If your car is out of warranty READ THIS

If your car's NOT out of warranty then can I please ask that you do not take part in this poll. So, your 996 or 986 is out of warranty. you've all been reading about the horror stories many of us have been experiencing with our cars. Especially early models 996 and 986s. What I want to glean from this poll is basically your level of "trust" in this car's manufacturing quality and how you feel about taking it out for a drive tomorrow knowing that your RMS, gearbox or engine might blow up. It's is not uncommon for these problems to occur. In fact it's almost likely they will occur. Yes I know these problems could manifest with any marque but this is no ordinary marque it's a Porsche and it cost us all a fortune. But worse that that........it could bust your bank if anything serious goes wrong......and given all these horror stories it may very well happen to you! So how do you feel about this? What do you think should we should or can do about it? What do you think Porsche AG should be doing about it?

Didn't you read the results from your last doomsday poll. Even with your skewed choices, I believe it was 85-86% were happy with the build quality and reliablity of our 996s.

Yes I read it. But in this poll I want to know the level of "worry and concern" everyone is experiencing about their car given all the horror stories that we are reading...... not how reliable "their" car "has" been. And I am hoping to try to gain some support from rennlisters on this matter to take up with Porsche AG. I don't want to start a war with Porsche, I am a loyal customer too. I just want us all to get fair support from them given the problems many of us are experiencing. I guess you'r not willing to support me on this...... you will when your Warranty runs out ;-)

Almost likely? And you're basing that on what? As someone pointed out, your last poll: How reliable is your pre 02 996 C2/C4 or 986? shows that over 80% of it's respondants rate the car as very reliable or fairly reliable -and that result even with the choices biased towards a negative response. Add in the fact that boards like this are a magnet for people experiencing problems and looking for a solution and I'm thinking "almost likely" is a bit of a stretch. The design of this current poll isn't much better as it plays upon people's fears. Hell, my Toyota is out of warranty and I'm worried that'll it'll have to undergo some expensive repair eventually -and an expensive repair for a Toyota is still cheap by Porsche standards. Does my fear prove it an unreliable vehicle? .

Well, I agree with Rob. In my case, my warranty is out, my car runs fine, I participated in your first poll and I am tired of your incessant whining. You have made your point that you are unhappy, no need to get all theatrical about it.

I see I hit a nerve then.....

I don't see why you should be so proud that you did. Incessant whining and doomsaying can get to even the most solid rock. Not that the whining or doomsayong has a point, its the sheer irritation of it that gets to you.

from a famous rennlister Never argue with idiots - first they drag you down to their level, then they beat you with experience.

Well I hate to go against the tide. But I'm very worried about the probability of a major problem. I lack the confidence that most seem to have. I am looking for a reliable warranty co. & that is not going so well. I hate to rely on the good will of the the regional rep when I don't have a leg to stand on. I'm probably going to sell the 99cab & get a 01 -02 c4 in warranty. Scouser has a right to be pissed and he has a right to post. If some don't like what he says - pass on the thread.

OK Palting. I take your point. So here's my dilema: I have a doomed 996. No warranty. Porsche won't help. Dealer won't help. PCGB can't help. And I guess now your saying Rennlist don't give a damn. I am sick of hearing everybody complaining about their problems and nothing is done about it. This is my way of standing a protest. Maybe it will work maybe it wont. But everyones got a right to protest. It's a thing called "freedom of speach" which I thought you guys in the US are all for. With a bit of luck my "incessant whining" may strike a cord with the manufacturer or dealership or even better the customer base. I am not doing anyone any harm. I am just soliciting some support. Your not forced to take part or even vote. If you don't like what I post then just don't read it. Of course all this "we've heard it all before Scouser" comments are exactly what Porsche want to see. So your doing well to delude my cause. Thanks. Now go tell galinskie how sorry you feel for him cos his engine just blew up. https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=101535 PS: yes exactly. I want to hit a nerve!

