996 C2 interest

Author
Discussion

Henners84

Original Poster:

61 posts

125 months

Sunday 24th January 2016
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Hi, I don't think I am the only one (after reading a fee more threads) that the 996 is now beginning to look cool again (particularly the 996.1 in my opinion. I am therefore seriously considering one but I am slightly stuck about who to enquire about with for a good one. After owning a noble m12 before (amazing machine) but the experience was ruined slightly by always having the feeling at the back of my head that it could get very expensive very quickly, I would very much value the peace of mind that (say) a Hartech rebuild or warranty would provide. However are there similar companies that you would also trust with a rebuild or any other good warranty packs? I understand the 3.4 is slightly less likely to be affected by ims failure or bore score but I still would like the piece of mind. Also, with the forums littered with posts on ims rms and bore score, are there any other things I should be looking out for?

In terms of spec I am definitely looking at a c2 (not a c4),needs to be manual and a coupe with black/dark interior. Mechanicals need to be upto scratch but not so bothered about miles or bodywork as it will be driven and in London. I may upgrade brakes, exhaust and suspension over time so a tip top original is probably not the best car for me. Looking for something honest.

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

Henry

griffter

3,981 posts

254 months

Sunday 24th January 2016
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I agree with you about the 996.1 looking better and better. They're too old to get a meaningful warranty. Just try to buy a good car and keep on top of it, but go in eyes open and prepared for the worst.

I also limited my search to a C2, then I drove a C4. I'd suggest you do the same before dismissing them out of hand. I have a history of mid-engined cars (no Noble though) and the C4 does not disappoint.

Good luck with your search.

PGNCerbera

2,926 posts

165 months

Sunday 24th January 2016
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Go and speak to various independents. RPM, Portiacraft, 911 Virgjn, Cridfords etc and tell them what you are after. I'd visit in person and make it more personal because on the early 996's they are getting a lot of calls.

Odd how the worm has turned. I had a 996.2 six years ago and really, really disliked the look of the 996.1.......

Here's my 'new' 996.1


m444ttb

3,160 posts

228 months

Sunday 24th January 2016
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Nearly as option limiting as trying to find a proper Hartech rebuilt car. I looked for months and the closest was advertised as such but in reality had the minimum of work to fix the failure it had suffered. It was also a targa. So I bought a standard 996.2 3.6 Carrera 4... that's now got a fully rebuilt Hartech engine. Doh

jimmy p

960 posts

165 months

Sunday 24th January 2016
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Lets talk up the value of 996.1 as in my opinion they are seriously under rated at the moment however the momentum does seem to be building. Ive just bought one, probably one of the more expensive out there however when compared to other 911 models still seriously cheap!!



Edited by jimmy p on Sunday 24th January 16:38

Henners84

Original Poster:

61 posts

125 months

Sunday 24th January 2016
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Two lovely examples there in the blue and in the white! I had discounted the C4 just because I am not a fan of 4WD in general, particularly how it tends to affect the steering feel. But if someone can tell me otherwise I could be tempted to try and C2 and C4 back-to-back. Thanks all for the advice so far - I'll be speaking with some of the specialists you mentioned this coming week...

LordHaveMurci

12,034 posts

168 months

Sunday 24th January 2016
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All thungs being equal I don't know why you'd buy a C4, as said though good early 996's are probably getting hard to find now, the running costs compared to value are quite high so many will scimp on maintenance.

My 2001 C2 is serviced as per schedule, may not be 100% perfect cosmetically but mechanically she's good (I hope!) & after nearly 6.5yrs I still love it. They seem to respond well to carefully chosen mods too...

Don't get hung up on dark interior, mine is grey & it really lifts the interior IMO, the darker grey is probably nicer though to be fair.

griffter

3,981 posts

254 months

Monday 25th January 2016
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LordHaveMurci said:
All thungs being equal I don't know why you'd buy a C4, as said though good early 996's are probably getting hard to find now,
It's exactly that - to broaden your options. On a C4 95% torque goes to the rear wheels. In my opinion, in practice, the steering and handling doesn't lose out.

I'm sure at 10/10 on a track a C2 with lsd is more playful, but finding a good one with the right colour and spec eluded me.

Dismiss the C4 because it's heavier, or there's more to go wrong by all means, but but before dismissing it on the assumption it drives like an Audi, try one. I was surprised how balanced and neutral it is, with feedback and precision to keep me happy after my Spyder.

Koln-RS

3,849 posts

211 months

Monday 25th January 2016
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Henners84 said:
Two lovely examples there in the blue and in the white! I had discounted the C4 just because I am not a fan of 4WD in general, particularly how it tends to affect the steering feel. But if someone can tell me otherwise I could be tempted to try and C2 and C4 back-to-back. Thanks all for the advice so far - I'll be speaking with some of the specialists you mentioned this coming week...
The differences between the C2/C4 996s are very subtle, and both have their merits. I used to think C2s better than C4s, but then I drove a few C4s, and really enjoyed them. If I was looking for a 996, then I would be looking for the best example I could find, of either.

Mario149

7,750 posts

177 months

Monday 25th January 2016
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Could always remove the front wheel drive part of the running gear of a C4 if you wanted, save a bit of weight too

dom9

8,040 posts

208 months

Monday 25th January 2016
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PGNCerbera said:
Go and speak to various independents. RPM, Portiacraft, 911 Virgjn, Cridfords etc and tell them what you are after. I'd visit in person and make it more personal because on the early 996's they are getting a lot of calls.

