Advice on buying used at it relates to RMS

A buddy of mine is looking to buy a 99 or 2000 996 cab. Is is better for him to get something with say 30 or 40k miles because of RMS issues as opposed to 10 or 12k miles. Would the RMS have likely reared its ugly head before 40k miles or should he get the lower milege because the likelihood of RMS is not decreased with a higher milege vehicle. What should I recommend since he will be buying out of warranty. BTW, his main concern is not replacing the RMS, but the chance that it would need a new engine. I told him to go with higher milege.

Hey, Doug: If you're buddy's a serious buyer, I have a great 99 cab I'm thinking about selling as I'm being tempted by a friend's 92 C2 Turbo. The car is a triple black 1999 Carrera 2 cabriolet, 6-speed, 32k miles, 30k service done at the dealer in October, no RMS problems, fully loaded ($90k sticker -- full leather, supple leather, power seats, memory seats, heated seats, on-board computer, dark burl wood steering wheel, e-brake and shifter, traction control, hi-fi, CD changer, hard top, clear Autobahn film on the nose and mirrors) and, best of all, it's Porsche certified so it has a factory warranty until 10-28-05. Right now it's on new factory 17 Carrera "twist" rims and Dunlop snows but I have a brand-new set of lightweight 18" 5-spoke Carrera rims (never mounted) with P-Zero Rossos available as well. Car's never been hit or painted, etc. Beautiful example. Looking for a reasonable offer, not to just give her away :-) Vic

Vic: He is serious and he has the money. There are two or three he is looking into. One with 12,000 miles and two in the 30 to 40k range. He would be very interested because of the warranty. Email me your telephone number and I am sure he will call you today. [email removed]

If I found 2 cars with options that I could live with (though different), for the same $, I'd buy the newer model year car. If that ties, I'd buy the lower mileage car. Don't sweat the RMS possibility specifically, just don't commit to a car that is beyond your budget. You should always be able to afford an unexpected repair bill equal to ~10% of the price. I'm not saying you should expect it or be happy about it if it happens, but you should have the stomach and the bank account to deal with it without it ruining your (financial, emotional, ...) life . If this feedback makes you sweat (and it may not, so ignore me then) you know there are lots of fun driver's cars out there at lower prices, lower depreciation rates and dare I say higher (perceived) reliability that you'll have lots of fun with. These cars are meant to be enjoyed, not worried over, so only commit if you can without reservation of how you'd deal with some down the line issue. My $0.02

Vic: Robert said he would be calling you. We have been both tied up in court last couple of days, but I image you will hear from him by this weekend.

This is a clear indication of how silly this RMS hysteria has become. If I recall correctly from the poll taken a couple of months ago only around 20% of early 996s had an RMS problem. If you do have it, the cost to repair is something less than $1k. The idea that someone would buy a car with 20,000 extra miles on it to avoid this potential repair is crazy. Buy the low mileage car. If you have an RMS failure, fix it. As was stated above, if you can't stomach a $1k repair you are looking at the wrong car. Whew! Got that off my chest. Jim

Porsche, after several atempts to repair (by replacing the seal or by using the special tool to check for roundness) will replace the engine... this is for a car under warranty. Replacing an engine is not a $1K expense... And this is what has kept me from buying one... do you know how many times I have been to the dealer to drive an used 2002/03 and just walked away because I can't be certaint it will not blow up... I was at the dealership even today looking at a C4S (love those lines)... I do not abuse my cars but do push them every opportunity I have so I need to feel confident that the likelyhood of breaking them is close to null... seeing the RMS issues even in 2003 cars scares me... and no, I do not have the budget to buy a GT3 which has the engine I feel Porsche should have installed in all 996. There! Got it off my chest too...

Best thing IMO is if a engine needs to be replaced why not get a PPI at a dealership and inspect the RMS and make sure it's within the acceptable parameter- if it is should be fine. The thing I find kinda funny that every car I owned(been in the bmw family from 3-7 series) and they all leaked oil -if it does just fix it. Regards. Mike

Buy the car you like best and spend $2500 for an extended warranty. Mine covers the RMS. Good thing, as there are a few drops under there lately ...

