W211 AMG Discuss the W211 AMG's such as the E55 and the E63

OT: 996 questions

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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 07:34 AM
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OT: 996 questions

I'm thinking of adding a 996 to my 'fleet'

Does anyone know a great forum like this dedicated to the 996? Also, I've found one in Chicago (about 200 miles away) that is a 2005. I admit I am new, but Wikipedia says the 996 went through 2004. It is a Turbo Carrera if that matters.

Also, any winter experience (with snows)? I'm thinking of trading my 08 Corvette (which I love) as it is useless in cold weather.

Thanks!

Tom
P.S. 05 E55 Wagon
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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 07:38 AM
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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 07:59 AM
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I kept my Porsche in Colorado, 911s work well at altitude and handle mountain roads quite well, as for snow, they are just short of being a snowmobile.
Or if you are from Alaska "snow machine".
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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 08:15 AM
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Originally Posted by Yacht Master
I kept my Porsche in Colorado, 911s work well at altitude and handle mountain roads quite well, as for snow, they are just short of being a snowmobile.
Or if you are from Alaska "snow machine".

Even the All Wheel Drive models? I've been doing various reading that implies they're pretty good.
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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 11:06 AM
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Eh. If you're used to a benz, a porsche is a whole different story.

With the exception of the TT motor (that one's pretty much bulletproof), you should be prepared for random engine and tranny failures. Been there done that myself.

You should also be prepared to have them play games with you over the warranty. Your dealer will go from being a cool bunch of guys to being a$$holes overnight, when one of these design defect induced failures crops up.

When your main bearing craps out (and it will, especially on the 3.4's), they will go so far as testing your oil and dumping the ECU to find a way to deny the claim. If you have ever gone a little over the redline, you're F*ck*d, and ditto if they determine you weren't changing your oil often enough, etc. If it's a tranny failure, and you can't show that you changed the tranny fluid and diff oils within a short window of the recommended time, they'll deny the claim. And so on and so forth.

There are a whole series of known design defects, ranging from main bearing failures even at low mileage, to notoriously leaky rear main seals, to weak synchros in the tranny that crap out randomly, etc. And all of these things are mega-expensive repairs, and they play warranty games.

Personally, I think the current (1999-now) crop of 911's is a grossly inferior car to the 993's. The only exception is the turbo motor, those are a different design and are generally very reliable. My advice, as an ex-porsche owner & fan, is to go for a 996/997 turbo, or to go and get a nice 993. Though they have made a lot of progress in fixing some things, especially from 2005+, there are still just too many things wrong with the current platform.

Others will argue, but that's my $0.02.
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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 11:48 AM
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Some reading:

http://www.devwebsphere.com/porsche/...ne_failed.html

And some more reading:

http://www.porscheenginefailure.com/

And some more:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4501

And this poor schmuck had an engine failure within the first 4 months he had his 2002 911:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t73502.html

And here's the granddaddy of ALL embarrassing F* ups...European Car Magazine's Carerra 3.6 long-term test vehicle blew up at 6100 miles, b/c of catastrophic engine failure:

http://www.europeancarweb.com/longte...era/index.html

And more warranty games on a premature engine failure:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=294000

I can literally keep this up all day. A quick google search will yield enough reading on blown Porsche motors and trannies to keep you busy for the next 5 years.
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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 02:08 PM
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www.rennlist.com is the premiere forum for Porsches. I've had 964's, 993's, 996's and 997's. I did most the work on each car myself and I can tell you, without a doubt, the 993 was the best of them all. Sure, they have their own inherent problems, but none of which that can't be easily corrected with a few aftermarket parts. The biggest problem with the 993's were the factory valve guides. If you can find a 993 C2S, that is the N/A 993 to have. If you can swing a Turbo, get that. Again, if you do decide on the 993, make sure it's had a valve job to correct the valve guide issue. If it hasn't, you can easily have a compression and leak down done to see if it needs it. TONS of info over on Rennlist about the 993 and 996 depending on which model you decide on.
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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 02:14 PM
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E55 C43 993C2S
Originally Posted by tscales
I'm thinking of adding a 996 to my 'fleet'

Does anyone know a great forum like this dedicated to the 996? Also, I've found one in Chicago (about 200 miles away) that is a 2005. I admit I am new, but Wikipedia says the 996 went through 2004. It is a Turbo Carrera if that matters.

