Are the frequency of major engine problems less with a 2003 996 over the earlier ones.It seems that Porsche must have tried to rectify the problem as time went by. If the problems started in 99 would Porsche ignore them until the 997 came along? 4 OR 5 years is a long time for something of that magnitude to continue. I've had my car for a short time and can't stop thinking that some serious engine problems might occur.

 

worry about it when it happens... just enjoy your car now.

 

Cruiser,
Like Chromehearts said worrying about what could/might go wrong will spoil your fun. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Maintain it properly and enjoy the ride. Check out the commercial Yoshinoya posted to remind yourself why you bought the car.

 

There are just as many problems with the 99s as there are on the 04.5s. All my problems went away when I was driving it everyday. Now that it has sat for 2 months, leaks again.

 

cruiser, I here ya... its just a phase evryone has now and then. Dont think about it to much. Its a P-car enjoy!

 

If you are referring to the RMS issue, I don't believe much has changed during the entire cycle of the normally aspirated water-cooled engine build. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.

I have put almost 23k miles on my car since I have had it (bought it used with ~35k miles on it) and so far no leaks have made themselves apparent. I am considering getting my clutch replaced when I do the 60k service, and will probably have the seal replaced at that point, but more as a preventive maintenance service. Maybe I have been lucky since my car is more or less my daily driver? All I know is that a bad day turns good within a couple of minutes after dropping the top and driving off. Just enjoy.

 

Beachside you are on point fo schizzle

 

"serious engine problems are not the usual and wouldn't be your problem at all if the car is still under warranty or extended warranty. Enjoy the car. Every year Porsche made improvements. If you had to get a replacement, you'd no doubt see many 997 part numbers on the engine.

 

I agree with all comments up to this point, I have been a Porsche tech at a dealer for almost four and a half years now, we did see a couple of problems with the old style engines letting go, but nothing out of the ordinary as far as numbers/percentagewise. I agree that if the car is daily driven, the chances of developing oil leaks is far less than if the car sits for most of its life. The Porsches that feel the best are the ones that are driven and maintained properly.

Have fun with it, thats why you bought it!
Kevin

 

It is a crap shoot on these things. I have a 2004 that I drive daily, and was purchased new by me that had the engine replaced at 5k miles. It is not a track car, it is not abused, and to my knowledge has never been redlined unless someone did it on a test drive before I bought it. I don't know the real cause of replacing my engine other than I was told there were metal flakes found in the oil filter. Anyway, I was under warranty so no worries. New engine has been trouble free, and I love the car.