Dennis C

No doubt about that. I certainly wasn't expecting a $4,800 repair earlier this year when my front differential needed to be rebuilt. You can't choose when this stuff will happen. Get it fixed and move on.

Gonzo911

Although I don't lose any sleep over it, I must admit that reading about the total engine failures on this forum does take some of the enjoyment out of owning my 996. I do wish I was blissfully ignorant about the existence of IMS issues, intermix, cracked heads and so on...but sadly, I am not.

There would be no way to justify a $20K fix on a $25K car. It would be a loss in my opinion. And I don't care if you are Warren Buffett or Scotty Buffett, $15K is a lot of money to have pissed away. If you really don't think that's not a lot of dough, then you have more money than sense.

About 6 months ago, I had problems opening my rear deck lid since the shocks on my struts were shot and the deck lid would not pop up when the release was engaged. No way to get to my engine. One remedy I read was to push down on the deck lid while someone else pressed the button. No luck. Well, the next day, I went to start my car and there was a loud rattle coming from the engine compartment. I shut the car down and although there was no "oil gushing out" the sound was EXACTLY like rocks rolling around in a can. I called my Indy and his reply was simply, "We don't like to hear that sound". He asked me where the car was and since his shop was only 10 minutes away, he said he would be right over. Really...my mechanic was making a housecall. That will get your attention. After the longest 20 minutes of my life, he showed up and looked under the car. We were able to get the deck lid open by pulling up (not pushing down) and what he discovered was the plastic cage over the cooling fan had cracked. Remember putting a playing card in your bicycle spokes as a kid? There you go. My Indy said he could replace the whole fan if I wanted to follow him back to his shop, which he immediately put on and sent me on my way $100 later. That was the best drive I have ever had in my car. By the way, Frank Beck at Beck's European is the guy to see if you need something in AZ.

Then, just yesterday, I posted about the chocolate milkshake leak I found under my car. Exactly the color that everyone described when you suspect an intermix issue. After having the car towed to Beck's, it turned out to be a leaking 3-way coolant hose to the expansion tank (and a bad cap). That drive home was the second best drive I have ever had.

So, two major scares, but luckily no catastrophic failures. Nevertheless, although I have not experienced what SacTown has, or the guy who had a cracked head and traded in his 996 for a Camaro has gone through, I got a nasty taste of it.

As a result of being a Rennlist addict, I was all too aware of the issues with my 996, and I am sure that if I didn't know about these problems, I would not have been overly alarmed by the broken fan cage or a leaking coolant line.

But, because of this forum, I know more about this car than any car I have owned. Although I am great in a woodshop I am useless around an engine so you people are excellent at helping me understand what is going on. It might make me a bit more paranoid knowing what little I do know, but I have enjoyed this soon to be 10 year old car more than any car I have owned, and I have driven my share of shiny new BMW's, Benz's and Jag's off the lot.

Sorry for the long post, but I will end with this. At the end of the day, all makes of cars have have had engines that blow up.

Oh...and everyday I get to drive a Porsche 911.

dennis hiip

Gonzo911, well said. I relate totally.

HiWind

LoL .... Nice thread for prospective buyers .... Slow in, fast out applies to buying as well as driving well

FlatSix911

There is a way to sleep well at night ... purchase a 993
Another bonus ... Your investment may just go up in value!

NZ951

The less time you spend on here, the less worried you will be about IMS and bearing and blah blah failures! Its seriously true...

mlambert890

Amen to that man!

Think of it this way... it would be like spending *all day long* on a health forum reading endlessly about all sorts of fatal conditions that afflict some small percentage of the population. You would end up literally not eating anything, not leaving the house, not drinking anything and terrified to even breathe. Same concept really.

Forums laser focus on and obsess over the extreme niche bad cases no matter *what* the topic is because they are a place to vent. It is also *always* assumed that the forum has the real inside line on what is actually happening to the vast majority but in reality this is rarely so.

I've worked in the technology industry my whole career and I can tell you that various problems over the years that I've had involvement with were an absolute *epidemic* according to forum lore, but knowing the numbers as an insider rarely were the problems bigger than a 10-15% issue.

Im on my second 996 in 10 years and the first one I put 20k daily driver miles on. I never think about any of this crap. I enjoy the hell out of driving, do regular maintenance and use common sense. Then again I had a GTR also and wasnt living in constant fear of a tranny failure, so maybe Im crazy

Also, there *is* something to be said about buying something that you can *actually* afford. I disagree that for someone worth millions spending $20k on a repair is a big deal on a 911 that they love. Sorry, but it just isnt. It's a $100k car. Dont lose sight of that just because you can now buy (some) of them for $25k. Its like old Ferraris. People always complain about parts cost and restore cost on a Mondial as if it were a Civic. Its a *Ferrari*. It aint going to be cheap. You roll the dice knowing that you get to enjoy a rare world class experience that few ever will for a bargain price, but the cost of admission is that a world of hurt *is* at least possible.