btw...one other problem with your poll is that it's loaded with interviewer bias. Kind of like this: My favorite cola is: a. Pepsi b. Coke --------------------------------------- So, you like cola. You've all been reading the stories of how the average Pepsi drinker is less attractive, less intelligent, and on average less successful in every measurable way and you've no doubt made the right choice as to which cola is right for you. What I want to glean from this poll is what type of cola the average Porsche drinker prefers --knowing that a Porsche owner is far more likely to be smart, attractive, tall, successful, and pleasantly scented and that drinking Pepsi might negate each of these. In fact its almost likely that if you drink Pepsi you're probably a moron (who smells) even if by some twist of fate you somehow have a Porsche (which probably smells too). Yes, I know a moron could choose to drink Coke, but let's be realistic, moron's overwhelmingly choose Pepsi and given all the statistical data collected over the years, it's far more likely a person such as yourself prefers Coke. So what's your cola of choice? How can we rid the world of Pepsi? How can we make sure only Coke is sold? ----------------------------- I prefer coke, but there's no way you could ever tell that from the above post right? I kept it pretty neutral because I wouldn't want my opinions to unfairly influence the results of my poll.

Hmmm...... A planeload of Pepsi was flying over the darkest, deepest part of Africa. The engine developed trouble and the plane went down. The PepsiCo send out a rescue team to find the Pepsi and the crew. The rescuers found the wreckage, but there was no sign of the Pepsi or the crew. Finally they came upon a cannibal village. They asked the chief if he had seen the crew and the Pepsi. The chief said, Yep, we ate the crew and drank Pepsi. The rescuer said: "My gosh, did you eat their arms?" "Yep, we ate the arms and washed down whit Pepsi." "And did you ate their legs?" "Yep, we ate the legs and washed down whit Pepsi." The rescuer than said: "I hate to ask you, but did you ate their--you know--things? Chief said: "No, THINGS go better with Coke PS: I prefer pepsi. No really. No joke. I hate coke, I prefer pepsi.

It's not that I or Rennlist don't give a damn. I am sorry you're having such problems with your Porsche. But what is your ultimate goal? Do you just want to be labeled a pest or whiner? You are succeeding. Do you want the rennlisters to say that the 996 is a troublesome car? Your poll didn't support it. Do you want Porsche or PGB to say that the 996 is a troublesome car? Never happen, since your poll has already shown that a large majority like the 996, and that seems to be true in all other published polls that I have seen. This despite the RMS, transmission, cam cover, coolant leak, etc issues we have heard so much about. Whatever your ultimate goal is, I don't think it will succed appealing to the general Porsche population. Most of them like their Porsche, and may get mad at you for what they perceive to be you spoiling their enjoyment. If you want strength in numbers, what I would suggest is to start a sign-up crusade. All the people who have a complaint about their Porsche experience and are willing to sign on the bottom line send your name and e-mail address to Scouser, and a description of your problem. Set up a separate chat room or board or web site. I don't know what kind of success you'll have, but at least you'll have a group of people who share your dissatisfaction, a group of people who have a common experience, and hopefully, a group of people who can come up with a common goal and actually do something other than just complain. Revolutions that have toppled monarchies have started this way.

Scouser -- Just out of curiosity, did you purchase your car new or used?

Scouser -- Belay my last. Got the answer from another post.

I bought it private/used but it had only done 650 miles. I class it as new since this almost delivery miles. But technically I am the 2nd owner. Since then I have had it serviced at the same Porsche dealer ever since.

Berny, I would be pissed too if my car had a major breakdown out of warranty, but I think you're going about this wrong with subjective polls. Organize some sort of registry or something where people with the same problems could get together and apply pressure on the car maker (akin to what happened with the M3 ). My car is out of warranty and I'm really not at all worried as it has been virtually trouble free since new. Even though I know it's not built the way they used to build them. I tend to take for granted what I read on the boards, as it is often a vocal minority speaking out. That seems to be the nature of the beast with the internet, which has a more profound effect on newer vehicles like the 996 vs the ones a few years ago (993 ) when perhaps high speed internet service wasn't quite as prevalent.

I may be out of place making any comments here. Since the thread starter is touting "free speech" I shouldn't worry. This reminds me of the good old days before web forums with BBS's and e-mail lists. There was a group starting a class action suit against Porsche over what they thought were various engineering mistakes on 944's back in the early 90's. Where are they today? Probably non Porsche owners. Where are the 944's? More popular than ever. What's my point? This thread doesn't have one so neither do I. If your fed up with your Porsche, sell it and buy something else. I too am sick of all the complaining about broken Porsche's. Go ahead and try to fight Porsche, good luck. GM built a series to trucks that killed people that didn't even put a small ding in their reputation. Why would Porsche lift a finger to satisfy the .001% of used Porsche owners that are unhappy with the reliability of their cars? You can spare me the info about how I'm some looser driving 10+ year old unwanted front engine Porsche's. 93,000 on the 928, owned since 60,000 with no issues. The 944S, well, that's another story......I still love the car and the company. Flame on.

