I am looking at a 2001 996 Carrera coupe to buy. The car has 86,000 miles on it and has lots of little scratches and dings on it. The price is quite low and I'm not too concerned with the cosmetics of the car. My primary concern is the mechanicals. I currently own a 1989 3.2 Carrera and a 1972 911T, and have had several cars of similar vintages. I've never had a water cooled 911, however. I'm looking for a daily driving machine, by the way. So...I'm looking for advice. Is 86,000 miles a lot for one of these cars? Is this engine in it's "twilight" miles? I mean, if the life expectancy of a water cooled 3.4 liter engine is only 100,000 miles, that means I could drive this car only about 14,000 miles before having to dump in about $13,000 for a new engine. If I add $13,000 to the low price of the car, it probably makes more sense to buy a low mileage car in excellent condition than this one. That seems logical based on a 100,000 mile typical life on a 996 engine. The problem is that I really don't know the typical life of these engines. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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YOUR RESEARCH2001 996 Carrera Coupe
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The M96 motors do NOT have a life expectancy. There has been allot written about the various oil leaks and occasional failures of these motors, but only Porsche has the dealership data. I will refer you Excellence magazine, which has done an article on the M96 motor. There are thousands of examples that have many more miles on them. The M96 has been raced very successfully in the U.S. and in Europe, winning multiple races and championships. Now comes the part of the response where I give an anecdotal example to prove my point. You also need to consider that a replacement M96 motor is about the same price as an engine rebuild. There are shops that will rebuild M96 motors now that they have been around for a long time. This example is not a high milage car by any means. It makes sense to buy the best 996 that fits in your budget. The condition and maintenance history of the car matter more than the milage.
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