Regarding out of warranty engine repl

I just finished reading about the 996 needing an entire new motor to the tune of 11k. at 50k miles. I am planning to buy a 996 as soon as I see how much Uncle Sam leaves me in April. My concern obviously is the engine. I have read numerous posts on the RMS, and understand it somewhat frequent, but the odds are in favor of not having a problem. This internal engine grenade issue has me a bit nervous. The cars listed have low miles, one mentioned being on 3rd motor in 45k? I've talked to 996 owners who say these things are bulletproof, and then I read about these tragic failures. Am I being overly concerned here? Kirk

Hi Kirk and welcome to the forum. In my opinion it is highly "overrated" problem. Of course it happens that an engine fails, not only Porsches but all engines! When it happens it is a very expensive experience and highly unfortunate, but you can't walk through life without risks. I think that the problem with these fatal brake-downs is more likely with those P-Cars that is not being used during winter time. The seals are not lubricated for an exessive period and they simply dry-out. This is a problem with boat engines as well when the boat is used only during summertime. A Porsche is built to be used. The advice is check the cars history, have it checked by an P-expert and don't trust the dealer too much.

Am I being overly concerned here? Yes. There are lots of 996 owners who visit this forum, and the vast majority of them aren't going to tell you how great their cars are. Why? Porsche has the reputation for building highly reliable sports cars, so why should they post the obvious? Over the last 40 years, I have owned a number of performance cars and among them have been three Porsches. I drove my Porsches year around and put very high mileage on all of them before I sold them. I never had to replace the engine on any of my Porsches. As a matter of fact the most expensive maintenance item that I had was clutch replacements. The only other maintenance item I had that was outside of the routine caregory was an alternator replacement. All of the Porsches that I bought were used, and when I sold them, the engines were still in excellent condition based on excellent compression test readings. The internet is a great place to get information, and you'll find that this is one of the most informative forums out there. There are lots of very knowledgeable posters on this forum who freely share their technical expertise, and there is a refreshing absence of juvenile posts about my car beat some other performance car. Nevertheless, there still will be posters who are disappointed with their Porsches and they are highly motivated to share their experiences with others. But I certainly don't look at these posters as being representative of the experiences that you are likely to have with a 996.

Fast1, That was a very well-worded post about RMS failures. I share you sentiments exactly. Good on you,

imo..even if the car checks out with a ppi.get a certified car.its more money but worth the piece of mind...or look into getting a 993..i had 2 boxsters,one was an s..both had oil leaks,and both went to the shop often.one month out of warranty,there was an issue that the dealer did not want to pay for...maybe the rms issue is blown out of the water but it does happen so be careful..all service records and warranty work is a MUST..if money is an issue,buy an older car..5 months ago,i bought a 1987 carrera...a great example of a vintage 911..raw and fun and pretty reliable..its old and needs a few things,but is really a fun car for under 20k...

Thanks for all the insight. Your comments make a lot of sense. I will be buying soon and will stick with my 996 decsision. I enjoyed the comment about juvenile posts on other web forums. I will be parting with my 850i. On the forum for that car there was always some bonehead that could not believe a Mustang GT got him from a stop light.

Mine is the one that needs the engine. You can have it for CHEAP. I have owned the car a little over a year, it has never had any mods and I pamper it - usually with a car seat in the front. The problem occured while sitting in my garage. I too thought I was in the clear regarding this problem with 50,000+ miles, even though I do not have past service records (not for lack of trying though). Believe me, if it can happen to me (a guy who drives 7,000 miles a year while driving it every day) it has to be more likely to happen to a car that is mod'd out and is driven hard often. It is true that I nevedid not participate much on this forum until I was looking for help with a problem, but I always read and tried to help when I could. I am not a Johnny Come Lately who just wants to bitch about a problem I am having. Just my 2 cents.

Can you elaborate on what exactly happened to the engine?

RMS issue....absolutely. Internal engine issue, doesn't exist. Have engines failed, sure.......there is not a car being produced today that hasn't had an engine fail! Does that prove there is any failure issue ??? Bottom line, an article has been written about the reliability of the M96 motor and outside of the RMS issue (and some problems with some early motors that were re-sleeved at the factory) they have proven to be good motors. If you are worried get a certified car. Good Luck!!

Actually, I think the opposite is true. These cars seem to reward being driven hard and fast as often as possible.

Here you go thanks to the guys at Renntech, first is about the RMS issues: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6731 The 2d article is about the 996 engine: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6470 Other than that cheers from Iraq Derek