Pre 2002 paranoia?

Ok just got off the phone with a "certified mechanic in FL. I have been considering a 00 or 01 966 and this mechanic told me that I should be concerned about ANY pre 02 996 that has not had the engine replaced under warranty. The last Porsche I owned was a beautiful 92 930 and I was very excited about the 996. Now I am seriously spooked. I suspect this has been covered to death but I could not find anything by search.

Did they even make Porsches before 2002?

I think the water cooled cars got more reliable with each year of manufacture. Rear Main Seal (RMS) is the main repeated point of weakness, lots written here on that. Low mileage is not necessarily a plus since the seal some times takes some miles to get lose and leak. In '02 there was a bump up in hp/tor and the chassis got some stiffening in 996's. We have an '02 Carrera and it has been good except for the RMS. I notice a spot on the floor today and am talking with local dealer. Already had two replacement seals under warranty. At some point Porsche should to replace the engine. This car has the Porsche Ceritification for a used car, 6 years and 100K miles on the drivetrain. We also have a '98 Boxster which has not dripped a drop. The early Boxsters were supposed to be the problem years for RMS. Buy as new as you can afford. Get the Porsche Certification if you are buying from a dealer. Enjoy the car....

Are you sure you didn't mean certifiable? Oscar Wilde said, "To generalize is to be an idiot". This guy obviously didn't get that memo.

I have had my 2000 since March 2001. 45,000 carefree miles (ok 2 rms replacements - 1st no cost, second a $100 deductible on my after market warranty - I believe the seating tool for the RMS has been updated and they feel confident it will not have to be replaced again). I have driven it in rain, snow, hot weather, etc. I have driven it hard and put it away wet. Of course this is no guarantee, but I for one am happy.

I think I am going to sell my 99 right now.......getting really scared that my engine might give in (up) blow up....anyday now with almost 70K on the "clock" Like with any car you got to be a little lucky....and yes the younger the engine the less problems...but it is no guarantee!!

48,000 miles on my 2000 and it feels great (knock on wood)

Well, your mechanic has a perspective, and it's your call how you take that. Personally, it's in line with my experience and expectations, hence I purchased an 03 996. RMS is not, and has never been the real issue - we're talking about QC issues with engines that cause catastrophic failure, and these have been attributed to manufacturing/design issues in early cars. So, 'my car runs great and doesn't drip oil' is a somewhat mute point.

Did you own a pre-03 996 that had a catastrophic engine failure? I wonder what the actual data is on that versus post 03 996, in actual numbers on a "defect per 100 car" basis. Anyone have anything? Opinions are like...well you know.

I actually owned a '97 986 and a '99 986, both of which had catastrophic engine failures before their first services, and both of which had new engines fitted for free by Porsche under warranty. Stats are hard to come by - you can however review the reliability data from Warranty Direct online here: http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/ma...rchtype=engine And you can view/download the article on early engine failures from UK Porsche magazine Total 911 here: http://new.autofarm.co.uk/pdf/Total911_July06.pdf

Thanks for the article. Very informative. I am not sure which persuades me more, the 90-95% of all early 996s being on the road and trouble free or the fact that the technician when asked admits that he would shy away from purchasing one. In either case, it certainly makes sense to have an after market warranty that covers that kind of stuff. Takes the guess work out. I will undoubtedly replace my 996 with a CPO 997 3 or 4 years down the road...I am sure by that time they will have found a reason to avoid those as well.

I've seen no difference in the number of failures between the 3.4l and 3.6l engines. The early MY99s did have some porus block problems, but most of them have been replaced; I can't imagine someone still dealing w/it. Does the first link provide data on the 3.4l? A quote from the second link: And some more data: Reliability of the 996 in Excellence

I open up the link to that article and realize I have looked at that motor as it is sitting on the floor of my mechanic's shop....a mechanic whose opinion I definitely trust.

The early engine problems appear to be primarily porous block and cracked central cylinders. These can occur at any point it would seem - from new through higher milage units. In addition, engines which had sleeves inserted as a retrofit during manufacture, when Porsche attempted to use a stock of QC failed blocks and rectify the casting issues by using cylinder liners, can also suffer slipped liners as a catastrophic failure. A quick check of UK used car purchasing how-to's gives the following advice: Boxster - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/.../mrguide14.xml 996 - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/.../mrguide27.xml Both articles mention issues around engines mixing oil and water and needing to be replaced. Also mentioned: Cracked bore liners can lead to engine failure. Seems to affect only pre-2001 MY cars The UK are ahead of the curve when it comes to issues of failure out of warranty because the std Porsche warranty is 2 years in the UK - so serious customer sat issues have started to crop up earlier than here in the US as people have had engine failure after the 2 year warranty has expired, but still at low milage.

Change mechanics

Folks, why not just ask your local dealer when you go in for service if they have had to replace an engine. I've been to 3 dealers and 2 have said they've changed at least one. The 3rd is where I purchased the car from so I was to excited to worry about asking about engine problems.