So I have had my car for 3 years, did all the serivce and had no problems...Yesterday I left work like normal and drove him. I looked down and noted to myself wow I hit 90,007 miles. As I pull in to my house I look in my mirror and see white smoke everywhere. I quickely turn off my car and towed it to my mechanic. He tries to start it and you hear it seize. He tells me $1500 to rip the motor out and figure out what is wrong with it. He said it will probably be better and cheaper to buy a used motor. It is all up in the air right now. FYI used motor 6-8k I think.


I am really bummed out, because I never ever had any problems with this car. Also there were no signs. Can I get some input from the guys?

A. Sell the frame/body/motor as is so someone can drop the motor or turn it into a race car or whatever.
B. Fix the motor.
C. Replace the motor and then sell the car or just keep it?

Thanks guys. I am also doing a feeler in case someone wants to buy it as is in the for sale section. Located in So Cal.

 

Bummer. I went through this about 2 years ago. I'll share some of my thoughts that went through my head.

Option A is more viable these days because the price of the car has dropped. I have seen a variety of prices for rollers 10-13 depending on the cars condition and original mileage (cause all that other stuff is getting old too.

Option B: Figure low 10K if you buy a used motor and get a good deal on the install $16K+ for a reman engine from Porsche

Option C: I think is a no go.. You can't possible sell your car to make it back so if you do B you need to think about keeping a long time and enjoying it.

FWIW: I chose option B 1/2. I upgraded from a 3.4 to a 3.6 and figured I would keep it and enjoy it. Good luck.

If you are thinking of A I know a friend who is kicking that idea around.

 

I am really thinking about selling it as is OPTION A....Let me know.

 

I'll see him for lunch tomorrow and will bring it up and see how serious he is. He was thinking of either a Spec 996 or a Spec Boxster (boxster being a bit cheaper).

I'll pm you my contact info and grab yours.

 

Yea, if you put a new motor in it, you are going to be married to it for awhile. You will need to get a lot of miles out of the new motor to get any of your money back.

 

I say throw a 3.6 into it and keep it. I have a sentimental attachment to my 996 as it's my first Porsche. Granted it's not a GT3 or a 964 RSR or any fancy model like that, but it was my first one [and definitely not my last], so i intend to keep it for a while.

If you really want to get crazy you might as well get a new motor built up with forged pistons bored out to a 3.8L and then supercharge it!

 

see if you can get a hold of this car:

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...che-996-a.html

how much could that thing be worth? $10K? you can use the engine (worth $6-8K), sell the tranny (probably $5-6K) and anything else that still works ($3-6K) and cut down your losses.

 

lol - better yet, too bad you can't get the guys brother to total your car and collect the insurance. He got 43,000. Wow. Makes me wish a tree would come up and bite my car too.

 

Thanks for the great info guys! Turns out I dropped a valve which caused the piston to seize. Long story short motor is done. I posted a Craigslist ad, got a call in five min, and sold it for 10k. Done deal, problem is over, but I no longer own a P-Ride...Moment of silence.

 

That was quick! Like pulling off a band-aid....

 

Wow that was super fast. That guy probably has a motor waiting for a chassis.

 

Wow that was FAST. I hope to see you back in a P car.

 

Sorry to hear your mishap.
I hit 107+K miles on my 99 996... "knock on wood" X 3

 

So here's a disturbing question: Is this yet another "failure mode" that has been German engineered into these engines separate from the well known IMS, RMS, cracked heads, etc???

Ugh.

 

Suncoast is selling reman 3.6 engines for 997 for $6,100... conversion and install is another $6k... so for another $12K you can have a more powerful 3.6 engine with 2 year warranty providing you buy the 3.6 ECU and harness etc... (factored into the $6K price above)