Yeah, this thread sounds pretty silly to those of us in the 928 camp. I love the "Live Free or Die" plate juxtaposed with the "I deserve a free engine poll". Add in the irony of trying to get everybody to change their opinion by selective and repetitive polling and this one is a pretty good laugh. Porsche is notorious for providing only the minimum warranty service. What they also renowned for is the superior engineering and ultra reliability of their high performance cars. It's a choice, Porsche drivers are supposed to be the kind who prefer to "Live Free" rather than need a daddy out there protecting them from every loss. I can't imagine how you can enjoy your Porsche when you don't trust it. Perhaps you'd be happier driving a Jaguar. I'm told Ford provides excellent warranty service.

If your Ford or Toyota is out of warranty and the tranny kicks it, what do you do? If your P-car has a major problem, what do you do? Same thing, you fix it and move on. If you are worried to death about your RMS or anything else, then BUY a new warranty and shut up. Insurance is peace of mind, it might wise to spend your time researching that instead of polling the Rennlist. BL

How does a guy in Liverpool relate to a phrase on a NH licence plate? My reaction is that said phrase and "UNIX" are polar opposites anyway. At least I see that you noted the trade mark. Man if a leaky RMS bothers you you ought to try driving an $80k car with an interference engin and a 7 foot timing belt. Now THAT is an object lesson in anxiety. BTW, I do hope things work out with your 996.

Gretch. I am an old time Unix computer system hack. Wow! I pissed a lot of people off. Sorry for that. Not the intention. I want no enemies. But I guess I am winging and winning a lot about my problems. You gotta remember I have had my 996 since March 2000 and its never had any problems up until the last 6 months. And now when i really need Porsche to help me they wimp out. So I am real sore. Just hoping for some support. Ah well......cest la vie Still love this car. It's drop dead gorgious and there is no substitute. Also I have to say it has been rock solid in the last 3 years. I guess at the end of the day its just a car much like any other car and my assumption that Pcars are made better than other cars is wong. The poll isn't perferct. If I read the poll 6 months ago I would have voted that I have no concerns or worries about it. But now I am real worried. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for every one else in the next few years. This poll isn't doing anything except enligtening me on peoples feelings. It's only got about 40 votes so far. Hardly a show stopper. But it's still interesting. My main bitch is with Porsche and not the car itself. I think the RMS issue has proved itself that it is an issue with these cars and I most dissapointed that they don't do something about it. At least they should take it on the chin and repair it gratis. OK. enough said. I'll STFU from now on. I got the message......

Ahhh, my secnd chuckel of the day........

Cute photoshop. I'll have to save that one. Your not making enemy's, I get the impression that this group can be blunt, but honest. Fact of the matter is over the last 50 years, Porsche has proven time and time again they don't care about used Porsche's. If anybody can find the Pano article I'm about to quote please help me out, my memory is fuzzy. Pano (PCA mag) released a story years ago about an interview with some big-wig at Porsche Cars North America where he basically said that Porsche has come to realize that the majority of used Porsche's never see the dealer. That was what prompted Porsche to start that certified parts system or whatever it's called for private shops. The downside is they really stopped caring about used Porsche's at that point. The 944/928/968/924 fans have realize that not only do they not want to help us with our cars, if they had their wish they would all disappear. We own the unwanted step children of the Porsche family.

i hear where your coming from; �10k to repair a semi recognised problem just out from warranty, ouch! good on you for complaining and getting somewhere.

Scouser, I think everyone knows you are unhappy. You think you are going to print out an unscientific poll of possible Porsche owners (who knows if the respondents are qualified to vote), present it to Porsche, and they will realize the error of their ways? Why don't you start a web page dedicated to your campaign, give 1 post to Rennlist telling people about it, then pursue your energy soliciting support into other channels? Rennlist is a board of Porsche enthusiasts. Owners/fans who are unhappy are not going to be coming back here time after time. If I had concerns/persistent problems, I would sell the car, simple as that - stick it on eBay and dump it. If you like the car but hate the problems, but the majority of others don't, maybe you have a Friday car - try another one. Another option: get a lawyer. If you have a valid case, that may work.

