997.2 - cost of owning one around 50k miles

[dbr84]

Hi all,

I am currently looking at 997.2 Carreras. My budget (35-40k) would let me pick one up with around 50k miles, circa 2010-2011. Probably a C2 with PDK.

I'm interested to hear from owners as to what kind of issues they have faced with a car of this age/mileage. What has gone wrong and was it difficult/expensive to repair?

Sounds like most of the scary engine issues have been resolved which is great.

I've read to check up on the front rads, LCA bushes and tandem/oil pump (corrosion). I've also seen a small number who have basically had to do a full suspension rebuild around this kind of mileage due to wear/corrosion, but not sure how common this is


Obviously condition and history of the cars can vary greatly but I'd be keen to listen to some real-world perspective and go in with eyes open.

[jezzaaa]

dbr84 said:

Hi all,

Sounds like most of the scary engine issues have been resolved which is great.

Not true. There are only really two major money issues with gen 1 M96/M97 engines; IMS failure and Bore Scoring. Mostly affecting the 3.8 engines, or so it seems. IMS no longer exists (AFAIK) on the DFI Gen 2 engines, but there have already been several reports of Gen 2 engines with bore scoring. It' s probably not as prevalent as 997.1 bore scoring yet because the cars are so much younger. But chances are it will be. So make sure you get a warranty!

Edited by jezzaaa on Monday 3rd September 22:08

[Murph7355]

Too soon for me to comment properly as have only had mine (a 4S PDK) for a couple of months...but my intention is to get it covered by Porsche warranty in due course. Their warranties aren't horrendously expensive and should cover the major expense items in extremis.

That does mean starting out with a car with no mods. And there is always the view (which I often support!) that the only winners on warranties are the companies that run them But at less than 2k (IIRC) for 2yrs cover it'll give peace of mind until I know the car's foibles better (is my current thinking).

A couple of things I'm aware of - window regulators fail and can be difficult to get hold of (reading the forums). Mine had both been replaced, but I'm not sure new parts are any more reliable. And check the windscreen - they pick up chips very easily and are also a lengthy order item for Porsche parts.

I would also strongly recommend the Sport Chrono package. It really livens the car up - first thing I do is put mine in Sport Plus mode. It can feel a bit too relaxed without it pressed.

[GT4RS]

Ran a 997.2 s for two years, mine only had 15k miles on it by the time I sold it. Great car but I would still opt for a warranty just to cover yourself.

Only two warranty claims, one for a sensor in the pdk box and the other for an oil leak.

[dbr84]

Sounds like warranty for piece of mind is still needed.

Anyone know if the 981 Cayman S (3.4) has the same threat of bore scoring?

[Corky]

I bought a 991 997 Gen 2 C2 in 2016 with 62k on the clock, it's now got 90k on it. I have replaced the discs and pads all round and it has just had a front suspension rebuild, the top mounts showed signs of rust. A bit costly but worth it IMHO, the one real annoyance was having to replace both rear light units, they get brittle and leak, I managed to avoid the £600 per unit cost and tracked some down (OEM) from the net for £360 each.

[Corky]

Corky said:

I bought a 991 997 Gen 2 C2 in 2016 with 62k on the clock, it's now got 90k on it. I have replaced the discs and pads all round and it has just had a front suspension rebuild, the top mounts showed signs of rust. A bit costly but worth it IMHO, the one real annoyance was having to replace both rear light units, they get brittle and leak, I managed to avoid the £600 per unit cost and tracked some down (OEM) from the net for £360 each.

ETA It also had to have the tandem oil pump replaced as well.

