http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Beautiful-1999-911-996-C4-Cabriolet-tiptronic-non-running-engine-/160793248002?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2570064102

Here is one. Would look Damn good up on blocks out in front of Speeders house in East La.
No convertibles, or awd cars for me, but this is probably the 3rd one I have come across in 3 weeks of searching.

All that work only to have the bottom end go out 1500 miles later.

remind me to never look into these cars. Ever.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-Porsche-911-996-Cabriolet-Only-10-000-miles-Bad-Motor-Repairable-/330726914651?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4d00dc3a5b

Two in one day.

Wow, some stretches of this thread look like a cage fight! I'm now also in that 996 boat with no engine. In 2004 we bot it for $42k not far from the coast in Central Ca. A good guy, car guy, with a classic immac MG also. His sales pitch was "Look at it... it looks like a brand new car AND it has $25k worth of options. This car was $90,000 new". It was all true. We had been looking for a 993 but were wisely reminded by a salesman in San Luis "You live in Fresno, you need good AC, you want a 'driver'; go for the water cooled 996". He was right ,too. Best AC we have had in a car. Fun, solid, fairly comfortable. Nothing went wrong for about 7 years. 3 wks ago, I pulled into the garage thinking it was running funny -very odd. I did the oil level check via the instruments; it showed very full. Odd, too. Lift engine lid; coolant low (the light on the dash had begun slowly flashing) It took 3 qts. Odd, never before that low. Pulled the dipstick; it gurgled as I did so. Tan, foamy Mobil 1. There is more to this story but it's all sad. jvm

FYI:

Buddy of mine just got his 996 back from the shop with a full rebuild on a used case...


$17k


He added a couple things, but still.

Ouch!

The car is with me at the moment. Super fun to drive.

I don't want one.


KT

The rings alone are $1200... :eek:


KT

For $8K including shipping he could have had a 430hp E-ROD LS3 crate motor, complete from oil pan to intake, water pump to flywheel, INCLUDING the computer, wiring harness, exhaust manifolds, catalytic converters, O2 sensors, MAF sensor, canister purge, throttle pedal, and everything else required to pass CALIFORNIA emissions (CARB) right out of the box. Turn key. 2 year 50K mile warranty.

http://performanceparts.com/part/GM-Performance/19257234

Sure, he would still have to fabricate an exhaust, pay Renegade for the mounts, etc and pay for labor.

But he'd still be up ~100 hp and have spent less overall for a BRAND NEW factory built set-up.

There's no reason or excuse for that. There's nothing special about 996 N/A piston rings that could cost $200 a piston. Even high-end custom-made hand-filed race rings aren't even close to that.

Tell me what the rebuild of an air-cooled motor will cost when you "add a couple things"? It's a very interesting double standard that we have going here......

For those that experience a failure in a 996/986, there are other options that are WAY cheaper. You can take your chances with a used motor ($5-8k or so), get an inspected and updated CPO motor from flat six innovations (I think about $8k), or get a full rebuild ($12-18k). My guess is that your buddy had a very high quality rebuild done with the addition of some performance stuff.

I spoke with 'Parts Heaven', bay area, Ca. They are Big. They just got in two very nice looking 996s and hoped to sell them complete. Ha, they are parting them out. They had no used engines of circa 2000. Said we should be very angry with Porsche ...there are so many nice and well-maintained 996s with ruined engines. Seems half the engine designs from P have major defects over the last 3-4 decades. The porous cases, IMS failures, now intermix for whatever reasons. Porsche makes a very expensive disposable car. My son has found an 04, 3.6L. I'm trying to find out just how compatable it is with the 2000 car. That's in the 996 forum. jvm

Hmmm, Let's see:
~ $8,700 or so for a very nice (posting above C4 cab) 996with a dead motor
~$6,700 or so for all the parts Renegade makes to handle the conversion and
~$8,000 for an aluminum SBC with about 400 hp.

And there isn't a shop pumping these out?

Life is funny, ain't it?

Best
Les

So what do the very nice looking / bad motor ones actually go for? I saw a couple for sale, but one ended at $8,750 and the other at over $20,000. That's a pretty big spread but what kaisen described is just so tempting...

Steve,

I think the reason for the spread between those two was one had bottom end troubles and the other sounded to me like top end, maybe that would affect the relative values.

But say you could get into 430 hp 996 for Camry money?
Tempting, no?

I was never a fan of SBCs in air-cooled 911s, but for sick water pumpers, there is so much to recommend it.

Best
Les

I didn't know if maybe the tiptronic had something to do with it being worth less? I was getting ready to ask about mating up the drivetrain but see that's included in the kit. So many fun projects out there, so little time...

The "not a real Porsche" ignorant 996 haters aside, I just can't envision a 911 without a flat six. You can't argue that a SBC is the ultimate in cheap reliable power, but I can't imagine that package feeling "right" any more than a flat six in a Corvette. At the core of both cars is a certain distinct engine configuration, that probably contributes more to the car's individual character than any other single attribute. There are a lot of cars that simply go fast for less money than a Porsche, but none that I've encountered have the same feel to them.

If Ruf can put a V8 in a 911, I don't know why we can't.

True. And I'm nervous of the day my SIX blows up.
I saw an ad here a while back for just the parts to build my motor-$8k.
Then the $4-5k to build it.


KT

Eric - Steve and I were talking about this today. You know what would be a ridiculous amount of fun?

A Caymen with an LS engine... :D

YEAH BABY!!!

angela

So......., for being worthless, this one from earlier in the thread did alright on eBay:

Porsche : 911 Carrera Porsche : 911 Carrera - eBay (item 330726914651 end time May-13-12 12:23:15 PDT)