996 Ownership after one year... I'm Out!
09-05-2012, 01:45 PM
#61
Three Wheelin'
sort of odd to post that you traded the car into a dealer knowing very well it had engine issues - you admit that you didn't get a PPI then bitch about a problematic 996 that you purchased. - not that i'm a fan of dealers, but since i am one to own a car for 1-2 years then sell it, i feel it's important to be upfront and honest about the condition of a car i am selling so the buyer is well informed - you sound like a real schmuck - your actions rub me the wrong way and i couldn't be happier we won't be hearing from you again
probably a good chance we will be hearing from the next buyer of your problematic 996.
probably a good chance we will be hearing from the next buyer of your problematic 996.
09-05-2012, 02:21 PM
#63
Sorry about your experience. Hope to see you back at some point. P-cars are one of the most enjoyable cars on the road to drive. I went from an air cooled 911 to a C6 Corvette. Never had a single problem with the Corvette but I still went back to a 996 C4 simply because of the fun in driving it.
09-05-2012, 02:27 PM
#64
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Read your own posts
Ok what car do you have for the track! does it turn away except left?
You claim alot, post a pic and proof and I will withdraw it all and send some FF Miles so you can experience driving in Germany hell you can drive my 996 !
I read your other posts and you are as confused as a hungry cow on astroturf
You bouht a great with no PPI car, then you learned you were shifting a bit early, and getting 24MPG
then the fluid issue.
If you expected to buy a 90K car used for 15K there might be a reason for it being so cheap do your due dilligence !
Drive the damn thing, It gets so tiring to hear Someone who claims to have a track
car not have the sense to do a PPI, and then the 996 is the easiest of all 911s to service, and a very stable car for a track. 20 days worth of instruction with mine
and it runs flawlessly
Yes it's had the issues you mention, if you have DIY skills you sure don't show it in your posts in thoughts or words.
Come to Deutschland drive the car hard and service it well, I have my thoughts on 996/Boxsters not being driven hard enough, I did an IMS and clutch as well as thermostat retrofit and rerouted the coolant lines, water pump change.
Poser/Troll/Incompetant/Uneducated
Now that you own a great great retro muscle car with a warranty after dumping your mistake to a dealer go on GO PLease and check the mileage on your camaro
You claim alot, post a pic and proof and I will withdraw it all and send some FF Miles so you can experience driving in Germany hell you can drive my 996 !
I read your other posts and you are as confused as a hungry cow on astroturf
You bouht a great with no PPI car, then you learned you were shifting a bit early, and getting 24MPG
then the fluid issue.
If you expected to buy a 90K car used for 15K there might be a reason for it being so cheap do your due dilligence !
Drive the damn thing, It gets so tiring to hear Someone who claims to have a track
car not have the sense to do a PPI, and then the 996 is the easiest of all 911s to service, and a very stable car for a track. 20 days worth of instruction with mine
and it runs flawlessly
Yes it's had the issues you mention, if you have DIY skills you sure don't show it in your posts in thoughts or words.
Come to Deutschland drive the car hard and service it well, I have my thoughts on 996/Boxsters not being driven hard enough, I did an IMS and clutch as well as thermostat retrofit and rerouted the coolant lines, water pump change.
Poser/Troll/Incompetant/Uneducated
Now that you own a great great retro muscle car with a warranty after dumping your mistake to a dealer go on GO PLease and check the mileage on your camaro
Ummm... another crazy reply. There hasn't been one post on here about racing or track time... so what are you talking about? Most owners of 911's don't race them... hell, most are driving around with automatics. The Camaro certainly won't see any track time. I have a car for that... complete with cage, harnesses, and other safety equipment. My 996 was just an enjoyable way to get to and from work every day.
I don't have DIY skills? Seriously?
You consider a complete rebuild including cylinder wall repair or the repair of cracked heads to be a DIY job? This should be expected when buying a car? Most shops don't do this... they send it out. Come on now.
When someone buys a Porsche they should set aside an additional 50% of the original cost for a major repair? If that is indeed true, that will surely kill the used Porsche market.
I'd like to thank the other people who have sent me private messages because they didn't want to get attacked on here for their opinions. I realize that I'm not the only one that feels this way. Hopefully potential 996 buyers will read a bit of this which will help them make a more informed decision.
Thanks,
-JRW
I don't have DIY skills? Seriously?
You consider a complete rebuild including cylinder wall repair or the repair of cracked heads to be a DIY job? This should be expected when buying a car? Most shops don't do this... they send it out. Come on now.
When someone buys a Porsche they should set aside an additional 50% of the original cost for a major repair? If that is indeed true, that will surely kill the used Porsche market.
I'd like to thank the other people who have sent me private messages because they didn't want to get attacked on here for their opinions. I realize that I'm not the only one that feels this way. Hopefully potential 996 buyers will read a bit of this which will help them make a more informed decision.
Thanks,
-JRW
Last edited by Gmund48; 09-06-2012 at 01:03 AM.
09-05-2012, 02:42 PM
#65
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Cool thread. The facts should be out there. Unfortunately, some topics on this forum become a little more like politics and religion and less like popular mechanics.
For $35,000, I've owned a car for two years that has had only one thirteen-dollar mechanical problem (a clutch switch). I could likely sell the car (in Canada) for more than $30,000. Therefore, the cost of ownership has been less than I could have expected from any other car on the market, new or used.
That said, there's a gamble. Sometimes when I read this forum I think that these cars are prone to catastrophic failure.
But then my father's Mercedes had a timing chain jump and the car was worthless. A few weeks later friend, and Rennlist member, had an oil line fail on his Saab. Also worthless.
The problem is that neither men posted these problems on a forum anywhere - certainly not on Rennlist. When an 10-year old Hyundai bites the dust no one cries or contemplates a class action lawsuit.
