Yes, it was ruminating as I was worried that I had a serious problem. *NM*

Thought you may be interested in what failed PA inspection at 189K miles on my 2000 S:

1 - Side marker light corroded
2 - Horn (apperently one of two were not working)
3 - Front left control arm
4 - Coolant cap
5 - Collant pressure thingy under plastic colar under cap

The car was smelling of coolant and was a bit low but did not trip the light yet. I was also getting some vibration over 75 mph in the front so I suspect this arm was to blame (did it after a balance and with winter and summer tires). I was worried the thing was sucking in and burning coolant.. whew!

I chatted with my indy about what I would do if the engine failed...... For the cost of a new engine from Porsche ($15K + install), I could probably buy two 2000 Ss....... We could put a used engine in and get a bigger one (there are a few 911 engines that will drop in), but he said they are rare as hen's teeth and go for around 10K each used. True??

What would you do if you had my car, a 2000 S with 189K miles on the chassis (130K on engine) and you had an engine failure?

By the way, my chassis, interior etc. are in fantastic condition - see these pics I took last year after compounding with Maguires and then Zaino:

My car on Zaino

If my engine went after 12 years of ownership--assuming you purchased new--I'd say good bye to my old friend, sell what I could for scrap, and start a new relationship with another fantastic P-car. There would be a bit a remourse for a while, but once that connection to the new toy is established, then it would be all guilt-free smiles. A good $25K is a decent deposit on a new Boxster S or a used 911. In Philly, maybe even a C4S with a set of snow tires for year-round driving enjoyment. Imagine the looks on faces as you tool around town in a snow storm in a Porsche.

Years ago the Mianus Bridge in Connecticut collapsed. One car stopped short of going off the broken roadway, and when the driver or passenger tried to flag down a speeding BMW, that guy just flipped the bird and merrily flew off into oblivion. I don't think this is an urban legend, as I heard it from a Hartford Courant reporter friend.

That is like the story of the guy attending the world series in Oakland in 1989. When the game was cancelled after the earthquake, he went to the parking lot and found that his red Porsche had been stolen. It was recovered a week or so later when they found it crushed under a collapsed portion of the Nimitz parkway with the car thief dead inside. Unfortunately,this is an urban legend.

It's not good karma anyway. However, a somewhat detached observation of mine is that SUVs, all kinds of Jeeps, and Saabs seem to be the ones off in a ditch during snowy weather.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2012 06:34AM by Laz. (view changes)

... on the track at 203,000 miles.
I replaced it with used engine that I bought off eBay and refreshed with new bearings, seals rings, etc.
I'm now close to 220,000 and she feels better than ever with the addition of the TechnoPower Kit.
I figured, the car is paid for, if i invest $4,000 for an engine that'll last 150,000 more miles, it's a bargain.
I'm happy with my decision.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

OK, so you have some age-failure plastic parts that need replacing on a 12 year old car. Not surprising. And some suspension wear after lots of miles, again not surprising. And a trivial electrical connection or two. You also have a car that has gotten this far so it must have been one of the "good" ones. And you have cared for it and still like it. No reason to think that at some magic number something is going to explode.

Should it blow, there are many 2000-2002S cars that, because of age, after minor accidents are being totaled so there must be engines out there. They might be less well cared for than yours and they might fail the day after you install them but that can be said for any engine. (A remanufactured non-P-car one I bought lasted 1100 miles.)

I had written up all the my-engine-blew options I know of here.

I thought option 1 was 2.9k in parts from one of the comments I saw?
Guess it also depends on what failure is causing the problem- his cylinder issue was fixable.

I did that a few years ago. Mine is also Ocean Blue ('00 S).

I have always toyed with the idea of installing a bigger engine (3.4 or 3.6) when the time comes. How else can you get close to super car performance for an additional $20K (+/-)?

If you needed to replace your engine, it might make sense to get a used engine for $2-3k. Before putting it in, you could upgrade anything it needs.

New engines appear regularly as there are plenty of knuckleheads who crash them.

I kinda had the thoughts of Tony....... In a sick way, there is a part of me that was hoping my engine was toast so I could put a bigger engine in the thing. Not that I really want another failure, but just fantasy as I was worried that the coolant smell I had meant a big problem.

I think what I would do would totaly hang on the cost of a replacement. You all feel that a used engine is way less expensive than what my indy thinks... but then again, we weren't talking about a direct replacement, but a bigger 911. There are a few years that are near-drop ins from what I read and understand.

This car seems to be running on around $1500 in repairs per year now (of course this can change in a minute)... this is way cheaper than buying a new or near new Porsche. My indy said that my car is one of the tightest Porsches he has driven with half the miles. Odd, given the mass production that produces them.

I don't know about you, but while I love the newer Porsches and their increased HP output, I don't find them that compelling over what I am driving now.

Your current repair costs, depreciation, insurance, payments (if any) against the same costs of the new car.

Your depreciation has slowed and is against a lower base, the insurance is lower, the payments are probably non-existent and any down payment you'd have to make is earning something for you (I'd hope). Any help toward buying the new car from your current high mileage trade-in might buy you a few options but isn't going to seriously fund the new car purchase.

The depreciation on the new car in the first mile you drive it can probably fund that new engine IF you need it.

If you didn't want to do a used engine or the the factory crate for $17k(?), this might be an option:
[www.flat6innovations.com]
3.6L with 300HP for $18K.

I haven't emailed Jake for details on this particular motor, but would be interested to know if all this motor incorporates all the products he's developed (liner coating/forged rods and pistons/revised IMS/etc..) .
Looks like he offers a 1 year warranty on these as well as free installation.

>> My indy said that my car is one of the tightest Porsches he has driven with half the miles. Odd, given the mass production that produces them.
Interesting sentiment. For cars and other mechanized products, I for one would much prefer 'mass produced' over 'hand-made'. A well defined, consistent and repeatable process (e.g. robot assembly of cars) contributes to a reliable end result. One-off / bespoke designs my be great for artwork, cooking, and creative products, but not for production cars (IMHO). OTOH, many low-volume mid-century cars were hand built on forms and bucks, with many of the resultant parts being non-interchangeable. Hmm.. perhaps that why old Ferrari's are approaching Monet prices?

All of those things stirke me as relatively easily fixable. The coolant tank in particular is a known failure point.

Why are we talking about a replacement engine? Nothing on that list suggests an imminent failure. The simple stuff should be fixed. Then if you - someday - maybe 10 years from now - have a failure make a value judgment then. I suspect that options will be different year to year.

...What would you do if you had an older car with high miles that suffered an engine failure? What would you do?

At least that's how I read the OP.

My mantra is whenever I get in one of my cars is if the thing breaks I'll either fix it, sell it, or scrap it.

But until something breaks that's the extent of the amount of time I spend thinking about what I'll do if something breaks.

Sincerely,

MarcW.