Hi, um, I'm in the market for a 911 Carrera 996, and I was concerned about a couple of points. One is the
lifespan of the car, and of the steptronic automatic transmission. In addition, where to get the servicing done, if
I can get it done at say a VW dealer? Also, the cost of keeping it up seems low, but around here in the East
everything is like a bit more than I expected. 260 dollars plus tax for an oil change, as well as filter change
every 15k miles, and a 1450 dollars plus tax for the 60,000 mile service. I was wondering is it just the tires, the
oil change, and the 60k service the only things you need to do to the car to keep it running? And are brake
rotors and brake pads covered in the services? Isn't there a 30,000 mile, and 90,000 mile one too? Also, the
ones I've been looking at have about 88,000 miles to 107,000 miles on the clock, like I asked before, how much
longer can they go without problems? Also, how do you know if the Carrera 2's have the PSM or not? And if not,
how would the car handle in the dry as well as the rain?

Thank you guys so much for your help.

 

I had a '04 996 with the Tiptronic. It was a good car. If cared for by the book they are durable as an anvil and don't give too many problems. When they do, though, they tend to cost a lot to repair compared to other cars. I also had a lot of problems with alignment (all four wheels have to be aligned and it requires an expert, but found a good shop to do it.

I got the oil changed at a local Ford dealership Quick Lane -- any number of local mechanics can do it, too. Right after I had the car I went by a dealer and bought a bunch of filters and brake pads and etc. I would by the oil at Autozone and take a filter with me when I had the oil changed. They charged about $40 so with the oil and filter it was about $100 each time. Tires last about 25,000 miles and while you can get budget ones, good ones run about $300+ each.

The prices you are quoting are a little high, but not terribly, so if they put you off, I'd recommend passing and finding something less expensive to maintain. If you go ahead, make sure you get a car that has been maintained well and have it inspected by someone who knows Porsches. If you can't find a local independent shop that knows them well, I would definately pass: if you can't get it servied and repaired locally it will give you no end of headaches in the long run.

 

Thank you for your reply, do you know any sites I can go to to check for local Porsche service centers that are pretty cheap? And how much do you think I should go down to for a 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 with 107,000 miles? Its 20,950, I think thats a bit much even for a Porsche. And what things went wrong with it? And how much did it take to fix it up? I got a BMW right now, so. I've found a couple of other 911's but some don't offer enough information, I just need an AWD version or one with PSM.

 

I'd start by using Google -- it took me about a minute to find a local shop that services Aston Martins (dealer is 78 miles away), I can't imagine its hard to find a Porsche shop, then. As to the car and the price. No, that is a reasonable price.

Second, given what you evidently don't know, do a lot of reserach on these cars before buying. I mean no offense but your questions are sort of basic: not the sort a person who has been intensely studying the car would ask after even three months.

Again, no offense meant, but a $21,000 996 is going to require some hefty maintenance costs now and then if you plan to drive it much and keep it three years, say. If you have $5000 set aside for a more than minor (but not completely major), repair, and can pay for the expected maintenance and tires and such without tapping into that, and put a little more aside each month as you own the car, go for it. Otherwise, pick something less expensive to maintain.