Another reason early cars will keep going up in value...simplicity !

[Greg D.]

Really ??? You gotta take out the rear tail light and bumper cover to change...the air filters of the new 911 ???
I'm not resisting progress, I own an Cayman S and I would not spit at a 997v2 sitting next to my 72T in the garage, but seriously, those cars are getting too complicated for their own good... And it's probably a matter of time until manual transmission is no longer offered...

[dporsche74]

OMG that is just so wrong... these will be dropping 90% of the value very quickly after the 10 yr hump .
or maybe even after CPO runs out and the MAF is all gunked up running like crap,

On the other hand that is great for a guy like me . what fun it is fully taking apart your 991 on a sat morning for a air cleaner tune up

[Chuck Miller]

Whoa..............

[PeterM1965]

This is one of the reasons, admittedly pretty far down the list, that I got rid of my 996 and bought my 68. Though at least on a 996 you can access the air filter without dismantling the car!

[911quest]

Looks like just another day at the office..... VW/Audi have been using that aif filter set up for several years now usually doesn't take long before Porsche follows suite.

I remember my dealer days you would have been yelled for using air tools...

[highlander709]

I freely admit I am a dinosaur. I love the mechanical aspect of our early cars - no or minimal electronics - no diagnostics other than a timing light and multimeter - no OBC port. Our kids on the other hand know the first thing to do when a car doesn't seem to be running right is to go to Auto Zone and have them plug it in and find out if it's "thrown a code". If we want to improve power and performance we look at carb jetting, timing, hotter cam, etc., while they just get it "chipped".

Of course all progress isn't bad - I not typing this post on an IBM Selectric or god forbid a manual typewriter like we learned to type on in high school.

[Reza]

Define drogress

[beh911]

Completely absurd. The rear end of the car is completely disassembled for basic maintenance.

Modern cars are engineered with the dealer service aisle in mind.

Don't know if you noticed the tech accidentally kicking one of the tail light assemblies as he wades through the bits back and forth to his tool chest

[Mr9146]

From the service side of things ... most of my contacts in the dealer can't stand this stuff.

Porsche has been steadily extending service intervals on their cars in order to lower (on paper) the cost of ownership in order to make the cars appeal to a wider section of the market. However, while construction materials and lubricants have advanced slightly over the years, the technological advances haven't been significant enough to warrant these types of service intervals.

But this is standard practice in the automobile/motorcycle manufacturing community - Ducati has been doing the same thing for the last 4 years. The motors are all the same, but the service intervals keep getting extended so the numbers on paper look better.

All that said, this is why the cars are getting so complicated to service ... because nobody is expected to service them!! They are disposable items ... $100,000 disposable items, of course, but disposable nonetheless. I like to say that they are treated like appliances rather than automobiles. The vast majority of the cars are lease-term vehicles that get used up and spit out by people who don't care, don't know, or both. They are built to run perfectly for 3-5 years and then good luck to the next owner. Buying CPO cars is a good way to go, but then you only get a 2-year extension on the factory warranty ... so now, 7 years down the line, the car is completely worn out by two or three owners who probably don't even know how to check the oil because they don't have to.

It's sad but the way of things. Just hang on to your early cars, boys, because they just don't make 'em like they used to.

[beh911]

... They are disposable items ... $100,000 disposable items, of course, but disposable nonetheless. I like to say that they are treated like appliances rather than automobiles. The vast majority of the cars are lease-term vehicles that get used up and spit out by people who don't care, don't know, or both.

Well said. Why worry about costs to change the air filter on your new 991 when it's all under warranty during the time you own it? And even then, why bother doing any upkeep if you are just going to turn the car in at a set time?

I remember when the plastic shrouds started showing up in most engine compartments back in the late 90s. These things cover up everything, including valve covers (cover on a cover), spark plugs, air filter assemblies. All the stuff that the average Joe could get to in years past to save a trip to the shop, or maybe cop a feel good moment for doing something themselves or getting to know their car.

Nowadays, if it's obscured from view, it's not there. And if you can bother getting to it, it will be such a hassle you just won't bother again. So, take it to the dealer or dump it off at the end of your lease, unserviced.

It's hard to bite on the marketing hype when all new cars are so far away from their heritage -- soulless, despite attempts to change the consumer's perception.

But I digress... . I'll add air filter maintenance to my list of reasons not to own a modern Porsche