pcar964

Moogle, Riotgear, you don't seem to understand my point here - Of course I would never say that ALL new pcar buyers are responsible for the marque's decline. What I am saying is, since the majority of new pcar buyers are not concerned with trackability, Porsche will not be forced to correct the problem. And I am in complete agreement, anyone spending $80k, (or even $50k on a 986/7), should expect to have a reliable car.

Why can't you understand that my outrage is targeted at the company itself, for the BENEFIT of new pcars buyers!!! I know that back in the 80s, there were people buying these cars for status alone too - but at least they were still built the way they should be, whether they needed it or not... Now, it's the other way around - if you're buying for status, you'll be delighted with the car; but if you're buying it as a real track car for the street, then my friend you'll likely be very dissapointed.

Don't sit there and tell me I'M SOURING the experience for you 997 owners, I wanted to be a 997 owner myself - if the car was built with the same philosophy my 993 was, I'd be at a dealership with checkbook in hand. However, it isn't, and now the only such car being produced is over $100k (GT3), which I certainly cannot afford.

In summary, I'm angry because I believe that YOU DESERVE BETTER for your Porsche dollar. If you want to ignore the issue fine, but you're only fooling yourself.

Now I wish you all good luck with your 997s, I'm sure you will enjoy them. I'm glad you all have nice warranties to shield you from any mishaps that result from the occasional track excursion - but when you trade it in for your next 911 (which hopefully has these issues addressed), I just wonder how confident a used 997 buyer can be once the warranty is up.

infestation

I didn't buy my car to track it--although some day, I would like to start doing that since it seems that many of you enjoy it. However, I did buy my car with one thought in mind--I wanted a top-of-the-line performance car that could also work as a daily driver within the price range of the 997s. I am absolutely confident about my car's reliability and performance--both are equally important in my mind, which, as you point out pcar964, makes confidence a supremely important issue. And, I really do believe that I can be confident.

rss997

I am so tired of people ripping on Porsche that I might stop looking at this site just like I quit readin the paper a few years ago....

If you want a track car then go buy one or shut the F up......Porsche figured it all out by still producing a serious track car(GT3) and also a nice daily driver and performance car for the masses to enjoy.

Until we really know the % of 996's with RMS we cannot speak with any facts. I know quite a few 996 owners who have never had a problem with their cars........

This site is for fun or so I thought...............

infestation

You're absolutely right, Robert. Driving these cars is what it's all about. I had a blast with mine this evening on the way home. There is nothing like the sound of a flat six.

andyb_997

Even though I'm the person who received the 'recall' letter from Porsche, I would still agree with the last post. I loved my 997S before I got the letter and will love it just as much once I get the problem sorted out (if it does indeed need sorting on my car). On the other hand, I intend to keep the car beyond it's warranty period (just 2 years in the UK) so now I'm seriously contemplating taking out a warranty extension in 2 years time. I agree with all the comments about the car's undoubted qualities (performance, attention to detail, materials used, etc.) but isn't that what we paid 'top dollar' (or in my case, £70,000) for?

Although I will never take it out on the track, I don't consider myself to be a poseur who just bought the car for the image. I bought a Porsche for it's heritage, performance, looks and reputation for reliability. I just hope that the reliability side of it holds up.

Now I'm going to take it for a blast down a country lane so that I can remind myself what I bought it for! If the engine does go BANG at least I've got the warranty!

silverrules

In US we have 4 yr/50K warrenty and with apprx additional $2K you can buy yourself additional 2yr/20K miles bringing the sum total to 6yr/70K mi warrenyty. By then I probably have chnged the car 4 times and ridding in a brand new Pcar. Ride the hell out of these cars, track them , etc and stop worring. Thre will always be issues with few cars here and there. I checked with service manager and they have not had one case of RMS in their dealership.

jcm

I drive my car for weekend driving and after work therapy and tracking. I cannot afford a GT3 which is my car of choice being that it would be a perfect car for my needs and use factor. Will my car suffer problems if it exposed to track driving? Are GT3's invulnerable? I understand it is a well built machine, but does it not have mechanical issues?

Gary R.

Relax Robert, the MAJORITY of us here are right in tune with you. This kid, who is a whopping 24 years old, has all the answers for PCNA on what they "should" do.. He has so far insinuated that we are mostly all a bunch of posers, hairdressers, OLD (he got warm on that one.. lol) wannabes that just buy these cars to show off in. If there was a way to "Filter" him out I would, as he just keeps popping up spewing the same old crap no matter WHAT the subject matter of the post! Oh, and we are all just "fooling ourselves" if we all don't agree with him.. yeah right.
I AM going to do DE's with my car (gee, I hope it doesn't blow up!), I LOVE driving it and it makes me smile every time I push that right pedal down. If the car has problems I will take care of them. I could have bought a GT3 (there was a silver one sitting in the showroom) the day I bought my 997 but it is NOT what I wanted. The 997 IS..

