Long term test/reviews on 996

Anybody know of the best place to get an unbiased opinion about reliability of the 996, especially the late 1999 model? Obviously there's a few complaints about motors blowing up, trannys popping out of gear, etc. but is this common? It would help a prospective buyer (myself) to know how important an aftermarket warranty would be and to help me decide whether or not to buy the 996 I think I may purchase this week. On the fence right now. Don't want another high maintenance vehicle whos value is going to plummet like my 928.

Hi, i just purchased a warrantybynet.com warranty. Their price was pretty good, they are located in NJ and hopefully will honor the warranty. As for 996 reliability, all I can say is don't expect toyota reliability. My experience so far has been nagging problems, nothing serioius but clearly there are others with much more serious problems and still others who have had no problems at all. I think that it is just a matter of luck. Either way get a warranty and at least you'll have piece of mind.

I purchased a brand new 1999 996 in late 1998. I owner it for only 2 years, during which (i) my airbag warning light came on on three separate ocassions and was 'fixed' by the dealer on each time, (ii) the car rattled like crazy and was fixed through competent hard work by the dealer on the first visit, (iii) my front end vibrated between 65 mph and 75 mph, which the dealer was never able to fix, and (iv) one cylinder in my engine seized at about 20,000 miles. Despite all of this, I bought an '03 in December of '02. I am having a variety of problems with this car including an RMS leak. I'm beginning to question whether owning a Porsche is worth it, but I still can't figure out what else to buy if I didn't. I would recommed buying a warranty and keeping your fingers crossed. Good luck.

I have an early 99 (4/98) that I purchased used 2 years ago. I purchased a warranty from 1sourceautowarranty.com right before the factory warranty expired. It's had a few problems with the coolant tank, which were covered by the warranty, and a small oil leak (not the RMS) which the warranty did not cover. My car has 42k miles on it and it runs like a champ. I would agree with chitownbob - it's no Camry, but it could've been a lot worse. While it turns out, in my case, to have been a wash with the warranty, I don't think I'd own one without a warranty. -Chris

"While it turns out, in my case, to have been a wash with the warranty," ignoring the present value of a dollar it's a wash. that's how they make money anyway - investing yours until the claim comes in.

Man love to know exactly how many 1999 had expired engines and all. The problem with forums is you'll hear like one car grenading equals 100 exploded. Had my car since new and has 40k miles and RMS changed twice plus cam cover once(the second RMS I opted to change to the new updated seals though car wasn't leaking) early on. But love the car. I have no extended warranty on my car. Good luck. Mike

I had a 1999 996 C2 that was a very early build and it was an absolute nightmare to maintain. The RMS failed twice which blew the clutch as well. Squeeky brakes, electrical gremlins, leaky sunroof and overall poor build quality really left me wondering what the heck I was thinking buying my first Porsche as the first year build of a revolutionary model. Never again. Having said that....after all my troubles, PCNA bought the 99 back and rolled me in to a late 2001 996 which was absolutley rock solid and a completely different car. Can't say enough about the difference (accross the board in look, feel finish, drive, ) and PCNA's service to resolve the problem to begin with. Either way......most everyone I've met with a 1999 996 has had significantly more problems overall than those with 2000 MY or newer.

I have not had one problem with my car. (knock on wood)It has been perfectly reliable with no mechanical or quality defects. The car feels very solid and has no rattles or squeaks. It seems Porsche has greatly improved the quality during the 996 production run. One may want to consider getting an '02 or newer given the performance, design, and quality improvements. No offense meant to anyone with an earlier car. Don't want to open that can of worms. I just wanted to add this info as people without problems hardly ever post.

