RE: Porsche 911 Carrera (991.1) | PH Used Buying Guide

[rosetank]

thelostboy said:

I don't know where to begin with this. How can you get to your age and not realise how obtuse that sounds?

This guide is a list of all problems experienced. People realise this doesn't mean each and every issue is going to happen to every 991, right?

My dad has had a 991 for about 6 years and nothing's gone wrong on it. I had a 991 GT3, and other than the engine recall, nothing went wrong including track days. I had a 997 C4S and it also never went wrong.

In fairness the general theme seems to be that Porsche's aren't the most reliable of things. I spoke to a specialist, who shall remain nameless, and he advised against all the modernish variants, all very much built to a price and if I must, make sure only to buy one with a proper warranty...was his advice.

[MEames]

Good article - 991's have been totally off my radar on grounds of price but this has peaked my interest somewhat.

I can't afford one really, but knowing that a £16 > 20k 997 Carrera could chuck you a bill of £10k to sort the inherent engine issues has led me to wonder whether just waiting (quite some time admittedly) for some depreciation to happen and getting one of these might be a better idea as a car that needs to be used daily to earn it's keep (and all honestly never likely to be driven at anywhere near it's limits)

Without wanting to turn it into a values thread, I do wonder where these will end up... Sub £30k for entry level car light on options and with 3 pedals? To me it sounds like the 3.4 Carrera 2 is the one to have, more than enough power, suspension suited to the UK, rev happy engine, good efficiency and a modern enough environment.

I wonder if the electronic steering can be re-calibrated to match the later cars or is it more than a software setup that differs between .1 and .2?

I'm 6'2" and notice the offset pedals in the 996/7 era cars, is it (and rear passenger space) markedly better in these on account of the new platform?

I do also wonder about safety, I know it's a sports car and that it's not the ultimate priority but as a 2+2 it needs to be considered and there are no test results to see how these compare to the industry norm and indeed how they differ to the older 997 model which for better or worse is an heavily revised car from the mid 90's designed when Porsche were a little short on cash.

[Dannythemusicman]

Pope said:

Speedgirl said:

The warranty transfers to a new private owner but not if you sell to the trade so bear that in mind.

At which point you can request a refund of the remaining cover

I do not think this is true. Having sold a car with an extended warranty, the T&Cs specifically state no refund is available if ended early.

Edited to add: Great buying guide & good to see all the lesser-known weak points getting a mention, the chances of having a car with all these issues is minute.

FYI - If buying a 991 from an OPC, length of warranty can be negotiated along with price (quite easily...).

In any case I cannot understand the number of comments about the age old warranty gamble when this is the case regardless of manufacturer nowadays.
If you are paying to extend the warranty, also add on the additional Porsche premium priced servicing and go in eyes wide open...

Edited by Dannythemusicman on Monday 17th February 15:52

[bill.hester]

I have a 2012 991.1 Carrera S, looks very much like the one in the picture here. Absolutely love the car and I'll probably be buried in it. BUT one word of warning for ANYONE with one of these cars: the service guide in Europe calls for an oil change every 2 years or 20,000 kilometers. I had mine serviced according to the service guide, and without warning one day it spun a bearing, scored the bores and wrote off the engine. I was literally in the month between a third-party warranty expiring and going onto a new OPC warranty. It required a new small block, to the tune of c.£16K. Porsche paid £4k, I paid the rest. The official cause was "oil starvation", although I had had it serviced by OPC according to the book. I may have got more help from Porsche, but in my desperation I had taken it to a local specialist who ended up doing all the work....so to be fair is was difficult for Porsche to do more without the car in their own workshop.

Interestingly, on investigation I discovered that in the US, the Porsche service schedule (for the very same car) calls for oil every one year, or 10,000 miles. Which led to to think that perhaps the 2yr/20k parameters in Europe are really there to satisfy more stringent EU regulations....and pushing the envelope too far for what this car actually needs. Who knows?

