Before purchasing my 997S I did a lot of research into the company and the car. There was no objective evidence that the 911 or Boxster had any statistically significant failure rates of any of the major systems in their cars; not the engines or any other part. In fact, the cars that Porsche manufactures are significantly better than most other brands on the roads.
Any car that is as complicated as a modern day Porsche, or Lexus for that matter, is likely to have some engines that are defective. However, the facts are that the number of cars having significant and material problems is very small.
If a car design, such as the modern 997 were to have significant issues, it would have a direct effect on the financial statements of the company. Warranty claims are expensive to manage and directly affect the bottom line of a company. If you take a good look at the company's P&L you will see that this is not happening. In fact, Porsche is very profitable because of their excellent management of their brands, manufacturing and sales network.
After 14 months of ownership of my Porsche I am very, very happy. The quality of the car has been excellent; the service I receive at the dealership has been no less than outstanding.
The Internet is a great place to share information. But it is also a place where mis-information is easily disseminated. In my circle of friends that have Porsche cars and SUV's, not a single one is unhappy with the product or service. Most drive their cars in the harsh Canadian winter, where salt, snow, ice and sand typically destroy cars. But the 911 and Boxsters work and work well in this environment.
I survey this and other Porsche message boards and have for a very long time. There have been maybe 3 people that have had engine problems, all resolved by the company to the owner's satisfaction.
At the end of the day, the true facts speak for themselves. These are reliable and dependable cars that are of a quality and performance level that is greater than most cars sold today.
To those people that think these cars have major problems, then I suggest you put your money where your mouth is and sell the stock short! But then again, you will probably find that you bet the wrong way on Porsche and are still not driving one of best cars on the road.