10 Years Old, 186k Miles

Kids, Attached a PICs of my '03 MY 996. Build Date was October of '02, so it is now 10 years old. I have 186k and holding out to 200k. It is a stock C2 with the exception of the wheels and clear front indicators. Nothing fancy but figured some of you high mileage guys would get a kick out of it. JKC

Looks great!

NICE!

Thanks, guys. When I hit 200k, I plan on freshening up the engine, new clutch, brakes, and cleaning up the interior from wear and tear. I'd like to do a turbo/C4S/40th Anniversary front bumper conversion but still saving up my money for all the mechanicals first. JKC

Still on the original shocks? droplinks? suspension bushings?

Great to see another high miles 996. Can you tell us what major repairs were done over the years? Water pump, hoses, clutch, RMS etc. etc.?

Yep. Recommend some suspension work too? I am going to have the thing gone over with a fine tooth comb. The idea is to get it mechanically restored and refurbished. I plan on having Flat 6 do the engine build (with his upgrades) but leave the rest of the stuff as stock as I can. I might go with stiffer/harder bushings... I dunno. Open to ideas. I just know I don't need ceramic brakes and the "... big daddy plus" suspension mods and stuff. Like I said, open to feedback/ideas. JKC

Rasank... Clutch, Water Pump, Alternator, Brake Discs and Pads, Clogged Rain Drains (this is an outside car), Window Regulator/Motor, Fuel Tank Vent, Radiator Neck or Fitment (that was made of plastic and cracked), Belt, tons of Tires and about a Gajillion Oil Changes. When they did the clutch, they replaced the rear main seal or whatever part there that is prone to fail (I've never got my brain wrapped around it). That's about it.

thanks for posting, gonna keep your post handy so I can share it the next time someone paints the 996 as an unreliable, prone to explode/implode car

You'd never guess by looking at it. I'm at 120k miles on my '01 (60k on new Porsche crate engine that was purchased in 2007).

Looks great! Maybe you can share with us some tips on maintenance and how the car is driven?

Wow the paint looks great! No repaints along the way? I've got 111K on my c4s

Looks great Jim! Good to see a Porsche being driven.

Very nice car you would never know it had that many miles!

I wouldn't wait till 200K to look at the engine. The variable timing pads are probably really warn already. Mine had 200K when I picked it up as a non runner. One of those pads wore down enough that it broke off and then, got lodged in the timing chain. This made the chain jump and take out the exhaust valved on one bank. BUT, when this happened, one of the valves put a good size dent in the top edge of the cylinder. Not enough to crank it but a little more force or RPM and it could have easily caused a D chunk. These pada are only $20/bank, and can be changed with the engine in the car. Do youself a favour, and change them soon.

Looks really cool all in black. I am glad you are keeping it going and going and going.

Exceptional value for money. A credit to the 996 owners. Thats a real nice car.

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... A couple of engines . ...I'm on my second at 72k

Your Porsche looks very sharp. Are you the original owner?

I'm guessing you guys may have scared him away.

A living testiment to the a well cared for Porsche 996 I have 124K miles on my 996 and like the ever ready battery, it just keeps on going Thank you very much

My car has the same build date. Hopefully that was a good month for these cars to be built (fingers crossed) . I only have 55,500 on mine as of today and I have done a ton of prevention maintence (see sig) so I'm aiming for 200K as well! Your car looks great!

Imo000, Thanks for the heads up... Two Questions... First, is this an item like oil, that wears pretty consistently, or is it more like tires/brakes that wear less if you drive soft? Second, where are these and what is the labor involved? Sorry for the stupid question but I've never really learned the architecture of these engines (I need to do that). I've always just thought of them as a V-6, squished flat, and turned the wrong way in the car. (No flames please). If so, I am guessing the timing chain and all that is off the back of the engine (as opposed to the front). Again, sorry to sound foolish. I'll go study it up. If you have a link, send it and I will take a look. I do appreciate the feedback. JKC

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the 3.4L has 5 chains and 3.6L has 3 chains. Cam pad wear is mostly noted in the 3.4L on this forum. I have not seen many 3.6L engine tear downs with cam pad wear.

Not scared away, just swamped with work. I drive mine a little easier than some of you guys, but I do stretch it out when I can. Mainly, I do that to save gas and expensive rear tires. Kept up with oil changes fairly regularly but missed a few deadlines. Not original paint on front. (I submarine'd an SUV and did my best impersonation of a slant nose, but got a good repair. Fortunately, all the damage was above the front wheels and suspension. Crinkled the hood, killed the headlights). The doors roof and back are original paint and look pretty decent. When I do the 200k overhaul, I will probably freshen up the body. I am torn with trying to mimic the 40th Anniversary with nose and rocker molding, or just leave it stock. Currently, leaning toward stock look. Not original owner. I got it in July/August 2005 with 11.5k on the clock. So, pretty close to original owner. May as well be. The seat has conformed to my ***! (Rob, I am coming to Savannah for TGiving and may have to drive the Creas-Mobile so I can leave early to come back to Atlanta for a deadline. You in town? If so, maybe we can grab lunch or a beer or Waffle House? Hope you are otherwise doing well). JKC

Congrats on 186k! What a beautiful 996, especially for an outside kept car.

