I am planning to buy a 02-03 996. Other than trying to find the one with the lowest miles, is there anything I can do to gauge the life of the clutch? I would love avoid paying $45-50K for a car, then two months later having to replace the clutch! Can a mechanic evaluate the wear without dropping the transmission or motor???

Thanks, Mike

 

Good luck. I wish I could tell you how to evaluate it. I purchased a 2002 996 last year with 18K and replaced the clutch within the first 6 months. The dealer had the engine out for an oil leak and told me the clutch was 75% worn. I certainly didn't notice anything when driving it but it didn't make much sense to not replace while the engine was already out. Fortunately I only had to pay for parts since the clutch is not covered as part of the drive train warrenty.

 

Hey, I'm a newbie on the board and have not purchased yet, but an old timer trick for checking clutches is to place the car up against an immoveable object in high gear and let the clutch out at high RPM, the car should stall. Naturally you want to protect the front of the car and it may be more practical testing an old toyota than a high end Porsche but it does work.

 

There is no way that i know of to measure clutch thickness or travel on the 996. When it starts to slip it is time for a new one. We see clutches go anywhere from 35k-80k miles on average. I would factor in a little 'breathing' room on your purchase price to plan for one. Clutch is a 17 hour job book time (I have done C2's in 3 hours, but porsche says you have to drop the engine to get the tranny off which is not the case, but that is how they charge) and the clutch will be around 900 or so. If you are buying from the dealer, you might be able to work out a deal to split the cost of a clutch job.