(997) 911Turbo - 2007/2008
Discussion
Have a bit of an itch to scratch and really fancying a 997 911Turbo.
Would appreciate your knowledge and experience with this particular model.
I have been looking at 2007 & 2008 models with up to 50k miles on the clock.
How reliable are they?... what are typical Servicing costs like?... are they suited to daily driving?.
Is the Tiptronic version preferable to a Manual, or vice-versa?.
Apologies for my list of questions, however I would be really grateful for any related comments on your experiences.
Thanks!
Would appreciate your knowledge and experience with this particular model.
I have been looking at 2007 & 2008 models with up to 50k miles on the clock.
How reliable are they?... what are typical Servicing costs like?... are they suited to daily driving?.
Is the Tiptronic version preferable to a Manual, or vice-versa?.
Apologies for my list of questions, however I would be really grateful for any related comments on your experiences.
Thanks!
I have a 650hp 997.2 Turbo S Cab at present (actually for sale with 9E)
It's very simple to drive, very competent, very flattering to the driver.
I've taken it to Le Mans and back and it performed flawlessly.
I've daily driven it alongside my Boxster S and again it left nothing to be desired.
Servicing is, as always with porsche, fixed price and very reasonable,
The newer ones also benefit from warranties still, for extra piece of mind!
All in all a great car no matter the weather.
It's very simple to drive, very competent, very flattering to the driver.
I've taken it to Le Mans and back and it performed flawlessly.
I've daily driven it alongside my Boxster S and again it left nothing to be desired.
Servicing is, as always with porsche, fixed price and very reasonable,
The newer ones also benefit from warranties still, for extra piece of mind!
All in all a great car no matter the weather.
2007 / 2008 car will be a 12 year old Porsche that cost well north of £100k new
Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
I bought mine almost two years ago, apart from regular servicing and a few minor items it’s been bulletproof.
A great performance car overall - and very easy to get on with. The first thing I did was take mine to Florence (having never driven anything with more than 200bhp before, never driven in continental Europe let alone italy) and it was a flawless. Cruised there and back and comfortably saw >30mpg.
A great performance car overall - and very easy to get on with. The first thing I did was take mine to Florence (having never driven anything with more than 200bhp before, never driven in continental Europe let alone italy) and it was a flawless. Cruised there and back and comfortably saw >30mpg.
jakesmith said:
2007 / 2008 car will be a 12 year old Porsche that cost well north of £100k new
Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
Can I hazard a guess that given your speculative language, you don't have one? Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
I have a 2008 997 1.5 Tip. Extra expenses in 4 years have been an exhaust (original one caved in after 10 years of road crap being thrown at it at high speed), a new front rad (ditto), and a bonnet respray when some twit decided to write on it with a stone. Servicing every 2 years and yes, I keep a close eye on the oil levels and don't abuse it.
Cheapest car I've owned since that 1990 Seat Ibiza "Tuned By Porsche".
Whoozit said:
jakesmith said:
2007 / 2008 car will be a 12 year old Porsche that cost well north of £100k new
Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
Can I hazard a guess that given your speculative language, you don't have one? Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
I have a 2008 997 1.5 Tip. Extra expenses in 4 years have been an exhaust (original one caved in after 10 years of road crap being thrown at it at high speed), a new front rad (ditto), and a bonnet respray when some twit decided to write on it with a stone. Servicing every 2 years and yes, I keep a close eye on the oil levels and don't abuse it.
Cheapest car I've owned since that 1990 Seat Ibiza "Tuned By Porsche".
They were all built on a similar platform to the 997TT. All expensive to run mainly due to various poor designs on the platform. Such as the lack of any grilles to protect the 4/5 rads at the front, the exposed coil packs that fail, the poor quality gear shift couplings, the poor coolant header tanks that rupture, the exceptionally crap coolant pipe designs that corrode and are a complete pig to change out, the use of non-stainless steel for the majority of the exhaust system and its and related straps, fixings and studs that rot and are a nightmare to get off. The under spec 3 way Y alternator / starter / battery cable that degrades & causes hot-start issues. And the poor waterproofing effort on the door cards that has a foam strip that perishes letting water into the car. Poor quality window regulators. That's just off the top of my head. And not even mentioning the engines as it is a 997TT thread. Or suspension that will be getting tired when any performance car is 12 years old & expensive to sort.
I'm sure there are some lucky people out there or those doing very limited milage that are running cars for buttons but if you use them for normal miles, in winter and want to stay on top of maintenance etc, then they will cost money to run. All performance cars are the same. Great if you have a few good years but I wouldn't get too used to it based on my experiences
Edited by jakesmith on Monday 4th March 23:37
Turbo actuators can stick, which is a lot do do with their position and the amount of crap they pick up.