And people turn heads and take pictures of my 10-year old car. No one takes a picture of a camaro.
For $35,000, I've owned a car for two years that has had only one thirteen-dollar mechanical problem (a clutch switch). I could likely sell the car (in Canada) for more than $30,000. Therefore, the cost of ownership has been less than I could have expected from any other car on the market, new or used.
That said, there's a gamble. Sometimes when I read this forum I think that these cars are prone to catastrophic failure.
But then my father's Mercedes had a timing chain jump and the car was worthless. A few weeks later friend, and Rennlist member, had an oil line fail on his Saab. Also worthless.
The problem is that neither men posted these problems on a forum anywhere - certainly not on Rennlist. When an 10-year old Hyundai bites the dust no one cries or contemplates a class action lawsuit.
And people turn heads and take pictures of my 10-year old car. No one takes a picture of a camaro.
09-05-2012, 03:42 PM
#67
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Since I have too much time on my hands, I've been playing around by Googling things like " worst cars of the decade", "cars with most engine failures" and the like. Seems like no car manufacturers are immune from duds. I didn't see Porsche on any of the villain lists however.
Last edited by dennis hiip; 09-05-2012 at 04:08 PM.
09-05-2012, 07:35 PM
#68
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I am sorry to see that your Porsche experience has been less then positive; however, by the same token, I have had my 2000 996 for a little over a year and am very pleased with it. It is my daily driver and with the exception of oil changes, I've had no other issues except that stupid seat belt light
. Otherwise, it has been running like a champ. I have done a few upgrades mostly bolt on DIY, but each time I get into my car I feel energized. This is not my first Porsche, I have had many since my first on in 1973.
. Otherwise, it has been running like a champ. I have done a few upgrades mostly bolt on DIY, but each time I get into my car I feel energized. This is not my first Porsche, I have had many since my first on in 1973.
09-05-2012, 08:30 PM
#69
Three Wheelin'
I gotta say this post irks me too. I spent hours researching online pre-purchase, looked at several car over several months and I have had no issues with my car. Same as I do with every car I have ever purchased. So, I find it hard to feel sorry for someone that did nothing and then wonders why their used car gave them problems.
09-05-2012, 09:08 PM
#70
Pro
I disagree. A PPI is whatnyou want it to be, my brother bought a higher milage P car and had a compression test etc done. Buy a 15k 12 year old high performance car and you get what you pay for, or roll the dice.
PPI's don't include pulling the plugs and borescoping the cylinder walls or doing a compression test or cooling pressure test and how could you tell if valve guides are worn out.
I could have a PPI done and it would come out clean. Other then them noting a ticking noise that can't be diagnosed and with no errors being thrown it would pass no problem. Tires/Brakes/Clutch/Test Drive/hoses secure/no sign of leaks all would pass with flying colors. That said my engine is sick and needs a rebuild, scored #4 and oil consumption is extremely high but can't be detected unless they did a 4 hour test drive.
PPI is useless when you can check all those your self. Money better spent taking in to a mechanic and running the tests that they don't do, along with having a printout of error codes and a full paper trail of service history.
I could have a PPI done and it would come out clean. Other then them noting a ticking noise that can't be diagnosed and with no errors being thrown it would pass no problem. Tires/Brakes/Clutch/Test Drive/hoses secure/no sign of leaks all would pass with flying colors. That said my engine is sick and needs a rebuild, scored #4 and oil consumption is extremely high but can't be detected unless they did a 4 hour test drive.
PPI is useless when you can check all those your self. Money better spent taking in to a mechanic and running the tests that they don't do, along with having a printout of error codes and a full paper trail of service history.
09-06-2012, 11:36 AM
#73
Drifting
To the OP, glad you had a great year of ownership with your Porsche and got a taste of of the wonderful driving experience. All things considered, and finding a potential costly issue to address, I think your experience was worth more than what it cost you. Glad you got your feet wet and didn't get hurt too bad. Your car will most likely go to auction where a lot of the dogs go and will be purchased by a small used car dealer that specializes in older cars with questionable histories.
Your car was defective from the moment the case was cast. Several of the castings were found with porosity issues. Many of them were repaired with sleeves that created their own set of problems, slipping and others. It sounds like you most likely got a defective set of cases that should have been scrapped rather than salvaged. This was done to keep Porsche, at the time, the most profitable auto manufacturer in the world, at the top. Many owners suffered the fate of early motor failure, myself included.
Your car was defective from the moment the case was cast. Several of the castings were found with porosity issues. Many of them were repaired with sleeves that created their own set of problems, slipping and others. It sounds like you most likely got a defective set of cases that should have been scrapped rather than salvaged. This was done to keep Porsche, at the time, the most profitable auto manufacturer in the world, at the top. Many owners suffered the fate of early motor failure, myself included.
09-06-2012, 11:39 AM
#74
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He said he did his own PPI, if you will. No he's not a Porsche mechanic but he says he is car knowledgeable. It's not like a total car novice like me buying a car without a PPI; that would be not smart! However, as I learned even a really good PPI, from a Porsche only mechanic, doesn't necessarily tell you if you will have IMS failure (or some other problem) the next day. I personally feel much more confident turning my Infiniti M45 on every day as I always know it will start. My Porsche I hesitate every time I start it. Again, I had a major problem so am jaded. I wouldn't beat the OP up quite so hard. He's making a switch and I totally understand that. He just wanted to warn others about things they may not have thought of. In terms of his trade-in I agree he may have just knowingly turned in a problem car but, as he said two or three times, his mechanic didn't know exactly what was wrong so the OP does not know exactly AND the dealer that bought it discounted it based on the engine. Go easy people. It's a little too easy to judge on an internet message board.
