No doubt Ben... but people want numbers... 15%-25% fail??? the question is impossible to answer.... can we say alot and call it a day? The guys with a reman or a replaced engine will def say have strong opinions... and rightfully so.

when you say m96 is notorious for IMS failure... what does that mean?... notorious to me is a coolant tank leak... does that mean engines and coolant tank fail at the same rate.... who the hell knows

Your PPI showed that your car have a reman... yet you still purchased it cause you think its bullet proof... aaaahh, welcome to Porsche ownership. On the most part you are good to go... but not totally out of the hole....
Such as life...

 

Well, to add to the statistics I had to replace my 3.4 motor on my 1999 Porsche 911 C2 at 74k miles last year due to the IMS bearing failure. Loud knocking that would come and go and a bad misfire were the initial symptoms. Because I knew of the potential issues with these cars (thanks to this forum!) the first thing I had the shop do was pull the oil filter to check. It ended up being full of metal shavings and that was the end of that.

Ended up getting a great deal on a replacement 3.4 motor from my local Porsche dealer (2007 model updates included!) that has been flawless for the past 15k miles. So, as Ben stated I would be weary of one with original miles but if it has been replaced in the past couple of years you should be pretty well off.

David

 

i researched the whole thing post purchase dog. i figured what the hell, a c4s modded how i like it... trip to SF visit my friends at the same time, make a lil vaca out of it... transaction complete.

for your 3.4, all the more power to ya. i know you're enjoying the snot out of it like others out there. just not my cup of tea especially after having owned the f20c and s54 (both very reliable and no IMS equivalent).

you don't have to put numbers behind it to get a gut feel that everything's not kosher. that's the meaning behind it all - something doesn't smell right.

people ultimately decide with their wallets. 3.4 original engines, imo, are to be avoided if you're not at peace with the very real possibility that the thing's going to go $12K's worth of kaput without notice.

 

My 2000 engine went last month with the oil/coolant intermix problem. A 3.4 is now $11,010 plus core deposit at Sunset and Suncoast. over $15,000 at my local dealer. When Sunset checked the inventory they said PCNA showed only 1 3.4 available in the country, lots of 3.6's and 3.6 X51's. So if there were 138 in inventory in June, and only one now thats alot of replacements over the summer. I am also told that the 3.4's have gotten so much more expensive because they are newly imported at new exchange rate/pricing while the 3.6 inventory is older stock at the old pricing. Don't know how valid this is. But it is crazy that a 3.4 is $2,500 more than a 3.6 and $1,500 more than a 3.6 X51.

 

the crazy thing is what other car would replacing the transmission or replacing the engine not be considered such a major thing with such low miles. quality control at porsche is obviously lacking

 

I bought a 98 996 3.4 about five weeks ago. After a week it crapped itself and mixed water and oil, filing the cooling system oily snot. I'm really regretting buying the dog now. If anyone knows where to get a cheap second-hand engine, please let me know, I just want to get it back on the road and get rid of it.


cheers

 

i love these cars and even with the nightmare i had with my 03 i was considering buying another one, but your post did it for me. i am cured. until i can afford the 997 with the new designed engine, i won't be touching another porsche. unless i got a pre 996 model. unbelievable. all these stories and porsche has done nothing. i can't even believe it hasn't even been picked up by the mainstream media. anyone with a 996 that has had an engine blow, whether or not it was under warranty and replaced or not should join forces with people who were not fortunate enough to have a warranty and do whatever they can to hold porsche accountable or at least let the masses know to hurt porsche's bottom line

 

how many miles were on it?

 

I had a 02 which was rock solid. Would not hestitate to get into another P-car.

 

You had 18K on it when you sold it? Of course it was rock solid. Pretty early on in the game for stuff to start screwing up.

 

i wouldn't hesitate either, but with certain conditions being met.

plus the '02s have the 3.6 which does not have as "substantive" a record as the 3.4s.

romanticism aside, buying the newest 911 (not necessarily lowest mileage) you can afford is good advice.

s14roller had a siq carrera - heck, i almost bought it.

p.s. get that Rolex yet?

 

When i was shopping for a car i decided to go with an 03 versus and 00 I was looking at. Figuring the newer model would be best. Turned out the the 03 i bought was nothing but a nightmare. Consumer Reports now says that the 03 is the worst 911 in over 10 years

 

got an 01 c2 seems to run fine, however there is something that raises my eyebrows and thats when i'm in 1st gear going slow, clutching on and off sometimes i notice the engine kinda seems like it dropped down on the mounts a bit hard. I have to be careful when i'm doing the clutch on low speeds to prevent that. anyone notice this? maybe this is what causes RMS leak?

 

David,

what side of the engine was the knocking coming from... driver's or passenger side? did the knocking increase in speed as the rpm's increased?

did the dealer compensate you on the purchase of your motor?

 

so go get that '00 then let's see how well you sleep at nite