RE: You Know You Want To: £20K Porsche 996 Turbo

[FLGirl]

Garlick said:

Being a lightweight, I would be happy with a standard Carrera.

There are cheaper cars advertised on PH but they either have dodgy interiors or tiptronic boxes. This is the cheapest car with decent spec, and what a bargain it is: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3948224.htm

That's my old 996, you have good taste Garlick!

[trunks82]

Porkie said:

Headlights arent the same

I had both at same time for years. Thought the Boxster was more fun on the road for 99% of the time. My Turbo had DMS map and exhaust and KW suspension. Certainly gave it some character that the std one lacked. Still very fast cars. 420bhp doesnt sound alot these days but I drove a std car few months ago and it still felt brutally quick.

'Percy' and 'bertie' and yes naming cars is VERY sad and gay

Is that a reyland cossie i spy????ive just put up a poster in my sons room with one on it.awesome cars!

[Mastodon2]

Porkie said:

Headlights arent the same

I had both at same time for years. Thought the Boxster was more fun on the road for 99% of the time. My Turbo had DMS map and exhaust and KW suspension. Certainly gave it some character that the std one lacked. Still very fast cars. 420bhp doesnt sound alot these days but I drove a std car few months ago and it still felt brutally quick.

'Percy' and 'bertie' and yes naming cars is VERY sad and gay

I love that Skyline! The 911 is nice too. The first really fast car I ever had a passenger ride in was a 996 Turbo S. It was such a mind-blowing experience, and it had a curious ability to make me swear like a drunken sailor whenever the driver gave it some welly through the gears. Jesus it was quick, I never really looked twice at 911s before that, I've yearned for one ever since.

[ditchvisitor]

It's been up for sale for bloody ages!!

[Zippee]

monthefish said:

Zippee said:

kambites said:

Doesn't really appeal to me, but it's interesting that they're dropping so low. Presumably the 996 is the cheapest generation of 911 by some margin? I wonder if the 997 will follow it.

Same here - outright speed isn't everything. A car needs soul and unfortunately it's something this car does not deliver.

Ahhhh, a TVR owner. That figures.
(You do know that breaking down does not equal 'soul'...)





My 996 turbo has soul.
It is, in every way, a 911. Just as very fast one.

Yes a TVR owner. I've driven the 996T (though not an S) and yes it's quick, bloody quick but it just didn't feel special to me. As an everyday car I'd have one in a heartbeat but as a toy? I can fully understand why people love them, just not me - I could quite easily afford one but choose not to as it just lacked that little something.
Likewise I've just come out of a courtesy car Cayman S I've been driving for 2 months (I know it's not the same as the turbo) it was comfy, quick, handled extremely well but I was bored of it and didn't just 'want' to go for a drive. Each to their own and all that but I'd rather stick with the stroppy cow I currently drive

[StuB]

TomTVR500 said:

I then went out in a 550 bhp (not that hard to achieve I was told) 996 Turbo and it made the GTR feel a little sluggish. A weapons grade car the 996 Turbo!

That wasn't at Cadwell Park was it, in my Seal Grey X50 on a BMW Car Club open pitlane day was it? If so

[anonymous-user]

With that Mezger engine sorting out the usual 996 engine doubts, you could live the goofy headlights and the blobby interior styling. As for a Mezger turbo having no character ... takes all sorts I suppose.

[IceBoy]

Re my post from a few weeks back...the title was:

996TT......OMG !!!!

It has made every other car I have driven, feel and look slow.

IceBoy
PS....996TT next year for me!

[benzito]

Its true they aren't cheap to maintain. However in my experience they are actually very reasonable running costs compared to other similar performance cars (amg's, maserati's and the like). A solid car IMO. This one does look like it could do with a wash and polish though!

[Oddball RS]

cjb1 said:

As a PCGB member I've owned various 911's for a total of 13+ years so have a bit of experience in them but all said this is only my opinion. The 996 was possibly Porsche's best selling 911 and subsequently flooded the market, there's gazillions of them for sale, it's is generally recognised as being one of the most unloved 911's of all times, the 964 being second to it. beauty is the eye of the beholder and for someone looking for outright performance for less money they are a fantastic bargain. Someone looking for a proper 911 they are not the one to buy. As has already been said on this thread, I went to the launch of the 996 at the motor show the first impression when I saw it on the stand was the flat lines of the side profile and those bloody awful fried egg headlights. I later saw it at my local Porsche Centre, the first impression when I sat in it was the plastic cheap and nasty interior.

These have dropped the guts on £100k to sub £20k for a reason, they are likely to fall further.

If your just looking for a bargain 911 and prepared to lose serious money in it's further depreciation go for a 996, if you're looking for a pucker 911 to hold or even gain in value, don't.....another 'don't' is making a comparison between these and 997 simply because their isn't one.

I don't understand what being a PCGB member has to do with anything, and to be honest i dispute just about every point you make as being utter tripe, from i guess the driver of an air cooled car, it was around 10 years ago that 930's couldn't be given away, you need to see the pattern and stop talking other models down.

[Welshbeef]

IceBoy said:

Re my post from a few weeks back...the title was:

996TT......OMG !!!!

It has made every other car I have driven, feel and look slow.

IceBoy
PS....996TT next year for me!

I've had the pleasure of driving one on the track in full attack mode - or in my eyes full attack. Epic really epically fast.
9seconds max to 100mph is always going to be very very quick
190mph top speed - but DMS it and well over 200mph

Nice

[OUF]

Gizmoish said:

Garlick said:

Being a lightweight, I would be happy with a standard Carrera.

