compared to other forums, the treatment you got is fairly benign.

My best advice to you is to get rid of the damn thing. If you want REAL help from the Porsche owners here, the queston to ask is "What is the best way to get a used Porsche?". You'lll get a lot of real usefull help and answers. I can also guarrantee you not a single one here will tell you to go buy one at bargain price at a Ford dealr.