1999 Carrera 3.4L engine - should I stay away
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Be happy. It was not to be.. There are many other cars out there that will make you happy... Check out the For Sals cars section in this forum. These cars are generally from Porsche geeks and freaks ( in the nicest possible way of course) that are well maintained and cared for... They are worth an additional dollar for sure.. and... take your time..
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From: greece
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Maybe get a 2001 model.Probably the most reliable 996. Strong 996 double row IMS bearing, even better than in 997, and redesigned cooling system that prevents water pump failure thus cylinder cracking due to overheating, a problem off earlier 996 ones.
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"Featured Engine Failure
2006 replacement engine: Installed into a 2002 3.6 liter 996. This one lost an IMS Bearing and the owner did not shut the car down in time. The result was foreign object debris killing the cylinders. Note the IMS Bearing is the "new and improved bearing" as this same car featured a failed IMS Bearing with its original engine from 2002 and was replaced in 2006 with this engine. This car has experienced two IMS bearing failures in ten years! The engine was deemed a total loss after the cylinders were found heavily scored from foreign object debris contamination. This car could have been saved with by the IMS Guardian!"
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Inline with what rrrruben mentioned, I found this from the Flat 6 Innovations email newsletter (Jake Raby). I know the original post is looking at other cars, so I thought this may help"
"Featured Engine Failure
2006 replacement engine: Installed into a 2002 3.6 liter 996. This one lost an IMS Bearing and the owner did not shut the car down in time. The result was foreign object debris killing the cylinders. Note the IMS Bearing is the "new and improved bearing" as this same car featured a failed IMS Bearing with its original engine from 2002 and was replaced in 2006 with this engine. This car has experienced two IMS bearing failures in ten years! The engine was deemed a total loss after the cylinders were found heavily scored from foreign object debris contamination. This car could have been saved with by the IMS Guardian!"Attachment 170926
"Featured Engine Failure
2006 replacement engine: Installed into a 2002 3.6 liter 996. This one lost an IMS Bearing and the owner did not shut the car down in time. The result was foreign object debris killing the cylinders. Note the IMS Bearing is the "new and improved bearing" as this same car featured a failed IMS Bearing with its original engine from 2002 and was replaced in 2006 with this engine. This car has experienced two IMS bearing failures in ten years! The engine was deemed a total loss after the cylinders were found heavily scored from foreign object debris contamination. This car could have been saved with by the IMS Guardian!"Attachment 170926
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Big Al. Here is a write-up I did after selling my 996 and getting into a Turbo. That may help you .
... So the car is being shipped to me in the next few days. It will be interesting to see how the car "behaves" in real life on those 19" Sportec's with the JIC Cross suspension. I do like the lip on the rear rims. It looks clean , Teutonic and efficient and 315 / 25's lay a serious patch of rubber I am sure.
Originally I was looking for a totally non-modded car but looking at the background of the Turbo a bit more, it became clear that if Porsche can put an X-50 on the car for 17K, a serious tuner can do the same without upsetting the ride and driving characteristics. And of course, when your start looking at that, it's a good idea to see what other mods will "enhance" that complete package . That is something you do not get from the X-50 of course. It's the header/ exhaust/suspension/ecu upgrades. NO wonder that the X-50 basically loses almost all it value ( actually - it adds about $2500) to the value. So your grand loss on that package is about 16K including sales tax on the original purchase price. Pretty steep depreciation right there.
So, my focus changed to finding the right car with the right upgrades and the usual low mileage requirements, 1-2 owners at the most, a California car, modified in California to make sure ALL the bits are approved in CA as that may give you a nasty surprise in the future it they are not. Making sure that the tuners are all still in business was another requirement. Frankly my initial search also included some exterior paint / colors I was particularly looking ie red/white/ yellow or paint to sample with a nice contrasting interior but as there are very few of those cars around I decided to focus on finding a nice interior color as that is what you are looking at when you are driving the car :-) . My previous 996 was basalt black with the boxter red - terracotta interior and i liked it a lot so I happily made that change in my search criteria.
