Does the '99 Have inherent probs.?

Hi everyone, I am in the process of (Probably) purchasing a '99 c2. I am curious if there are any problems with this car as opposed to the 2000. I ask because I ran into the J.D. Power rating of the car and it was marginal at best. I then looked at the 2000 model (C2) and it got really high marks! The '99 is more in my price range but I was curious if there was any Problems that I should look out for or just avoid that year altogether. Please help the Newbie

I had a '99 C2 cab that was a daily driver for three years and 55k miles and I had no major problems when I traded it in for an '02 cab. There have been some minor warranty issues that have been well documented on this board such as CEL light staying on; air bag light staying on due to bad connections in seat belt; and a recall to fix corrosion problem on engine lid.

Do I hear the silence of RMS? Search the board. If you're not a member, pay to search..........

Wow, Thanks for the quick response, I am used to waiting an hour over at Bimmerforums to get an answer on anything!!! Do you know what terms I should use in the search? Thanks, again

I don't get it what is RMS?

RMS = Rear Main Seal. I believe it's a known issue for 986's and 996's. Doesn't always happen, and if it does, seems to happen when the car has fewer miles. IMO, so difficult to predict if it will happen that it isn't really a reason NOT to buy. Do a search, there's lot of discussion. Best of luck!

RMS is a problem for all the model years after 99 and it seems to be pretty random. There is no one year that is affected more than another year. Bobby

I seem to read more about RMS on the 03s than on the 99s. Regardless, I've had a 99 for 15 months and no issues at all (except getting hit on the side) - knock on wood. Have it checked out thoroughly by a dealer, if they give you a green light then don't worry...

23,000 miles so far and only had to replace the driver's side window regulator and the hood latch. It seems as if the '99 model year has become a hot commodity as of late. I would recommend a later '99 over an earlier realease, that's all. Go for it!!!

Just do it! Waz

I have a '99 C4 Cab. Only problem so far is had to replace engine lid cable. Otherwise, just then regular stuff like clutch, brake pads, etc. 46k miles and just put on a supercharger. We'll see if that changes anything. Regards

99 C2 with no issues and 36k on the clock. Great car!

I have a late model '99 and the previous owner told me the RMS was replaced but otherwise was/has been a good car. I've since put 14k miles on it and have only had it in once (when I bought it) for a few interior trim fixes and the e-brake adjusted. The car just turned 45k miles. My sunroof sometimes doesn't close but it's so intermittent that I don't even worry about it. My warranty doesn�t run out till late 2005 so I have a while! My car has been VERY reliable (knocking on wood!) and I wouldn't let the model year put a damper on you buying one. Porsche has a record of all the things that were fixed on your car if it was done under warranty. Contact the dealer, give them the VIN# and see what they can/will tell you.

I had a 99 C2. No problems at all. They replaced my RMS, but under warranty. Other than that it ran perfect. If you want to be safe, stay away from the early model 1999's - they are the ones with the orange blinkers on the front and the rear. They were basically 1998 models carried over into 1999. 1998 was the first model year in ROW or at least Europe. 1999 was the first year in NA.

As long as crank is within spec with reference to rms-engine doesn't need to be replaced which could be checked out by dealer(have a special too to measure if within parameter). Plus like others have said later 99's are prefereed(don't know why). With a C2 no egas/PSM(just throttle cable) with optional traction control. Does 99 have limited slip wo traction control?Regards. Mike

The 99 model year was the first year in the US, so there were some cars that were full of typical early production run bugs, kinks, rattles and squeaks. Most will probably have been addressed by now on the cars you are looking at. There are some interior differences btwn earlier 99s and later 99s, but mechanically, they are not more prone to problems than any other year.

if RMS shows up it should show up by 37,000 miles... if it doesn't they you don't have the problem... RMS is a manufacturing defect that given a certain interval of time will appear.... that upper limit for that time is 37,000 miles... otherwise your in the clear.... if you notice all the RMS leaks happen early on and before 37,000 miles, enjoy!

I have just bought a 99 c2, but I live in Lagos Nigeria where there are no registered Porsche dealers. I have all of the problems already discussed CEL,and airbag lights on. Some misfiring when cool,an overheating headache in traffic....but having said this I have never driven a car with such a buzz. I think you should definetly go for it!

