RE: PH buying guide: Porsche 911 Turbo (996)
Discussion
j_s14a said:
I think it's a bit presumptuous to say prices have "bottomed out", they could still fall MUCH further. There's no precedent, as the air cooled Turbos never fell this far.
I wouldn't even call £17,500 a bargain, for £4k you could have a MKIV Supra twin turbo auto, which with basic mods costing under £1k, would be just as fast (if not a little quicker) as the 996 turbo from a rolling start.
Also, for those expecting a prestige car, the interior feels pretty low rent, with plenty of cheap plastics.
I'd still love one though, despite some quirks andquality issues. Nothing this side of a GTR will cover country roads with such pace.
Somehow I doubt most people considering £17.5k for a 911 Turbo is cross shopping for a 90s Japanese coupe with a terrible image and very Japanese styling you know.I wouldn't even call £17,500 a bargain, for £4k you could have a MKIV Supra twin turbo auto, which with basic mods costing under £1k, would be just as fast (if not a little quicker) as the 996 turbo from a rolling start.
Also, for those expecting a prestige car, the interior feels pretty low rent, with plenty of cheap plastics.
I'd still love one though, despite some quirks andquality issues. Nothing this side of a GTR will cover country roads with such pace.
It might be the price of a new hot hatch (if we are taking the prices from a few years back, since they all seem to start at £20,000+ now), but the running costs are on another planet compared to a hot hatch, which is hardly surprising, because so is the performance. Making it sound like it's the choice between this and a hot hatch is a bit misleading really.
Any 911 Turbo is an iconic classic. That you can bag a good one for circa £25k shows just how desperate the current economic situation really is.
The 996 version is not perfect but it is usable every day, very rapid, and for the performance, not bad cost wise to run. I can't see them losing much from current levels either.
The 996 version is not perfect but it is usable every day, very rapid, and for the performance, not bad cost wise to run. I can't see them losing much from current levels either.
I think we need more clarification on that 4500.- per year service budget. I also found it too much for this car. Feedback from 996 turbo owners would be great. You would change the oil once and go through a set of tires per year but anything else I don`t know? Maybe brake pads especially front but definitely not the discs as long as you are not doing a track day a month. I really think a good car can go through a year (obviously not every year) without any failures.
Another day, another 996 turbo buying guide. You'd have to be brave to buy a cheap car, or REALLY know what you are looking at. If you can do your own spannering you will save money, but may affect resale desirability, although whether that's important at this end of the market is debatable. If you are coming from a hot hatch then you may be surprised at the refinement more than anything. Raw it certainly isn't.
One thing you must do is get the car remapped, although check it hasn't been done first, as a lot already have been. Standard boost is 0.7 maximum, remap 1.0 maybe 1.1 on the useful digital boost gauge under the speedo. This turns the car from fast into a monster, any gear massive thrust and a top speed of almost 200 mph. The standard level of tune is very low, the car is crying out to be optimised. Which brings us to the brakes, the 997 turbo discs and calipers bolt straight on and fill the wheel better,and if you sell your old brakes comes to just over a grand, bargain. Most people find the standard brakes average, although it is hard to gauge what speed you are doing in these cars which can affect braking distances.
One thing you must do is get the car remapped, although check it hasn't been done first, as a lot already have been. Standard boost is 0.7 maximum, remap 1.0 maybe 1.1 on the useful digital boost gauge under the speedo. This turns the car from fast into a monster, any gear massive thrust and a top speed of almost 200 mph. The standard level of tune is very low, the car is crying out to be optimised. Which brings us to the brakes, the 997 turbo discs and calipers bolt straight on and fill the wheel better,and if you sell your old brakes comes to just over a grand, bargain. Most people find the standard brakes average, although it is hard to gauge what speed you are doing in these cars which can affect braking distances.
Of course it's entirely possible for this turbo or any used 911 to cost you thousands a year in "maintenance". All you have to do is get it to the right independent shop and let the monkeys and thieves get their hands on it. We've got lots of those places over here in Vancouver, and I'm sure there's plenty in the UK.
However, if you've got a few brains and aren't afraid of a little physical work, most any used 911 can be not much more expensive than most any other car -- with some exceptions, obviously. As this 996 has the nearly indestructible Metzger flat six legend at its base, a relatively straightforward and reliable 4 wheel drive system, and a strong gearbox, little can go wrong that a do-it-yourselfer couldn't fix. Order the parts online from a free shipping place if you can, follow the online Porsche boards where you'll find write ups and fixes and how to's to take all the mystery out. And then get in there. Hell, you could be a real pistonhead that way, instead of a bench warmer. I love my 1989 Carrera 3.2 and love how very little it costs me each year to keep fully serviced and on the road by doing it myself.
It's a shame I don't like the interior much on these 996 turbos. Exterior is a big improvement over the standard 996 and not bad at all.
Supra indeed. ahahahahaha...
However, if you've got a few brains and aren't afraid of a little physical work, most any used 911 can be not much more expensive than most any other car -- with some exceptions, obviously. As this 996 has the nearly indestructible Metzger flat six legend at its base, a relatively straightforward and reliable 4 wheel drive system, and a strong gearbox, little can go wrong that a do-it-yourselfer couldn't fix. Order the parts online from a free shipping place if you can, follow the online Porsche boards where you'll find write ups and fixes and how to's to take all the mystery out. And then get in there. Hell, you could be a real pistonhead that way, instead of a bench warmer. I love my 1989 Carrera 3.2 and love how very little it costs me each year to keep fully serviced and on the road by doing it myself.
It's a shame I don't like the interior much on these 996 turbos. Exterior is a big improvement over the standard 996 and not bad at all.