I saw my old one at a dealer recently, (2009 1.5 model) - he was going to have roughly a £2k spend on it due to gearbox seals.
Worth noting though, that these can be covered on a Porsche warranty up to 15 yrs, and 125k miles. if it is a case of scratching an itch then it's one way of ensuring more predictable costs, although consumables can add up with a full set of brakes and tyres setting me back £3k - although that was my only real expense in the 4yrs I owned the car (other than servicing) between 2013-2017.
I saw my old one at a dealer recently, (2009 1.5 model) - he was going to have roughly a £2k spend on it due to gearbox seals.
Worth noting though, that these can be covered on a Porsche warranty up to 15 yrs, and 125k miles. if it is a case of scratching an itch then it's one way of ensuring more predictable costs, although consumables can add up with a full set of brakes and tyres setting me back £3k - although that was my only real expense in the 4yrs I owned the car (other than servicing) between 2013-2017.
Porsche warranty is a way of regulating costs involved either buying your car from OPC (expensive), putting it on the car yourself (paying for an inspection and all the work flagged up) or looking for a used car with opc warranty on (good idea but will greatly restrict choice)
The warranty is not cheap to buy and once it is on the car you are tied into servicing it with Porsche and more importantly paying their ridiculously overpriced parts and labour rate on every recommended service item.
No modding with Porsche warranty too which is a shame as the Turbo is the car that needs an aftermarket exhaust the most and also is the most responsive to power mods in the range if that’s your thing.
The warranty is not cheap to buy and once it is on the car you are tied into servicing it with Porsche and more importantly paying their ridiculously overpriced parts and labour rate on every recommended service item.
No modding with Porsche warranty too which is a shame as the Turbo is the car that needs an aftermarket exhaust the most and also is the most responsive to power mods in the range if that’s your thing.
My advise is to get a car with a full service history and not worry about mileage. I bought my 2008 997.1 Manual turbo 3 years ago. I use it as a daily, and do 14,000 miles a year. I did more miles in my first year than the car had done in the prior 6 years.
The first 2 years (28,000 miles) Cost me about £250 to replace 2 sensors, a minor service £300, set of tyres £900 and the MOT fee. That was it. The service, tyres & MOT cost actually about the same as my previous BMW did.
Year 3 I have spent a bit more as I have had the car fully inspected from front to back and any bits which looked worn I have had replaced. These are bits which have done over 100,000 miles now and so they are not bits you would replace on a frequent basis. This cost me about £4000 or so including a major service.
So even if we include year 3`s costs, which I wouldnt expect to repeat for a vast number of years, into account the cost per mile & cost per year is hardly anything.
That, coupled with the lack of depreciation has made for very cheap driving over the last 3 years, and I am very pleased I didnt bother with any warranty when I bought the car, as that alone has saved me £1200+ a year.
Of course, if you go for a turbo there is always that temptation to start to modify it, which it a totally different kettle of fish & costs. Which you cant really include as "normal" running costs. But they certainly do transform the driving experience and id highly recommend!
Its also worth mentioning that my car now has done 105,000 miles all year around as a daily - snow, rain, ice etc. I had the suspension fully checked over by Centre Gravity and they said the original suspension & shocks were well within new tolerances and my car looked better underneath than some cars they had seen with 1/4 the miles. The cars also still running the original turbos which again I have had checked and they are perfectly fine. Brakes discs/pads I have found last me about 30,000 miles before needing replacing when using as a daily, and im currently running Michlean PS4S tyres which after 22,000 miles they are only about half worn.
The first 2 years (28,000 miles) Cost me about £250 to replace 2 sensors, a minor service £300, set of tyres £900 and the MOT fee. That was it. The service, tyres & MOT cost actually about the same as my previous BMW did.
Year 3 I have spent a bit more as I have had the car fully inspected from front to back and any bits which looked worn I have had replaced. These are bits which have done over 100,000 miles now and so they are not bits you would replace on a frequent basis. This cost me about £4000 or so including a major service.
So even if we include year 3`s costs, which I wouldnt expect to repeat for a vast number of years, into account the cost per mile & cost per year is hardly anything.
That, coupled with the lack of depreciation has made for very cheap driving over the last 3 years, and I am very pleased I didnt bother with any warranty when I bought the car, as that alone has saved me £1200+ a year.