Odd how the worm has turned. I had a 996.2 six years ago and really, really disliked the look of the 996.1.......

Here's my 'new' 996.1

That's lovely - what colour is it? Midnight blue?

Is there a thread running anywhere? Looks interesting on the OZ (?) wheels!

Henners84

Original Poster:

61 posts

125 months

Saturday 30th January 2016
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So I went to view a car today - a 2002 C4S (so not the C2 I thought I wanted nor the C4 others in the thread recommended I looked into!). However I do like the way the C4S looks and seeing as I want to keep the universe of potential cars as broad as possible I thought I'd have a look despite being a bit more than ideally I'd like to spend. The car has done just shy of 100k miles but has a brand new engine (supplied directly from Porsche) and clutch along with a lot of history of recent work completed. Bodywork was clean and interior was ok (for the age). The engine sounded strong and the chassis felt tight (it didn't feel a 100k mile car in my opinion). My question is, how should I be viewing this as a 100k mile car or not given the fact it had a new engine c. 6 months ago? Would you be concerned or pleased (given the IMS and bore score issues) that the car has a new engine? Anything in particular I should be checking? I plan to contact the dealership that fitted the new engine to find out a bit more about the backstory.

mollytherocker

14,365 posts

208 months

Saturday 30th January 2016
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A new Engine from Porsche 6 months ago is great but of course will have all of the well known inherent design faults.

However, what warranty was supplied with the engine?

dom1102

95 posts

209 months

Sunday 31st January 2016
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Hi, I can't recommend RPM Technick enough in this respect. Ollie and the team are just so knowledgable on the 996. And once you find one they will help you ensure any engine woes are minimised as well as carry out any tweaks and mods. Buy one with the expectation of putting a further £5-£10k into it and you won't be far wrong. I did personally spent a bit more than that (won't bore you with the list) but what a great car once they are suitably mechanically future proofed and set up properly. I think they could end up being seen as a brave step and an iconic model for Porsche, who could have guessed. Also I see the 996 as the first 911 that is unilaterally acknowledged as being improved by being extensively modified. In this respect independants like RPM, Hartech and recognised others are much better placed to maintain these cars than the main dealer network who have their hands tied due to the work needed to address the numerous inherent weaknesses not having been officially sanctioned.



Edited by dom1102 on Sunday 31st January 07:51

dom1102

95 posts

209 months

Sunday 31st January 2016
quotequote all
Hi, I can't recommend RPM Technick enough in this respect. Ollie and the team are just so knowledgable on the 996. And once you find one they will help you ensure any engine woes are minimised as well as carry out any tweaks and mods. Buy one with the expectation of putting a further £5-£10k into it and you won't be far wrong. I did personally spent a bit more than that (won't bore you with the list) but what a great car once they are suitably mechanically future proofed and set up properly. I think they could end up being seen as a brave step and an iconic model for Porsche, who could have guessed. Also I see the 996 as the first 911 that is unilaterally acknowledged as being improved by being extensively modified. In this respect independants like RPM, Hartech and recognised others are much better placed to maintain these cars than the main dealer network who have their hands tied due to the work needed to address the numerous inherent weaknesses not having been officially sanctioned.



Edited by dom1102 on Sunday 31st January 16:01

Richie200

2,011 posts

208 months

Sunday 31st January 2016
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dom1102 said:
I've never been a fan of the Fuch's wheels on a 996 but they really suit your car smile

dom1102

95 posts

209 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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Cheers Richie, I wasn't convinced myself until I saw them fitted. Good thing is they are also amazingly light so there's a noticeable improvement over the previous wheels (996 gt3 gen2 replicas) in the way it drives.

LeighB

3,858 posts

224 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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Richie200 said:
dom1102 said:
I've never been a fan of the Fuch's wheels on a 996 but they really suit your car smile
I'll second that, looks really well with the aerokit too. Nice stance as well smile

Richie200

2,011 posts

208 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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dom1102 said:
Cheers Richie, I wasn't convinced myself until I saw them fitted. Good thing is they are also amazingly light so there's a noticeable improvement over the previous wheels (996 gt3 gen2 replicas) in the way it drives.
I am looking into swapping the wheels for my 996 and for me the single most important factor is the weight. I've very interested to hear your feedback regarding this as you mention above you noticed the way it drives. Could you be more detailed wink
There are a few options for wheels and the Fuch's were just not aesthetically doing anything thing for me (don't get me wrong, I love them on the AC cars). The most likely contender for me right now are the Oz Allegrerita's as they are lighter again than the Fuch's (around 0.7kg per rim), trouble is the Fuch's have the Porsche heritage so I'm struggling to find a clear winner in my head confused

Cheburator mk2

2,973 posts

198 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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Richie200 said:
I am looking into swapping the wheels for my 996 and for me the single most important factor is the weight. I've very interested to hear your feedback regarding this as you mention above you noticed the way it drives. Could you be more detailed wink
There are a few options for wheels and the Fuch's were just not aesthetically doing anything thing for me (don't get me wrong, I love them on the AC cars). The most likely contender for me right now are the Oz Allegrerita's as they are lighter again than the Fuch's (around 0.7kg per rim), trouble is the Fuch's have the Porsche heritage so I'm struggling to find a clear winner in my head confused
I would argue that OZ have more direct motorsport connections/lineage/influences than Fuchs... wink