Graygoose997

Fyi,
That was purely a Boxster engine issue, with the early cars.

Never heard of a single porous block problem with a 996..ever

Barn996

My 99 non aero 996 3.4 has been very reliable for 4 ys. this coming Sept. I've only driven 15k miles in that period,but I am a happy owner and have dealt with basic maintanance issues to date. Hope that helps in your search.

fpb111

So I see that it is UNANIMOUS! (Amazing for this board.) Buy the 996!!

ivangene

+1 for buy it


(pending all the ussual hurtles)

scottiemac

FWIW I bought a low mileage (28,000 miles) 99 Cab two years ago in Florida and drove it back home to Calgary (2800 miles). During the trip the car ran like a train and didn't use any oil. Worst problem I've had was the Pirelli P7's on the car were noisy. I've since replaced them with Sport Contacts. The car has essentially been trouble free with only oil changes every few thousand kilometres. I just replaced the rear springs because they had sagged a bit but that was a personal choice. I did the cahnge myself and the new springs were about $150 for the pair.
I'm convinced that the concentration of problems that show up in these forums doesn't truly represent all of the cars that are out there just clicking off the miles.

Shark Attack

Nope, just take the extra precaution to try to make sure its not going to happen to you.

Pac996

After explaining to a little nephew visiting from california that there are schools of sharks at night right off the reef runway you can see on the coast from the livingroom windows and I was going night diving he cried big time as I left that night. Paint a smiley face on the sharks and get a diffeent engineered bearing and you should see calmer waters

PS keep your dive knife super sharp though.

emdog

before you buy, you might want to know that there are some cool body parts that you can put on a wide body and not on a narrow body....im just sayin, I wish I new that before I bought.......also, you can buy my 01 cab from me, has a 5 year 102,000 mile warranty on it...and I got a hard top on it

emdog

on second thought..nevermind...i like it too much...and I just used the convertible the other day, and it was great..

Graufuchs

Get the 996...and stop worrying so much....the guy who does everything right ussually gets run over by the bus.

emdog

although, if you can hold off for a 997, and you really like the headlights on the 997, I would just hold off for it, not because it is any more reliable, but because you will be spending the rest of your life trying to change your lights to look like the new ones...

rb101

I have 108K on my 99 C4. In the 30K miles I've owned it, I have had to replace plugs, MAF, front pads, and 6 tires. I have replaced (at 105K) just due to age/mileage AOS(was bad), waterpump, IMS bearing, RMS, clutch, chain guides and adjusters. It's been a great car and just as reliable as the 87 944S (186K).

Rick
99 996C4
87 944S

goliver

I guess for me it comes down to if your a gambler at heart or not plus your ability to earn. If you are going deep to buy a toy and want independance from worry, buy a Japanese liter sport bike and go nuts.
If you don't like the bikes then for twenty large look for the most grin for the dollar. If your a gambler, get the p car and expereince all the glory these cars deliver with the slight fear that it may cost more than you originally thought it would.

I'm of the mind to follow your passion and have fun!. Life is short. You might get into a (like most of us) 996 that you can beat the snot out of and enjoy all the benefits with little to no expense other than regular maintenance items..... or the thing could grenade after getting gas. What a lame way for a car to crap out btw. If blowing an engine is the end of your bank account, engagement, marriage, kid's tuition etc. than buy the NSX and hope you don't suffer the tranny woes they have. Just kidding. All performance cars have some weak achilles heel.

If the cost of a MAYBE catastrophe is the reason to pass due to not being able to swallow the cost or not wanting to spend the coin then there you go.

The cars rock and the (IMO) minor chance that they could blow an engine is not significant enough to not own one. We all have different pockects etc. What is your risk factor for a car? Only one that knows is you.

As a sidenote.... My dad is a die hard buy American bless his old multiple bypassed heart guy. He buys a new car every two years. The last four have been Corvettes. He has had more POS issues than I'd be willing to put up with. Blew up the engin on his C6 at less than three grand on the freeway. Of course it was warrantied but seriously, how much crap can you live with?

ivangene

for doing it right !!!

Pac996

What's an IMS?