Of course, if you go for a turbo there is always that temptation to start to modify it, which it a totally different kettle of fish & costs. Which you cant really include as "normal" running costs. But they certainly do transform the driving experience and id highly recommend!
Its also worth mentioning that my car now has done 105,000 miles all year around as a daily - snow, rain, ice etc. I had the suspension fully checked over by Centre Gravity and they said the original suspension & shocks were well within new tolerances and my car looked better underneath than some cars they had seen with 1/4 the miles. The cars also still running the original turbos which again I have had checked and they are perfectly fine. Brakes discs/pads I have found last me about 30,000 miles before needing replacing when using as a daily, and im currently running Michlean PS4S tyres which after 22,000 miles they are only about half worn.
Edited by rabbitstew on Tuesday 5th March 12:11
Whoozit said:
jakesmith said:
2007 / 2008 car will be a 12 year old Porsche that cost well north of £100k new
Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
Can I hazard a guess that given your speculative language, you don't have one? Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
I have a 2008 997 1.5 Tip. Extra expenses in 4 years have been an exhaust (original one caved in after 10 years of road crap being thrown at it at high speed), a new front rad (ditto), and a bonnet respray when some twit decided to write on it with a stone. Servicing every 2 years and yes, I keep a close eye on the oil levels and don't abuse it.
Cheapest car I've owned since that 1990 Seat Ibiza "Tuned By Porsche".
I can never understand how people can making sweeping statements such as 'Its going to cost you £2k a year' particularly when they have no idea on the standard of the car your going to buy or how your going to use it!
If you buy a dog it may cost you £2k a year, if you get a PPI done and buy a good one you wont!!
In general the engines are much lauded for being bullet proof, very very few failures, not like the M96/M97 fitted to the Carrera models, its the same lump that is fitted to GT3's, as already mentioned turbo actuators can corrode and stick, check the clutch accumulator, that aside the issues are identical to all other 911's, front rads, a/c rads, suspension wear etc etc.
Blisteringly quick, capable and perfectly happy being used as a daily!
Thanks very much to everyone who has responded so far and for the detail within.
I guess like most purchases of Cars of this nature, you could be very fortunate and not be hit too hard in your pocket, alternatively, the opposite might prove the case.
I haven't had the opportunity to drive one yet, however it sounds like I am in for quite a thrill when I do!
Any strong feelings on the Manual v Tiptronic choice?
Thanks again.
I guess like most purchases of Cars of this nature, you could be very fortunate and not be hit too hard in your pocket, alternatively, the opposite might prove the case.
I haven't had the opportunity to drive one yet, however it sounds like I am in for quite a thrill when I do!
Any strong feelings on the Manual v Tiptronic choice?
Thanks again.
V8Bomb said:
I haven't had the opportunity to drive one yet, however it sounds like I am in for quite a thrill when I do!
Oh yes 
Before I test drove one, I was more than a little nervous. I've had a few 300-350hp cars, this was a rather scary step up in my mind. Now? If it's dry, I drive it like a point and squirt go-kart. If I'm in traffic, it bimbles along quite happily with aircon on full and music going. I've unstuck the rears just once, when it was worn tyres, just above freezing weather, wet road, decent steering angle, a bit of a quick getaway. There's a reason the various models of T are called the everyday supercar.
red997 said:
I have a vague recollection of the 997 Turbo S
did the 997.1 have the Mezger, and the 997.2 have a 'different' engine (i.e. non Mezger) ?
Had one on loan for a week - bloody mental quick ! - but good fun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_997#Turbo_S_(2010–2013)did the 997.1 have the Mezger, and the 997.2 have a 'different' engine (i.e. non Mezger) ?
Had one on loan for a week - bloody mental quick ! - but good fun
3.8 DFI engine, with the Turbo S having GT2RS intercoolers, carbon fibre airbox and PDK only.
530bhp as stock, ~630 bhp with a remap and 650 bhp with an exhaust (those were my figures anyway!)
red997 said:
I have a vague recollection of the 997 Turbo S
did the 997.1 have the Mezger, and the 997.2 have a 'different' engine (i.e. non Mezger) ?
Had one on loan for a week - bloody mental quick ! - but good fun
Yup, that's right. The 997.1 had the old entertainment system with a phone keypad, which instantly dated it. There were a few months of crossover with old engines but updated interior. That the "1.5" version which I have. Also, the v1 had the 5 speed auto box, the v2 the flappy-paddle PDK. did the 997.1 have the Mezger, and the 997.2 have a 'different' engine (i.e. non Mezger) ?
Had one on loan for a week - bloody mental quick ! - but good fun
V8Bomb said:
Thanks very much to everyone who has responded so far and for the detail within.