I am not buying the car, but someone who is buying their first Porsche is. He asked me what concerns are present with the 996 model. I told him RMS. He asked how much, I told him $ 800 or so unless they end up replacing the engine. He makes more money than I so money not the issue. He just doesn't want his first Porsche experience to be one of those rare instances were an RMS leads to the replacement of a motor. I understand that no-one has a crystal ball. I, however, was under the impression that an RMS issue would likely appear early first 20 or 30k miles. If I am wrong, then please advise. That was the purpose of this post. For me, it is not a problem. I lease for two years and keep new warrantied Porsches in the driveway. If one breaks, I have another one to drive. He is not looking for a new car as he will rarely drive this vehicle. He uses an S 500 and a Lexus 470 SUV as his work horses. In is mind, he can only rationalize spending X amount for a car that may get driven once every other week during the summer time. He does have interest in the extended warranty option, but we were both under the impression you had to buy the car through a dealer to get it certified and get an legitimate extended warranty. Please advise if their are other legitimate or viable options for extended warranties. Thanks for the help.

I'm curious whether driving frequency has any bearing on the frequency of RMS leaks. I owned two air-cooled 911s prior to my 996, and have always driven them on a daily basis with very few problems of any kind. Conversely, it seems people I know who drive their 911s infrequently have significantly more problems, especially leaks. I think these cars like to be driven regularly. Have any of the (many) previous Rennlist RMS discussions included any data on daily driven vs. weekender 996s?

Mine's a daily driver, and had RMS. I haven't heard of anyone having to pay for an RMS-induced engine replacement fully out of pocket. Seems to me that if you're out of warranty, Porsche can't force you replace the engine and you can indefinitely keep replacing the seal (though at $1000 a pop that will add up over time.) And I think there have been a few cases where Porsche has stepped up, at least partially, for out of warranty repairs too. For those out there considering and now nervous about committing....I keep coming back to risk management...if there is a small (< 1% but we don't know exactly) chance that I'm driving a car that is going to need a new engine AND that cost is going to come out of my own pocket, then how will I deal with the nightmare scenario? I certainly don't wish it on anyone and I'd be very unhappy if it happened to me, but I wouldn't get financially involved with a car in the first place if I didn't have the confidence that I had a way to deal with losing a substantial piece of it. (and that's probably why I'm not driving a Ferrari!)

I love Porsche and love my 996. As a daily driver, I would not take any other model over the 996 with the 3.6. In fact, I think the 996 with the extra power is the absolute best Porsche ever for a combination of performance, comfort and daily drivability. I would not be overly concerned if I had an RMS issue either because it would be covered under warranty, I have other cars to drive and my dealer has good service. It seems as most of the RMS issues are cured by a simple seal change are something can be addressed in a day or two and done during service intervals. The number of catostrophic failures requiring engine changes seems very remote and a lot less of an issue than say the wiring harness of the 993s, engine issues experienced by the new M3 and engine issues of some models of the NSX.

For someone that had their RMS replaced twice, it really is not a huge deal, but is inconvenience. I may feel different if car was not under warrantee. I would not deter buying a 996 because of the RMS as long as you have tight history maintenance records, and have car checked out by qualified tech and body shop. If possible try too to fine one with extended warrantee and/or Porsche Certified. Good luck. Unlike the 993 with wire harness recall at no charge, PCNA does not apply after warrantee cover to the RMS.

For someone that had their RMS replaced twice, it really is not a huge deal, but is inconvenience. I may feel different if car was not under warrantee. I would not deter buying a 996 because of the RMS as long as you have tight history maintenance records, and have car checked out by qualified tech and body shop. If possible try too to fine one with extended warrantee and/or Porsche Certified. Good luck. Unlike the 993 with wire harness recall at no charge, PCNA does not apply after warrantee cover to the RMS.

For someone that had their RMS replaced twice, it really is not a huge deal, but is inconvenience. I may feel different if car was not under warrantee. I would not deter buying a 996 because of the RMS as long as you have tight history maintenance records, and have car checked out by qualified tech and body shop. If possible try too to fine one with extended warrantee and/or Porsche Certified. Good luck. Unlike the 993 with wire harness recall at no charge, PCNA does not apply after warrantee cover to the RMS.

I agree that these cars need to be driven and it seems (at least to me) that cars that aren't driven much seem to encounter more issues. Unofficial poll, fellow owners who autocross/track their cars and uses them often vs friends who don't; friends who don't seem to have more issues. But, Porsche is the only manufacturer who's dealers stock at least one engine in thier parts department. The two dealers I visited both had one complete engine in their parts department. I'm presuming its only one motor in stock. But it says something about how often the dealers are expecting a replacement doesn't it?

I've been trying to find a '99 996 cab, but I'm concerned about the RMS issue as well. It's not the $1k seal replacement, but the potential to have to replace the engine. I haven't seen many Porsche certified cars available, and I would prefer to buy a lower mileage car direct from the individual owner. I understand that some buyers have been successful in involving the dealer in the transaction and paying for a car to be certified.