[Polome]

Hi. I've had my '59 plate 3.6 for over 5 years and driven over 30k. It's not a daily driver now but it's driven as intended. 17 k when I bought it ( OPC) and now 47k. It's had (in no particular order) full set discs & 2 sets pads,condensers,booster pump, front & rear coffin arms,front cooling hose connectors,battery,stereo amp,rear springs.rear lamps ,set tyres etc...although I run with a OPC warranty its cost a good few thousand ...I am a bit pedantic about my car and as it sits outside I think a few of the repairs were deterioration/ corrosion due to the atmosphere. These cars unfortunately have fairly poor quality materials underneath that don't last long. After all this doom and gloom the car still drives like the day I bought it and as much as I currentlylooking around (991 too big for me) I can't find a car that gives the same satisfying drive....hope this helps... Cheers.

[moonigan]

Polome said:

Hi. I've had my '59 plate 3.6 for over 5 years and driven over 30k. It's not a daily driver now but it's driven as intended. 17 k when I bought it ( OPC) and now 47k. It's had (in no particular order) full set discs & 2 sets pads,condensers,booster pump, front & rear coffin arms,front cooling hose connectors,battery,stereo amp,rear springs.rear lamps ,set tyres etc...although I run with a OPC warranty its cost a good few thousand ...I am a bit pedantic about my car and as it sits outside I think a few of the repairs were deterioration/ corrosion due to the atmosphere. These cars unfortunately have fairly poor quality materials underneath that don't last long. After all this doom and gloom the car still drives like the day I bought it and as much as I currentlylooking around (991 too big for me) I can't find a car that gives the same satisfying drive....hope this helps... Cheers.

Outside the obvious discs, pads, battery and tyres were the rest of the items covered via the warranty?

[Shaoxter]

Nothing at all has gone wrong on mine in 2 years of ownership.
Had a major service, brake pads, tyres, that's about it.

[jetbox]

As already said,

Rads and aircon condenser

Tandem pump corroded through

Brakes. ( corrosion if not used, worn out if usd....)

Possible suspension bushes by 50k

[Polome]

moonigan said:

Polome said:

Hi. I've had my '59 plate 3.6 for over 5 years and driven over 30k. It's not a daily driver now but it's driven as intended. 17 k when I bought it ( OPC) and now 47k. It's had (in no particular order) full set discs & 2 sets pads,condensers,booster pump, front & rear coffin arms,front cooling hose connectors,battery,stereo amp,rear springs.rear lamps ,set tyres etc...although I run with a OPC warranty its cost a good few thousand ...I am a bit pedantic about my car and as it sits outside I think a few of the repairs were deterioration/ corrosion due to the atmosphere. These cars unfortunately have fairly poor quality materials underneath that don't last long. After all this doom and gloom the car still drives like the day I bought it and as much as I currentlylooking around (991 too big for me) I can't find a car that gives the same satisfying drive....hope this helps... Cheers.

Outside the obvious discs, pads, battery and tyres were the rest of the items covered via the warranty?

As far as I can remember the springs, coffin arms ,battery, discs & pads and obviously tyres were paid by me..just home from 70 mile trip today and driving smooth and fast as the day I bought it....

[WindyM]

I ran a 58-plate 997.2 4S PDK from 2013 to earlier this year. I used it as a daily driver and took the mileage from 40k to 69k. Although I bought it privately, it was under Porsche extended warranty and I kept this going throughout. It was always serviced to schedule at OPCs.
I also had all the bills from new.
It never had any suspension parts replaced.
It used some oil but well within tolerance and usually after a track day, so understandable.
Items I had replaced under warranty were:
O2 sensors (one failed but both were replaced)
1 rear light cluster (due to condensation forming inside)
Internal roof blind motor (unique to the Targa)
1 valve lift solenoid (engine ran roughly between idle and about 3000RPM) - the warranty definitely paid for itself on this one due to the labour element.
Of course, I replaced brake discs, pads, batteries etc as they wore out.
I challenge anyone to produce catastrophic bore-score evidence on a 3.8 DFI - not links to forum hearsay.
I "upgraded" to a 2007 997 GT3 but I would have another 997.2 in a heartbeat. It was a brilliant car.
Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

[Discombobulate]

08 C4s cab 55k (my wife's car). 997.1 not 2 but many parts common. Since new it has had the following (mostly in last 5k miles).

