Research any car on forums and you will find that stuff breaks.

S2000- rear diff issues, blown motors, gear popout.

Z06- Blown motors, transmission leaks, roofs flying off

STI- Cracked ringlands, transmission issues, blown motors

EVO- blown motors, transmission issues

Bottom line is, people post their problems on forums. Not many people post that they don't have any issues with their car. Buy one, fix the common issues, keep some $$ around "just in case" something big happens.

No different than any other car...

 

Pretty much what everyone says. If you want a car with NO problems, buy a new car with a manufacturers warranty. You get what you pay for. Spend a couple bucks more and get a better car. My 03 has been the most reliable "high" HP car I have ever owned. I have lightly modded my car and after 2 years of driving at 600 rwhp, I have had a slave cylinder go and a vacuum leak. You can buy a nicely modded car for low to mid 50's. That will be your best bet as you will spend WAY more trying to get there, if that is your goal. I'm not really sure what I would sell it for, but it doesn't start with a 4...

 

The car is a machine, machines break. Maybe you should just walk everywhere. Oh wait, maybe your knee will give out. Probably a bike will be better for you. But then the gears may fail. How about a wheel chair? Of course the wheel could fall off. I think maybe you should just lie down and close your eyes and pretend that life is over, then you won't have to deal with any of this.

What planet did you buy your last perfect car on? Probably should go shop there again.

I hope you see the point behind my sarcasm. No offense meant, but I don't think you are being realistic.

 

Nothing major... Basic stuff.
Clutch slips now because of turbo upgrade. Not the clutch's fault.
Diverters,
Clutch Slave / Accumulator,
Fuel pump (2),
Strut bearing,
Rear wing hydraulics.
Expect a coolant tank.
Anything this outrageous needs some extra care. Not anywhere near Ferarri level, thats for sure.
An analogy would be "Bulbs that burn brighter, need replacement a bit more often."

 

land wait a min whatswith the wheel chair crack??? i was in one it turned on a dime had great breaks and wire wheels. then came the cane that was a ***** and now its a p car, the p car wins evertime!!!

 

Coming from another person who habitually over-researches before buying : https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...8-vantage.html , I've settled on buying a 996tt. If you read through my search, you'll see that I wasn't even interested in Porsche initially, but after driving the compeitors and more importantly finding out how high of a cost of ownership the others have, I started taking a closer look at the 996tt and fell in love with it. For me, after looking at the Aston Vantage, Jag XKR, BMW M6, and Nissan GTR, the 996tt offers the best value for money in my mind right now. A lot of this has to do with how cheap it is ($40k-$50kish in 2002 depending on miles), how much peformance it has, and how reliable it is. As other's have been saying, I've been reading all the forums and reviews on all the different exotics and everyone everywhere says the turbo is by far the most reliable and cheapest to own exotic out there. I think the GTR would be close if it was further along its depreciation curve, but still, 20'' nitrogen filled tires and 10 x $107 liters of transmission oil for tranny oil changes and $5k break jobs on the GTR probalby make it more expensive too, even if just as reliable (assuming you've got the 2010 transmission flash and don't have to worry about the 09's $23k non warrantied failing transmission).

Anyway, I'm in negotiations for a 996tt now. Hopeing everything works out and I'll be able to take a trip to pick it up on May 17. Until then, finishing up law school is being a bi***.

 

This

 

Things can happen. But my money has gone into mods rather than repairs. Most people think my 01 is a new car. Still runs strong, smells new and can even smell the leather in the car. You get what you pay for and this is the best deal out there today.

 

I've never owned a perfect car, I understand your point. I've owned everything from Honda (great reliability) to Audi (terrible reliability) to BMW (so-so).

I was just trying to get an idea what I can realistically expect with a typical 8 year old Porsche Turbo. All I seem to get here are either hero stories or horror stories. Guess it's up to each individual car.

 

What you're getting here is a bunch of smart a$$'s comments but ya gotta admit, some of them are funny. My favorites got to be the what planet and the wheelchair...

 

Well, I think you will probably find that the 996TT is not generally a problem child that will constantly bleed your bank account unless you mod it. Maintenance is to be expected though also. Seeing your background is with Audi, I am sure you can see how much of a problem child they can be. More so than most German cars too. Control arms will go on an Audi and will cost ~$2000 at a dealer. Or blown turbos on the 2.7T for over $3000. These items fail on stock cars too. I don't think you are in any more of a surprise with maintaining a 996TT than a Audi S car of high mileage. Now if an engine lets go on a 996TT that is big bucks, but if you are worried about that get a warranty and save $. Also consider reliability when it comes to mods. How many posts have you read about flashed 996TT engines letting go? Not many. Transmissions can be rebuilt. Engine problems can be fixed and unless you are going into the big HP you shouldn't have too much to worry about there.

I know a guy who recently came from a stage 3 S4 that spends less on un-expected repairs on the 996TT than he did on his S4 with similar mileage. Just maintain the Porsche and you should be fine. I don't think it is un-wise to be prepared for the worse, but you shouldn't be paranoid either. In the end it is just a car. If it becomes too much you can sell it or park it.

 

The gear pop out fix part is inexpensive. Similarly with most other common problems, labor is the largest cost component. But most of these common fixes can be grouped and treated as preventative fix/upgrade at one time, together with, say someting like the clutch. This brings down future cost, downtime, stress.

Every 10 year old car will have it's common issues but with the 996tt, the core parts are solid. And this forum is a great source of reliable info, as you've discovered.

Like others said for a 10yr old high performance car with huge upgradable platform, the issues are tolerable for me. a good amount of effort is required to build up the knowlege base required to keep this car in good health. Once over that initial "hump", there's many good merits of the car that far outweigh the common issues.

it's a great car for those who find pleasure in modifying/upgrading parts, enjoy hands on approach both physically and technically, and make a conscious effort to stay intune with the vehicle as if it was a steal extension of one's own flesh. For those that jsut want to use the key/pedal and go (and there's nothing wrong with that)... may not be the most suitable fit IMO.

 

it's a solid car

 

If you want perfect buy a Toyota... wait. I mean buy a Specialized MT. Bike. These threads are funny, I want this and that but I don't want any problems.
I'm not sure what in life is problem free but when some1 finds it let us all know.

These cars are about emotion. If you can't understand that or you don't feel it when you drive 1 then don't buy it.

 

Eric at GBox has a cheap and easy fix for the 2nd gear pop out but I have been told that it is mostly in the 2001 model year. As far as problems, I guess it depends on the car I bought my 2002 GT2 new in 2001 and I haven't really had any problems with the car at all in 9 years and I have had a lot of fun including 10 second 1/4 mile runs with nothing more than a tune and exhaust!