There must be an element of truth in the bore scoring scaremongering but I still think how you use the engine can make the difference. I had the 996 and a Boxster of the same era, the same goes for the Kseries Elise I had which also had a bad reputation,, the cooling is remote from the engine and careful heat management is the key. Sustained use of full power is fine but you needed to bring it up to temperature gently and even more importantly cool it down the same way. I do that with all engines and I never once worried about any of the well publicised problems of either of those cars. At the time, I needed the back seat of the 996 but the Boxster was the better car, the Elise was far more exciting than both and the Ferrari is really just a property built Elise. It does have too much power but once you’ve got used to enough power the excitement comes from having more than you’ve capable of applying. The 996 design is ageing well now, it’s gone beyond the sad, unfashionable stage and the tidy ones are really looking good, particularly the most basic models, it’s such a pure shape.