My '99 996 has 64K miles on it and I've only experienced the airbag light problem, which was fixed very quickly by the dealer by replacing the grounding strap under the driver's seat. Other than that, the car is rock solid. This car hit every minor and major service on time with oil changes every 5K miles (to be safe). I highly recommend a '99 model after getting a third party PPI and always look for a car with documented proof of all scheduled maintenance being done by a reputable Porsche mechanic. Good luck! Mark

After thinking it over (and umm...missing a nice 2000 model that sold before I decided) I went with a 99 C2. The price was very good, the car looks great with only minor issues typical of a 5 year old car. Some common problems I found out while researching the purchase that may be of use to you: Check engine light (CEL) - commonly caused by the mass airflow sensor on the top of the air intake. This is a ~$140 repair you can do yourself in 5 minutes. It could also be caused by a crack in the airbox (this is rare) it might cost more if this occurs but you could conceivably patch it if it's not too bad. Coolant expansion tank - typical German plastic and cracks very easily. You can check for this by looking on the top of the drivers side exhaust outlet, it may have crusty residue from coolant leaking on it. Or it could just be road crud. Either way this is ~$225 part you can replace yourself in about an hour. Rear main seal (RMS) - common bogeyman of the forum, means the seal around the crankshaft is letting oil leak past it and into the flywheel/clutch housing. You can see this yourself by looking under the car where the engine and transmission connect for oil seepage. This is purportedly only an $~850 repair as long as the shaft eccentricity isn't outside the limits...if it is at worst case it could mean an engine swap at ~$7000 for a new engine. I think the key here is to catch it early. As someone else said, if the car has over 35,000 miles and isn't leaking it apparently isn't going to. This is by no means unique to 1999 models so don't let it scare you away from the year. Airbag light - there's some sort of poor electrical isolation at the seatbelt connectors that causes the light to come on. I've read that the airbags still are functional and this doesn't really make much difference. I think it's covered under warranty. Bonnet latch - the trunk latch seems prone to breaking/malfunctioning at the most inopportune times....like when you're late for a flight and all your luggage is in there....and you're being dropped off curbside by your wife and you're banging the hood mechanism frantically wondering what you're going to do for a week in Puerto Rico without any of your stuff. Or so I hear this might be a problem. Find a good example with low miles, save yourself some money (you'll need it later for mods and consumables anyway) and get a 99. onajide in my pathetically inexpert opinion it sounds like you may need a new MAF sensor (maybe an airbox) and probably the expansion tank if it's overheating, with no dealer around it's worth trying yourself and will only cost a couple hundred $ at worst. -Keith

Keith, I think it's smart decision for a decent amount of $ you will get a great car to enjoy. My solution to CEL, after it was diagnosed by a dealer for $40 (MAF), was to clean MAF and has not returned.

Thanks again Everyone! I get to see Her Thursday, Zenith Blue with Grey Linen interior. 42,000 mi. And I will be taking her to the Porsche Dealership to give her a once over to make sure everything is in good running order. Once again, thank you for all of your help and I will be hanging around here as I will have no more use for Bimmerforums, as my M3 goes bye bye ...Onward and Upward!!! Terrance

How much does it cost to fix a RMS? Thanks, Ting

Search the forum. There are plenty of posts to bring you up to speed quickly

I just got a 1999 model with 35,000 miles on the clock. The odo just turned 37,000. The car checked out perfectly. I am one happy camper. No known issues and what an improvement over my 993 on a long trip. I was at my dealer today getting 2 new keys programmed and although I really like the 2004 40th anniversary edition it is not worth it to me to pay more than double what I have in my low miler 99. To most civilians the 04 model looks the same as a '99.

I also bought 99 996 after getting it checked out by a local porsche dealer. Clean bill except the well known minor coolant leak from the plastic housing but was told not to worry about it for now. I will have to replace it eventually. Other than that, the car looks new,smells new and drives like a new one. Absolutely happy with the car. I bought the car from my friend and know the history in and out. It has been trouble free. Go for it.