High mile role call

[JimLowry996]

I have a 1999 996 - currently with 122,000+ only minor issues... still runs great every day!

[Fastback]

Hey all,

Originally I was looking at buying a boxster to replace my aging '87 944 (god I love that 944). Now i'm planning on getting into a 996 instead. Anyways, I was doing a ton of research about the 986 and know alot about the engine issues that came with them. I know the engines in the 996's are essentially the same as the 986 boxsters (except of course liter size), but I hear alot more about engine failures on the 911's then I do on the boxsters. I was kind of curious as to why since they're very similar. I see alot of boxsters with 150k+ miles, but not so much from 996's. I'm guessing they made many more 996's then boxsters and maybe that's the reason why. I'm looking at buying a high mileage 996 (80k+ miles) so right now i'm trying to educate myself on this model as I did with the boxster. Oh, by the way there is a huge article about the 996 in 911 & porsche world. They prat on and on about the grenading engines which is sort of a shame since I wanted to read a little more about the car. I guess 90% of these engines are terrible from how they were talking about them.

[beej]

1998 996 C2 - now 101,000 miles!

I'm the fourth owner :)

oil seal @ 21,000

cam seal @ 36,000

new clutch, coolant tank @ 63,000

cam seal @ 68,000 (and a load of other seals, sleeves and rings)

cam seals @ 70,000

seal ring @ 73,000

clutch release @ 76,000

new gearbox @ approx 80,000

Blue Pearl complete respray @ approx 80,000 (previous owner had a girlfriend incident...)

ignition barrel @ 85,000

corroded brake pipes, radiator fan, clutch/slave repair @ 93,000

oil separator @ 93,000

radiator @ 99,000 (pressure test found coolant leak from possible stone damage)

I've left out oil/brakes/suspension/sensors. Of all those seals, one was about 20p and I presume that is RMS? At present mileage, car needs discs and pads all round, and I can feel suspension arms/bushes need attention, and possibly sway bar too as car clunks when I get in and switch on.

Car is now a daily driver :)

[JeTexas]

Hey all,

Originally I was looking at buying a boxster to replace my aging '87 944 (god I love that 944). Now i'm planning on getting into a 996 instead. Anyways, I was doing a ton of research about the 986 and know alot about the engine issues that came with them. I know the engines in the 996's are essentially the same as the 986 boxsters (except of course liter size), but I hear alot more about engine failures on the 911's then I do on the boxsters. I was kind of curious as to why since they're very similar. I see alot of boxsters with 150k+ miles, but not so much from 996's. I'm guessing they made many more 996's then boxsters and maybe that's the reason why. I'm looking at buying a high mileage 996 (80k+ miles) so right now i'm trying to educate myself on this model as I did with the boxster. Oh, by the way there is a huge article about the 996 in 911 & porsche world. They prat on and on about the grenading engines which is sort of a shame since I wanted to read a little more about the car. I guess 90% of these engines are terrible from how they were talking about them.

Nobody drives the 911s. Lots of people use Boxsters as daily drivers, which results in lots of high-mileage Boxsters. Very few purchase a 911 for that. Those of us who bought the early 996s for use as daily drivers in the past couple of years are just now starting to break 100k miles.

[jascha]

My 1999 C2 is up to 99,380 miles on it. Last time I took it to shop he alerted me to small RMS leak. Going to get that done same time replace original clutch/flywheel soon. Other than that no complaints and runs great! Last year I put 20k miles on the car and only had to change the gas cap to fix CEL, change oil, and replace front brakes. Can't complain about dependability for sure.

