Looking to buy my first Porsche. Considering 911 or Boxster S.

What is the most reliable 911 to own?

The IMS issue scares the heck out of me so I want to AVOID those.

What is considered the bullet proof 911 to own (if there is such a thing)??

George

 

Bueller? Bueller?

Anyone?

I ASSUME it would be a well maintained 993..... but seeking more wisdom/knowledge

 

Mezger engined car... that means a 996 TURBO or a 997.1 TURBO.

 

Unfortunately there is no such thing.
Problems by year
Do not touch anything prior to 1978
1978-79 rubber center clutch friction plates and chain tensioner failures
1980-1988 pretty bullet proof with the 1986-1988 considered the best.
1989-1994 Stay away from the C4. The all wheel drive system didn't work as expected. The cars are also considered not the most attractive 911.
1995-1998 The final and golden years with the 993 variant. Only known issues are value guides going away at about 80K. AWD problem fixed but the C2S is a rare item if you can find one. The 993TurboS is nearing collectors status.
1999-2000 Major problems with the new engine. Leaks in the cyclinder walls lead Porsche to install liners. However the bottom of the cyclinder bores had a tendancy to let the liner start to move resulting in catastrophic engine failures. Intermediate shaft problem and engine oil starvation were also issues (this is not a problem for Turbo/GT2/GT as they used the old split case dry sump motor). Second gear pop out was also an issue on some of the cars. The water cooled split case motors also had glued in hose fittings into the water manifold that have a tendancy to come out with age.
2001 on all pretty reliable. 2001 Turbo has unattractive bumper warts and no glove box.

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar a gen 2 Cayman S or R is the best value out there. All 996 and 996TT have taken a terrible beating in the resale market and good low mile cars can be had for amazing low prices. The styling was too radical a departure for the purists. 996NA cars have the highest percentage of non repeat buyers.

Good luck with your search.

 

Or a GT2RS.

 

Pretty good answer from Duane996tt

I would add a few things: the rubber center clutch is replaced on 99% of cars that had it originally. But all were delivered that way.

The earlier 3.2 models ('84-86) had a bad batch of valve guides -- but they usually went bad in the first 60K miles if they were going to.

The '96-98 993s had a Secondary Air problem where an emissions-related passage in the heads would clog up and trigger a check engine light. This affects 40-50% of cars. The fix can be a few hundred or up to $7K.

The RMS and IMS failures of the 996 and Boxster are legendary. The RMS is mostly fixed (after several designs were tried and rejected) and the IMS failure does not affect many cars - 2-3% is the rumor - but if it happens, it's likely a full replacement of the engine. There is an aftermarket IMS replacement that's supposed to be better, but not cheap to do.

 

Oh yes.. forgot that one. I wish I was THAT rich :-) . Still buying Lotto tickets of course.

 

1987 - 1989 911 Carrera which had the G50 transmission are considered to be pretty bullet proof.

 

964 would be my vote.

 

996 but i'm bias ;D

 

1981-1989
Prefered 1987-1989 with G50 but more weight.

 

Quoted for absolute truths. Mezger was an amazing engineer.

But, don't forget the other Mezger engined cars... GT3, GT3 RS, GT2 and the new GT2 RS.

 

993 Seems to be stout from what my friend tells me. i will find out soon myself.

 

Answers will vary based on the owner's POV.

That having been said, I daily drove the sh*t out of a 993C4S Aero for 18 months and had a hoot with it. Zero problems.

Still have the 993TT. Going on five years with that ride and it's more dependable than a Honda Accord (and quite a bit faster )

Whatever direction you take, definitely get a PPI by an objective, experienced shop to ensure minimal issues down the road. Best preventative money you can spend.

 

I have a 1986 3.2 and a 1993 964. Both are great cars but the drive is very different. I would suggest driving several to see what you would want to live with. All of them are fun cars.

Another thought is to come out to a PCA event like autocross to see the different models and speak to folks.