You guys seem to be new around here or forget some facts and you are flaming poor Scoucer! For those of you who are familiar with the known wiring harness recall from Porsche for the 993, it was finally admitted by Porsche ONLY LAST YEAR the faulty materials used on the harness. In the mean time 993's stalled, got burned, crushed and while this was seemingly a small percentage it was indeed a very valid problem which was finally recognized by Porsche. Now how did this happen??? Right Here ladies and gentlemen.!! Rennlister EJ had a big part of it, if not THE person who made it happen with Porsche, it was discussed in the same manner on the 993 board much like you are discussing the RMS problem on another thread, only differerence is that people showed concern and did not flame EJ for his efforts, nor anyone else that actually responded to the complaint. The end result is that we ALL benefited at the end and we ALL have a peace of mind nowdays having changed free of charge what should never have been there in the first place. Now did this happen to every 993? not even close, but the fact remain that we were all in danger of having this happened to us at point or another. This is one of the powers of Rennlist. People talk not only about the good things but the bad things that happen as well. When you see a trend of people having the same problem, there is something wrong then Ladies and Gents and while you might not really care the next owner of your car might and bottom line if the design is flawed why the issue should remain uncovered and why Porsche cannot be made to fix it? The wiring harness recall was mostly due to the efforts of EJ and the support of the 993 board. ALL the power to you Scoucer for stiring things up and being concerned for your hard earned $$$

DJF1, thanks for the support mate. You'l note that I just tend to ignore them. That probably gets their backs up even more. These guys are wimps. Seems all they want people to do on this board is express the good things about this car. They don't like to hear about the bad things about it. Heaven forbid these problems should happen to them! They forget I love my Porsche too. Just check out how much I have spent on this baby! If you check out the rest of the 996 forum, it seems like every 3rd posting is about this RMS problem. These guy's negative remarks are exactly what Porsche want to hear......everything is fine and dandy.....obviously everyone is happy.......we can't go wrong...etc. Well you guys I just want to let you know that your feedback won't stop me none. I intend to push these issues until the cows come home and get some results. If your a paying rennlist member and you don't like my postings then go complain to John D.

being in the market for a boxster, i have been worried about the reliability of cars that are out of warranty. Being a college student, i dont have the deep pockets to deal with a string of sudden reliability issues, but if I decide to take the plunge i guess that will be part of the P-car mystique. I guess as the saying goes... "you have to pay to play". it is unfortunate that Porsche seems to look the other way when owners come in, out of warranty, and have problems. I hate to say it, but to me out of warranty = out of luck. I mean, i could always take my ten year old ford into the dealer and complain about parts going bad, but I should expect to get laughed at. Why should porsche react any differently to a car that is out of warranty?

Scouser - If you are really serious about trying to get Porsche to listen up and do something about your issue, then you should do as others have suggested and build a website detailing your issue. Make one (and only one) post here which specifically addresses your issue (so that anyone using the Rennlist search function can find it easily) and which reference your website and contact info. Then get hard solid, documented evidence (like what EJ did wrt the early 993's bad wiring harness) from similarly wronged 996 owners via your website and plead your case to Porsche. I am grateful to EJ as partly due to his efforts and determination the wiring harness on my 94 euro-spec 993 was repaired by Porsche (thanks EJ ) IMO posting numerous ongoing threads, taking polls and arguing with others here unfortunately will not get you anywhere closer to a resolution for your issue. Good luck with your 996 and hope everything eventually works out for you. (btw I'm not sure I agree 100% with the earlier comment that Porsche no longer cares, although my experience may be the exception rather than the rule - when I bought my 98 cab it had less than 10K miles and oil leaking from the valve cover gasket. The car was out of warrantee because time had lapsed but I built a rapport with the service rep at a local dealer...the dealer (and Porsche) fixed the leak and a few other things at no charge and with only a small bit of plodding on my part)

DGI - IMO if you are still in school and the cost of maintaining and repairing the car will be a stretch, I highly suggest you don't do it. You're much better off buying an older porsche model (911, 964, or 944) which you can undertake repairs yourself and where most of the issues are already well-known or have been sorted out. You will take a far smaller depreciation hit if and when you eventually decide to sell the car and move on to a newer Porsche.

