Broken-hearted Broke Down & Busted

I own a 2001 Carrera 4 , 102 K mi, 6 spd, dark blue. Engine blown, oil and water mixed, cooling system shot. Great rolling condition. Two local shops quote $30K To $40K to replace engine and put back on road AND they don�t want to do it till next year! What am I gonna do!!! Must have another Porsche. Any value in present condition?

Find another shop. I gather from a couple of your other posts that you�re from Maine and also have an irrational desire to consume a Porsche. Well, consume you have done will continue to be doing. Find a shop that charges closer to $25k to rebuild the engine. The waiting list is reality. You don�t want to wait 3 years, skip that shop. You don�t want a shop that has no wait, skip that one too. A good shop will require a wait. Whats exactly wrong with the engine? Intermix can be cracked head, bad heat exchanger, or something else. I�d make sure you know what the issue is before diving head first (again) into the world of: P lenty O f R eceipts S orry C an�t H ave E verything

Agree with Mike Murphy above, get a definitive diagnosis as to what is wrong with the engine, it may be salvageable at reasonable cost. Also, only deal with a shop that specializes in Porsches, you should not be paying for a "local shop's" learning curve on how to fix your car. If my experience can be of any benefit, my 1999 C2 Cab suffered the same intermix at 72K miles due to a cracked head which I attribute to a leaking coolant reservoir tank. I was able to repair it for about $1500 although I did all the work myself. Even paying for labor, $30 to $40k is obscenely overpriced, they are seriously trying to take you for a proverbial ride! Best of luck.

First step - diagnosis, a complete and thorough diagnoses by a competent expert in our engines. Find out what is wrong and where. There are good shops that can do this. Second step - a realistic quote for what needs to be done. Could be something like a cracked head which can be repaired. There are also several other things that can cause intermix and you should have those checked as well. The point being that fixing the car may only cost several thousands of dollars versus an entire replacement engine at $30-40K. Don't run the engine until you know exactly what is wrong. How did you determine initially all of these problems?

Often a shop will quote you very high if they are busy. They want to scare you away with the price, with the possibility that you will accept and the high price will make it worth their while., You need to find out exactly what happened to the engine as others have said here. Then make the decision based on that.

Flush the intermix out ASAP before it's too late!

I had a shop tell me my intermix was a cracked head and block without taking all the steps to really know for sure. I was skeptical, as I thought it was only a cracked head. I took it to another shop who despite very good reviews online was totally clueless and wasted my time/money. I got a third opinion at a very reputable shop who actually pulled out the engine to verify the condition. Mind you I never told the first two shops that I wouldn�t pay to remove the engine to check it out. Long story short, the third shop fixed my car for a whole lot less. Not only was my block fine, it was in outstanding condition. No scoring, no nothing. Been driving my car for months and it runs like a champ. Did a lot of preventative mx while I was there. It wasn�t cheap, but it wasn�t back breaking either.

Hello I am always on the lookout for 996/997's with engine damage. I'm in Falmouth, ME. Study all your options and email me if you might want to sell. [email removed]

Not sure how far up in Maine you are but you may want to call Mark Nadler at Exotech in Newton NH. Wait time is inevitable as a shop usually can't tie up a lift for several days, but it's at least worth a phone call to see if you can get the proper diagnosis. Blair Talbot is closer, Dover NH, I think. I don't know if he does 996 engine rebuilds, but give him a call.

Eve, very sorry to hear. A good Indy shop can help you depending on the path you take. Plenty of options at different price points. 1. Check out Eurocarguy911 most recent thread on his solution. He is getting a brand new short block from the factory. Because he has the mechanical skills, he can do the job plus the cost of parts. ~12-15k 2. Some find a used M96 engine as a replacement, but need an Indy to do the swap if they don't have the skills. Some will even ship their broken engine to LN or FSI for a rebuild and then when complete, swap the engine again and then sell the used engine to recoup costs (see #3/4 below). ~10-15k 3. Others go to LN Engineering for a rebuild of their original engine with better parts than factory. ~20-22k 4. Some folks go to FSI for a robust rebuild that gives them better parts, internal engine enhancements, and substantially more power than the other 3 options, but yes there is a wait to get it done., and the costs run what you were quoted. 5. Or you can rebuild the engine yourself if you have the skill set. ​​​​ if you need a shop recommendation, let us know where you are located and I am sure the collective trust can throw some names your way.

I had a guy that came to my garage and he wanted a free estimate that tells him exactly what is wrong with his car and how much to fix it. This is while I have a 997C4S engine to pull out.... Time is not free and accurate estimates for this type of problem are not free, or quick, or easy. In 10 minutes, all I can tell you is a good engine rebuild for a 996/997 is $25K plus labor. If you are very lucky, and it's just a heat exchanger, then it's $2K. Everything in between is possible. Engine rebuilds and machine shop times are long, tying up a space for a long time and a garage does not really want that. It costs, and they charge you. Sorry, consider selling it?

If you can have it towed, a very knowledgeable Indy Shop is Deutsche RennSport in Pittsburgh, PA. I know, a long haul but Dan Crytzer (the owner) is as good as any Indy Mech and his waiting list is short while his customer service is fantastic. He just went through my car with a fine tooth comb and now she's 100%. Give him a call at [phone removed] or [email removed] . Good luck! Joel