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LOL! That's not the kind of reliability I am hoping for...a preventative engine rebuild after 100k miles, I can stomach.

Awesome post. I'm following your lead, but lagging pretty significantly. I have about 120K on the clock, although the reman engine that s installed has only about 80K on it. I started riding a motorcycle in good weather which has slowed down the accumulation of miles, so if all goes to plan, I'll be about 60 years old when the engine hits 200K miles. Good thing I like this car. In terms of modifying the look - I'd leave it stock. The C2 bumper looks as good or better than the C4S bumper and you won't be accused of pretending you're something you ain't. Good colours - love the black wheels. You're doing it right

Great post and thank you for sharing, that is truly amazing feat and look forward to your upcoming posts and upgrades. We offer a bunch of suspension options when the time comes. Keep the miles coming and enjoy.

[QUOTE=JCreasy;10010778]Imo000, Thanks for the heads up... Two Questions... First, is this an item like oil, that wears pretty consistently, or is it more like tires/brakes that wear less if you drive soft? Second, where are these and what is the labor involved? Sorry for the stupid question but I've never really learned the architecture of these engines (I need to do that). I've always just thought of them as a V-6, squished flat, and turned the wrong way in the car. (No flames please). If so, I am guessing the timing chain and all that is off the back of the engine (as opposed to the front). Again, sorry to sound foolish. I'll go study it up. If you have a link, send it and I will take a look. I do appreciate the feedback. It is a flat 6 not V6 Like most things, if you take care of it, it will take care of you. I've got 124K on the odo and it is running like a champ. I recently replaced the Oil pan, but that was my stupidity taking a speed bump a little too fast My 996 is a daily driver and each day I drive it, it is always exciting. I never get tired of driving it and I have been driving Porsches since my first one in 1973

Jim that sounds good. I PM'd my contact info. Give me a shout when you're in town and we can set something up.

VERY impressive.....love the tone of your message - you maintain it, you drive it and it keeps running.

Guys sorry...not sure how my quick reply went to this message. I'll chalk it up to pilot error.

You are right that essentially it is a V6 with vatiable timing, just in a flat configuration. The cam pads don't wear fast at all. Probably only have to be changed once in the life of the enigne. I did the work myself when the engine was out so I can't say how many hours it would take for a mechanic but I would guess 5hrs chould be plenty.

OMG! A happy 996 message near thanksgiving! GREAT LOOKING CAR!

Awesome mileage...cars still looks good!

Rob, Missed your PM. Sorry. Was running like crazy down there. I'm getting a case against Kroger in Richmond Hill, so I'll be back in a few weeks. We need to catch up. Everyone else... Thanks for the feedback. So, V6 squished flat is a good analogy? Update... Drove the car to Savannah for TGiving, then back. No problems. That is the good news. Picked up my dog from kennel on Saturday... (English Setter). That is the bad news. Black interior is now filled with white dog hair. My son, Stuart, rode down to Savannah with me. We had a great time and extended conversation. (For an 8th grader, that says a bit). So, chalk up another memory to the Crease-Mobile. On the way back I kept the radio off for a few hours. Really enjoyed the smooth, tight sounds. Great car, considering the age. Car is filthy now and loaded with sand gnats, but that's OK. (I'll take some PICs and post). So, I am now at 186.7k Anyone more than that on here? Take it easy and hope everyone had a good/safe holiday. JKC

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186,000 miles on a 10 year old car.... I wouldn't worry about "upgrades" myself! heck from the pics that car looks cleaner than the 2000 I just bought with 60k miles on it! Nice car, and it is nice to see one with that many miles, that makes me happier yet with my purchase seeing one like your high mileage car out there!

My 2002 has 115000 on the clock. Daily driver. I've owned it for a year and I've put in a new clutch and ***bearing. Also just did some coolant hoses and AOS. Next job is engine and trans mounts. The paint on these cars is outstanding. With a fresh detail, my 10 year old looks as good or better than most new cars I see on the road. Thanks for the post. Gives us hi-milers a good feeling to know we're not alone.

Mark, Coco Mats makes a black mat with tan checks that would look really cool in your car and wear well and save your "... factory" go check them out. I've got the black with silver/white checks and they look awesome in my black interior. PICs soon. Take it easy and thanks for the reply. JKC PS 187k.

That's a good suggestion. My mats are getting a little worn. Thanks.

Not sure if I remember a higher mileage n/a 996 but I think t2 (username) has over 300k on his 996 turbo.

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Suncoast had certain OEM mats on sale Black Friday for $25 INCLUDING shipping. Brown, blue, red, tan were the color choices IIRC. Dunno if they still do. I managed to get a 4 piece set for that price.

Jim, No worries. Look me you next time your down this way and we can grab a beer and catch up.