I'm considering a Porsche but was wondering if they made a reliable daily driver. I like to keep my cars for a long time which is why I ask if you can get up to 200k miles on one without any major engine rebuild or other big work. This of course assuming proper maintenance and this car would not be used for racing. I’m interested in the naturally aspirated Carrera 4 models.

Does anybody know if the reliability of the 997 is better or worse than the 996? I know it might be a bit soon to tell how the 997 fares long term, but I still figured it would be worth it to ask.

 

Is it colder in the winter or in the north?

 

The modern 911s are quite a bit more reliable than they're given credit for.

The Rear Main Seal leak is about the only inherent design flaw in the engine, and although fairly prevalent, has not been known to cause any engine failures. It's more of a nuisance than anything else, and is usually about an $800 fix.

Not many people put that kind of mileage on these cars, so empirical data will be hard to come by. As long as you're prepared for the maintenance costs for the little stuff to be annoying, the major mechanical stuff should be relatively safe. Assume you'll need a new clutch every 40k miles on average (unless you drag race, or have poor technique, in which case the lifespan will be less).

997 vs 996. We don't know yet. Mechanically, there's not a whole bunch of difference from one to the next (at least not with the engine), so they're likely to be about equal. Porsche are notorious for putting all the gremlins in the first year of a new model designation, so maybe stay away from the 997.

A low-mileage 2002 or later C4S is probably your best bet.

 

Perfect Dr K