OT: 996 questions

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
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.
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.
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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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
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...splay.php?f=61
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...splay.php?f=61
And rennslist is the best forum, lots of knowledgeable and friendly people.
Check out these guys. I have bought and sold 6 Porsches with them over the years. Great guys.
www.truspeedmotorcars.com
here's a sweet big butt 993 for sale.. http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...d.php?t=465774
here's a sweet big butt 993 for sale.. http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...d.php?t=465774
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
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

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.