Also, any winter experience (with snows)? I'm thinking of trading my 08 Corvette (which I love) as it is useless in cold weather.

Thanks!

Tom
P.S. 05 E55 Wagon
hmm...isn't a 2005 pcar a 997...anyways make sure you get a warranty and a stellar ppi.. the 996TT are a true bargain now and with proper tires can be driven allll winter long. several on here have or own 996tt so they may chime in later....

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...splay.php?f=61
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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 07:06 PM
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Originally Posted by trinitony
hmm...isn't a 2005 pcar a 997...anyways make sure you get a warranty and a stellar ppi.. the 996TT are a true bargain now and with proper tires can be driven allll winter long. several on here have or own 996tt so they may chime in later....

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...splay.php?f=61
Exactly what he said

And rennslist is the best forum, lots of knowledgeable and friendly people.
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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 10:30 PM
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Check this out! You can thank me after you pick it up!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Porsche-911-GT2-...1%7C240%3A1308

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Old Nov 11, 2008 | 10:59 PM
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Nice GT-2. Those things are pretty sick but if you are a novice 911 owner...you will kill yourself.

Check out these guys. I have bought and sold 6 Porsches with them over the years. Great guys.
www.truspeedmotorcars.com
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Old Nov 12, 2008 | 08:54 AM
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E55 C43 993C2S
seems like we have a 993 fan base on here, so if u decide on that model...

here's a sweet big butt 993 for sale.. http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...d.php?t=465774
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Old Nov 12, 2008 | 09:49 AM
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Originally Posted by trinitony
seems like we have a 993 fan base on here, so if u decide on that model...

here's a sweet big butt 993 for sale.. http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...d.php?t=465774
The 993's were the best cars porsche ever built, from almost any criteria you can think of. They are just superb automobiles. If I could only have one car, that's probably what I'd pick.
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Old Nov 12, 2008 | 11:45 AM
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From: Merryland.
E55 C43 993C2S
Originally Posted by CWW
The 993's were the best cars porsche ever built, from almost any criteria you can think of. They are just superb automobiles. If I could only have one car, that's probably what I'd pick.
lol..do u realize u just made ur 911 post......
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Old Nov 12, 2008 | 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by trinitony
lol..do u realize u just made ur 911 post......
Whoa! You're not kidding! What were the odds on that happening? I'm so running out to play the lottery tonight...

Originally Posted by CWW
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Old Nov 13, 2008 | 07:27 AM
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E55 C43 993C2S
^ so did u win?..lol

if u decide on 993TTs, here's a cheap one.. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=190266143332 rumour has it that he would take 90k... or

if u want exclusive status, here's one with celebrity status, $190k buys you this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...=p4506.c0.m245
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Old Nov 13, 2008 | 08:32 AM
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Originally Posted by trinitony
^ so did u win?..lol

if u decide on 993TTs, here's a cheap one.. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=190266143332 rumour has it that he would take 90k... or

if u want exclusive status, here's one with celebrity status, $190k buys you this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...=p4506.c0.m245
Schweeeeeeeet. I have always wanted a 993 twin turbo. They are way outta my price range, though.

Boy I sure missed the boat on these. Back in 2001-2004, pretty good deals could be had on them, but then a couple years ago they reversed course and started going up in value rapidly. Now you can't touch a decent one for under $80k+. And the turbo S's are $140k+ and gaining. Ugh.

Definitely on my wish list though.
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