I guess like most purchases of Cars of this nature, you could be very fortunate and not be hit too hard in your pocket, alternatively, the opposite might prove the case.
I haven't had the opportunity to drive one yet, however it sounds like I am in for quite a thrill when I do!
Any strong feelings on the Manual v Tiptronic choice?
Thanks again.
I had a 2008 997.1TT for 4.5 years and it cost little to run in all honesty.I guess like most purchases of Cars of this nature, you could be very fortunate and not be hit too hard in your pocket, alternatively, the opposite might prove the case.
I haven't had the opportunity to drive one yet, however it sounds like I am in for quite a thrill when I do!
Any strong feelings on the Manual v Tiptronic choice?
Thanks again.
It was serviced by my local OPC and had the warranty on it but I cannot recall (at this moment) any warranty work being done during my ownership.
I loved the interior however dated it looks now as the PCM didn’t bother me as I used a phone holder & WAZE anyway and an iPod connected for tunes. I’m not important enough to have to be on the phone in a car so never used it.
The one thing I hated most of all is the very short first gear, other than that the manual box was sublime in most conditions.
My 991.1TTS is PDK and I’m a convert, not because of being lazy but the fact that 560hp is better controlled by an exemplary auto or paddle shift change from 1st gear and puts my mechanical empathy at ease.
CrashBang said:
Whoozit said:
jakesmith said:
2007 / 2008 car will be a 12 year old Porsche that cost well north of £100k new
Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
Can I hazard a guess that given your speculative language, you don't have one? Expect it to be really expensive to run as parts are really expensive and in my experience loads of stuff wears out / breaks at this sort of age
Honestly, the servicing itself might be cheap but you'll be lucky to spend less than £2k a year once you add in consumables
I have a 2008 997 1.5 Tip. Extra expenses in 4 years have been an exhaust (original one caved in after 10 years of road crap being thrown at it at high speed), a new front rad (ditto), and a bonnet respray when some twit decided to write on it with a stone. Servicing every 2 years and yes, I keep a close eye on the oil levels and don't abuse it.
Cheapest car I've owned since that 1990 Seat Ibiza "Tuned By Porsche".
I can never understand how people can making sweeping statements such as 'Its going to cost you £2k a year' particularly when they have no idea on the standard of the car your going to buy or how your going to use it!
If you buy a dog it may cost you £2k a year, if you get a PPI done and buy a good one you wont!!
In general the engines are much lauded for being bullet proof, very very few failures, not like the M96/M97 fitted to the Carrera models, its the same lump that is fitted to GT3's, as already mentioned turbo actuators can corrode and stick, check the clutch accumulator, that aside the issues are identical to all other 911's, front rads, a/c rads, suspension wear etc etc.
Blisteringly quick, capable and perfectly happy being used as a daily!
A set of tyres alone is £1k+ and if you use it's power / chassis to its potential you'll be spending money on these and brakes
Great that a few of you are running them without many big bills coming up but every time I went to book my car in at GT One or Northway they were absolutely stacked up weeks in advance with broken 911s, Boxsters and Caymans to fix.
I also don't think it is realistic to suggest that you can avoid any problems on a 12 year old Porsche by buying one with a full service history - as an example I bought a 14 year old 987S with 75,000 miles on from an enthusiast that had a very full service history file. Kept it for a year and in that time replaced tyres, coolant pipes and the power steering pipe failed, £2.5k that lot, these are all basic things that do not relate to whether the car has a 'full service history' or low miles or a careful owner.
Bought a 997 C4S from Northway that was 5 years old at the time and 27,000 miles. Needed in the 4 years I owned it, new gearbox, snapped road spring, coolant header tank ruptured (very common), new coil packs (very common), alternator lead (very common), ignition switch, 2 services and probably £2k-£3k on tyres. That was a low milage, fairly young, full service history car from a very well regarded indi garage, £10k on maintenance in 4 years
I'm not slagging off the cars, or being argumentative for fun, I loved all 4 of mine but I don't think it's fair to set expectations to the OP that a 12 year old Porsche Turbo can reliably be run for a few hundred a year, regardless of its service history. My R8 is playing up at the moment with a battery drain issue but it's OK as I didn't pay any attention to people saying that it could be run for A4 money when I bought it 'as it's an audi' etc
jakesmith said:
My comments are from experience of running several very similar cars. Not a 997TT, but 2 987 Boxsters and a 997 C4S. They are mechanically and design wise very similar cars with many shared components and have a several failure points as I listed above, I'm not talking about the engines, if you read my post, and even in that regard the 997TT lump is not bulletproof as it can have costly actuator issues and the variable vane technology I have read failures about too on here
A set of tyres alone is £1k+ and if you use it's power / chassis to its potential you'll be spending money on these and brakes
Great that a few of you are running them without many big bills coming up but every time I went to book my car in at GT One or Northway they were absolutely stacked up weeks in advance with broken 911s, Boxsters and Caymans to fix.
