I have had my 2006 Carrera S X51 for 2 years now, and it has been a great car.
Reliability has been good, but not outstanding. The car currently has 75K miles.

I did have a dead battery that left me stranded, so I installed a new battery in a parking lot. The battery was old, so not really the cars fault.

I had a sport mode failure followed by some mild misfiring/power loss last year. I needed a new electronic throttle body. It was diagnosed my the dealer for free and I bought the part online and self-installed ($320).

Last month I had drivability problems and noise and it was diagnosed as air-oil separator failure. $1300 to repair at the dealer because I was too lazy to chase after it myself.

 

You'll have zero problems with a Porsche. They are always ranked high in reliability on all the polls. Vettes, and most american made cars are typically at the bottom. Real pieces of crap if you ask me. if you made it with a vette you'll be fine with a 997. one of the best car ever made.

 

My car is about 7 years old now. Knock on wood, it's had near zero issues. The only thing that has ever failed is the cig lighter and I don't smoke.

Without a doubt the most reliable car I've ever had. And I've owned a lot of cars in my time. My Porsche Service Advisor says the 997s are rock solid. He said people get extended warranties for peace of mind, but the 997s really just don't fail based on what his service department sees.

The one achilles heel of the 997.1 is the potential IMS bearing failure. It's a pretty rare issue, especially on 06-08 cars, but if it happens to fail the result almost always means an engine replacement. The internet has fueled these scary fears, as it was more likely to happen on the older 996 cars, older Boxsters vs. the '06-'08 997.1. The early '05 997 has the same IMS bearing as the '04 996, later '05s got the '06-'08 IMS bearing. IMHO, the concern is over hyped. I don't loose any sleep over it, but others do. The 997.2's fuel pump replacement issue is far more common, but also far less serious compared to the potential IMS scare.

Overall the 997 is extremely reliable. It was consistently ranked the #1 reliable sports car by JD during its time as a new vehicle. But do the research and decide on which model years are the best for you.

 

NYC Z06 he certainly offered me one. But as it turned out I received profession courtesy as a result of my previous employment along with the warning " this was and is your last break next time we meet like this it will be pretty silver bracelets and a tow truck".

 

Watch- "Risky Buisness" then make your call.

 

I bought my 2009 C4S in April 2009 and it has 37000 miles now. The car is very reliable and only need regular maintenance at the dealer. I only had 1 issue shortly after I bought the car and it was a defective PDK module. Other than that, my C4S is a gem. I drive my car all year round here in Buffalo NY. Right now it has snow tire/wheel setup and I can take my C4S any where and any weather condition.

John

 

I have owned three 997 S cars, including my current 2012 GTS. Granted, I have not put more than 10,000 miles on any of them (yet), but I have had absolutely no problems with any of them. I also owned some older 911's back in the mid to late 80's, and I think the newer ones are much higher quality.

 

86000 miles on my 06. It is not a garage queen. Use it all the time. Water pump went at 82000 and fan control Module went 84000 miles. Otherwise it is a great car. I get complements all the time.

 

I am in Novi, MI and drive my cab all year long. No problems at all. Snow tires are a must.
I would be happy to help you find one, my good friend is a dealer with 30+ years of experience in high end cars. PM me if you want his contact info or if you have any questions relating to P cars.
Btw I had a C4S before, it is a bit better in snow but not necessary IMHO.

Good luck!

 

One thing always fascinated me with Porsche was the reliability. We work on Audi, BMW, Porsche and VWs. Of all listed cars, Porsche has the least problems. They are far more advanced but yet more reliable. On top of it, compared to its rivals, reasonably priced too.

997 has a handful of failures that need to be looked for. However they are known, and honestly not too difficult to fix.

Pick up a clean one, have it PPI'ed, stay on top the maintenance and enjoy it years to come.

 

I have had my 911 for a year and a half, no troubles at all. I have a SUV for snow days and considered snows, because I enjoy driving the 911 so much. I decided not to go for snows because how low the car sits thinking that deep hard pack snow ruts could damage the car. Seeing how you drive a vette through the winter in MI, this may not be a real concern.

I would be cautious about early 2005 997's because of the IMS bearing. If you find a great early '05 997 at a price you can't resist, have it conditional on an oil filter inspection for small bits of metal part of the deal and if all looks good, immediately change out the IMS bearing with a retrofit upgraded bearing.

Other than that, great cars!

 

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/12/p...-reliable-car/

 

A lot of good responses and information here. It has mostly a-laid my fears.

I read "The Used 911 Story, 8th Edition" a couple years ago when I was considering a Porsche. Reading about the engine (IMS) problems scared me away. Well, that and the lack of HP and the price. Instead of the Porsche I leased a new 2008 base model Corvette. When that lease was up I bought a used 2007 Z06. (I had to replace the clutch in the Z at around 30k miles, but that was from abuse. Don't ever buy a repo-ed car.)

As others have noted, the Corvette has a redneck image that it just can't entirely shake off, even with the Z06 and ZR1. Both of which are legitimate sports cars.

I love the wide body look of my Z06 and love the value/performance aspect, but I don't like the flashy vulgarity of it all. Call it a mid-life crisis, but I'm ready for a change. To go from a plastic sex toy (the vette) to a glorified VW (the 911)?

 

I am also considering a used 997 (between '07 to '10) like TS and the information here is very helpful. I am undecided on whether to go for PDK (which only available for models after 09 and cost more) or Tiptronic (models before '09). Any helpful advise on Tiptronic reliability as well? Thanks.

 

Glorified VW eh! Doesn't sound like you want a P car. Look a vette is an awesome machine, certainly the best value for the money. But to keep it affordable corners must be cut, interior, fit, finish, etc. lots of interior parts shared from less expensive chevy rigs. You simply can' t compare the overall car of each, the P car is twice as much for a reason, technology, quality, etc. Sounds like you need a new C7, nijce ride indeed. Good luck.