Hmmm... as 996 prices drop they keep looking better and better. This is ok for $17K

[450knotOffice]

I don't. I've owned the car for 4 1/2 years and I've driven 75,000 of the 112,000 miles that it's accumulated so far. It feels bulletproof. The clutch will be replaced in a few months so I'll install the L&N Engineering IMS bearing retrofit at that time, along with a new RMS (even though mine's still dry).

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by 450knotOffice

My wife drives a Cayman and I absolutely LOVE the handling of that car -

pics?

[89911]

Porsche’s Deadly Sin #1: 1999 Porsche 911 (996) 3.4 | The Truth About Cars

I have subscribed to this Blog for years and thought there review was enlightening to say the least. They don't pull punches for a lot of makes. I'm sure this has surfaced before on this board. Not a bad time to revisit. My opinion is the 996 had its problems and with each "improved" version they keep trying to "fix" what problems the earlier version had. Wouldn't it be time to just come up with a new, clean car? I guess that would end up costing $150,000 to start.

[450knotOffice]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

pics?

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by 89911

Porsche’s Deadly Sin #1: 1999 Porsche 911 (996) 3.4 | The Truth About Cars

I have subscribed to this Blog for years and thought there review was enlightening to say the least. They don't pull punches for a lot of makes. I'm sure this has surfaced before on this board. Not a bad time to revisit. My opinion is the 996 had its problems and with each "improved" version they keep trying to "fix" what problems the earlier version had. Wouldn't it be time to just come up with a new, clean car? I guess that would end up costing $150,000 to start.

Wow. Talk about yellow journalism.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Dottore

Wow. Talk about yellow journalism.

Yeah, *Wow* is right....

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, (no matter how ignorant and misinformed it may be), but this guy seems to have written that article using only internet discussions and/or viral rumors to base all of his "expertise"...wait a minute...

[Talewinds]

Originally Posted by Dottore

Wow. Talk about yellow journalism.

Well stated.

[speeder]

There are grains of truth intertwined in that piece but finding them is like sifting through vomit trying to find something appetizing.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by speeder

Yeah, *Wow* is right....

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, (no matter how ignorant and misinformed it may be), but this guy seems to have written that article using only internet discussions and/or viral rumors to base all of his "expertise"...wait a minute...

LOL! A quote from the piece for those to lazy to click.

Porsche had been “fighting” failures of the watercooled engine, which appeared first in the 1997 Boxster, from the very first car that rolled off the line. Porous engine blocks, intermediate shaft failures… the watercooled boxers were junk. This is enough for a Deadly Sin — knowingly equipping every naturally-aspirated Boxster and 911 they sold from 1997 to as late as 2008 with failure-prone engines — but, as always, Porsche raised the bar in the customer-screwing department.

[onewhippedpuppy]

993 vs 996 is certainly difficult, but also not entirely fair. Good luck finding a great condition 993 for $20k. I paid $17k for my 61k 2001 Carrera 2, that car was in great shape with the sport package, Litronic lights, Cargraphic mufflers, Evo intake, and a spare set of turbo twists. Smoking deal for a lot of car.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

LOL! A quote from the piece for those to lazy to click.

Porsche had been “fighting” failures of the watercooled engine, which appeared first in the 1997 Boxster, from the very first car that rolled off the line. Porous engine blocks, intermediate shaft failures… the watercooled boxers were junk. This is enough for a Deadly Sin — knowingly equipping every naturally-aspirated Boxster and 911 they sold from 1997 to as late as 2008 with failure-prone engines — but, as always, Porsche raised the bar in the customer-screwing department.

Gee Paul, you have to have a major axe to grind with Porsche if you think that is a balanced article about 996's.

It's Sunday morning. Just some examples of the rubbish in that piece:


"...the problems range from oil leakage at the rear main seal (which is more or less universal) to cylinder head failure. In nearly all cases, the “fix” is the same: to purchase a complete rebuild from Porsche, at your expense. Figure on $15,000 or more for the “subsidized” engine."

First, there was a problem, but it was confined to a relatively small percentage of these engines. The vast majority of owners had zero problems. Second, If catastrophic engine failure occurred the engine was replaced under warranty. So the suggestion of "universal" failure "at your expense"—is yellow journalism. Full stop

"...the watercooled boxers were junk.... as always, Porsche raised the bar in the customer-screwing department..."


The blanket statement that the watercooled boxers "were junk" has zero basis in fact. Voted the best sports car many years running etc, many of these cars are still around with no problems whatsoever. Yellow journalism.

...During those years, Porsche worked with its dealers to deny warranty claims, place blame on customers, withhold knowledge of fixes, and generally burn every last bit of goodwill they had built up over years of…

Right. Yellow journalism.

While waiting for his $75,000 Porsche to experience a $15,000 engine failure, the 911 owner could at least fail to enjoy the most dismal, fragile interior ever seen in a production Porsche. Buttons wore out, dashes cracked, radios committed suicide in new and interesting ways, and every single electrical component in the car seemed prone to intermittent, untraceable failure.

Good grief. Go look at some high mileage 996's at your local dealers. The interiors may be ugly, but they're not fragile. And "every single electrical component" prone to failure? What nonsense! Yellow journalism.

I saw brand-new 996s with cracked leather on the seats when the cars were still in dealerships.

Give me a break ... Yellow journalism.

[450knotOffice]

Sooo...I guess my 10 year old 112,000 mile 996 with NO cracks in the dash or leather anywhere, NO buttons worn out, NO radio failures, NO random electrical failures, NO engine issues, etc., must be one of the RARE 996's that Porsche got absolutely right.

Yea, that guy has no axe to grind, does he?

I read the whole article months ago.

Paul IS the resident Porsche hater here, btw.

[Fishman7]

They are great cars and at a great value. I recently went to the 997 side a 2006 with 16,000 miles on the clock, car stickered for $98,000 and I picked it up for less than half price. Performance is out of this world and you can drive it all day and not feel like you were beat up. The best of both worlds it to have an early one and a newer one, watch the 997's they are a great value also.

[Schumi]

I like how that article states frameless door windows were shared with the boxster as a means of cost cutting. Sure, sharing development with another car cuts cost, but frameless door windows are not used to cut costs, they are a styling feature. They are actually more of a challenge to implement due to the dynamic sealing trim involved.


Jackass article.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Just remember that thanks to the Internet, any no-talent assclown can be a "journalist".

[Embraer]

the 996 side of the forums here certainly talk about some of the common issues. just because porsche made it doesn't mean i have to get a boner over it. obviously the previous (and current) 996 owners are getting defensive about it.

it's a lot of car for the money, but it still seems like it's a gamble. if you buy with the understanding that it's pretty much a disposable car, then no worries.

might there be a reason that the resale sucks so bad on these things versus any other 911 produced?

[Schumi]

I think it's definately car to buy and keep for a long time. not a car you would want to buy and sell after a only a year.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by 450knotOffice

that's really nice! How difficult is it to lower a Cayman?

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Dottore

Gee Paul, you have to have a major axe to grind with Porsche if you think that is a balanced article about 996's.

.

Pray tell, where did I say it was balanced????

[porsche4life]

It was about as balanced as a Rush Limbaugh report!