Allow me to interject something as a prospective Porsche purchaser. I now drive a 2000 Corvette coupe with six-speed, autocross suspension, and Pilot Sport tires. In about two years, I will be deciding between the C6 Corvette Z06 and a Porsche coupe. I'm reading this board as part of my pre-purchase research. I get on the track about five times per year at high speed drivers school. Autocross doesn't excite me. I'm 61, and the prospect of giving up a little track performance for an all around nicer car has me thinking I will certainly look at Porsche before I buy another Corvette. I can buy an extended warranty for the Corvette from GM up to four years beyond the standard (seven years total). Even after the warranty has expired, engine and transmission work should come in at $5K or so (each) if the worst happens. The prospect of a $20K to $30K repair bill on a Porsche out of warranty would probably eliminate the Porsche. Even if I were to purchase new and sell under warranty, the possibility of a huge repair bill would be reflected in the value of the car on the used car market. This may be one reason for the relatively low value I see on used 996's. I post this because I believe Porshce marketing people read this forum and others, whether they admit to it or not. The days when a prospective purchaser had to rely on magazine road tests and general reputation of a brand are over. I realize that Porsche resists offering an extended warranty backed by the company because this allows them to sell the same car twice, once as new, and again as as a Porsche endorsed used car from the dealer with warranty. This policy costs them new car sales.

Scouser, IMHO, If there is a specific problem that recurs for many owners, like the RMS problem, there is definitely something here. However, if you are just doing some general bellyaching, then probably you should remember the old saying "if you have to ask the price, than don't buy it". When you got your car, you had to have known that repairs were extraordinarily expensive when compared to many other brands. No? Also, you say you don't want to make any enemies and then you go off and insult people by calling them wimps! In one of your posts on this thread, you suggested that your cause was being diluded. This has a totally different meaning than what I think you wanted to use: diluted! Just my $0.02 . . .

no problems to report but....can i purchase an extended warranty? i have a 5 year lease on my cab...can i extend my warranty out to cover the final year of the lease?

Wow 25% of owners are seriously concerned about their cars being out of warranty, that seem's a little high for a car costing as much as a 996! Extended warranties seem like a good idea. Hopefully the new 997's will have ironed out some of the major issue's with the 996. I'm sure they will drive the price of the 996's down even further than they are now, talk about depreciation, almost comparable to the old Audi's!

Unfortunately the cost of a 911 does not reflect perfect reliability. You are buying performance and prestige. It seems that the more of a "machine" you own the more upkeep is needed. I have a friend the owns a Ferrari, believe me people Ferrari people have their cars in the shop every 8K miles or more.... it seems ridiculous to think the more you spend on a car the more it costs in upkeep. In contrast I also own a Lexus (2nd Lexus I've owned)... and it's perfect. The build, quality, craftmanship, ride, style... the previous one I had for 3 years never was in the shop except for oil changes. It was 45K, half the price of my C4. My 2001 C4 has been in the service department so often the guys know me by name... I walk in there and I'm like Norm in Cheers. Alternator Passenger Seat Rod broken Cracked Windshield Rear Taillight with water in it Leak in the expansion tank - replaced twice (my wife walks right past me and says: "Your 90 thousand dollar car is leaking fluid in our garage") Front headlight Passenger seat belt malfunction Front Rotors - I bitched about this so much they gave them to me 7 tires (although this isn't a warranty item it's expensive if you drive on the ****ty NY roads daily like I do) not including 4 new turbo rims and tires and 4 winter rims and tires Yet after all this, I can't think of any other car I would rather have. I've never driven in any other vehicle that is so connected with the driver. And, according to my wife, I'm insane.

