Comparing apples and oranges

Since there has been a crop of scored cylinders in the past week or two, I thought I'd share my current automotive situation. Car 1: 1999 Carrera 4, I acquired in September 2012. Car 2: 2011 Nissan Murano, bought new in Feb 2012. In the three years I've owned the 911, I have performed or had my indie: * Replace clutch; resurface flywheel (pending failure - slipping clutch) * Install dual-row IMSB (elective, original bearing fine) * Replace water pump (leaking/pending failure) * Replace fuel pump (failure) * Replace plugs and coil packs (one failed coil pack) In the 3.6 years since we bought the NEW Murano: * Replace transmission (failure) * Replace "infotainment" system (failure) * Replace motor mount (failure) * Replace front wheel bearing (failure) * Replace steering wheel, center console (material delamination/defects) Note that none of the Murano issues cropped up in the first year, so I don't consider them new-car bugs that just needed to be worked out. As far as PM and regular maintenance - brake pads, brake rotors, oil changes, etc - I do them myself on both cars, so there is no cost difference there except variation in how much parts cost. I realzie that comparing a German "luxury sports car" with a Japanese "affordable midsize SUV" (quotes indicate the classifications are industry, not mine) is an extreme apples-and-oranges situation, and I'm sure that there are rock-solid Muranos out there, just like there are perfect 996's. All I can say with certainty is that even before this week's diagnosis of the wheel bearing and motor mount, the Murano has spent more days in the garage over the past 3 years than the 996...

Yep, the hype on 996 maintenance is largely just that. I have a beautiful 2005 Benz SL500 sitting on the lift in my garage with a bad Active Body Control hydraulic suspension system and an inoperative convertible top that will need rebuild of 11 hydraulic cylinders at a minimum, and possibly the hydraulic pump motor rebuilt as well. I have elected to replace the ABC suspension with a coilover conversion by Strutmasters (using Eibach components) at a cost for parts only of $2,100. I am doing the conversion because repairing the system could cost $3,000 easily, and then another part of the system could fail a week later costing the same, and then another part could fail costing about the same, etc up until you've spent the equivalent of an M96 rebuild on the suspension. No exaggeration. Then, about 7 to 10 years later, expect to do it all over again. The hydraulic top is not as expensive to fix, but still even doing everything yourself (except for the cylinder rebuilds) figure close to $2,000. Would be much more to have it done by a shop. Also, expect to do that every 7 to 10 years. Now, keep in mind, both of these maintenance items will need to be done on nearly 100% of SL500's , not just 5% or 8% or 10% or whatever number you want to use for failures on the M96 engine.

Yeah...go buy a Jaguar. Gonzo Turks and Caicos Trying to do my best DT Miller impersonation but it's frickin expensive to get drunk here...

At the end of the day, a Porsche is still a car

These posts where owners are trying to convince themselves and others that 996/M96 problems don't exist are just pointless. The problems are well known by all and the fixes are well known by most. Buyers and owners should just be well informed and be prepared to handle what comes up. Blown up engines suck but there is no way someone can think this is not a possibility with a used 11 to 14 year old car. Its even possible with a used Toyota, Nissan, Ford, whatever.

They're not nearly as pointless in your presence and indefatigable insistence in chanting doom-and-gloom about looming engine failure in a forum for owners of a car you don't f****g have in your garage. Yes, KK, it's true that the motor can blow up. But even Raby - you know, the guy you quote like he's the Pope? - allows that the vast majority of M96-powered cars won't have issues, and that the cars are otherwise incredibly solid. So the point to this pointless thread, you tremendous jackwit, is that the operating costs of a 15-year-old Porsche aren't guaranteed to be soul-crushingly expensive, and the operating costs of a relatively new "bulletproof" import are likewise not guaranteed to be non-existent. I'll repeat it once more - just you you feel recognized and might be able to resist the urge to verbally defecate here again - a busted 996 engine can be hugely expensive. But in the incredibly unlikely event (again, in your well-known opinion, in hopes that you won't feel the need to gibber further) that your M96 somehow manages to cling to life, the 996 may not wreck your budget.

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Poor people are the worst.

Quote of the week. Way to pull it out at the end. (That's what she said)

Oh, sh*t! I just realized that this is my thread - and I can John Ireland KK's goofy azz. Boom. Locked! *cough* *ahem* Blow me, .... ah, never mind, it's not as fun as I thought it would be.

Just finished that on my wife's S430. Wasn't too bad, especially since I bought the car for 1500 bucks!

Other than tires, oil, brakes, the maintenance cost on my '05 Hyundai Tucson has been $0.00 since I purchased it new. However, I hate driving it. It's like piloting a ship on rough seas. Mostly used as a bicycle hauler, etc. (Actually, I loaned it to my daughter last year and haven't seen it since.)

Maybe there can be a filter on this forum to only allow post from people that actually drive their cars

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You might be just the most gifted writer in history In mean john Stewart / Conan obrien level talent - maybe better

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I was lucky - my S430 just has Airmatic, not ABC. I revealed the top end of both front struts and replaced the air pump. Even with the special tool, I was around $800 total. That was 3 years ago and the Airmatic is still working like a champ. They say the ABC system is a completely different, nasty animal, so hello coil overs!

My 996, $4500 in preventive maintenance in 15 months and when I drive it, I think, f*ck the money. Love this car. I've had my Prius for 3 years and I've spent $0 on repairs. Oil change every 10K miles. 75k miles on the clock. But when I drive it, there is no feel except this sound of a broken blow-dryer. Good for groceries and parking it at the parking lot at work; that's it.