How Many Miles Will a 997 Turbo Travel Reliably?
If you're in the market for a Porsche 997-gen 911 Turbo, here's some great advice when trying to decide on which one to buy.
How Many Is Too Many?
The used 997 Turbo market is pretty hot right now, and for good reason. These are amazing cars after all, with nearly unlimited performance potential. But while Porsches are pretty reliable in general, you can't blame Rennlist forum member dhc905 for wondering recently just how much he should worry about buying a higher mileage example.
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High Mile Replacement
"How many miles are too many," dhc905 asked. "I'm curious to hear your thoughts on 997.1s with mileage in the mid-100k range. Any problems I should look out for? I’m looking at a high mileage (150k) Turbo as a replacement for my Cayenne Turbo."
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>>Join the conversation about this 997 Turbo right here in Rennlist.com.
Insane Value?
Member jeebus31 is qualified to answer this question after pickup up one for himself. "118k here. I'm still learning, but I like to wrench, so I have replaced a ton of stuff on my own. These cars are robust. It feels great and the interior is silent, which I'm really impressed with. If you're happy to work on it at your own pace whenever necessary, then it's my opinion that high mileage turbos are an insane value."
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>>Join the conversation about this 997 Turbo right here in Rennlist.com.
Proper Upkeep
For Skwerl (and a lot of other people), proper upkeep makes all the difference, no matter what the mileage might be. "I think as long as maintenance has been kept up, a 150k Turbo should be good to go. By then, a lot of stuff has probably been addressed - suspension, coolant pipes, various bushings, etc. Apart from any wear to the interior or exterior, with the right care, the car could feel like one with 40k miles."
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>>Join the conversation about this 997 Turbo right here in Rennlist.com.
Easy Maintenance
And if work needs to be done, Brainz points out that it's pretty easy to do. "I've got a '06 CTT and '07 997TT. While both are only ~55k miles, the 997TT is much easier to DIY and generally cheaper to maintain. The Cayenne is heavy and access to anything (like the coolant tees) is a royal PITA. Condition is everything on these cars. Buy the best-maintained one you can, and/or budget to bring it up to snuff."
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>>Join the conversation about this 997 Turbo right here in Rennlist.com.
All-Rounder
Rad997TT certainly seems to be enjoying his high-mile example. "For a higher mileage 997.1 reference, I hit 120k driving back to L.A. from Monterey Car Week. It's a Tip trans. And outside of an aftermarket exhaust, completely stock. It does so many things so well, I enjoy driving it as much as possible. Personally, I would rather take a higher mile, 2-3 owner car with excellent maintenance over a lower mile, many owners, no maintenance records car any day."
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>>Join the conversation about this 997 Turbo right here in Rennlist.com.
Buying Advice
Rad997TT also offers up some valuable buying advice. "From your pics and description, the car looks good. The first thing that comes to mind is the coolant pipes. If they haven't been done, they will go at some point and it's an engine-out repair. Also, does the wing go up/down? That's the other weakness, engine heat cooks the seals, fluid leaks out and wing gets stuck.
Otherwise, if the price is right and justifies the coolant pipes, I'd put it on my shortlist. The beauty of higher mileage is that the $ depreciation is out of it. You can just drive and put the miles on it and not worry about losing value."
Photos: Rennlist Forums
>>Join the conversation about this 997 Turbo right here in Rennlist.com.
Input Needed
Overall, we've seen some pretty great advice on this topic so far. But we want to know what you think. Would you dive in and buy a higher-mile 997 Turbo, or would you shy away? And if so, what things would you suggest looking for? Head over here and let us know!
Photos: Rennlist Forums
>>Join the conversation about this 997 Turbo right here in Rennlist.com.
For help with your do-it-yourself maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section right here in the forum.