[racer]

I am sorry for your experience but the motors in the 996 have been known to be somewhat fragile and most disappointingly, can incur collosal failure. The motors are not easily "repaired" and hence replacement is often the cure. You could get one from Porsche, with a 2 year warranty, but I would guess it would cost you $14-18K to do so. An alternative is a used motor from a wrecked car. ideally the same year to minimize and "conversion" needs but I don't know what used motors run ($5-10K?).

In both cases however, you are still left with a motor that can still fail. It might not.. it might last 100k without incident (as the original one nearly did).

Selling the car without a working motor? thats dicey too.. I've seen "dead" boxsters only command $3-5K... and depending on condition, your 996 may not generate much more, because people know the cost of a motor.