For anyone who cant/wont accept that there are a *ton* of viable alternatives. Vette and Mustang come to mind. Two great, fast, fun cars that are *nowhere near* the expense of a 911 to maintain as they age due to cheaper parts cost and more ubiquitous (and cheaper) labor.

/soapbox

Gmund48

You said it well forums are very unhealthy and I know mechanics who charge more for those who are overly well read but cannot turn a wrench.

As far as driving what you can afford the key to the OPs problem

Buying a Porsche versus Repairing a Porsche are two different things here in Europe an oil change for a 993 is 325 Euro at a dealer and gas is $7 a gallon roughly translated

The price of a ticket is only part of the cost. If you like cars you can appreciate a Vette/Mustang or Camaro. A spec Miata takes more driving skill on a track than any of these,

What I really get tired of are "false" owners of many vehicles who inflate themselves online and brag, then reality hits. This OP said he had a track car
Cage and all, I called him on it and offered incentive for proof

He folded

Online can give you some excellent information, It will also make you fat
paranoid, neurotic and be a huge waste of time.

carcster88

Great post Gonzo911

I did learn alot from the forum on what to replace when work was being done on the car to make it as bullet proof as I could. I thank the forum for that. I did know I was getting into a used Porsche 911 and needed to have some money in the bank...as you do with any used car, especially one over 10 years old. Still, I am happy with the outcome and will put at least 100K more miles on this car if I can. No matter how mad I get at the situation, when I drive the car and hear the engine, see the classic lines I wanted as a kid....and the people who wonder what year the car is or if it is new.......those are the things I just enjoy about the 911. They are all classic and fun. For the money, the 996 is a pretty good deal. Also...every Porsche, every make has its issues. Personally, I love the 928...gasp

faster horses

JRW, very sorry t hear about the ordeal. I think it should be pointed out that had you been lucky enough to talk to people who know these cars before purchase you would most likely be a happy owner today. The early engines, not replaced are just too risky. I bought a 99 C2 with a factory replacement engine put in 01', and I've put 100k on it and it has been flawless, no oil consumption, no failures of any kind. ( I did have the LN IMS bearing installed with the latest RMS at a clutch replacement). Many bad things happened in the rush to get the early cars out, maybe someday the whole story will be told. Good luck with the Camaro, very strong car, although I'm guessing your missing the visibility.

MJBird993

Ditto. I sold my 996 not because of the nearly certain catastrophic engine failure, but because I wanted to move onto something else. But the occasional worries about a multi-thousand dollar repair did pop into my little brain every-so-often.

Thanks to the OP for his post. I am a little discouraged that he did not disclose the problem to the dealer when he traded it in, but to be fair, I probably wouldn't have done it either. Especially since they seemed to diagnose it themselves. And I hate Chevy dealers (but that's another thread).

I recently bought a new Panamera S, and part of the reason I bought new was because I have four years of blissful motoring ahead of me with no worries about repair costs. Oh, I've got plenty to worry about thinking about depreciation and resale, but my selling and servicing dealer has plenty of loaners and they've always treated me well.

The one thing I took away from this thread is that the OP didn't get a PPI (which he should have) and even if he had, this problem likely wouldn't have gotten caught anyway.

AndyK

Someone who knows cars knows that a high-milage, well-used, cheap 13-year-old Porsche is NOT a safe investment!

That said, it always sucks to have a major engine failure, no matter what the circumstances. And, reading about stuff like this is a MAJOR downer!

jdjones2010

A 100k mile porsche is like a 10k mile camaro (or at least it SHOULD be)! jmo

jdjones2010

JRW, don't feel too bad I bought my 02' 996 about 5 years ago from Victory Motorcars in Houston, Tx. & I didn't have a PPI done! A couple of months later I was just grazing thru a few Porsche forums & WHOLLY CRAP, I came across one where 99% of the posts were BAD MOUTHING (& I mean BAD) Victory MC
& its owner Robert Neal (I bet everybody on here has heard about them). I thought, there's No Way this is the same guy I had just bought my Porsche from (he's very charismatic & VERY knowledgeable about Porsche's partically air-cooled). Like I said its been 5 years now & I've NEVER had any issues other than just your typical minor things (last year I did put a water pump & thats been the biggest thing). I guess the Porsche Gods were looking over me that day, I flew in & looked over all his cars (most are air-cooled) & I ended up buying the 996 & driving it home to La. & have been happy every since!

Palmbeacher

Also, people need to realise that although a 13 year-old Porsche may cost $15K, it cost five times as much, and as such was never meant to have the economy of operation of a new car purpose-built to sell for $15K.