C2cab

How much life can I expect on the clutch for a 997-1TT? Looking at an '08 with 45K and trying to determine when the next big expenses will occur.

Thanks...very helpful. As I compare 997TT vs. 997C4, it appears the maintenance/operating costs are largely the same with the exception of the more frequent spark plug changes in the TT. Is that the only major difference? Tires, oil changes, brakes, clutch, etc all appear to have similar profiles.

Thanks Loren. So I'm clear....there are stage 3,4, and 5 over-revs but you are saying that the numbers are low enough to not be of concern? I've missed renntech. Since I sold my 996 C2 Cab I've come back from time to time. I've been dabbling in the market and hope to rejoin the P Car club again soon.

I'm in discussions to buy an '07TT with 36K on the clock. I just got the DME results (see attached). Shows one over-rev in 5, but only 1 ignition. 43 ignitions in 4, 478 in 3, and 4500 in 2. They were all in the last 20 hours. Any concern with this? Also..what are the other things I should watch out for? Clutch should last a while longer as long it it hasn't been abused, right?

Thanks kgoertz. A follow up question...do you find any rattles/squeaks in the body? One of the reasons I de-selected a cabriolet is due to the rattles and squeaks that come after a few years of driving the less rigid chassis. I know the Targa is based on the cab chassis so thought this may be a risk.

Been away from Porsche for 5-6 years since my '99 C2 Cab. Considering an '07 Targa 4. Didn't see anything after searching the site. Any thoughts on this model, or things to look out for? One I'm looking at has 48K miles.

I left the Porsche family a few years ago and getting the bug to get back in. Looking at 996 despite my original bad experience with intermix. I'm looking at some 996s now...how can I tell if it's a C4 vs. C2 that just had a C4 badge put on the back? Shouldn't the VIN tell me?

I've seen a couple comments on reman engines replaced for $8-9k...is this with labor? Seems lower than I'd expect.

Without hesitation I say NO! You can see my experiences online...unless you ahve a catostrophic failure it doesn't make sense, and even then it can be very difficult to get them to hold up their end of the deal. Email me for specific details.

Try 9185 or 9193 Thanks for the quick reply, Loren. Neither of those codes worked...any other suggestions?

Had to disconnect my battery and now the radio is locked. CDR-220 4462 X5025056 Thanks in advance.

That was my first thought, however in the cancellation section there is a clause that states that any claims must be deducted from the pro-rated refund, so since they paid $11K i wouldn't get a dime back, but I still have coverage on the rest of the car for another 3 years (electric, HVAC, etc).

Well, my saga has hopefully come to an end. I'll recap the entire story for those who haven't been following along. I bought my '99 C2 Cabriolet in May '06 with 40K miles. 100% stock. Porsche PPI was great...all dealer maintenance per schedule. Out of curiosity, I inquired about aftermarket warranties. Given the condition and maintenance history of the vehicle I decided to pass. 18 months of worry-free driving and no issues whatsoever. Carchex continued to try to sell me a warranty this whole time. In February 2008 I started getting worried about these stories of intermediate shaft failures, cracked blocks, slipped sleeves, etc so I responded to one of Carchex's emails. They offered me a full OEM warranty which covers everythign excluding normal maintanance for $3500. The warranty was good for 4 years or until 75K miles (I had 48K on it). I decided to buy it. I drive the car for a few more months, and take it in to the Porsche dealer in mid-May for the yearly service. They find some oil in the coolant and suggest it could be a blown head gasket. They call the warranty company directly and they indicate that I must authorize $500 of teardown costs to diagnose the problem. They tear it down, head gasket fine, oil cooler fine, so the next think to look at is the block which requires another $1500 or so of UV testing etc. The claims adjuster (Don)comes out, looks at it, and says if I pay for the teardown and they find a fault it they will pay for the teardown and the replacement parts. The dealership gets the results back about a week later...cracked cylinder. Total engine replacement needed. They call the warranty company back. They are reassigned to Robert because Don was terminated the previous day. Robert is not helpful and says it's not covered. I call him directly to discuss it and he tells me we need to prove what caused the crack before they will cover it. I tell him Don's position and he tells me that's why Don was fired, because he wasn't 'properly' approving claims (I interpreted this to mean he was approving too many period...even if they were legit). I go back and forth with Robert, telling him cracks in blocks can happen from a number of things and it is impossible to determine the actual cause. I pull out my email from when they sold me the warranty that basically says "everything except normal maintenance" and I threaten to involve my attorney and he changes his tune a bit. Finally I got him to agree to approve it, but he used a Chelton manual that had 8 fewer hours for the remove and replace labor, so they wouldn't cover about $800-1000 of it. I fought that at first, but ultimately gave in and got tire of fighting over $800 for a total engine replacement. This was 2 weeks ago. The dealer orders a remanufactured engine from Porsche. I tell them while they have the engine out to replace the clutch and any other work that would be part of the 60K inspection. They had to order a few random hoses and clamps, and finally today I get the call that its ready. So today, I basically have a 'new' 1999 C2 Cabriolet. New engine (with 2 yr, 24K mile warranty from Porsche), new clutch, new belts, hoses, filters, etc). Total out of pocket is $3,300 on top of the $3,500 warranty (which covers everything else through 75K miles). Total bill from the dealer was $14.5K. 500 miles of break-in time and then the fun begins. I had been thinking of selling the car as my kids are getting older and a sport sedan was more practical, but now that I effectively have a 'new' Porsche I don't think I can drive myself to do it. I would have regretted it anyway, so this is just what I needed!

I think I've seen that before...it's the controller for the ejection seat. Don't push that mysterious red button on the dash.

For those that have been following my trials and tribulations....it appears my warranty company is covering the cost for a new engine. I will have final confirmation tomorrow hopefully. My question is, while the engine is out, is there anything else I should repleace proactively? The car has 49K miles and is on the original clutch, so if I save some labor there it may be worth it. Any other thoughts?