I am thinking that the 2002-2004 Porsche Turbo is THE best value for money of ANY Porsche's at the moment. I looked at Ferrari, Maserati , Aston Martin but there are really no comparable daily drivers that will last in that environment or that will be at the same running costs as the Turbo.
I sold my 996 because of the risk to have a detonating 996 engine rendering the car basically as an heap of useless bits an pieces. The car was running just fine but I was not going to bet against the factory on this issue. So buying a 996 or a 997.1 would be out of the question and I did not like the idea of having to spend a wad of money on the check light for the 993 series. So the Mezger engine was the only way to go.. We will see :-)
... So the car is being shipped to me in the next few days. It will be interesting to see how the car "behaves" in real life on those 19" Sportec's with the JIC Cross suspension. I do like the lip on the rear rims. It looks clean , Teutonic and efficient and 315 / 25's lay a serious patch of rubber I am sure.
Originally I was looking for a totally non-modded car but looking at the background of the Turbo a bit more, it became clear that if Porsche can put an X-50 on the car for 17K, a serious tuner can do the same without upsetting the ride and driving characteristics. And of course, when your start looking at that, it's a good idea to see what other mods will "enhance" that complete package . That is something you do not get from the X-50 of course. It's the header/ exhaust/suspension/ecu upgrades. NO wonder that the X-50 basically loses almost all it value ( actually - it adds about $2500) to the value. So your grand loss on that package is about 16K including sales tax on the original purchase price. Pretty steep depreciation right there.
So, my focus changed to finding the right car with the right upgrades and the usual low mileage requirements, 1-2 owners at the most, a California car, modified in California to make sure ALL the bits are approved in CA as that may give you a nasty surprise in the future it they are not. Making sure that the tuners are all still in business was another requirement. Frankly my initial search also included some exterior paint / colors I was particularly looking ie red/white/ yellow or paint to sample with a nice contrasting interior but as there are very few of those cars around I decided to focus on finding a nice interior color as that is what you are looking at when you are driving the car :-) . My previous 996 was basalt black with the boxter red - terracotta interior and i liked it a lot so I happily made that change in my search criteria.
I am thinking that the 2002-2004 Porsche Turbo is THE best value for money of ANY Porsche's at the moment. I looked at Ferrari, Maserati , Aston Martin but there are really no comparable daily drivers that will last in that environment or that will be at the same running costs as the Turbo.
I sold my 996 because of the risk to have a detonating 996 engine rendering the car basically as an heap of useless bits an pieces. The car was running just fine but I was not going to bet against the factory on this issue. So buying a 996 or a 997.1 would be out of the question and I did not like the idea of having to spend a wad of money on the check light for the 993 series. So the Mezger engine was the only way to go.. We will see :-)
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Big Al. Here is a write-up I did after selling my 996 and getting into a Turbo. That may help you .
... So the car is being shipped to me in the next few days. It will be interesting to see how the car "behaves" in real life on those 19" Sportec's with the JIC Cross suspension. I do like the lip on the rear rims. It looks clean , Teutonic and efficient and 315 / 25's lay a serious patch of rubber I am sure.
Originally I was looking for a totally non-modded car but looking at the background of the Turbo a bit more, it became clear that if Porsche can put an X-50 on the car for 17K, a serious tuner can do the same without upsetting the ride and driving characteristics. And of course, when your start looking at that, it's a good idea to see what other mods will "enhance" that complete package . That is something you do not get from the X-50 of course. It's the header/ exhaust/suspension/ecu upgrades. NO wonder that the X-50 basically loses almost all it value ( actually - it adds about $2500) to the value. So your grand loss on that package is about 16K including sales tax on the original purchase price. Pretty steep depreciation right there.
So, my focus changed to finding the right car with the right upgrades and the usual low mileage requirements, 1-2 owners at the most, a California car, modified in California to make sure ALL the bits are approved in CA as that may give you a nasty surprise in the future it they are not. Making sure that the tuners are all still in business was another requirement. Frankly my initial search also included some exterior paint / colors I was particularly looking ie red/white/ yellow or paint to sample with a nice contrasting interior but as there are very few of those cars around I decided to focus on finding a nice interior color as that is what you are looking at when you are driving the car :-) . My previous 996 was basalt black with the boxter red - terracotta interior and i liked it a lot so I happily made that change in my search criteria.