Go out (you are SO lucky to be where you are!) get in your car, open those windows and rip it! Bet you will be smiling...

Blue S2

Whats funny...I only REALLY hear Porsche people complaining about quality. So many people i know with Ferraris, Lotus, and Lambo take it as part of the package. There's people paying 150+ for an exotic thats put together like a kit car from the factory, and works on its own schedule. Instead of calling the cheap and horrible, its "Exotic and pretigious and expensive to drive!"

There have ALWAYS been recalls. We are lucky Porsche is active about them and recalls before everyone really has the problem. (i cant comment on RMS...thats something else here...)

The problem is all the people who's car works perfectly 100% of the time are out driving and not on here talking about how bad it is! No wonder is seems like this forum is all bashing!
We should start "New Porsche Enjoyment" category so everyone can post their awesome stories at the track, on the road, in the snow, highway, etc... Maybe then we'de see how great these cars are too instead of how flawed Porsche has become.

With as many issues that come up with Porsche, i have yet to drive a better car, new or old.

Mighty Shilling

Blue, you're right.

As my Porsche tech once told me, "Porsches are not subarus. never have been, never will be. I don't understand why people buy a SPORTS CAR and expect it to be as reliable as a subaru."

I mean come on! things happen, they're taking care of you. it's good.

dealmaker

At last some common sense is prevailing.

Let me tell you I've owned Porsches for the last 18 years - and this whole "mass production breeds quality issues" argument is bollocks - the cars are much more reliable and have fewer quality issues than they did back in the late eighties/early nineties -

back then there were numerous issues (the dual mass flywheel failures of 964's was a good example along with gearbox issues/failures) - but what was different was that a) because there were fewer cars, and more "understanding" owners dealerships were able to carry out warranty repairs, often without the owner knowing anything about it! and b) the internet did not exist - so such problems as there were, remained contained within small circles of people "in the know".


As someone who has tracked all of my cars, I can again testify to the fact that the newer cars are much more capable and able to put up with a huge amount more abuse than the "pre-mass production cars" -

In an amongst the Porsches I have owned Lotus's, Lambo's, Ferrari's and worst of all TVR's ! - I can tell you that Porsche are the absolute paragon of virtue and reliability in comparison to most of those marques - all of which would be deemed "low-volume"

I've got no particular bias, or vested interest here, just trying to inject some of my experience - I've had less trouble with 14 Porsches than with ONE TVR!

brianh

hmmmm!

my Subaru wasn't as reliable as my Porsche...
(the Tech should have said Honda - but point well taken)

brianh

Mike in O.C.

I don't see why SPORTS CAR and reliability can't go together, especially with prices pushing $80K for a base 997.
I've owned three Porsches and thus like the cars. But, I'm not fanatical about them or slobber all over the Porsche emblem. The people who made Porsche great are now dead or out of the company. It is now run like any other car company: By a bunch of suits where the bottom line is the value of their stock.
The record profits that Porsche is currently experiencing is based on the success of the Cayenne, not the 911. Don't believe me, then why is Porsche currently doing the unthinkable: Offering a 3000 Euro trade-in bonus on all 996's traded in on 997's in Europe? Answer, in order to boost lagging sales of 997's.

KLR

I don't really get this sense of outrage about what the company has become or their profit focused frame of mind. I grew up in so cal, and I can tell you that in the 70's and 80's, your average 911 buyer in porsche's biggest market was certainly not a gear head nor any less well off than today's buyer. In terms of quality/issues... uhhh, when was it ever that good? Mid-year 2.7 911s ring a bell? I can go on with debacle after debacle straight off the top of my head, no problemo.

As for profitability -- be serious. It's a public company with obligations to shareholders, and even when it wasn't, they raced to sell race cars to privateers and sell road cars. Developing better road cars as a byproduct is part of the point, I suppose, but other than F1 in the 80's, it's hard to think of any race program that they stuck with that wasn't directly profitable.

Enjoy the cars and get over it. It's a business, and they've made cars plagued with issues in every era of their history since day one.

pedsurg

Although I admit I do not fully understanad the implications of this "recall", am I being naive by thinking of it as good news? Isn't the point about a recall, particularly a voluntary recall, that the manufacturer is acknowledging a problem and correcting it?

That said, I will repeat my admittedly naive belief that we deserve and that it is in Porsche's best interest to provide a 100K drivetrain warranty.