I also don't think it is realistic to suggest that you can avoid any problems on a 12 year old Porsche by buying one with a full service history - as an example I bought a 14 year old 987S with 75,000 miles on from an enthusiast that had a very full service history file. Kept it for a year and in that time replaced tyres, coolant pipes and the power steering pipe failed, £2.5k that lot, these are all basic things that do not relate to whether the car has a 'full service history' or low miles or a careful owner.
Bought a 997 C4S from Northway that was 5 years old at the time and 27,000 miles. Needed in the 4 years I owned it, new gearbox, snapped road spring, coolant header tank ruptured (very common), new coil packs (very common), alternator lead (very common), ignition switch, 2 services and probably £2k-£3k on tyres. That was a low milage, fairly young, full service history car from a very well regarded indi garage, £10k on maintenance in 4 years
I'm not slagging off the cars, or being argumentative for fun, I loved all 4 of mine but I don't think it's fair to set expectations to the OP that a 12 year old Porsche Turbo can reliably be run for a few hundred a year, regardless of its service history. My R8 is playing up at the moment with a battery drain issue but it's OK as I didn't pay any attention to people saying that it could be run for A4 money when I bought it 'as it's an audi' etc
You win some you lose some!A set of tyres alone is £1k+ and if you use it's power / chassis to its potential you'll be spending money on these and brakes
Great that a few of you are running them without many big bills coming up but every time I went to book my car in at GT One or Northway they were absolutely stacked up weeks in advance with broken 911s, Boxsters and Caymans to fix.
I also don't think it is realistic to suggest that you can avoid any problems on a 12 year old Porsche by buying one with a full service history - as an example I bought a 14 year old 987S with 75,000 miles on from an enthusiast that had a very full service history file. Kept it for a year and in that time replaced tyres, coolant pipes and the power steering pipe failed, £2.5k that lot, these are all basic things that do not relate to whether the car has a 'full service history' or low miles or a careful owner.
Bought a 997 C4S from Northway that was 5 years old at the time and 27,000 miles. Needed in the 4 years I owned it, new gearbox, snapped road spring, coolant header tank ruptured (very common), new coil packs (very common), alternator lead (very common), ignition switch, 2 services and probably £2k-£3k on tyres. That was a low milage, fairly young, full service history car from a very well regarded indi garage, £10k on maintenance in 4 years
I'm not slagging off the cars, or being argumentative for fun, I loved all 4 of mine but I don't think it's fair to set expectations to the OP that a 12 year old Porsche Turbo can reliably be run for a few hundred a year, regardless of its service history. My R8 is playing up at the moment with a battery drain issue but it's OK as I didn't pay any attention to people saying that it could be run for A4 money when I bought it 'as it's an audi' etc
In 2.5 years of 991TTS ownership I’ve had a Turbo actuator replaced under warranty
I’ve owned my Macan exactly the same period of time, it’s had a new PDK box, ACC camera, steering rack and Pano sunroof cassette mechanism.
Not sure anyone is saying you can run a 911TT for pennies, sometimes s
t happens! r1flyguy1 said:
You win some you lose some!
In 2.5 years of 991TTS ownership I’ve had a Turbo actuator replaced under warranty
I’ve owned my Macan exactly the same period of time, it’s had a new PDK box, ACC camera, steering rack and Pano sunroof cassette mechanism.
Not sure anyone is saying you can run a 911TT for pennies, sometimes st happens!
Tru datIn 2.5 years of 991TTS ownership I’ve had a Turbo actuator replaced under warranty
I’ve owned my Macan exactly the same period of time, it’s had a new PDK box, ACC camera, steering rack and Pano sunroof cassette mechanism.
Not sure anyone is saying you can run a 911TT for pennies, sometimes s
t happens! Your 991 is a much newer car and whilst it has only had 1 issue, you do pay for that in depreciation. OP is looking at much older cars. Did you have a warranty, how much was the repair?
Macan, that is shocking, how much would all that have cost then out of warranty?! I'm guessing well into 5 figures and that could easily have been a buyer without a warranty as if all that could go wrong early on, it could go wrong once the car is older too....
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