VG1/Shutterstock Should you trust an old car? That question will always net a wild array of different answers. Some will throw out that all-time favorite, "they don't make them like they used to", usually followed by a monologue of how unreliable new sensor-crazed cars are. Okay, there is some truth to that, but let's just place the rose-tinted spectacles on the night stand for just a moment, and remember what old-school motoring is actually like. Cars wouldn't start in the morning, they rusted, and they leaked — even the nice ones. And yes, that's our segue into the world of old-school Porsches. You can spend as much as you like here – millions certainly – but don't be fooled into thinking that spending the big bucks will net you a problem-free classic experience. Vintage Porsches of the air-cooled era are known for constantly leaking oil. The problem is largely down to heat cycling. The constant thermal cycles equate to shrinking of rubber gaskets and seals, which is why old Porsches tend to start springing leaks. Of course there are other culprits at play here too, such as limited usage of the car, the age of the gasket or seal itself, and oil exposure. And while air-cooled Porsches aren't solely cooled by air, without coolant to help, these engines do run extremely hot, which too can contribute to the degradation of rubber seals and gaskets. Factor in the horizontal construction of the engine, which means oil constantly rests upon the gaskets, and gravity will soon do its thing by exposing any weaknesses in the gaskets. So no, classic Porsche owners aren't just being difficult when they tell you "hey, they all leak". They're actually pretty much spot-on. Careful owners are doing the damage JoshBryan/Shutterstock While it is still possible to bag yourself a cheap Porsche 911 without getting screwed, that isn't true of the air-cooled generations. Even the least desirable iterations of 993 and 964-generation models will require significant investment — think north of $60,000 for an automatic cabriolets. So, with folk now handing over hundreds of thousands for smart, low-mileage examples in tasty trims, it stands to reason that they would want to save them for the high-days and holidays. That means no daily driving, no taking them out in the rain, and instead, storing them away long-term in the garage. Sounds great, but in reality, it's exactly this kind of behavior that is contributing to those pesky air-cooled oil leaks. See, when a car sits for a prolonged period of time, seals and gaskets can dry up, become brittle, and shrink. These leaks might not become obvious until that sunny day when you fire up the Porsche for a fun weekend on the back-roads, but instead you'll spend the day lying on the garage floor trying to locate the problem, before totting up the looming bill in your head. The anecdote? Have the offending seals and gaskets replaced, use the correct quality and quantity of oil, and be sure to get out and actually use the thing on at least a semi-regular basis. That's a prescription we wouldn't mind being handed. In the process, you might become a little less precious about the six-figure Carrera, and so the next time a small leak springs, you'll just park it over a tray in the garage and 'keep an eye on it', instead of panicking about your 'investment'.