Anyway - if as a 991.1 owner you haven't already figured this out, here's my gift to you:

CHANGE YOUR ENGINE OIL EVERY YEAR, IRRESPECTIVE OF MILEAGE

I'm sure many would say this is obvious, and maybe it is for such a high performance car. Certainly a very expensive life lesson for me. Happy to say it's running beautifully now (55K miles, with 5k miles on the engine!) and all on a OPC warranty

[ravster]

Great article, I’m in the ‘they are great cars and not unreliable’ group but appreciate they aren’t for everyone.

I’ve had two 991.1s C2S and C4S and loved them both. Next generation turbo engines are amazing though if not as vocal.

Thought I was done with 911s but then found a targa - warranty is worth it just in case roof mechanism ever fails!

[av185]

rosetank said:

In fairness the general theme seems to be that Porsche's aren't the most reliable of things. I spoke to a specialist, who shall remain nameless, and he advised against all the modernish variants, all very much built to a price and if I must, make sure only to buy one with a proper warranty...was his advice.

Having had most Porsches and Porsche GTs from new for the last 10 years I would say the opposite.

The newer stuff is far more robust and reliable.

Perhaps your indie specialist friend would benefit more by you taking an older unreliable Porsche to him for work.

[FerrariGuy007]

Might differ among owners but definitely not a reliable car. I bought my certified used 997 with a warranty and still had so many issues like horn issues, wipers worn from only a year, and the worst is ignition issue which means I can start car sometimes and sometimes not, These are all issues that came only after 3 years. I bought used cars directly from owners that had less issues.

Fixing the car will cost thousands per visit. It’s one of those things owning these things. Fixing a Lambo is even more expensive x5.

I always wanted a Porsche Carrera and it was fun the first few years but got old really quick. One thing that doesn’t get old is ppl looking at your car or getting really jealous but if you like that kind of stuff, then it’s for you. It also looks beautiful depending on your taste. I can never get tired looking at it but driving is another thing.

I don’t think I would ever get a 991 because it’s so GT. 997 is probably the last true Porsche sports car though I really hate the electronics which really eats the battery while parked for a while. That’s one thing the old cars are better at preserving that battery since they have less electronics. Obviously not an issue if you have your own garage with battery tender but not possible for city folks. If I can choose, the 993 would be my choice for sportiness and pure driving.

I’ll admit it’s a bit better than my old BMW but only slightly so why not just own a Beamer? It’s way cheaper to own and maintain and a bit more reliable.

[rosetank]

av185 said:

Having had most Porsches and Porsche GTs from new for the last 10 years I would say the opposite.

The newer stuff is far more robust and reliable.

Perhaps your indie specialist friend would benefit more by you taking an older unreliable Porsche to him for work.

In fairness he didn’t say much about the GT’s, not that they are in my budget unfortunately.

He did say the older air cooled stuff was better. Always fancied a Cayman with a 6 cylinder engine but not brave enough to take the risk!

[Pope]

Dannythemusicman said:

I do not think this is true. Having sold a car with an extended warranty, the T&Cs specifically state no refund is available if ended early.

I process the refunds; what do I know.......

Sold to trade out of Network - refund possible.

[Speedgirl]

Dannythemusicman said:

Pope said:

Speedgirl said:

The warranty transfers to a new private owner but not if you sell to the trade so bear that in mind.

At which point you can request a refund of the remaining cover

I do not think this is true. Having sold a car with an extended warranty, the T&Cs specifically state no refund is available if ended early.

Edited to add: Great buying guide & good to see all the lesser-known weak points getting a mention, the chances of having a car with all these issues is minute.

FYI - If buying a 991 from an OPC, length of warranty can be negotiated along with price (quite easily...).

In any case I cannot understand the number of comments about the age old warranty gamble when this is the case regardless of manufacturer nowadays.
If you are paying to extend the warranty, also add on the additional Porsche premium priced servicing and go in eyes wide open...

Edited by Dannythemusicman on Monday 17th February 15:52

And you can’t get the money back for the car alarm subscription!
The Porsche insurance they have a deal on is quite good, very comprehensive indeed, and excellent service, as tested on my cayman several times.

