Achievement Unlocked

Achievement Unlocked

Almost four years ago I officially became the owner of a beautiful 2001 Porsche 911 Carrera (type 996). It was delivered to me with a mere 53,687 miles. Yesterday my 996 hit 100,000 miles.

Reaching 100,000 miles in a car is a great thing, but all too often owners of fine cars like Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, etc., tend not to drive them. In fact, just this week a 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS went up for sale on Bring a Trailer with only 9,000 miles. Why? Why would anyone own a car like that and never drive it? I just don’t understand.

I’d argue that almost any car can well exceed 100,000 miles provided you stay on top of regular, scheduled, and preventative maintenance. That’s exactly what I do with my 996, and that’s why it’s been an incredibly fun, and incredibly reliable car to own. And, I don’t drive it gingerly.

But what lies ahead for FARM 996?

Glad you asked. Cosmetically, I do need to replace the windshield (again) as a rock has chipped it and left an eight-inch crack down the center. I also plan to get the wheels refinished as the clear coat is worn off in several spots, not to mention a small amount of curb rash too. I also plan to upgrade the exhaust simply to achieve a better sound—the 996 isn’t called “the quiet 911” for no reason. Mechanically, there’s one big service coming up that I’ll have to address sooner or later, and that’s an engine-out service.

I won’t get into the gritty details (largely, because I really can’t articulate it accurately), but my engine has cam deviation. This is a pretty serious problem to which M96 engines are prone. There’s an acceptable tolerance (+/-6) and mine is dangerously close to that number. Long story short, if I don’t address the issue it could lead to premature engine failure. And because it’s an engine-out service, that’s not a cheap bill. This illustrates why preventative maintenance is so important; if I don’t spend a bit over $6,000 to get it fixed, then when my engine fails I’ll have to spend over $20,000 to replace it, or sell the car for scrap.

The other option was send my car to Jack Raby of Flat Six Innovations and have him work his magic then never have to worry about mechanical issues again. But that exceeds $30,000. Something I’d love to do for the peace-of-mind it brings and serious performance increase, but not something I can really afford to do.

So, I’ll be spending the money this year to fix the cam deviation because I love this car, and that’s in my budget. And, I’m really looking forward to the next 100,000 miles.