A34735

Few cars of that vintage were reliable...and Freddy/Ferdy designs of that era were typical. In my 40 years of driving (first 30 in UK/EU, next 10 in US) I was stranded on the roadside too often (AA/RAC membership was always paid up before insurance). Cars #1, #2 were Mini, Austin - all piles of s**t. Car #3, a Chevette wasn't bad (despite obvious design flaw with headlights). I blew the head gasket (at indicated, but unbelievable 110 mph) on the M1 at 2am. (the only good part of this story was rescue by a dentist's daughter in an Audi Quattro - but that's another story!) Then the Lancia - an expensive mistake! I never knew if I'd get to the destination when I set out: Most memorable was breaking down on Bodmin Moor, the A303, at 2am (Another story..) But I still have zero faith in Italian cars, wouldn't touch a Ferrari with yours...(though the new FIAT 500 looks good, may try it). Later I went French: Citroen, Peugeot and Renault. To date the most comfortable car I've ever owned was a Citroen. The hydropneumatic suspension was amazing. Turn on the ignition, the car rose up 4 inches. There was even a lever to jack up the car if you needed to change a tire: Monsieur Eiffel, I salute you and your descendents. (the classic 2CV was also a perfect design. My French stepgrandmother used to run over rabbits (for pate) when she wasn't rescuing downed RAF fliers (she got a Croix de Guerre for her heroism, another story!). The DS (today still a ground-breaking design - who had the first eye level brake lights?). If I could buy one for my daily 90+ mile commute on the 680/880, I would. Then Mercedes, BMW and Porsche reacted to the Jap invasion - quality and reliability improved by leaps and bounds (thank you Dr Demming!). So cut a long story short. I drive my old, used 996 90+ miles a day. I've added 7K miles to the 63K on the clock. Drive it, don't worry about it. Previous poster's message: As the owner of my third 911, a 996, I take exception to the notion that concerns re engine/reliability issues may have sth to do with a shift in buyer demographics. True, Porsche may have expanded it's market in recent years. I would suspect, however, that more of their newbies are driving Boxters, not 911's. At any rate, as the owner of a 1968 911 my father bought new, and the former owner of a 1979 911SC (my wife only lets me have 2 at a time), I can tell you that the concerns re Porsche engine reliability are real. I have driven Porsches now for 23 years. I personally am sick and tired of the many glitches, flaws, reliability concerns not covered by the factory, etc one sees with Porsches and at the prices they command. You name it - leaking engine seals, chain tensioners going bad, leaking valve covers getting oil in heat exchangers, head studs, RMS leaks, etc. the list is not a short one. I have a RMS leak now! - which the dealer will fix at my expense whenever the clutch goes bad. THis is clearly a design flaw. Whatever the excuse, they should fix it, no questions asked. I am not an apologist for the marque, as so many seem to be. It is only because these persistent quality control issues come with the extreme joy of driving one that I remain a loyal owner.

My first P is a 1999 996. I bought it in Sep 2010 from Fremont Porsche for $24.5K, with 62.4K miles on the clock. I got the service history from the previous owner - which was on the button. The 60K 'major service', incl a new belt, a $3.6K job in California had been done at 57K miles. I drive it most days to work, a 92 mile round trip, have clocked up 7K in 6 months: I'm hooked...will only drive Ps till I die (hopefully 25 years from now!) I then discovered the IMS story, was seriously thinking about spending 4K to replace it with the LN replacement. Next I took it for a pre-race day inspection at Kahlers. The tech there told me the IMS fails around 30K miles: if you've gotten past that, forget it. He also said IMS failures give adequate warning, and in any case, a rebuild is only (!)$10K. BTW...the oil (Mobil 1) is still clear, pale yellow. This is the first car I've owned where the oil isn't black....have to love those engineers! My intent is to drive this baby into the ground, I'll post when it dies....

I'm glad I read this after I got my 996! It's a 1999, 63K miles, one owner since new. All scheduled services, including the belt, completed. Since I got it I've added 4K in 4 months (to and from work is a 90 mile round trip). Considering it's 11 years old, it feels like a new car (touch wood!): The oil is still so clear I have trouble seeing it on the dipstick...I never want to drive anything else! Of course...if I find myself on the side of the road with a $20K bill, I'll let you know! Added 20 Apr 2011. Mileage now 73K (so I've added 10K since Sep 2011, about 9miles/day). Tracked it once, changed the oil 3X. Of 5 experts (2 Porsche dealers, 3 independent shops) 3/4 unuequivocally said don't worry, one said change it now. It purrs smoothly, hisses and whirs for 5 mins on cold mornings. I add an update when I get up to 83K....but I have relaxed my guard a little lit....We shall seee....