I'm looking into purchasing a 2003 x50 with 23k it's got ceramics, aftermarket exhaust, aftermarket navi. Everything else is stock.. I think I will be driving it around 7k-10k a year mostly highway miles.

I've searched and people say they are reliable, but what's average maintenance on these cars, oil change, fluids etc?

Do ceramic brake package cost more to replace pads on? Are they more problematic then the factory brakes? Nosier?

Is the X-50 less reliable then the normal 911 turbo?

Plus is there anything I need to look for (signs, areas, etc) when buying this car? What I mean is areas that could be problematic in the future if I buy it.

I have read about the "Second gear pop out problem" Does this mean you can just pop the shifter out of gear without the supression of the clutch while driving it?

Your knowledge and information about this matter will help me greatly and I thank everyone in advance.

 

Maintenance has been costly, given that I took my car in for the yearly oil change and got charged around $340 - which many on this board would say was way too much. Figure $70 for oil, another $30 for filter/seals, and then the cost for whatever labor is needed. In my case, labor was $190, probably due to a more comprehensive inspection that took more time (I have around 75K miles). Search the forum and you'll find people pay dramatically less than that at indy shops (mine was at the dealership).

My car has ceramic brakes and there have been no noise issues. The pads are in good shape and haven't been replaced yet, so I can't tell you about the cost there. If you crack the rotor, however, you'll pay around $5K to replace it. There have been cases of people doing that when changing tires/wheels. Not good... With 23K miles on the car you're considering, you shouldn't have to worry about replacing rotors for quite a long time.

My buddy's 911's wheels have plenty of brake dust given he has the standard brakes - you won't see brake dust with ceramics. Not a big deal, but it makes cleaning a lot easier.

There have been recent discussions about ceramics and also about oil change costs. Search on those topics and you'll find plenty of info.

I haven't seen or heard anything that indicates the X-50 is less reliable than the base engine. Mine is an X-50 and I've had no problems with it.

I also haven't had any problems with the second gear popout issue so I can't give you any info on that.

Be sure to get a Pre-Purchase Inspection done on the car by a knowledgeable indy shop. That may run around $300 or so.

Good luck with the purchase!

 

I might be wrong but i remember reading that the 2nd gear pop out issue was fixed for the 2003 year and up? Can anyone second this?

I too just stepped into an 03 996tt and wonder the same things. Can't comment on the maint. costs yet hope I wont have to for a long while either...

 

I'd love to hear what people have to say about this as well. Just got mine too. Only 25K on it. Would like to know aht I'm going to be looking at down the road.

 

I thought so too but there is a poll on this board that says 20% of 2003's are having the 2nd gear pop-out issue. That is why I was kinda concerned about it. I appreciate all the good responses.

 

I have not had the 2nd grear pop out on me yet. Hopefully it won't be an issue.
I've had a high power car before that used to have that issue, it's a scary thing to really be on it and have it come out of gear. I think my heart stopped the 1st time it happened. However, no issues with the Porsche yet.

 

Any other comments about this matter?

 

I believe the 'second gear pop out' has two root causes:

1. Factory error during mfg/assemble
2. Driver error, missed shift causing abnormal wear of gear - so little material is available to retain engagement that it does not take much to cause the problem.

While P may have fixed #1 (I do not recall reading this) the failure can be caused in any year by #2.

If you join renntech you can download the TSB on this matter and read up.

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