"Blue Paint" Engines

[nynor]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I've heard they have a bullet proof drive train!

i couldn't say. i did a lot of research, but i don't claim to be an expert. we'll see.

[rusnak]

I have forgotten how many times the odometer on my '70 914-6 has gone around.

I replaced the fuel pump with an original part, factory Porsche Classic fuel pump from Porsche, and it is still going strong, no worries.

I sort of doubt that they'll be selling original parts for the Cayman in 2058.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by CJFusco

Nah. I have a Volvo wagon, and my wife is in the process of shopping for something bigger now (she currently has a Mazda3, which is pretty small).

A lot of people gave the stereotypical, chuckling "haw haw haw now that you're married, the little missus is going to make you sell your toy cars and buy a minivan."

What they don't realize is the family she's from.

Dad has five cars: a new Chevy pickup, an old Chevy pickup he uses for his ferrier business, a 1970 Chevy truck with a 350, a 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T, and a 1972 Plymouth Duster.

Mom has two cars: a Toyota SUV and a Boxster S.

Brother has four vehicles: a Toyota FJ, another Duster, an old Bronco, and some kind of "crotch-rocket" bike.

Uncle has... something like 20-30 cars? Pretty much every model Corvette from the early 60s to the late 70s, Boss 302 Mustangs, Rambler Scramblers, custom Mercury hot rods... in his warehouse, a friend also stores a custom-built 964 TWIN Turbo (big oil puddle next to that one for some reason), a Cayman GT4, and a 981 Boxster S.

So. She knows better than to try to separate a car guy from his toys

You're a lucky guy...

Meaning, in the years ahead, the problem with this one "toycar" will become just a memory...a minor bump in the road. An understanding wife is fantastic.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by CJFusco

Exactly. You break a head stud, you don't need to replace the engine. It's a pain, sure, but not, as they say with m96/m97 failures, "catastrophic."

True, but to be fair, a full rebuild of a SC 3.0 will easily cost as much as replacing an M96 or M97 that had a catastrophic failure. And there are a good number of people now rebuilding the modern engines when they have usable cores. Let's also not forget that you can get two nice 986S for the same price as a driver 911SC.

[sc_rufctr]

All true Matt but when I see a photo like this I know what I'd rather own.

I'm sure the newer water cooled cars are faster etc. but with the right mods the humble SC can feel very nimble & you should at the very least get your money back when it comes time to sell.

[UconnTim97]

I'm curious. What percentage of these Porsche engine failures had after market modifications?

I'm not putting blame on the after market mods in anyway. I'm asking out of lack of knowledge/experience. I'm sure someone here with more knowledge than me can weigh in on the subject of aftermarket mods vs. long term reliability.

Porsche engine reliability was compared to that of Camrys earlier in this thread. I'd hazard a guess there are more modified Porsches on the road than modified Camrys.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by KNS

Agree. If I buy a Ford Focus made in Mexico I'm not thrilled about it but oh well, it should be fine.

If I buy a Porsche I want it to be made in Germany. It's part of the whole image they're trying to sell the public (tooling through the Alps in your Carrrera, etc.). I'm buying German engineered and built.

BMW will start building 3 series in Mexico. Will the customer get the same break in price proportionate to the savings BMW will have by not building them in Germany?

If you're shopping for a new Buick take a close look at the sticker, some US models are made in China now.

Do you guys realize how little labor goes into a car in the assembly plant versus the labor in the components? It's about 20 hours of assembly per car.

The march to Chinese/Vietnamese/Mexican content is inexorable. And the vast majority is hidden.

Castings, wire looms, glass, electronics, switches, etc. Castings go from Chine to Mexico and then get bolted on to your 'German' or 'American' made engine etc etc.

Aren't some of the Boxsters made in Finland? Are they inferior to a German car? More IMS failures?

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I hate to disagree but considering the history a Porsche 911 IN MY OPINION it should be 100% Made In Germany!

German made excellence... There is no substitute! Isn't that what they've been trying to sell us for generations?

My German made 1994 VW Golf VR6 has traveled well over 300,000 kilometers without any major issues.
How has the Mexican assembled 1994-98 Jetta VR6 fared in comparison?

Let's talk about this german engineering thing for a second.
The only german cars i've ever owned was a VW bug and 4 Porsches.

The bug was unreliable but was so easy and cheeep to fix it didn't count.

The Porsches were all old and mostly modified and had their issues.

Never owned a beemer or mercedes, but based on the market their values drop off the edge of the earth when they hit a hundred grand.
Is that because they start to fall apart, or just because they are so damned expensive to fix (VAT)?
A decent beemer can be had for 5 grand if it has lots o'miles.
A mercedes 500 SL that cost boo-koo dollars new drops to 10 grand when the odo hits 100,000 .(i know boo-koo ain't right but i ain't french).


Most US cars are good for 200k, Japanese and korean cars are good for 300k+ without much drama.

Seems to me that just about every european car is a ticking time bomb that has an expiration date. Planned obsolescence.
Except British cars, they don't last long enough to get an expiration date.

[1990C4S]

Reality versus what people want to believe. Mercedes never had a wire harness or head gasket problem. Or a rust/paint issue.

My Mexican VW has 520,000 km. But it's junk I guess.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

Reality versus what people want to believe. Mercedes never had a wire harness or head gasket problem. Or a rust/paint issue.