Ok, it's time for my 4 cents. I own a 2000 c2 and I am the 3rd owner of this car. The second being my brother-in-law who pretty much owned the car for its duration. It was very well kept with no serious technical problems. I have not had any RMS leaks or other serious problems since my ownership.............KNOCK ON WOOD. Needless to say, the vehicle's lease will be expiring on February of 2005 and I face the dilemma of purchasing this vehicle, purchasing a new vehicle or not purchasing Porsche at all. I have many friends and family members who are high end sports cars mechanics. I have also conducted my own personal survey and overwhelming all of them have said that Porsche RMS leaks is a serious and VERY COMMON problem. If you call any Porsche dealership at this moment and ask them, like I did, about RMS leaks, they will also admit to the problem. So it's no longer a question of " Does the problem exist? " . It's now a question of " what to do about it? . I definitely don't think buying a new car under warranty is going to solve this problem, since eventually that warranty will expire. I certainly would like very much to hear from a Porsche representative about the discussions we have been having on Rennlist. I think a petition should be the next course of action again requesting a response from Porsche. Failing that, has anyone thought of a legal remedies via class action? In the interim, however, I will continue to drive my Porsche and hope that no serious problems occur prior to the expiration of the lease. At that point I will decide, based, on the outcomes of what were are talking about today, whether or not to Purchase or not purchase. For the moment, however, I am taking a back seat to the thought of purchasing!!!!!! I have always been a Porsche fan and I have always supported the vehicle in discussion forums and conversations with friends. But after I turn the computer off and finish my conversation with friends, I can't help but feel.............well......... feel like I'm lying to myself. Porsche needs to respond and not remain silent! It doesn't like long before this issue will spread like a plaguge. Any perhaps then, and only then , after it effects corporate profit and shareholders wealth maximization will something get done. But then again, at that point, it could be too late. Cheers and safe driving.

Keep their feet to the fire............ Is there a JD Powers survey for 3-4 yr ownership issues?

I am worried too! I have an 00 c2 21k miles and no problems so far. I am worried about long term ownership myself. I think I will buy the extended warranty for 2700 so it will be easier to sell in this depressed 996 market which will only get worse! I want a 997 but am not willing to buy new and lose 20-30k in the first 3 years... So confusing????????????? Robert

"I am worried too! I have an 00 c2 21k miles and no problems so far. I am worried about long term ownership myself. I think I will buy the extended warranty for 2700 so it will be easier to sell in this depressed 996 market which will only get worse! I want a 997 but am not willing to buy new and lose 20-30k in the first 3 years..." DITTO! My sentiments exactly!

Scouser, I notice when you get bombared with posts telling you to stop crying you cave in. "OK. enough said. I'll STFU from now on. I got the message......" Then DJF1 steps in with a post siding with you and then you say: "Well you guys I just want to let you know that your feedback won't stop me" Further you said you "bought it private/used but it had only done 650 miles. I class it as new since this almost delivery miles." Delivery miles on a new car is like 20 miles - if that. Seems like your whole premise is based on the fact that you somehow believe that 650 miles is "delivery miles" You refuse to believe that your car was used - that you bought a used car. There is no telling what the first owner did. Why is that Porsche's responsibility? RR

O.K. then,If some of us think an extended warranty might be a good idea,I'm ready but don't know which company to go with.Recommendations?

Parse words. 650 miles bought from a dealer is considered new (technically it's used). Are you suggesting 650 miles will cause a rms leak? I guess it will if the motor/trans is out of line enough. But then is that the cause of the owner? How about the subsequent rms leaks? I'm unclear of the point you are trying to make?

Been without a Porsche for 3 years, (last 95 c4). Was checking out prices at AutoTrader, & wow low milage 996's (99 & 00) in the mid $30's. I thought that was a great deal until I returned to rennlist (my favorate Porsche site), & see the issues re 996. I guess i'll pass on buying one as there seems to be alot of trouble w/major components. I guess the marketplace rules....where do I shift my $$$$. I miss my P-car but can't afford major issues.

