Become a Porsche Guy?

[Patcon]

A twin turbo 300zx is a really challenging car to work on. Really packed in there....

[Captain Obvious]

Hate to break it to ya, but a Z32 300ZX is challenging to work on even if it DOESN'T have the turbos.

I sold my 94 and bought my 77. The 94 was a "better" car in just about every respect, but despite that, I've never looked back!

[mentalite]

I'll have to be patient and keep looking.  The option of another member being able to check out cars should help.

[Jeff G 78]

I have been a Z enthusiast for over 30 years.  I currently have a street Z and a race Z and this spring, I bought a 2003 996 C2 as a summer daily driver.  My 996 had 120,000 miles when I bought it and now has over 128,000 miles after 7 months of ownership.  996's can be great cars or never-ending money pits.  So far, mine has been trouble-free.  My 996 had the IMS bearing upgraded to the LN ceramic bearing at 102k along with a new clutch and magnetic drain plug.  Like you said, if the engine grenades, it could cost as much or more than the car is worth to rebuild it.

What I love about the 996 is that it feels like a modern car with modern conveniences yet it feels a lot like a Z in that it is light and nimble.  If you can find a good 996 with good service records, go for it - assuming you are willing to potentially lose a lot of money if the engine goes boom.  I can rebuild a Z motor for $1000 while the 996 can cost 20 times that much. 

[siteunseen]

Nice car Jeff! 

I was thinking you had  993 though.  Too many dead cells I reckon? 

Have a good Thanksgiving buddy.

[Jeff G 78]

Thanks Cliff.  The 993's are worth way more than the lowly 996, but in reality, the 996 is a better car in most ways.

[madkaw]

I was considering Jeffs path myself , and still might. But I decided to buy a new truck instead. My research shows the 996 to be a steal and parts like brakes aren't that bad.

Mentalite- just have to be patient and be willing to ship a car. There are services to inspect a car for like 99$ . You can also reach our here to this knowledge base to maybe find you one or pay for someone's time to inspect for you.


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[Jeff G 78]

One thing I forgot to mention is that I bought my 996 from Arizona.  I had a trusted mechanic friend, that happened to be in AZ at the time on business, drive the car and inspect it. After making a deal and buying the car, my wife and  I flew from Michigan to AZ and drove the car home after spending a few days driving it to Sedona and the Grand Canyon.  We put about 3000 miles on it between the vacation and trip across the country.  We left the Grand Canyon on April 1st and immediately ran into a blinding snow storm around Flagstaff. Luckily, we made it through the storm before the roads got too slippery.  The wide summer tires did just fine in the blustery snow and mid-20° temps.

[madkaw]

I wanted a 4S pretty bad - bring on the snow


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[conedodger]

I'm both a Z guy and a Porsche guy. I have done the newer ones but they have lacked the soul my old air cooled 914-6 has and the Z has been with me so long the kids tell me they will not allow me to sell it. I just saw a beautiful Fairlady for sale with a distressed seller on the Z Registry on Facebook. It was closer to the East Coast IIRC. 

As for the newer Porsches. Avoid anything older than 2009 or, if you do get something older than that look for a documented IMS repair. If you're thinking Cayenne, the ones older than 2009 use plastic coolant tubes underneath the intake manifold that crack and leak. Porsche per their usual MO admits to nothing while they come up with a fix...

[madkaw]

Ask me which car I think looks better - Z for sure!!


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[Captain Obvious]

SWMBO has a 2002 Boxster.  I'm not a "Porsche Guy" and I know very little about it.

Are we at risk for the IMS bearing issues or is that a different model/year?  I don't want to work on it. Ever.