My Mexican VW has 520,000 km. But it's junk I guess.

That's a lot of KM's.
How much maintenance has it taken to keep that VW alive that long?


An engineer who works for me bought his wife a new mercedes a few years back.

When it was less than 2 years old it died and had to be towed.
The dealer said the problem was caused by coffee spilling out of her coffee cup into the center cup holder.
Evidently the cup holder is NOT water-tight and has sensitive delicate wiring or circuit boards underneath it.
Not covered under warranty, $1100.
He traded it in for a soo-ba-rooo.





(found the original post):

Quote:
Originally Posted by intakexhaust
The monkey motion and 76 individual parts for the Mercedes 300e cupholder has them beat. Personally I hate all of them but have to compromise to keep all happy. Fricken' spills on the burled walnut, drips INTO the console where you CANNOT clean it.

That happened to my friend's wife's MB but it shorted out a bunch of electronics under the console because the stupid cup holder wasn't even water tight.
Over a grand in repairs, not covered under warranty because the damage was due to neglect (using the cup holder for coffee).
06-23-2014, 07:53 AM

[sammyg2]

How much were these things new and who's idea was it to design a hydraulic top that is the kiss of death?
I would really, really like to buy one that cheeep but I'm afraid I'd be throwing good money after bad.
As in drive it til it breaks and then abandon it.


****** 1999 Mercedes Benz SL500 Roadster SL 500 - $3950 (San Clemente)


1999 Mercedes Benz SL500
fuel: gas
odometer: 159000
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
1999 Mercedes Benz SL500 Roadster
159K Miles
Clean Title/Clean Carfax
Jet Black on Black
Black soft top and hardtop
Automatic V8 5.0

Very clean inside and out!
Runs excellent
Sport tires with chrome wheels
BOSE audio

NOTE: Power top does not work, Top only works manually

$3,950 Out the door cash price includes sales tax, smog and all DMV fees with new 2018 tags. I'm a small, licensed private dealer.

[sc_rufctr]

The power top is fixable. The Hydraulic actuators and hoses can be bought as needed but like anything Benz they are not inexpressive.

I'd have to drive it with the hard top on anyway. Convertibles are for the young and beautiful

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

That's a lot of KM's.
How much maintenance has it taken to keep that VW alive that long?

Not a lot. Front end rebuild at 400,000 km (bushings, struts, cv joints). Power steering rack tubes had to be replaced (rotted). One or two window winders. One AC compressor clutch.

Original turbo and engine (burns one quart in 6,000 miles). Original clutch died at 500,000 km. Original starter, original alternator, original AC charge, mostly original exhaust.

Most reliable and cheapest car I have ever owned. And lowest driving cost...and made in Mexico.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

Not a lot. Front end rebuild at 400,000 km (bushings, struts, cv joints). Power steering rack tubes had to be replaced (rotted). One or two window winders. One AC compressor clutch.

Original turbo and engine (burns one quart in 6,000 miles). Original clutch died at 500,000 km. Original starter, original alternator, original AC charge, mostly original exhaust.

Most reliable and cheapest car I have ever owned. And lowest driving cost...and made in Mexico.

I always wondered who ended up with the good one



just kidding.

I think the most miles i ever put on a vehicle was around 150k.

My truck just turned over 90,000 miles and I'm already wondering what I'm going to get next.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

All true Matt but when I see a photo like this I know what I'd rather own.

I'm sure the newer water cooled cars are faster etc. but with the right mods the humble SC can feel very nimble & you should at the very least get your money back when it comes time to sell.

I totally agree, the air cooled cars are special. Unfortunately everyone else has figured that out as well. My SC cab is a minty garage queen, I'd love to get a nice driver quality car to use daily. Too bad that's a $30k car now, and my Boxster accomplishes the same task for half the money. It's probably better as a daily driver anyway, and definitely offers better performance and practicality in every possible way.

[Brian 162]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I've heard they have a bullet proof drive train!

Mine has been so far. I do a couple of track days with it. I feel bad for the original poster. I was worried about engine issues, that's why I didn't buy another Porsche (996).

[javadog]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

Reality versus what people want to believe. Mercedes never had a wire harness or head gasket problem...

Ahh, not true. They had engine wiring harnesses made from easily recyclable materials that recycled themselves while still in the car.

They had fancy oil analysis systems that told you when to change the oil. Use the recommendations of one of those, and you'll have an engine burning oil by 60,000 miles.

The early M-class had a defective fuel pump design that was guaranteed to strand you.

The 1990s era SL had a power top design that used umpteen hydraulic actuators that will fail, any of which will render the top incapable of going up or down.

Buy a 2000-era S class and watch your money disappear as you repeatly replace the in-dash screen that you need to run some of the car systems.

The point being, they had all sorts of problems, that were from bad designs and bad materials.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by javadog

Ahh, not true.

My comment was sarcasm....missed the green font.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

The power top is fixable. The Hydraulic actuators and hoses can be bought as needed but like anything Benz they are not inexpressive.

I'd have to drive it with the hard top on anyway. Convertibles are for the young and beautiful

Just think about this...

Why not "simplify" the top? Yank all the hoses and actuators and ditch the hydraulic pump.
Just go full manual! I'd bet getting that top up manually would be quick and easy with all that crap removed.

[javadog]

I'm not sure that's possible...

It's been a while since I owned one.