[fredkhaz]

2000 996 C2

155741 miles daily driver

5/10/06 Oil Change 102500 Miles

7/28/06 Altonator $300 and $60 Belt Tensioner

9/26/06 Paid off Loan

10/8/06 Oil Change 110500 Miles 9.3q $70

11/4/06 Back tires 265/35/18 Kumho ECSTA $300

2/1/07 Front Brakes 115000 Miles $350

2/22/07 Front tires Kumho ECSTA 116500 Miles

3/17/07 Oil Change 117500 Miles 9.3q $70

6/7/07 K & N Fileter 120,000 $450

10/1/07 Oil Change 125500 Miles 9.0q $70

10/31/07 Nexen N3000 Tires for rear 127000 Miles $300

11/11/07 Water Pump and Thermostat 127500 Miles $417

12/9/07 Window Regulator Passenger 128900 Miles $170.91 Sunset Imports

1/6/08 Spark Plugs and Row Mo30 and new plastic hard wear in front by tires 130,000 Miles

1/9/08 Windshield Repair 800-944-4577 // 714-992-9112 $50

1/30/08 Another Windshield Repair 800-944-4577 // 714-992-9112 $50

2/4/08 132000 Front Brakes (just pads)

3/16/08 134000 Oil Changes 15 W 50 9q

4/5/08 134500 new Battery and

4/5/08 Rear Brake pads only

5/1/08 134700 AOS - air oil separator $600

5/8/08 13500 Transmission Service $313

7/7/08 138479 Mileage check 7/23/08 139391

8/1/08 140000 Mileage check

8/23/08 141275 Miles Oil Changes 15 W 50 9q

11/7/08 145000 Mileage Check

11/26/08 146000 Mileage Check

1/17/09 148456 Oil Change 15 W 50 9.3q

3/23/09 152123 Mileage Check

4/13/09 153900 Mileage Check

5/17/09 155741 Oil Change 15 W 50 9.3q $70

[bentlink]

2002 C4S with 99,000 kms... running strong.

I am third owner, and first to use as a daily driver.

All original as far as major components that I know of, though RMS was done under first owner warranty.

Needs brakes in a bit.

I plan to do PSS9/10 -- though suspension is actually fine.

Uses one litre of Mobil 1 per 3000 kms -- nothing wrong there -- just a genuine Porsche :)

Edited June 4, 2009 by bentlink

[ecgross1]

80,000 miles on my 1999. OAS, two bad radiator fan resistors, window regulator, an occasional seal to stop an oil leak, lots of other little stuff, but no significant repairs. Just found a pinhole leak on my water pump indicating it is time to replace that. When talking about the reliability of these cars - keep in mind your driving style. If you essentially autocross you car everyday driving to work with your hair on fire, 100,000 miles before the engine dies is an incredible run. I had a 1998 M3, and that car just could not take it - after just 60,000 miles, literally every system was or had been obliterated. Given the way I drive, my 996 is holding up like a tank. For those of you who have suffered an expensive engine failure, I feel for you, but your bad luck does not represent the norm for the car. If you fail to inspect and make repairs as necessary on an older vehicle leading to a failure (water pump), that is your fault, not Porsche's.

[355bhp]

80,000 miles on my 1999. When talking about the reliability of these cars - keep in mind your driving style. If you essentially autocross you car everyday driving to work with your hair on fire, 100,000 miles before the engine dies is an incredible run. Given the way I drive, my 996 is holding up like a tank.

Because you drive every day with your hair on fire IS likely the reason why your car is holding up like a tank! Cheers.

[CabC2]

1999 C2 tip cab; 100,700 at this moment, drove it 45,000 miles in the last two years, daily driver. no leaks no probs. only changed water pump a few months ago and did y myself following Loren's DIY :)

[rb101]

I hit the 100K mark coming back from the beach Saturday. In the 18 months I've owned (since 83K), no major problems , but I can feel the clutch starting to wear. I will replace that in the next few weeks along with oils and the AOS.

