996 reliability, handling, and ease of maintenance?
 

1) What is everyone's opinion on the reliability of the new water-cooled 911's (the 996's), specifically the 2 wheel drive model? I'm thinking about buying a 2001 model or maybe even waiting for a 2002 model year (with the new front end).

I've heard the water-cooled ones have problems with the clutch and 5th gear breaking. Is it too much to expect them to be as reliable as the last of the air-cooled models (993's)? When I say reliable, I mean it should give no serious problems for at least 100,000 miles. I know I should probably buy a 993 if I'm looking for reliability, but I don't like buying used cars. Also, I never liked the way the air-cooled ones sounded when you ran them hard.

2) Second, how do the 996's handle? Are they fairly neutral, and can you balance them with the throttle through a corner? Or do these tend to over-steer because of the rear engine setup? I've heard they are alot more forgiving than the air-cooled ones.

3) Finally, are they hard to work on (re: routine maintenance, and also things like clutch replacement)?

b-man

I think that is going to be a rare trait on this board.

Cam

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Cameron Baudinet
1975 911S

"Also, I never liked the way the air-cooled ones sounded when you ran them hard."

Finally, someone has hit the nail right on the head. Now I can finally admit to not liking it when the ball goes through the hoop when I'm playing basketball or to my irritation at the way Cindy Crawford looks when she takes her clothes off...

In all seriousness, though, the 996 is a reliable, very forgiving car. It smacks a little too much of focus groups and corporate-driven (as opposed to engineering-driven) thinking for some 911 owners, but it's also, without a doubt, a very great car. You probably won't want to do much of the work on it, though, unless your budget for computer troubleshooting systems is sizable.


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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T sunroof coupe