[450knotOffice]

Great read! I've read both of your articles now. On a personal note, I own a 2000 996 with 184,000 miles and have driven it as my daily driver for over twelve years now. Other than the trashed clear coat and a second gear synchro that's shot, the car is awesome. It's been supremely reliable over the years. I've always wondered if it's been my imagination that the engine still feels as strong as the day I brought it home 150,000 miles ago. Based on your experience, I'd say it probably still is.

I'll echo the comment above that you need not fear excursions to the redline. Mine sees it fairly often. My main reason for NOT hitting redline more often is that at least one of my spark plug tubes is a little leaky and will allow a little bit of oil past the seal at really high RPM, which then drips onto the very hot header tubes, resulting in a little blue haze in the wake of the car as I row through a couple of gears. The tubes are easy to replace, but I just haven't gotten around to doing the job yet.