So are our cars more reliable than most?
#16
Much about a cars reliability seems to have to do with the owner/maintainer and how they drive the car and maintain it. This seems more important (in my view) than the make or model. Aside from the statistically required lemon in every make's product lines, you can have a particular model that one driver will be able to drive and use for years without issue and a different owner will manage to generate all sorts of breakage and failures on.
It may well be that the type of drivers/owners on 997's tend to treat their cars differently than the general driver/owner of a BMW 3 series, or a VW Jetta, or Honda Accord.
#17
My first (of 4) Porsches was a 1980 911SC. When I parted ways with it, it had 187K miles on it, ran VERY strong and didn't leak 1 drop of oil.
oh, for the time I owned it, the most expensive repair was replacing spark plug wires.
it was also the only car I ever drove that earned a flash from a girl passenger on the hwy
oh, for the time I owned it, the most expensive repair was replacing spark plug wires.
it was also the only car I ever drove that earned a flash from a girl passenger on the hwy
#18
I have a different view of CR. I have been reading CR for about 35 years. In the past they were very unsophisticated when it came to car evaluations. I remember they compared a 1975 VW Rabbit to an AMC Pacer. They gave the VW a slight edge due to it's better gas mileage. A real joke in my opinion even though the VW was not perfect either. Today CR appreciates good handling as well as crash performance and quality interiors as well as reliability. Also, they do not accept advertising as opposed to C&D ( which I have been subscribing to for 40 years). I believe that CR is one of the good sources for info. I balance that with other sources and my own observations when buying cars, TVs, appliances, etc.
In my 18 months, other than the HPFP failing my 997.2 has been flawless.
#19
It's the most beautiful car on the planet........And, it's reliable and incredibly fast. At the end of the day, who cares what a critic says.
Our society, in many cases, has turned to nimrods with a computer to make determinations about things like this.....My kids have opinions that come from blogs and are completly unfounded and in some cases just not true......
Our society, in many cases, has turned to nimrods with a computer to make determinations about things like this.....My kids have opinions that come from blogs and are completly unfounded and in some cases just not true......
#20
For example, Porsche has the highest pass rate in the German TUV (thorough vehicle inspection that we don't really have in the US). But this is almost surely not because the cars are so much better, but because the owners take care of them.
Also there are sometimes touted questionable stats about Porches having the greatest longevity of any vehicle (70% of vehicles made are still around or something like that). This is also almost surely just because owners love them so much and keep them alive. I don't think anyone seriously believes that a Porsche has better longevity than a Honda, but when an old Porsche gets sick you fix it, and when an old Honda gets sick you throw it out.
#22
In general I think CR is very good, for example it's great the way they don't take manufacturer money.
However, as Karesh loves to point out, there is a problem with sample size. For example CR shows the Boxster as much more reliable than the 911. We know that that can't possibly be true - we share so many parts that the real liability must be about the same. But with the small sample sizes there's enough randomness to make them seem different.
I don't really think CR is to blame on this - it's more the problem of the journalists who take the CR press release and copy-paste it.
And really any "predicted reliability" is bogus unless the car has been the same for the last 10 years.
However, as Karesh loves to point out, there is a problem with sample size. For example CR shows the Boxster as much more reliable than the 911. We know that that can't possibly be true - we share so many parts that the real liability must be about the same. But with the small sample sizes there's enough randomness to make them seem different.
I don't really think CR is to blame on this - it's more the problem of the journalists who take the CR press release and copy-paste it.
And really any "predicted reliability" is bogus unless the car has been the same for the last 10 years.
#23
My 91 Mercedes 300E has been reliable since I drove it out of the Hollywood Mercedes. It has 205k miles, and went through a valve job. Car will be 20 years old this year, but the paint still looks good. Merc does outlast other German cars. 300E model is known to last more than 500k.
Last edited by JJB236; 01-11-2011 at 07:03 PM.
#24
Reliable? As much as I like Porsche, I don't think reliability is their forte. A case in point, my 06 Cayenne Turbo has had to go in 4 times for warranty work. My 02 996 had a RMS leak that couldn't be resolved and thus a new engine was put in. 2 years later, another leak. My 997 GT3RS has had a leak for the last two years. Lets' see, out of 4 Porsches I have owned, 3 of them have had issues. Further compounding my dilemma is that the nearest dealer is 280 miles away.
Cayennes are not porsches, so we can't blame them. Touregs are crap too.
The RMS leak and IMS are both black eyes for Porsche. But which company doesn't have something like that? (ok, honda, toyota, lexus doesn't) But, The current lineup is far removed from those engineering debacles....
My 911 has 16K miles so far and besides tons of Rattles and a soon to be dead battery, all has been well. I really can't complain much. For laughs, head over to an Evora forum and read their woes........
#25
Another point on general reliability - I'm sure Porsches are much less reliable per mile than most cars - but that's because they are driven much harder. Of course a car that you drive really hard is going to have more issues. Even people who don't track often treat the roads like a track. That's why we bought these cars, to have fun with them. And with fun comes wear.
#26
Bmw? HPFP every hear of it? A problem they denied for over 4 years and still have not totally taken care of. Mazda's Horse power controversy? Rest assured each and every auto maker has the their fair share of bad marks.
Reliability wise? Porsche's aren't better or worse than most other "sports cars". As sports cars by nature consume more than an average corolla. But among performance type cars they are pretty damn reliable.
Lastly any make or model car you buy can turn out to be a problematic lemon. But regarding Porsche's? Even on this very site. With every person that has a problem there are 10 that don't have any problems whatsoever. That speaks for itself imo..
Reliability wise? Porsche's aren't better or worse than most other "sports cars". As sports cars by nature consume more than an average corolla. But among performance type cars they are pretty damn reliable.
Lastly any make or model car you buy can turn out to be a problematic lemon. But regarding Porsche's? Even on this very site. With every person that has a problem there are 10 that don't have any problems whatsoever. That speaks for itself imo..
#27
Though my main problem with those cars isn't the cars (though they don't offer design options that would work for me so I'll never own one it seems)... its the drivers, who seem to be rather consistent in thier inability to park between the white lines in a parking space correctly or not drive in either of two modes: 95 year old blind person, or 23 year old suicidal boy racer.