104,000KM and touch wood, dry as a bone, and totally squeek and rattle free. The only thing that is of somehwhat questionable quality is the interior, which hasn't held up as well as our 94 Grand Cherokee that sits in the sun all day long.... Not a Camry for sure, but significantly more reliable than our 928 was, but all things considered it was a good car too. Jeff

Try this link: http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1

Interesting: Performance:............................new...........................40 ,000 Zero to 60 mph..........................5.0 sec........................4.8 sec Zero to 100 mph.......................12.8 sec......................12.0 sec Zero to 130 mph.......................24.0 sec......................21.8 sec Zero to 150 mph.......................42.3 sec.......................34.1 sec Street start, 5-60 mph................5.7 sec........................5.8 sec Standing 1/4-mile................13.7 sec@ 103 mph...........13.4 sec@ 105 mph Braking, 70-0 mph.................168 ft.................................163 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad.....0.89 g..........................0.90 g

I don't think the first few articles are in their archives. 911: 3rd Quarter Update 911: Wrap Up

Performance numbers are like a bell curve. When the car is new the engine and other components are not fully broken in. As the engine wears in, the parts start to fit better so the engine actually produces more power. Then as more parts wear, you start to lose compression and so forth. Thats when you start losing power. Bob

Intesting link Eric... thanks. I just purchased a new 03 C2 in August and wasn't able to find much in the way of reviews. I did however hear from many that the 03 is sound. So far I can concur. 3500mi and nothing.

TitanL9. No problem, it helped me pull the trigger on my 99. The only problem that I've had so far has been the Ignition switch. It's been in for the seatbelt switch, but no RMS issues at this time. I'll keep my fingers crossed with 25k on the clock.

I had a '99 C2 cab that was a Sept. 1998 build. It was a daily driver and, over 50k mi., never gave me any serious problem other than the known minor warranty items like the air bag warning and check enginelights staying on. I traded it in for an '02 cab that has had two serious poblems: the RMS and the instrument cluster both had to be replaced at around 15k mi.

Hi All, My 2002 C2 is now over a year old (bought new Aug 02), never winter driven, and has about 42k miles on it. A few weeks ago I lost power steering and alternator charging. I checked the accessory belt and it was very loose. Called roadside assistance and had the car towed to Lynch Porsche in Chicago. Turns out that the tensioner pulley bearing gave out and caused the slack in the belt. Lynch replaced the bearing and put on a new belt, all under warranty. The service was fast and professional, and since then, I had two reps call about the service quality. Very happy with the service I have to say. The car drives better than ever... (maybe just me getting better!) Otherwise, 0 problems. I agree with the sentiment that extended warranties are usually a net loss to you, since on average the company providing the warranty has to make a profit...