[lporsche]

hello

anybody knows or advice for flushing engine oil for cayenne S 04 when changing oil it has 180k right now

thanks

[Spadecat]

2000 C2 Coupe: 55,000 and counting. Beat the hell out of it (near redline on regular basis) and screams for more.

[greg996]

2000MY 996 C2 w/6speed with 85k miles. No issues. I've had it three years, driven it 15k miles, and enjoyed 8 PCA DE track weekends. I'm the 4th owner, but the car was well-maintained and kept reasonably local so long-term records were available during my pre-purchase inspection. That revealed no previous problems and consistent major and minor service intervals at a dealer. One spark plug tube was replaced upon purchase.

Original RMS, clutch and transmission. No leaks or seepage. My 996 gets an annual checkup at the Porsche dealer and, of course, an hour-long inspection by my local independent shop before each DE event. Techs haven't found anything worth commenting on, and they know I want them in the "pre-flight" inspection frame of mind (i.e. looking for reasons not to fly).

No measurable oil use between changes, even given track use. Changed to OEM sport pads this summer and will be installing new OEM rotors this winter (I believe the current ones are original). Saw my first warning light two weeks ago--brake pad wear warning at the track (as I was doing a lot of late-braking :-)

Engine pulls strong and consistently. The car handles well and is a joy to drive, even on long hauls.

Perhaps I'm just lucky, but this has been an incredible car.

Upgrades include:

OEM aero kit

OEM front radiator kit

LN Engineering low temperature thermostat, oil filter adapter and deep sump kit

OEM X51 oil pan & baffle

X74 suspension (on its way for a fall '09 installation; currently have factory US M030)

[Alfieboy]

51k, no issues yet. 2003 C4 convertible

[nos4a2]

92,000 miles 2000 C2 manual. Just about to go in for an oil change, transmission fluid change, brake fluid change, pads, discs and braided hoses all round, new throttle cable, shock absorbers all round and a 4 wheel alignment setup. Should be like new when all done :)

[BuddyK]

How many miles do you have on your original 3.4 liter engine?

161,000 Km

199 C4

[goliver1]

1999 C2 Cab. 111000. Water pump and clutch at 104K. Last clutch at 60K. AOS replaced not really needed but during clutch I figured what the hell. Spark plug tubes to get rid of the mosquito fogger effect at 108K. MAF and two oxygen sesnors at 110K. Other than that dead nuts reliable and driven like I stole it daily. Oh original engine. Also, does not burn one drop of oil between 3500 mile oil change intervals. Still using stock fill specs. Never ever had RMS issues or IMS issues. Gonna go drive it like a madman to get some beer right now instead of knock on wood.

Edited November 1, 2009 by goliver1

[sfgirl]

Just bought a 1999 996 with 99K miles for a steal. Here's hoping I'm not looking for answers in the dead engine forum next time I sign in! ;)

[Joel Pirela]

2002 Carrera C2, 118,000 miles. DD, 100 miles round trip everyday. Love the car!

joel

Edited November 30, 2009 by Joel Pirela

[violaGT3]

Well it is really great to hear of the many success stories out there. I am getting ready to try and drop my engine and tranny this winter for an update and some maintenance. I am at 82k now and no major issues still, just run into the dead battery from time to time if I do not drive her for a couple of weeks. Right now I am going to send off the tranny to have the 2nd gear pop out fixed, and the motor will get the accessories updated, pumps, mounts, A/C drier, plugs, and anything else I can think of as well as the Clutch etc.

Good luck to you all and you San Fran remember drive it hard!

[Johnnyceesred]

2003 C4S

196,984 miles so far. I bought the car as a dealer ex-demo in July 2003 at 3,870 miles. It's had 2 engines & 3 tiptronic gearboxes but still the original supsension (apart from as set of Powerflex bushes)

Rgds

JCR

[dr914jr]

I just hit 155k on the original engine and transmission.

[Gary H]

114K now :)

[nghiaho58]

I just hit 155k on the original engine and transmission.

I am happy for you :D . Good car.

BTW, what is the year and model of your car? Have you ever tracked or raced it?