Porsche 996 (with added Hartech goodness)
Discussion
I've been driving a BMW M135i for the last 18 months. A cheap lease deal (aren't they all? :-). Before ordering the BMW, I'd originally considered buying a Porsche 997, but had been put off by internet horror stories of problems with the earlier cars. A work colleague then bought (what looked like, on the face of it, an immaculate) 996 C4, with cylinder number 6 waving the little white flag within a few weeks of him owning the car. Now, no matter how many horror stories one reads, when you see this happen with your own eyes, it does kind of put you off.
With the lease deal on the BM approaching the last quarter, I started looking for something decent to replace it with. I considered (briefly) a Lexi ISF, an E46 M3, but decided that the real value right now is with the 996. The 997 generation 2 cars, are still a bit pricey for me. After doing some research, it was clear that a Hartech engined car would give the best peace of mind in regards to engine reliability. It was also clear that although there's very few offered for sale, when they do come up, they don't attract much of a premium (typically around £2000) over what could be a 'ticking time bomb'.
Luckily, one came up for sale not too far away from me, with a full Hartech rebuild complete with invoices and receipts, for over £11,000 worth of engine work. A quick phone chat with the seller, and I was on my way to view. Here's a couple of photos from the original advert.
The car checked out. The only disappointments being a cloudy windscreen, due to rain getting between the laminate in the corners, and a small section of paint damage due to overzealous use of a rotary polisher at some point in its life. Happy with the test drive, and after inspecting the paperwork with the attention to detail of a forensic accountant, we did a deal, with me receiving a fiver change from 13.000 of my hard earned pounds.
I'm delighted with the car. I've still got 10,000 miles left to drive on the BMW lease, but I've hardly touched it since I got the Porsche. I'm no expert on driving dynamics, but it feels like a nicely balanced thing to drive. In short, I just love driving it, and look forward to every journey. Whilst the BMW is a competent all rounder, I just never got that same feeling.
It's been fitted with a modern sat nav. It has bluetooth, and I'm able to play music through Apple Music, which I wasn't expecting to find on a Porsche of this vintage.
Since buying the car, I've carried out all the service jobs, plus fixed a few little things that needed doing, including: engine cover gas strut, new spoiler bellows, new cigarette lighter, gearbox oil change, and a few other bits and pieces.
I called on the Glassman to fit me a new windscreen. Anyone who's seen this craftsman fit a screen will already know about his incredible attention to detail.
The finished result is perfect.
The bmw will be returned in the new year, and the 996 will then be used as my daily transport. I drive approximately 20k miles a year. Mileage on the car is 98k miles, although the Hartech engine has only done 12k miles. So far, I'm surprisingly impressed with the cost of parts. Insurance was only £270, and tax of course only £230. I'm happy to report back on what these are like to live with day to day, if anyone's interested.
The number plate is in the process of being changed. That plate will be going back to the previous owner, with the car reverting to its original (R reg) age related plate.
It's booked in to have the door resprayed in the next week or so. It should be looking close to immaculate by then. :-)
With the lease deal on the BM approaching the last quarter, I started looking for something decent to replace it with. I considered (briefly) a Lexi ISF, an E46 M3, but decided that the real value right now is with the 996. The 997 generation 2 cars, are still a bit pricey for me. After doing some research, it was clear that a Hartech engined car would give the best peace of mind in regards to engine reliability. It was also clear that although there's very few offered for sale, when they do come up, they don't attract much of a premium (typically around £2000) over what could be a 'ticking time bomb'.
Luckily, one came up for sale not too far away from me, with a full Hartech rebuild complete with invoices and receipts, for over £11,000 worth of engine work. A quick phone chat with the seller, and I was on my way to view. Here's a couple of photos from the original advert.
The car checked out. The only disappointments being a cloudy windscreen, due to rain getting between the laminate in the corners, and a small section of paint damage due to overzealous use of a rotary polisher at some point in its life. Happy with the test drive, and after inspecting the paperwork with the attention to detail of a forensic accountant, we did a deal, with me receiving a fiver change from 13.000 of my hard earned pounds.
I'm delighted with the car. I've still got 10,000 miles left to drive on the BMW lease, but I've hardly touched it since I got the Porsche. I'm no expert on driving dynamics, but it feels like a nicely balanced thing to drive. In short, I just love driving it, and look forward to every journey. Whilst the BMW is a competent all rounder, I just never got that same feeling.
It's been fitted with a modern sat nav. It has bluetooth, and I'm able to play music through Apple Music, which I wasn't expecting to find on a Porsche of this vintage.
Since buying the car, I've carried out all the service jobs, plus fixed a few little things that needed doing, including: engine cover gas strut, new spoiler bellows, new cigarette lighter, gearbox oil change, and a few other bits and pieces.
I called on the Glassman to fit me a new windscreen. Anyone who's seen this craftsman fit a screen will already know about his incredible attention to detail.
The finished result is perfect.
The bmw will be returned in the new year, and the 996 will then be used as my daily transport. I drive approximately 20k miles a year. Mileage on the car is 98k miles, although the Hartech engine has only done 12k miles. So far, I'm surprisingly impressed with the cost of parts. Insurance was only £270, and tax of course only £230. I'm happy to report back on what these are like to live with day to day, if anyone's interested.
The number plate is in the process of being changed. That plate will be going back to the previous owner, with the car reverting to its original (R reg) age related plate.
It's booked in to have the door resprayed in the next week or so. It should be looking close to immaculate by then. :-)
Cheers chaps. Yeah, I think history will be kinder to the 996 than the current general feeling towards them. They're in that kind of no mans land at the moment; Too old to be considered 'in vogue', and yet not old enough to be considered a classic. I remember this happening with the 964. These will come good again. I'm actually really starting to like the looks of the thing, even the runny egg headlights. Anyway, regardless of what they look like, they are lovely cars to drive.
The head unit was £600 just over a year ago. A tasteful modification, which makes it quite useable as a daily car.
The head unit was £600 just over a year ago. A tasteful modification, which makes it quite useable as a daily car.
You'll find a lot of love for the Glassman on PH. His company is http://www.glasstecauto.co.uk/.
It was interesting to watch the full process, and to see the detailed preparation that goes into fitting a screen. I probably could've tried to go through my insurance, but I didn't want one of the national chains working on my car. Once Paul started working on it, and I could see exactly what was involved, I was glad that I got him to do the job.
It was interesting to watch the full process, and to see the detailed preparation that goes into fitting a screen. I probably could've tried to go through my insurance, but I didn't want one of the national chains working on my car. Once Paul started working on it, and I could see exactly what was involved, I was glad that I got him to do the job.
The unit is a Kenwood DNX7210 BT.
I thought that the Porsche logo looked a bit scruffy, so I've since removed it.
Music streaming and phone functions all work well. I'm not sure if it's possible to get artwork or track titles to appear though.
I thought that the Porsche logo looked a bit scruffy, so I've since removed it.
Music streaming and phone functions all work well. I'm not sure if it's possible to get artwork or track titles to appear though.
Edited by Rocketsocks on Friday 31st July 21:47
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