[brickwall]

Cold said:

Are you suggesting that these cars are so unreliable that you're better off spending £1000 per annum on a warranty as you'll still be quids in at the end of each year?

I spent an average of £2k per year on repairs for my 987 Boxster S, so I’d bite your hand off at £1k pa for a 911

[NelsonM3]

Pope said:

I process the refunds; what do I know.......

Sold to trade out of Network - refund possible.

This.

Although it’ll take Allianz/Real Garant 4-7 months to process the refund via the internal PRMS system. The worst I had was nearly 12 months.

As for reliability. The 991 is a dream compared to the 997. But, like all cars the less you use them the more they go wrong and criminally this is what 70% of what most Porsche’s do.

Edited by NelsonM3 on Monday 17th February 21:56

[av185]

997.2 is okay.

Steer clear of 997.1 if you want reliability.

[MadMark911]

FerrariGuy007 said:

Might differ among owners but definitely not a reliable car. I bought my certified used 997 with a warranty and still had so many issues like horn issues, wipers worn from only a year, and the worst is ignition issue which means I can start car sometimes and sometimes not, These are all issues that came only after 3 years. I bought used cars directly from owners that had less issues.

But this article (and the ensuing debate) is not about the 997 - it's about the 991 .....

[timberman]

sinbaddio said:

crystalmethod said:

timberman said:

Nice looking bit of kit.

Agreed - lovely

thankyou

It's been my pride and joy for the last few years and hopefully for a few more years to come.

[timberman]

rosetank said:

In fairness the general theme seems to be that Porsche's aren't the most reliable of things. I spoke to a specialist, who shall remain nameless, and he advised against all the modernish variants, all very much built to a price and if I must, make sure only to buy one with a proper warranty...was his advice.

Where are you getting that from ?

the theme seems to be,

People who own them, pointing out how reliable they are and have hardly ever had any issues, as well stating that the warranty is mainly just for peace of mind, which is quite normal for any high end car.

And people who've probably never driven one,
then read a guide listing possible faults (mostly minor),
and decided they must all be faulty so should be avoided at all costs.

[240Cup]

@Timberman, very nice looking Pork.

I've just bought one of these (manual) and love the look of your wheels - mine has the 20" rims on - are yours OEM and if so what are they? Do you have spacers on it?

I've yet to pick mine up as closed the deal with OPC Swindon just before lockdown so it is hibernating with them indoors under a car cover!

[timberman]

240Cup said:

@Timberman, very nice looking Pork.

I've just bought one of these (manual) and love the look of your wheels - mine has the 20" rims on - are yours OEM and if so what are they? Do you have spacers on it?

I've yet to pick mine up as closed the deal with OPC Swindon just before lockdown so it is hibernating with them indoors under a car cover!

Hi 240Cup,

thanks, and congrats on your new purchase, I'm sure you'll love it

the wheels are Sport Techno and were available as an option from new

mine were fitted from new as well as the sport design pack and lowered sport suspension ( -20 mm from standard ) which I think adds to the look.

they're slightly wider than standard ( 9x20 front & 11.5x20 rear ) and use 305 section tyres at the back instead of 295's but don't use spacers.

I really like them,
Imo they suit the car and as an added bonus they're very easy to clean.

hth
Pete.

[Jazzer77]

ravster said:

Great article, I’m in the ‘they are great cars and not unreliable’ group but appreciate they aren’t for everyone.

I’ve had two 991.1s C2S and C4S and loved them both. Next generation turbo engines are amazing though if not as vocal.

Thought I was done with 911s but then found a targa - warranty is worth it just in case roof mechanism ever fails!

The roof mechanism is a beautiful piece of engineering.

991 Targa is on my list of lottery cars. Just think it looks so right.

[anonymous-user]

The problem with having a warranty on an older car is whether a claim is actually is wear and tear or a part failure, can be harder to determine as a car gets older.

My 997.2 C4S is coming up to 10 years old and is currently under Porsche warranty primarily for the engine and electrics. No idea whether to renew it again when it is due.