I am thinking that the 2002-2004 Porsche Turbo is THE best value for money of ANY Porsche's at the moment. I looked at Ferrari, Maserati , Aston Martin but there are really no comparable daily drivers that will last in that environment or that will be at the same running costs as the Turbo.
I sold my 996 because of the risk to have a detonating 996 engine rendering the car basically as an heap of useless bits an pieces. The car was running just fine but I was not going to bet against the factory on this issue. So buying a 996 or a 997.1 would be out of the question and I did not like the idea of having to spend a wad of money on the check light for the 993 series. So the Mezger engine was the only way to go.. We will see :-)
... So the car is being shipped to me in the next few days. It will be interesting to see how the car "behaves" in real life on those 19" Sportec's with the JIC Cross suspension. I do like the lip on the rear rims. It looks clean , Teutonic and efficient and 315 / 25's lay a serious patch of rubber I am sure.
Originally I was looking for a totally non-modded car but looking at the background of the Turbo a bit more, it became clear that if Porsche can put an X-50 on the car for 17K, a serious tuner can do the same without upsetting the ride and driving characteristics. And of course, when your start looking at that, it's a good idea to see what other mods will "enhance" that complete package . That is something you do not get from the X-50 of course. It's the header/ exhaust/suspension/ecu upgrades. NO wonder that the X-50 basically loses almost all it value ( actually - it adds about $2500) to the value. So your grand loss on that package is about 16K including sales tax on the original purchase price. Pretty steep depreciation right there.
So, my focus changed to finding the right car with the right upgrades and the usual low mileage requirements, 1-2 owners at the most, a California car, modified in California to make sure ALL the bits are approved in CA as that may give you a nasty surprise in the future it they are not. Making sure that the tuners are all still in business was another requirement. Frankly my initial search also included some exterior paint / colors I was particularly looking ie red/white/ yellow or paint to sample with a nice contrasting interior but as there are very few of those cars around I decided to focus on finding a nice interior color as that is what you are looking at when you are driving the car :-) . My previous 996 was basalt black with the boxter red - terracotta interior and i liked it a lot so I happily made that change in my search criteria.
I am thinking that the 2002-2004 Porsche Turbo is THE best value for money of ANY Porsche's at the moment. I looked at Ferrari, Maserati , Aston Martin but there are really no comparable daily drivers that will last in that environment or that will be at the same running costs as the Turbo.
I sold my 996 because of the risk to have a detonating 996 engine rendering the car basically as an heap of useless bits an pieces. The car was running just fine but I was not going to bet against the factory on this issue. So buying a 996 or a 997.1 would be out of the question and I did not like the idea of having to spend a wad of money on the check light for the 993 series. So the Mezger engine was the only way to go.. We will see :-)
damn i just bought a 99 C2 with 84k.. this thread makes me paranoid.. are there ANY well built 996's at all???
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Yeah. 98-99% of them. Stop reading forum postings.
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I am fairly sure your's is past the danger zone. 
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"I sold my 996 because of the risk to have a detonating 996 engine rendering the car basically as an heap of useless bits an pieces."
Make it sound as if the 996's are rolling time bombs.
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From: greece
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That's great to hear guys. Its just that some of the things I read here like hroussard's post about his 1999 996 with 74k,
"I sold my 996 because of the risk to have a detonating 996 engine rendering the car basically as an heap of useless bits an pieces."
Make it sound as if the 996's are rolling time bombs.
"I sold my 996 because of the risk to have a detonating 996 engine rendering the car basically as an heap of useless bits an pieces."
Make it sound as if the 996's are rolling time bombs.
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This was an interesting info in the latest porsche newletter; http://www.rabyenginedevelopment.com/IMS_GUARDIAN.html
Maybe a little piece of mind?
