Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe 996 has had its M96 engine replaced as a precautionary measure. Reading its current specs, you’ll need to decide whether its price warrants similar caution as well.
Angelina Jolie recently - and very bravely - announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy due to the discovery that she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation. Possessing that puts her at greatly elevated risk for breast cancer. This obviously was not a decision to be taken lightly and many are praising the actress and serial child adopter for going public with having made this difficult choice.
On a similar, but far less personal and socially impactful note, the owner of today’s 1999 Porsche Carrera 2 has eliminated potential future tragedy by replacing the car’s less than well thought of M96 six cylinder with ol’ reliable, the Chevy LS1.
Heresy! you might shout, Chevy is the most American of brands while Porsche represents our nation’s greatest enemy of the past century, and now the Bowtie brand's most venerated motor sits, happy as a clam, in this German car’s ass?
Okay, patriots, just read the ad.
First off, let’s get one thing out of the way; the M96, in its 3.4-litre 296-bhp form as originally offered in the 996, is not a bad motor. Unfortunately it has gained infamy for a major flaw that affects some, and that has dunned it seemingly for all eternity.
The issue is with the Intermediate Shaft bearing. The IMS operates the timing chain for all four cams as well as the oil pump, and sits longitudinally below, and driven from, the crankshaft. The IMS is supported on the front end by a standard bearing that is pressure fed by the oil pump, and at the back by a sealed roller bearing that has no lubrication whatsoever.
This rear bearing is known to be a failure point in both the M96 and M97 engines, but the earlier cars are considered to be the most at risk, warranting a retrofit of a sturdier aftermarket bearing. The alternative to retrofit is keeping your fingers crossed in hopes of not having the bearing fail which will lead to catastrophic engine failure and possibly irreversible global warming and Miley Cyrus twerking her way into the White House. Tramp stamps for everybody, y’all!
Another option is to do what the owner of this 996 did and drop the M96 like a hot pancake, replacing it with that bastion of reliable power delivery, the Chevy V8. Honestly, I like this guy’s option the best.
The seller notes in the ad that the conversion was done using a Renegade Hybrids kit, which is a well engineered and amazingly tidy way to inject a little Chevy into your Porsche’s backside. He also says that the 2001 LS1 both weighs less (?!) and pumps out more power than the sainted but tainted six, and that at 2,800 pounds soaking wet the car has a power to weight ratio that makes for entertaining sessions behind its leather-wrapped wheel.
That airbag-equipped tiller sits in a stock and seemingly clean and serviceable interior that’s also swathed in dead cow. For those of you holding your breath for some other sort of blasphemy revelation of the transmission kind, you can relax, as the car rocks three pedals and six forward speeds.
Outside, there’s no indication that this Porsche carries a secret in its butt. The ad does note that there are some stone chips and scratches in the paint, to be expected in a 128K car that hasn’t seen a respray, but aside from a dent on the boot lid it otherwise looks just fine. You can see tons more pictures on the seller's blog.
On the sad-making side, while the car is offered for sale in California, it's questionable if you'd be able to register it there. There is apparently also an exhaust leak on one bank and you have to actually stick the key in the door to lock/unlock the car. In the consideration of this non-purist Porsche’s price only one of those is a potential deal killer.
That price is $25,000, I'd and now like your take on whether or not that’s a screamin' deal for this Chevy heavy 996. What do you think, is twenty five grand a fair price for this Porsche as presented? Or, does that price make this 996 a no-no-sex?
You decide!
San Diego Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to vipergtsr170 for the hookup!
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