Link here. I've already ruled out any kind of 3.8 swap as being cost prohibitive, so I'm looking at a rebuild or a junkyard motor.
Link here. I've already ruled out any kind of 3.8 swap as being cost prohibitive, so I'm looking at a rebuild or a junkyard motor.
At that price, I'd recommend self immolation so you run away as fast as possible, screaming the whole time! But, that's just my opinion...
steronz said:Link here. I've already ruled out any kind of 3.8 swap as being cost prohibitive...
Would that be a Porsche or Buick 3.8?
For that price, for one of the most boring exterior colors and worst interior color and literally zero options...hard pass.
Pretty, but a little spendy needing a motor.
In reply to steronz :
I've been eyeing that same ad and wondering "How bad could it possibly get?". Let me knw. 
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
Lol, will do.
I'm surprised that people are objecting to the price. S models with similar mileage seem to be in the low 30s, high 20s at best. I know a 3.4L Porsche motor is probably full of gold and diamonds but it still seems like a half price Cayman for someone willing to do the labor themselves. Makes me scared that I'm underestimating Porsche parts prices even more than I think I am...
When I was 987.2/981 S shopping I kept an eye out for bad engine 987.1Ses to put a raby 3.8 in and have a "budget" equivalent. But of the few I came across every one was either was high mileage with a beat to crap interior or a boring option combo/way too high price example like this one. And I just couldn't justify the expense and effort of it. Honestly if you want to do an LS swap or similar you're probably better off buying a good condition car and selling off the stock engine. Well...and waiting a year or two until prices stop being 50% inflated.
steronz said:In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
Lol, will do.
I'm surprised that people are objecting to the price. S models with similar mileage seem to be in the low 30s, high 20s at best. I know a 3.4L Porsche motor is probably full of gold and diamonds but it still seems like a half price Cayman for someone willing to do the labor themselves. Makes me scared that I'm underestimating Porsche parts prices even more than I think I am...
A worthwhile direct replacement engine is $20k and a year wait for it to be built...or slap a $5k junkyard engine in and risk it doing the same thing in a year or two. LS swap is probably cheaper than the good porsche engine option but not cheap and a ton of effort. And these cars were high teens/low 20s pre-pandemic. Looks like there's still quite a few floating around in the low-mid 20s, I'd buy one of them in a heartbeat versus $13k + $5k engine plus a week of work to swap it.
Edit: turns out I was optimistic, cheapest engine I can find is $7k
These aren't rare cars, it's easier and cheaper to find one in good shape. Porsche people are funny about buying cars with stories on them, having a car with a replacement motor will negatively impact the resale value of the car more than you expect. You'll also find that replacing the motor will be much more costly than you think...
Link gone. Bore scored or IMS?
If you need to have it smog tested I would be worried that you could not get it to pass unless you changed to the same year motor ,
In reply to fatallightning :
Looks like I hemmed and hawed too much. Or just enough depending on your perspective :)
Is bore scoring a common issue with these? That's what the ad said, a ticking noise coming from the engine and some scoring on the cylinders.
Listing is gone, but in short:
- bore scoring is a real issue with these. The newer motors in the 987.2 and 981 are much better, but it still happens from time to time.
- junkyard motors are as rare as hen's teeth, and expect to pay $20k+ for a fresh built one and wait a year. I was talking to the guy at my race shop who builds them for a living, he said it takes him two whole days just to set the timing on these.
I sold my 981 last week and I'm sad about it. I was totally in love with the car, but I ended up selling it for more than I bought it for and I needed to clear room for a car for my 16 year old daughter. I'm a pretty Grassroots-minded guy, but after owning one for two years I would never take one on as a project. By the time you're done you will have paid the same as a well-sorted one would have cost.
I have seen S motors on LADismantlers for about 10k.
If/when mine blows up it will either get an LS or I will spend 10 years rebuilding the current motor. Tooling is cost prohibitive though.
It is probably best that you missed out.
In reply to Apexcarver :
I think I'd rather use the parts and pieces that the enthusiasts developed instead of giving money to THAT company (because they are shockingly similar).
fatallightning said:Link gone. Bore scored or IMS?
Confirmed bore scored with noises on startup.
In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :
Concur. I'd rather whip out some cardboard.
I had one of these cars, and every moment behind the wheel was fantastic. But this particular car is a disaster waiting to happen. The second generation cars (2013+?) are so much better. They bring all the good stuff, without the night terrors.
Well, thank you everyone for talking me out of FOMO.
It's pretty discouraging that Porsches of this era are so problematic. It's not like aluminum 290hp 6 cylinders were difficult to get right in the mid-2000s.
steronz said:It's not like aluminum 290hp 6 cylinders were difficult to get right in the mid-2000s.
I mean...weren't they? I'm struggling to come up with a pre-09 6 that made that much power, and the few that came close were larger displacement. Around 08-09 a lot of manufacturers made big improvements but so did porsche with 320hp, directcyl injection, and all the issues of the previous engines solved. I guess BMW beat them to the punch (I somehow forgot about them at first), but those engines weren't exactly bulletproof themselves.
dps214 said:I'm struggling to come up with a pre-09 6 that made that much power
Nissan had 306 in 2007-2008, but that was admittedly with 100 more cc.
If anyone has another "cheap" one of these kicking around let me know. I'm an adapter plate away from a fix and have spare engines.
In reply to dps214 :
The J35 of that era was making as much as 286, and the J37 made 300. Yes, 100 and 300 more CCs, respectively, but also mass produced and not particularly expensive. And SOHC to boot!
In reply to preach (fs) :
Having LS swapped a Porsche before, there's NO way I'd ever do it again.
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