Tandem pump
Front coolant lines
Front evaporators for air con
New exhaust fixings

Suspension (basically the whole lot less springs):

Coffin arms all round
Diagonal arms all round
New bumps stops
New ARB links
New top mounts all round
New dampers (this was not required but while rebuilding everything else we replaced them)

Around £8k on the above.

Love the car though, and drives like new.

[jezzaaa]

WindyM said:

I challenge anyone to produce catastrophic bore-score evidence on a 3.8 DFI - not links to forum hearsay.

My specialist has told me in person, and in no uncertain terms, that they've already had Cayman.2 and a 997.2 DFI engine rebuilds due to scoring. We were discussing his thoughts on the pros and cons of Gen 2 vs Gen 1. There are some good features on the later cars for sure. I made the comment about the reliability improvements to the engines on the gen 2, and he was making the point that the prices asked for DFI cars are in some part due to the 'myth' that DFI engines don't have weak points requiring major surgery. He was adamant that they do, and that as they age and mileages get higher, the failures will become more common. Obviously, due to the smaller number of 997.2 cars sold, the stats will never be as high as for Gen 1. They lack is the IMS risk, but that wasn't the biggest issue for the M96/97 engines anyway (as Barry at Hartech will and has testified).

[griffter]

jezzaaa said:

My specialist has told me in person, and in no uncertain terms, that they've already had Cayman.2 and a 997.2 DFI engine rebuilds due to scoring. We were discussing his thoughts on the pros and cons of Gen 2 vs Gen 1. There are some good features on the later cars for sure. I made the comment about the reliability improvements to the engines on the gen 2, and he was making the point that the prices asked for DFI cars are in some part due to the 'myth' that DFI engines don't have weak points requiring major surgery. He was adamant that they do, and that as they age and mileages get higher, the failures will become more common. Obviously, due to the smaller number of 997.2 cars sold, the stats will never be as high as for Gen 1. They lack is the IMS risk, but that wasn't the biggest issue for the M96/97 engines anyway (as Barry at Hartech will and has testified).

Bristol OPC had a DFI Boxster in with bore scoring a few months ago. From memory it was a 981 S.

[Johnrosk]

Good morning

Just put my 2008 GEN 2 997 S PDK up for sale as I am retiring shortly. The mileage when I bought the car was 18,600 and currently it is 54,200. I have owned the car for five years and kept all receipts. My running costs excluding road tax and fuel was £15,000.00 which equates to around £0.42 per mile excluding depreciation, or 3k per year of ownership. The big bills started coming in around eight and a half years of ownership; 48,000 Miles. I would strongly recommend that you look for a car with good service history and one that has had substantial work carried out and get it inspected by Porsche, otherwise you could be looking at some large bills.

Hope this helps.

John

Edited by Johnrosk on Wednesday 5th September 12:36

[ooid]

GT4RS said:

Ran a 997.2 s for two years, mine only had 15k miles on it by the time I sold it. Great car but I would still opt for a warranty just to cover yourself.

Only two warranty claims, one for a sensor in the pdk box and the other for an oil leak.

Oil leak on 15k car is a major fail imho...

[GT4P]

Bore scoring is very rare but not unheard of in Gen2 but for longevity of the DFI Gen2 are regular oil changes not the 20k ones, good fuel ie Shells finest , warming up correctly and no labouring/ lugging the engine !

[lex524]

Is that going up in the for sale section soon?

How many miles?

Benjays said:

Well depends where you are in the uk and what you are looking for but i have just decided to put my 997.2 C2 pdk up for sale

2010 3.6 pdk
Sports Chrono
PASM
Bose
Electric memory seats
carrera classic 19" wheels (with a spare set of tyres)
Nav
Multifunction steering wheel
heated seats
Xenon headlights
FSH (some OPC some indie)
Aqua Blue
£35k

I'm based in Worcester