Well I am not sure if it is unbiased. But I will try to be as honest I as I can remember. Take the failures and results as you may. I can tell you I feel I have an excelent dealer from a service standpoint and a Tech who constantly looks out for me. No matter who I drop my car off with he pulls the ticket and calls me personally. My car is a yellow 996 6spd and not outstanding from any other 996 so I feel like this is personal instead of recognizing my car. This is a VERY large dealership in Dallas, Texas. Here are the facts... as un-emotional as I can present them. 1999 996 - Symptom - Rattle in back end of car (outside audible not from interior that got worse as time went by over 3 weeks) Diagnosis - Dealer determined it was an exhaust failure Result - Deler offered to replace under warranty. I asked about Porsche Sport exhaust, they said you bet and offered me the PSE with only some additional cost to cover the difference in price. (Oh My is this worth it... I can only say get the PSE, get the PSE, get the PSE hahaha) I am not sure what it does for performance and may not care so much. Man it sounds great. Symptom - Oil in the passenger rear wheel well (not terrbile but noticeable) and some in the engine compartment. Looked like minor spray from small leak. Diagnosis - Leaking Cam seal... Result - Dealer replaced under warranty and cleaned the engine compartment (did ok, not stellar on the clean-up) Symptom - Car would not stop running when turned off. Diagnosis - Dealer diagnosed the ignition spring issue thing that you guys talk about. Result - Replaced under warranty. Symptom - Ticking in rear in of car while running (no , after the exhaust failure LOL) Diagnosis - Dealer looked at this one, car was literraly 4 days out of warranty. Told me that at times small deposits in oil can cause a valve or other items to not seat correctly. I am somewhat familiar with car and feared come kind of valve issue but these guys (including my tech) are very savy IMHO and all track their Prosches while supported( if not encouraged) by the dealership (they are active). They reassured me and told me to let them do an oil change and see if it did not address it ( I use Mobil 1 Synthetic in case interested and change it 3 months or so regardless of milage, meaning it only has 18k miles so it would never hit the milage mark so 3 months is more frequent). Result - Ulcer for me, I cried a little, sucked my thumb, wife laughed at me non-stop. (Oh and after the oil change it never did it again. This was 6 months and 1100 miles ago) Also I talked to them about an exteded warranty adn they encouraged me to buy one they worked with. I bought the warranty. I need my sleep. Symptom - Car would not start or have power for anything electrical. Diagnosis - Dealer came out to where the car was (these guys are the best , reliability another issue but my service has been second to none) and told me the battery was bad. Like a burnt terminal or something. Result - I shruged.. they had a battery with them... they put it in... it worked again. It is Texas and batteried just can't hold on here. 90 straight days over 100 degrees, me not driving it for days or a week or so at a time, plus a hard freeze this year... it is murder on battereies for all cars... It was the factory battery from 1999 so it failed in 2001... about when I should have expected this. I should have got that one before it got me, I know better. Call it experience. oh and they charged me for the battery but not for anything else... I thought that seemed fair. Symptom - Back up /look down function of passenger door mirror stopped working. (does that make sense ? You put it in reverse it auto-looks down so you don't back over something ?) Diagnosis - Dealer was stumped by this one. Result - They re-programmed the car to make the mirrors work (not sure what that requires but it did not take long and it has not done it sense then. Symptom - Coolant smell, low level in summer... Diagnosis - I am taking it in but suspect a leaky coolant bottle... I have a post out on this for TSB since it seems to be discussed but we will see. Knowing the dealer they will dispatch this problem with the same zeal as other problems I have had. I have replaced the front brake pads and bleed and flushed the brake system every year or more to keep clean fluid in the system and keep the pedal firm. Heat cycling plus hygroscopic fluid are not a good mix in Texas !! This I had done at dealer once I have done it on my own twice (so easy on 996 it is almost silly). Other than that...my aluminum door sil fell out... call it a 3M tape failure... that was a owner car weekend project. Nothing to mention there... anyway other than that.... it has been great. Some of the interior compents are not in line with what I expect from a +$65k car. Kind of like they were an after thought...some of it is brilliant. Honestly I would not own the car out of warranty. Total up that junk minus the trivial crap and you are talking about repairs in the thousands of dollars. BUT BUT BUT.... while in warranty.... let me say this.. I have driven a lot of cars... a LOT for my age... I am blessed and I know it... I will say this... out of the box with a decent set of tires the 996 is truly awesome.... It tends to push a little much for me but I figure Prosche dialed that out to keep us from spinning the cars like freaks (hehe). I would like to get the european suspension and change the alignment to take some of the push out of the car. (I am told it does this... guy at the delaer has it installed and offered to let me drive his 996 first to see what it is like but I have not had the chance...been busy) The car is VERY VERY neutral for it's configuration and can make even a ham-footed fool drive pretty well. It is very forgiving for a rear-engine configuration IMHO. You can throttle steer some rotation into it if you set the car up correctly and it is very predictable. I am truly impressed and hope to have a long experience with this car. (I consider myself and intermediate to experienced driver but not an expert by any strech of the imagination) That said, compared to other cars I have had, I am disapointed but not disgusted by the number and type of failures and isses I have had. For the price you pay I would have expected better from a car going on it's age (40 something (minus the liquid colling thing which I don't mind much... but my local PCA chapter treats liquid cooled owners like lepers.) As long as I have the warranty I will drive it and love it. When the warranty goes..so will the car... with the reported RMS failures and other issues I am concerned and aware but also know in my mind that there are thousands of this car out there getting run like heck and this forum may see a large representation of people who happen to have problems as a mean to voice/air their situations (valid ones mind you, I will not diminish the tragedy of their circumstances). Some of it might also be rhetoric or lies. Point is that if an engine failure is $8000 or some of this other nonsense then I would rather not own it out of warranty and just apply that , plus what this is worth to another one, in warranty. Maybe another car, but at this time, barring catostrophic failure and a bad experience I would deffinately consider another Porsche. Who knows.... I have faith in my dealer and my warranty..armed with that I drive it and still laugh like a little kid when I run it though the gears and hear that PSE roaring. I apologize for my spelling BTW... just lazy fingers and in a hurry to get back to work from lunch. It is, what it is... and this one is mine until the end (of the warranty haha)