Mother

Anyone live around the 405 and the 55 freeways in newport/costa mesa area that would be up for taking a look at an engine for me and see if they are a decent shop clean etc and seem reputable. Porsche Strasse Auto

slaaw

I've had both my 993 and 996 serviced there and would definitely recommend them. Jeff is one of the techs there and is knowledgeable about our cars.

Raisedina911

Where are they located?

Mother

The address I have is: 729 Ohms Way.
Phone: 949-645-1928

They have a 996, 1999 engine down there and Robert (which seems in charge) said it has around 6000 miles on it and said it was removed to upgrade his car to a 3.8 engine etc just wondering if the engine looked like it had that many miles or a serial number can be found on it which is located underneath. He said it was a porsche rebuild which should be marked as such. If th engine seems to be on the up and up that's all I am trying to find out.

Mother

Thanks and good to know, but I have only spoken with Robert which seems alittle disorganized and does not seem to follow up with return phone calls etc.

Mfletch

Steve, here is one in the San Francisco Craigslist. It is a 99 996 engine with 39,000 miles for $5,999 or best offer. The price seems high, but if he is open to offers....
The front motor mount does not appear right for a 996 (maybe a boxter transplant) nor is the claimed 325 hp power rating. Good luck.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/pts/641468336.html

On closer inspection, the intake system doesn't look right either. Boxter engine or transplant...see the intake hose coming off the back of the engine on the passenger side. If it really is a 996 engine that was put in a boxter (the entire intake appears to be the wrong one), you might get a better price and just swap your intake system.

slaaw

Yes, that's the place. Robert is the owner who bought over the business from the founder several years back, so Robert doesn't really turn any wrenches. Jeff is the one to talk to if he's still there. It's been about a year since I've been there.

Mother

Good eye mfletch! It does look like a boxster engine and he just does not know the difference. I would not take the chance on that one it also looks like that stuff on it is fire extiguisher retardent. The porsche dealer here said they would not match the price I can get at another dealer for rebuilt, but did say if I bought another new car that they would take the difference off! Now why did I not think of that before.... getting a new car to save $2000 off new list price. Jolly Jokers. I do wish I could find away to search all areas on craiglist at the same time.

Mfletch

Steve, that is the major drawback to Craigslist. I just search LA and SF. How is Sunset on a factory engine? It is a shame the dollar is so weak. Autofarm's solution looks like the way to go, especially if you could bump the displacement up to 3.7.

Mother

Sunset is $8622 (minus core $2500 mine has a chip in bell housing and shipping) up $400 since last month so I am seeing deminishing returns here on rebuilt from porsche. - I could buy 2 for the price of one from porsche but with 1 year warrenty. Autofarm if it is the one in the UK would be more after shipping and euro exchange and any repairs if problem arises ect. The 3.7 sounds nice but a 3.4 with supercharger is nice power also.

Mother

Thanks good to know they have been there for awhile, does it seem they can do the rebuild work and are competent. I asked for photos of the engine but they never got around to getting those for me. That's why a visual of the engine helps me.

bmartini

i just put brand new motors in both my 996's. i bought them both from Ein Malig in huntington beach. very very satified. i saw what they do; they totally take it apart, send everything to the machine shop, and put it all back with new everything. then they put on the intake, wiring harness, fuel rail, alternator, water pump, etc. etc. etc. it really saves time on your labor. i didn't have to buy a belt, plugs, coils, oil filter or anything (no headaches)... both my cars drive substantially better than ever before.

i paid $6750 for each engine and they give you back $1500 for your core (maybe less cuz yours is damaged) so ideally you would pay only 5250 for everything.

it may be worth keeping your old motor around for parts. ac compressor, alternator, starter, and wiring harness alone are worth a ton.

Mother

Thanks for the tip. I did call them and they had 6 month guarentee vs Autsse with one year and Ein Malg wanted $500 bucks more to make it a year. How long have your engines been in and miles driven? Also did you say they transfered your alt, ac comp etc from your old engine to new engine or are these new parts?

914helo

I'm in the same boat as you guys and I just ordered my new 3.4L from Sunset porsche. Yes it was $8600 and there's a $2300 core but everything (besides exhaust and AC condenser) will be new. I have a 2 year warranty with unlimited mileage. Most importantly I will have the peace of mind when I start to break the new engine in in 2 weeks.

bmartini

ya well i took a chance on the first motor a few weeks ago but when i ran into a snag during the install i was able to speak to their tech and he talked me through it. so i bought my second motor shortly thereafter. 6 months, 1 year, 2 years warranty, i don't really care. the original engine lasted 9 years, i am sure this one will be fine for a long time, and they gave me the updated 3.4, not the one in my coupe that was manufactured in '98.

they didn't transfer my stuff, they give me the complete engine with everything on it. rebuilt water pump, plugs, thermostat, belt, hoses, gaskets, ac compressor, wire harness, fuel rail, injectors, intake, steering pump, etc... makes the job soooooo much faster (i've done a lot of R&Rs)

that's why it might be worth it to keep your core for spare parts or to sell on rennlist or ebay. anyways, for me, there is a big difference between sunsets 8600 which i have to ship and wait vs. ein maligs 5250 which i can pick up in person and easier to deal with if i have a warranty issue or need tech support.

whew.... just sayin....