Supra indeed. ahahahahaha...
I am giving away my age now but when I just finished my A Levels and left school this came out. This and the BMW E46 M3 Coupe. The Porsche 911 Turbo (996) is and was one of my dream cars. So much performance not many cars at the time could touch it. Even now is very very fast. An surprised there is a big gulf in performance between Manual/Tiptronic. I remember seeing this launched at London Earls Court and even have the original brochure somewhere. Looked so amazing when new. Shame the 996 is supposed to have very poor interior quality. At least has proper pedals. I prefer the 993 Turbo look though. The costs of the servicing and brakes is that really true :-) ?
I remember marvelling at PCCB when came out on 996 GT2 and as a option on the 996 Turbo. Really does it cost £12k to replace the brakes all round ?
996 Turbo is superb value for money overall :-)
I remember marvelling at PCCB when came out on 996 GT2 and as a option on the 996 Turbo. Really does it cost £12k to replace the brakes all round ?
996 Turbo is superb value for money overall :-)
blade7 said:
I've had a ride in one that was driven quite hard and it's a great car but it made me understand the attraction of the GT2, the turbo felt a bit too civilised until it was doing silly speeds.
They make great daily drivers as such, but not very good 2nd / weekend cars. Too civilised is correct. And you are into 3 figures before you realize it.To make it a bit more special you need to change the exhaust firstly as the OEM one is too subdued.
And they are expensive to run, period. If anyone tells you any different when they are selling then run a mile, as the next owner will be stumping up some serious cash.
Rads, condensers , coffin arms , coil packs, heat shields, eats rear tyres due to camber, there is a long list of things you need to check out before jumping into ownership.
But all said and done, they are a fantastic car for the money. Just don't expect to run it on a tight budget.
These are amazing cars for the money - for me the reason they're so affordable is the combination of a number of things. Firstly supply - there are just more of these than ever before around. Secondly, performance has never been so easy to come by. A £30K hot hatch gets you a car with over 300bhp, an M3 has more more than 400bhp etc etc.
This was never that case when the 993 911 turbo was around, so it was a much more special car in terms of the performance it offered - very few other cars had more than 250bhp - I'm generalising, but in the mid 90s, 250bhp was a lot for anything this side of a Ferrari, Porsche etc.
So.. now we have a 911 turbo with lots around, plus lots of normal 911s which have got faster and faster - so you get to a position where a 997 Carrera (or Carrera S) has more than enough performance for most people and the turbo just isn't as much of a draw, and for some (me included) isn't actually as desirable.
Is the hot hatch comparison valid? I think it is, I know a lot of people who spend £30K to £40K on hot hatches, small coupes. They could easily afford more expensive cars and could afford the running costs of a 996 turbo without issue. However, hot hatches are SO much faster than they used to be, so unless you REALLY want a 911, a newer car is an easier buy, regardless of costs involved.
This was never that case when the 993 911 turbo was around, so it was a much more special car in terms of the performance it offered - very few other cars had more than 250bhp - I'm generalising, but in the mid 90s, 250bhp was a lot for anything this side of a Ferrari, Porsche etc.
So.. now we have a 911 turbo with lots around, plus lots of normal 911s which have got faster and faster - so you get to a position where a 997 Carrera (or Carrera S) has more than enough performance for most people and the turbo just isn't as much of a draw, and for some (me included) isn't actually as desirable.
Is the hot hatch comparison valid? I think it is, I know a lot of people who spend £30K to £40K on hot hatches, small coupes. They could easily afford more expensive cars and could afford the running costs of a 996 turbo without issue. However, hot hatches are SO much faster than they used to be, so unless you REALLY want a 911, a newer car is an easier buy, regardless of costs involved.
a lot of older 'supercars' and luxury 4 x 4's etc are now available for sale for the price of a 'family hatchback'
the problem is that they are still say £80K+ cars when it comes to maintenance/running costs unless you are good 'on the spanners' and are prepared to forsake full service history?
my last Porsche was about 20yrs ago - now drive a Range Rover Vogue and on virtually every related forum i see people trying to run them on a 'Fiesta' budget! -sometimes frightening me at the cheap tyres being used/advocated!
the problem is that they are still say £80K+ cars when it comes to maintenance/running costs unless you are good 'on the spanners' and are prepared to forsake full service history?
my last Porsche was about 20yrs ago - now drive a Range Rover Vogue and on virtually every related forum i see people trying to run them on a 'Fiesta' budget! -sometimes frightening me at the cheap tyres being used/advocated!
grand cherokee said:
the problem is that they are still say £80K+ cars when it comes to maintenance/running costs unless you are good 'on the spanners' and are prepared to forsake full service history?
my last Porsche was about 20yrs ago - now drive a Range Rover Vogue and on virtually every related forum i see people trying to run them on a 'Fiesta' budget! -sometimes frightening me at the cheap tyres being used/advocated!
People running them on a 'budget' is the big worry if trying to buy one of these types of cars. Always try and find one thats had an owner for a good few years and has traceable history.my last Porsche was about 20yrs ago - now drive a Range Rover Vogue and on virtually every related forum i see people trying to run them on a 'Fiesta' budget! -sometimes frightening me at the cheap tyres being used/advocated!
Avoid the ones with several owners in the last 2 or 3 years, the owners may well have repaired something that needed doing correctly and at the shock of the bill sold the car on but the next one probably didnt. Always stuff missed on cars with that type of history.
Nedzilla said:
markcoznottz said:
One thing you must do is get the car remapped, although check it hasn't been done first, as a lot already have been.
That makes loads of sense?????
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