Originally Posted by johnselli

To give you an idea, here is my experience. I have a 02 996tt with a full RUF 550 Rturbo conversion performed on the car when it had about 11k miles in 2005. The car just turned 30K miles and I have owned it for over 6 months now but have all the service records since new and there are no engine related service records, only minor stuff like the rear spoiler leaking etc. The conversion performed by RUF includes the engine (new K24 based turbos, intake, ECU reprogram, exhaust), suspension, bumpers, rear spoiler, mirrors, shifter, steering wheel, strut brace, door sills, floor mats, 19" wheels, 6 pot brakes. My impression and experience since I have owned it is that it is utterly reliable without any hickups, misses, check engine lights or any other issues whatsoever. I purchased the car from the previous owner (a 6sp member) in New Jersey and now have it in Denver, CO at an altitude of 5200 feet. I have never had any issues with the car (knock on wood) even at the Denver elevation even in the mountains around 11000 feet. The car runs extremely strong with a very flat torque curve and it is my understanding from talking with RUF is that they tune their cars very conservatively with the goal of maintaining 100% OEM reliability and civility. On the 550 Rturbo, RUF told me that each engine is guaranteed to produce a minimum of 550 hp but most will put out that or slightly more. This is with 1.0 bar and an occasional 1.1 bar of pressure. I don't have any issues with noisy flywheels, heavy clutches, or any other issues that would detract from daily use. The clutch installed during the conversion is a Sachs stage 2 and it is still solid without any issues after 20K miles of use. However, I don't drag race or abuse the clutch with burnouts and neither did the previous owner. The exhaust is deeper and throatier than stock but not overpowering and has no drone. It has 100 cell cats and I have had no problems passing Colorado exhaust emission which is pretty strict and includes the tail pipe sniffer test. The engine burns very little oil, about 1/2 liter of oil per 1000 miles. I run Mobil 1 5w50 per RUF recommendation in Germany. I just did the 30K service which included the plugs. The old plugs were in there for almost 20K miles and still looked very clean. I do understand that 550 hp these days is not very much and many tuners will get you more but most likely at the expense of some reliability or longevity. It all depends what your ultimate goal is. When I bought my car I liked the idea that everything on the car was RUF and it was not pieced together from a bunch of different manufacturers, but that's just me. I certainly wouldn't pay the $40K plus for the conversion but I am extremely happy with how the whole package works together. It feels like a car that Porsche should have built from the start. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. Good luck....

Originally Posted by JG GT500

"Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." — Satchel Paige

"So there you are, tooling down the Autobahn in your Porsche 911 GT2. The wind claws hungrily at the Turbo's bodywork as the 3.6-liter flat-6 throbs purposefully, its twin turbos spooled up and ready for action. Instinctively, you glance at the rearview mirror, expecting to see an empty landscape yawning back at you. But wait! A yellow dot that was just a speck a millisecond ago is growing larger — and reeling you in fast.

Not a problem. With 462 horses at your beck and call, you lean into the throttle and watch tach and speedometer race each other to their respective limits. At 6600 rpm and 195 mph, the GT2 is topped out as the yellow apparition draws alongside and passes you, leaving behind that distinctive aural signature that only another turbocharged engine can produce. Who is that masked man, or, in this case, that masked sports car?

That, my friend, is a Ruf Rturbo...."

Excerpt from here.

Don't skip the PPI - but, RUF cars are legend. If the car you're looking at is in NY - it looks like a winner. But again, don't skip the PPI.