RE: Porsche 911 (997): PH Buying Guide

[anonymous-user]

fastgerman said:

swisstoni said:

Where does the 10% failure rate stat come from?

Approximate figure taken from some old threads.

Pure fiction.

Porsche sell c.60,000 sports cars a year. Do 6,000 Porsches explode each year?

No

[Fittster]

rockin said:

fastgerman said:

swisstoni said:

Where does the 10% failure rate stat come from?

Approximate figure taken from some old threads.

Pure fiction.

Porsche sell c.60,000 sports cars a year. Do 6,000 Porsches explode each year?

No

How do you know? All that can be determined is that there is a problem that occurs with enough frequency to make it worthwhile for 3rd parties to develop fixes for it.

[swisstoni]

rockin said:

fastgerman said:

swisstoni said:

Where does the 10% failure rate stat come from?

Approximate figure taken from some old threads.

Pure fiction.

Porsche sell c.60,000 sports cars a year. Do 6,000 Porsches explode each year?

No

That is not what anyone was suggesting.

[Gixer968CS]

blade7 said:

Gixer968CS said:

Tyres will set you back £1,000 for four, but hey what would you expect??

I put four new N spec 18" PS2's on my 944 for under £600.

It's the rears that are expensive. Cheapest I've found is with Asda Tyres at c£500 per pair. They're bigger than the 944. Front's were about £400 I seem to remember

[Filibuster]

I highly recommend the new(-ish) Michelin PilotSport 4S!
They are not `N` rated, but since very few 997 - if any at all - are under Porsche Approved warranty, this is a non issue.

A superb tyre that is superior and most often cheaper than the old `N`rated PS2S and much more versatile than the good weather only Michelin cups.

[Buzzfan]

Just to put the depreciation/running costs in perspective, those with access to house remortgage finance at 1.5-2.5% for a 5-10 yr fix, buying a £ 45k Gen 2 car years younger than an older £ 30k Gen 1 with lower mileage & maybe a partial warranty would cost only £ 225/300 per year - mymanmaths;)

Edited by Buzzfan on Wednesday 18th November 10:03

Edited by Buzzfan on Wednesday 18th November 10:12

[ballans]

I’ve got an 07 C2S manual just approaching 89k miles still on original engine with no rebuild. Got it bore scoped 6 months ago as part of a general service, engine still in good health. It did the bulk of its mileage in the first 3 years and has been tailing off ever since. I will probably do approx 3k miles this year. This kind of usage profile seems to suit the 997 and if the engine was going to detonate it would have done it by now so working on the theory that if does need a rebuild it will be wear related.
So far this year it’s needed a front suspension refresh, brake pipes and service which was approx £3k. Next year I know it will need water pump and cooling pipes so probably another £3k.
It’s a fabulous thing to drive and baring an employment melt down (very possible given current circumstances) I will be keeping it despite the running costs.

[blade7]

Gixer968CS said:

It's the rears that are expensive. Cheapest I've found is with Asda Tyres at c£500 per pair. They're bigger than the 944. Front's were about £400 I seem to remember

I fitted 265/35-18's on the rear. Michelin were throwing in a £50 cashback on 18's, or £100 on 19's at the time.

[blottheblot]

EricE said:

A good deal as long as the engine doesn't blow up.
If it does you'll bite your behind for not spending the extra money up front on a 997.2 with the much safer alusil coated engine bores and updated interior.

Re the alusil coated engine bores... Would that not have the same issue as the e34 and possibly other BMW engines, that lead to all sorts of problems, effectively 'pitting' leading to a lowering of compression?

[Bristol Rob]

blottheblot said:

Re the alusil coated engine bores... Would that not have the same issue as the e34 and possibly other BMW engines, that lead to all sorts of problems, effectively 'pitting' leading to a lowering of compression?

Isn't it 20 years between the e34 and 997.2, more even? Is there any correlation?

[ELROR]

I’ve had my 997.1 c2s manual for 6.5 years and taken it from 40k miles to 70k miles in that time. Bought it for £23k, spent £3k on items arising from pre-purchase inspection (so £26k for a well sorted car). Since then bills have averaged out at £2,500 per year (inc Vat). Some years a few hundred, others several thousand (2019 was £5k). Am I worried about IMS or bore scoring? In a word no. I’ve suffered normal normal running costs for a car of this kind, depreciation has been minimal, I’ve enjoyed it and will keep it forever. If I have to get a rebuild at some point, then so be it. As others have noted on here, air cooled Porsche need very expensive rebuilds every 80k miles or so as a matter of course, whereas the need to rebuild a 997 is the rare exception. As for those who say a turbo is safer bet, that is pure fantasy - they are in a different league of complexity and expense compared to a 2wd Carrera.

[jakesmith]

Some costs on here are more like my experience of running these cars, £2500, £3000 a year with the occasional cheaper year here and there. I think any less than that and youre likely lucky or I. A car that was newer and more expensive when acquired.