996T or 997 C2S (gen 1)?

[fstorm]

This has probably been asked before - I've used the search function and all I get is info on the 997T or info on the 996T, but not comparing 996T and 997 C2S.

I'd like to tap into the collective experience of the PH porker crew ;-)

I've been driving 2 wheeled powered vehicles of the last 12 years or so. A recent accident where I got punted off the thing by a driver running the lights has had me retire from my bike.

Car-wise I've had 0.9L Fiesta, 1.3 Golf, Rover 213, tuned mk2 Golf GTI 16v ... Audi S3 mk1. Also have a (lightly breathed on) C350 with 300ps and 740Nm of torque. Recently I've been considering between E46 M3, CS, Alpina B3s, 335i, 996T and 997 C2S 3.8. Also quite like the GT3 bodied 996 with the 3.4, but I guess that'll be way too slow. I've driven plenty of fastish cars, Evo IX, X, 930T, E30 325i, Ferrari 360, Subaru WRX etc. Also driven a couple of E46 M3s recently, but I found them slow. Feedback from the steering wasn't particularly good either.

What's your real world experiences of the 996T and 997 C2S ? I'm interested on the driving and running costs. I'll be doing about 10k miles a year. Budget-wise £15-27k. I realise these cars will not be cheap to service or fix when things break. My requirements are:

4 seats
be fun to drive
feel special to be in
no less than 25mpg - 25 mile motorway/ 5 miles b roads / 10 miles of that stuck in traffic
it will be a daily driver
feel faster than my C350 with 300ps/740Nm

I've heard of bore scoring, IMS failure, ovalisation, D chunking, DMF & Clutch 997/996
radiators & condensors, cost of clutch, clutch MC+slave, DMF on the 996T

Edited by fstorm on Friday 25th July 09:20

[fstorm]

Trick is to buy that won't take me to the cleaners!
The same for any other car, but when it has a Porsche badge on it, it is x5.

[fstorm]

the mpg target is a more nice to have really - it isn't going to make a huge amount of difference to the running costs, 25mpg is around £2500 pa, 22mpg about £2800, about the cost of one tyre ...

The E9x M3 is a possibility, faster than the 997, and closer to a 996T, but 8 years newer and sounds good, same apply to the gen1 C63, which sounds even better than the all the cars I've mentioned, but will it scratch that itch ..?

Thanks for your replies so far, it all goes into the decision melting pot, please keep them coming !

[fstorm]

Are there any 911/Porsche forums I should be checking out/ that you guys recommend ?

[fstorm]

Great response !

Any of you guys that have bought an "old" 996T created a blog or build thread ?

Any regrets ?

At the moment I'm leaning towards a 996T. Are there particular things or years to avoid ?

I haven't seen the 996T or 997 up close yet. I'm going to see if there are any dealers nearby.

I'm close to Gatwick, any one know of any specialists nearby ?

Many thanks.

[fstorm]

braddo said:

I expect that owning a 996 Turbo and living near Gatwick could get very, very expensive!

???

[fstorm]

monthefish said:

I bought a 2002 turbo in 2011. My only regret was selling it and, perhaps, not buying it sooner. I LOVED mine.

There were various model year upgrades since its intro in 2000, with 2002 bringing the most comprehensive of changes (I'll see if I can dig out my list of what happened when), so if possible go for a 2002 or later car, but it is more important to find a 'good' car (well maintained) rather than a 'later' car.


ETA:

monthefish said:

The 996 Turbo was unveilled in late 1999 for 2000 model year.

The 2001 models gained electric switches to open the front and rear lids, and improved interior illumination.

2002 models were the so-called facelift cars: glovebox, twin cup-holders, soft-touch plastics, better ventilation, Bose sound system, an auto-dim interior mirror and a rain sensor. Also, X50 power upgrade became an option.

All nice things to have if possible, but not at the expense of an older/better car if it was a choice between the 2.

Very useful Mr Fish, what did you replaced your 996T with ?

[fstorm]

braddo said:

fstorm said:

???

Just a reference to Nine Excellence being around the corner, with their quite amazing array of tuning packages for the turbos.

Ahh, thought it might be something sinister !

tuning ... need to .. resist ....

It's the potential for financially crippling bills that has prevented me from pulling the trigger so far. The tyres, petrol and standard maintenance I can make allowances and plan for.

There are a few potentials on PH, AT and ebay at the moment, most are hundreds of miles away.