billh1963

Maybe I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree (but I think you have to PAY for a membership to insult paying members)....

I am looking for a newer car that is under warranty and, therefore, I wouldn't be concerned about potential issues. I would beome one of those people who would only own a Porsche unde warranty.

My frustration with Porsche comes from the historical trend of many people keeping their P-cars cars for years after the warranty expires. That may not be a good move for 996 and 997 owners. Also, many beginners get into P-cars by buying a used one and moving up. That may be too risky in the future when looking at 996's and 997's.

I hope that clears things up.

jb26jb

Your mixing apples and oranges when comparing RMS to engine failure. While RMS may occur on a high percentage of 996s, it truly is not a major repair in expense or problems it may cause. However I haven't seen anything that would demonstrate a high percentage of engine failures. Porsche replaced alot of engines for RMS issues for purposes of "research" and on cars out of spec, or with repeated RMS.

billh1963

It's true that RMS issues and engines blowing up are different issues. In the cars I looked at, 2 had engines replaced due to catastrophic failure. I'm just saying that the failures seem unusually high.

But, it's not my place to say. I don't have a dog in this fight so I'll stay out of this discussion.

Kevin H. in Atl..

So, you looked at 30 cars, 26 of which had RMS problems, and 2 which had catastrophic engine failure? That sampling produces a 87% RMS failure rate, which is over double that of the RMS poll https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/122111-update-poll-for-rms-leaks-please-report-your-status-including-mileage-and-model-year.html on this forum, (279 respondents) which showed 40% RMS failures (which, admittedly IS embarassingly high).

Your sampling produces engine replacements for 1 car of every 15, while the poll indicates engine replacements due to RMS for 1 car of every 35. Also, these replacements are not due to "grenading", but rather, out-of-spec RMS issues. I find the results of the poll to reflect more accurately the true percentages of these issues.

The number of catastrophic failures for 996 engines that I have seen posted on the various boards over the years is really quite small. (There were quite a few 2.5L Boxster engines that required replacement due to bad castings and slipped cylinder sleeves, but these were limited to a specific production run.)

As always, YMMV.

TT Gasman

Mike how goes it? Haven't seen you post in quite a while, nice to see a few of the original 996 board members still posting.
I agree with you about the tranny, what braniac came up with a non-rebuildable tranny??? But there is some good news, there are places starting to rebuild the 996 trannies, one of them advertises in Excellence frequently. Might be worth a call. Might be my last Porsche too unless the new TT is really special. That new Z06 is looking real good, not to mention the Ford Gt and Hemi Mopars...it's like I'm a teenager all over again.

billh1963

Kevin,

I said I was going to stay out of this but one more time...

There is the possibility that these cars are for sale because of the problems they experienced. Maybe people who feel comfortable with the RMS problems are keeping their cars and the people who do not are selling them. Just one take on the situation.

Then again, perhaps since I was inquiring about cars with attractive prices the RMS issue was reflected in the asking price.

Who knows?

AHEDAU

I guess the bottom line is that I want a fairly late model luxury/sports car and expect it to be reliable. At bare minimum, the engine should last with proper servicing and absence of abuse. This is not much to expect is it?

My 81 SC cost me nothing but tires and oil changes in the 4 years I owned it. My 86 3.2 has cost me nothing but oil changes and a bushing in 3 years. I have no fear of red-lining it -ever- as an engine replacement is the last thing on my mind.

If I were to buy a 95 993, I would have no concerns over engine issues. Same goes for an M3 or an SC430 or several other cars I'm considering that can easily go 200K without causing one to become nervous about an engine overhaul.

I don't think I'm the one who is promoting negativity towards the 996. I came to this section looking for advice, and I am greatful for certain feedback. The problem is as I hope you can appreciate, the feedback, and the archieves is quite confusing and conflicting.

PS-I already have a bike. (and 4 cars) :-)

1999Porsche911

I have had my SC'd 996 for 7 years and have not spent a dime on anything but tires. Even my brakes are original. Oh, I put a new clutch in because of my increased power, but that's it. Burn no oil, leak no oil.

Kevin H. in Atl..

You know what?
You've convinced me.
I'm putting my 996 up for sale tomorrow.

MikeP Long Island

Hi Doug,

I haven't posted here since probably '02 sometime! As one of the first members of this site, it seems weird that it's been so long!

You are indeed right about the Z06; I've really enjoyed the Porsche but it clearly is way over its head when up against the current version of chevy's sports car - hard as that may be to admit (and I've hated them all my life). Even the standard model will run and hide from my 996. At the track (Lime Rock) last year, a friend at work with the earlier and totally stock (400HP) ZO6 ran off and left me on the straights and continued to pull away in the twisties!

But I loved the Porsche overall and it did respectably well with the computer add-on and headers/exhausts that bumped the HP 30 over stock. You may remember that I posted all the dyno and dragstrip timing slips (12.87) right here! Wonder if they're still in the archives? Gosh - seems so long ago! Wonder if that 30HP was the cause of my tranny problems. If so, that's pretty sad. In the old muscle car days we bumped the power by 100HP+ with no tranny mods and none of those detroit trannies ever complained! Why, I remember when...

Good info about the tranny - thanks. Hope you're doing well!

TT Gasman

Mike, I do remember those 12 second quarters, I was/am very impressed. Headers and exhaust are hot rodding 101. I'll try and find your mods in the archives, might be too long ago , which headers did you use?

JasonAndreas

I drive a 964 RS-A that had a rear main seal fail at ~60k miles.
How often do you see or hear of catastrophic failures with the 996? I've noticed them with about the same frequency as the 964 and 993, i.e. not that often but they do happen. Sooner rather than later the majority of 993s will have problems with premature valve guide failure and clogged SAI ports. Roughly half the 964s were made without head gaskets but they don't all leak and not all 993s will fail their emissions testing at 45k miles. The cost to repair either problem is about what the dealer cost is for a rebuilt 996 (which is only slightly less than what the dealer cost for a rebuilt 964/993 engine was only two years ago). This past summer dealer cost for a rebuilt 996 was ~$5800USD, two years ago the 964/993 engines were ~$7800USD. When you are buying any model of 911 there are certain issues that you need to look out for. And if you do find a problem the price should reflect that, if not look elsewhere. There are plenty of problem free 964s, 993s and 996s to choose from.