uzj100

Put it on a battery tender or perhaps get a new battery

mkaresh

I doubt JD Power's VDS was a consideration when Porsche decided to have the Cayenne skip the 2007 model year, though I suppose it's a possibility.

I just think they should have asterisked the result by noting that Porsche's best-selling, least reliable model was not in the survey. As it is, some people are going to buy Cayenne's based on this #1 ranking.

Frankly, I'm against brand scores in general, since there's really no point to them if a model score is available. There's always quite a bit of variation from model to model within a brand. Did you buy your Porsche because of how the average Porsche performs, of because of how it performs?

sjfehr

I was very worried when I bought my Porsche, as I know repairs are expensive as hell, and it would soon be out of warranty. At $1000+ for even simple dealer repairs, made a big difference to me whether it was as reliable as a toyota/honda you can keep going for a $10 junkyard part and some bailing wire, or a garage-loving piece of junk like every Dodge my dad keeps buying. I did lots of charts and number-crunching to try to justify the cost of such a splurge car, and reliability was a big factor in the decision.

So, yeah, reliability like this matters. Bugatti sucks at it, Porsche excels. Maybe not so important for those who can afford a brand new Porsche that's covered under warranty, but it's incredibly useful in the used market where those costs all fall back on us. Also note: this helps your resale value.

Minok

Agreed. That and the changes in the design always reset the game. By the time you find out the 997.2 is a rock solid design 6 years down the road in 2015, you will no longer be able to buy a new 997.2, but could buy a used one that you don't know exactly what the first owners did to it. Its always that cat and mouse game. However, tracking the trend of a manufacturer's cars reliability and repairs for vehicles 5-20 years old, THAT would be of interest. These should be treated more like medical studies where we need to follow patients for a LONG time before publishing findings. I expect (maybe wrongly) all new cars to work well and reliably for the first 5 years without any major issue that isn't obvious in the first year (to allow you to discover some manufacturing defect that may be season dependent).

mkaresh

Major problems are rare these days. Something like the IMS failures does not happen with many cars. Some cars have more minor problems than others, though. We're finding that the average for cars within the warranty period is about one repair trip for every two cars every year. Some cars have 2+, so the odds of having no repairs, not even a minor one, in a given year are nearly two in three.

I don't think many people realize this. Which is one of the reasons for my survey.

porker999

I have a 2008 911 C2S cab. I leased it in Dec, of '07 and purchased it in Dec.'11.

It now has 45K miles. At the time of purchase, the dealership tried to get me to purchase an aftermarket warranty for about 5K for 3 years. The only things that had failed on the car were an unexpected failure of the water pump (bearing) which was covered under warranty and the right electric window regulator programming, also covered under warranty.

All oil changes, tire replacements, etc., were performed per the owners manual. At the time of purchase, I had been paying appx. $1500/month on the lease

Rather than buy the aftermarket warranty, I decided to open a dedicated savings account for possible future repairs and continued putting the $1500/month I had been paying for the lease into this account instead. Currently I have appx. $40K in the account and other than buying new tires and having a 4-wheel alignment and routine oil changes, I haven't had to spend any of that money on repairs.

I have decided to stop putting this $1500/month into it at this point, having enough to pretty much pay fpr any repair.

These cars ARE reliable, albeit Consumer Reports lists the 2007-2008 911 as a "Used Car to Avoid" in it's latest (April 2013 "Car") issue. Why I don't know.

In the last year they showed the 911 in the reliability ratings survey, it got an 'Excellen't" rating. This year, the 911 is absent from the ratings, although the Boxster is still rated
.
But my car has needed virtually no repairs and instead of an expired aftermarket warranty, I now have $$ to spend if needed.

If it's true that money talks (and BS walks!) mine is yelling: " RELIABLE!!

Buy your Porsche and enjoy it. Get at least a mid to late 80's model if possible as rust problems were pretty much solved by that time in most cars.

Porsche uses a double-dip galvanizing process and despite all- year round use in areas that use salt on the roads I have seen ZERO rust on mine. (Of course, I do wash the car regularly!)

Best of luck with your new Porsche purchase. Just be sure to get a careful PPI.

\(^@^)

Dadio

Why people buy a Porsche and then spend all their time agonizing over possible problems that are blown way out of proportion on these sites is interesting to say the least. Can't afford the repairs don't but one. If you can't enjoy the car because the potential repair bills keep you awake at night, don't buy one. Not a must have item. These are expensive toys that nobody really needs. They aren't race cars nor are they particularly practical as your only source of transportion. They are a terrible investment. But, they are a great deal of fun to drive and if you can afford the price of admission, they offer an unique ownership experience.

Chaos

Based on my 06 997 & Cayenne N.F.W.

mkaresh

Based on JD Power's VDS, you bought one model year too early

PCC

I agree. I've noted the strong reliability ratings over the years. However, the vast majority of these cars seem to have such low mileage the results could be misleading

jeffrec

I wholeheartedly agree with porker999 and dadio. Far too often I let the many postings I read on Rennlist make me overthink what I am doing, what I am not doing, what I need to do, etc regarding my Porsche ownership. I need to spend more time behind the wheel enjoying the unique driving experience that only a Porsche can bring and less time watching it sit in the garage worried about the mileage, wear, and tear. Afterall, unless I plan to keep the car until it becomes a antique/classic all I am doing is saving the fun for the next owner. Oh and for the record, I am also a Consumer Reports freak and was taken back by the used cars to avoid comments. The only thing that comes to mind is the IMS bearing issue. Drive on!!!

perfectlap

This is why rankings by most popular models would be really great.

Most sales are from Panamera and Cayenne.

The Boxsters, Caymans, Carreras and GT2/3 (small part of sales) sit quietly in the garage until Sunday.

CORSASCHNELL

Also Porsche owners love their cars so much (because they are so fun to drive) that they tend to be more forgiving with minor issues.

mkaresh

This can cut both ways. Some owners, because they are so into the car, pay more attention to minor issues.

PCC

Not exactly warm & fuzzy (which I appreciate) but well stated and entirely correct.