After reading these posts, and Eurpean Car's mag experience with their 03 996 : http://www.europeancarweb.com/longte...ec_porsche911/ to wait for the Boxster coupe or possibly an lotus Elise (hopefully not lots of trouble usually serious)

Any readers of this Board know that if you buy a 996, you better have an extened warranty. I wonder how low the prices of 996s will fall when it won't be possible to get an extended warranty. Fortunately for owners of 996s, there are thousands of potential Porsche buyers who have no idea of 996 quality issues.

i hate to say it but that is true of all of the later 911's (964, 993, 996, etc) it is very easy to rack up a multi-thousand $ repair bill. for example the 993 ORB-II failures, 964 disti- belt failure & general heat system issues,etc. Different problems but all pretty expensive to fix "IF" they happen. (the 964 belt failure has a "fix" but the belts still fail). one of my criteria was a "warrenty" for the 996 to get it through it's street years <edit - i did not answer the poll - i am too new to 996 ownership to draw any conclusions, yet>

multi-thousand may be one thing.. but the 996 has very serious risks of the deca-thousand repair bills.. per part... - Bob996 the guy with $33,500 in maintenance costs in the first 1000 miles of owning his 996 (if porsche didn't pay for the new transmission, $45,000+ )

Can someone please explain to me how the following two pieces of data can coexist? The 911 is reliable and has high resale value: a) the 996 has the highest projected 5yr resale of any premium sports car (57%), the next was 53%. Source, msn-autos b) msn-autos also shows the 911 having 5-star reliability, with zero cautions in the area of engine and transmission vs The sky is falling, all of our 996s are going to blow up a) bob's 996 is a huge nightmare, regardless of whether or not both of the engine failures were "porsche's fault" b) european car has had two engines fail c) numerous anecdotal reports of "all of the '99s I looked at had new engines", and "this shop in name-your-city has crates of new engines just waiting for the day when ours will blow. * Is this the case of a very small percentage of cars having big visible (to the internet) problems? * What's the percentage risk that we're going to get bitten? Is it on the order of the recent M3 problems? My paranoid side is getting really nervous about this. Yes, I could buy an extended warranty when mine is about to run out, but my key question is: is this a car with deep enough quality to qualify as a "lifer", as a truly long-term (10+ year) purchase? If not, I might as well jump ship now while it's still worth something. Oh, and Bob, you're not helping, but you probably realize that. Saying "the 996 has *very serious risks* of the deca-thousand..." is just spreading FUD. You had one engine failure (the one shipped in the car) that "counts", and a comedy of errors ensued that ended up being seriously expensive. I say this because your first "replacement" engine was (IIRC) a theft-recovery engine, which was a crapshoot. Regrettable, yes. Typical of 996 reliability, no (hopefully ).

I first looked and saw the earlier ones had problems so I chalked that up to teething problems. Then I figured an engine, if a lemon, would show up in the first few thousand miles. A replacement engine should correct any design flaws in RMS etc. I then read how later model year cars, i.e. European cars' 4S 03, had problems after many thousand of miles. I def would be paranoid if my warranty ran out. Seems like a crap shoot, but I would guess if you are trouble free, (typically things break if installed or made badly rather quickly) by the time the warranty expires you should be good to go; as long as you are religous about changing fluids. Just drive it at the track and have big fun whilst it is warranty to hopefully flush out any problems. Re good resale values: Porsche has clout built up over generations of desirable sports cars; if 996's start failing out of warranty like Bobs replacement engines, then to that, bad news travels fast on the net. The Porsche dealer also said that he was under the impression that Porsche realizes it made too many 996's and Boxsters, leading to discounts at dealers and that Porsche will not make that mistake again. Whilst I think the #'s of boxsters coming off lease has depressed their value; the qc reputation is going to matter most in resale when it comes to a 911 because almost every kid wants one. I think an interesting poll would be how many 996 owners now will sell before or shortly after their warranty expires. btw, do extended warranty companies forbid track use?

If people want to torture themselves about the fear of a potential RMS leak that "normally" costs a relatively minor amount to repair that's their prerogative. They can read this stuff forever. In the last 10 years we've been through 5 BMW's, 2 MB's and 2 P's. They are all problematic in one way or another and obscenely expensive to repair. That's old news, a well understood fact of life and should be part of anyone's initial purchase decision. When reliability becomes a more important factor than the driving experience, I'll probably buy a Honda or Toyota. Scouser (and all the others who have been surprised with repair issues), I sympathize with you. However, perhaps its time you evaluate your criteria, purchase cars accordingly and enjoy the opportunity to live with decisions you made. If you believe the car is flawed (sh*t happens in life) then dump it, learn from it and move on. I don't mean to sound harsh but I don't ever recall being told there's a universal big brother that will shield us from life's inconveniences. And here I am participating in a discussion I wish could be more factual, less emotional and certainly less personalized.