There are cheaper cars advertised on PH but they either have dodgy interiors or tiptronic boxes. This is the cheapest car with decent spec, and what a bargain it is: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3948224.htm

My god.

I need that car.

I found myself in the fortunate position to be able to want and be able to afford a 911. Originally I looked at a 964 and tried one and then a 996. Both were amazing and absolutely no doubt that the 996 was fantastic to drive and the acceleration and abilities of that car were amazing. The 996 I looked at was 11k and immaculate but I just couldn't bring myself to buy it. Why is hard to articulate but it was just too efficient and too good (I know that sounds ridiculous). I ended up with an 87 Carrera for not much more and am smitten....

[matoakley]

Go for it!

I bought a 996TT 5 years ago, I only wanted to try one for a short while. I needed 4 seats, although only very occasionally for kids, and it had to be faster than my M5.
35000miles later I still have it. 420bhp does not sound that much, but torque is huge esp if boost increased to 1 bar. (It only costs a few hundred quid).
Nothing will live with it on a b road if you ring its neck, its even better if its raining when you can feal it gently moving around. I have thought about changing a few times but every thing else feals slow. On a dry smooth track my 6.2 Griff may be quicker, but nowhere else.
Day to day costs are fine. It does 29mpg at gentle 90, about 5mpg on a track and inbetween it depends on you right foot. Disks and pads have lasted 30000 miles, if you leave traction contol on tyres last well,if you turn it off a lot rears wear out, a set is about £750 for correct N spec.
radiators are not unreasonably priced(£400ish) but there are lots of them!, exhaust nuts rust, but leave them alone and replace when gone, Suspension bushes wear(Go to Centre gravity), Clutches last 50 to 60 thou.(clutch about 900, but can need new flywheel, slave and prop it my case £2000)

Over all not too bad, but most 10 year old cars have a few problems and obveously fixing them is more expensive for exotica than a ford focus.
997 is rearly only a facelift car so it depends on how important faces are to you!

Good luck

[Claypole]

I'd buy it if I had the money to spare.

All I EVER read on here is about how how much car x y or Z will be worth in the future... if people are that anal over residuals then set up a stall at your local car boot and buy some scrap gold or some shares or premium bonds, cars are to be used and enjoyed I thought so who cares if it's losing money you can't take it with you.

[Contigo]

Welshbeef said:

I've had the pleasure of driving one on the track in full attack mode - or in my eyes full attack. Epic really epically fast.
9seconds max to 100mph is always going to be very very quick
190mph top speed - but DMS it and well over 200mph

Nice

I had a blat with one in my modifief B5 RS4 coming out of Thruxton and there was nothing in it. Bumper to bumper all the way.

I doubt it will be a massive step up from the M5 as well and for my next car I want something EPIC fast. I see the 997 GT2 is about 7.5 seconds to 100 which is a big difference.

[markcoznottz]

Agree that a remap is a must, makes a 996tt as near as dammit as fast as a 997tt. The mechanicals on these cars are bullet proof,In fact if they hadn't made the front rads out of recycled tin cans this car wouldn't have any serious vices. 25 mpg on a run is about the best I've seen, don't know about mpg on a mad one, it's very hard to even glance at the speedo when you are moving. Make no mistake, these are very fast cars, a normal driver probably wouldn't be faster in a hyper car such is the ease with which you can just get in and drive. In fact that's maybe why people say the brakes aren't all that, because you drive the car like its a golf, just harder, then realise you are doing 130mph, brush the brake pedal, and realise you need to really brake hard.

[Welshbeef]

Contigo said:

I had a blat with one in my modifief B5 RS4 coming out of Thruxton and there was nothing in it. Bumper to bumper all the way.

I doubt it will be a massive step up from the M5 as well and for my next car I want something EPIC fast. I see the 997 GT2 is about 7.5 seconds to 100 which is a big difference.

When I viewed a B5 RS4 tuned to 420bhp the seller had just bought a £24k black 911 Turbo 996 his intention was to modify it to mid to high 500's.
Frankly that chap had real taste in cars - no so much the wearing Ray Bans inside lol. He is a PHeader nice chap shame I missed the RS4 frankly.

[Contigo]

Claypole said:

I'd buy it if I had the money to spare.

All I EVER read on here is about how how much car x y or Z will be worth in the future... if people are that anal over residuals then set up a stall at your local car boot and buy some scrap gold or some shares or premium bonds, cars are to be used and enjoyed I thought so who cares if it's losing money you can't take it with you.

but the Irony is that there is very little money in bonds and shares at the moment what with the economic uncertainty so people are looking to put their money elsewhere and yep you guessed it it's in cars and future classics. There has never been a better time to buy the right Porsche or Ferrari and people really are on the look out for the right motor to invest in. I'm not for one minute saying the 996 TT is the right one I'm just making a point that cars are where the smart money is going at the moment.

[Moosh]

I have a 2004 996 x50 turbo and thought I would move it on after a few years. BUT!, after a remap and a new exhaust, gt3 front discs, power up to around 520bhp I must admit I am smitten with the car. It is so fantastic in every way. I have the aero kit and x50 upgrade which not only IMO makes the car look great, it also makes it a amazing performance car. The handling and power is just something else on track and on the B roads.

To all those who say it is boring to drive I have only one response , you have either never driven one or you do not how to drive, or you are A PUSSY to scared to take the car to its limits.

DRIVE IT HARD, ANY ENJOY

I am keeping mine till either the car is scrap or I die,

[Crimp a Length!]

J4CKO said:

I love the fact all those posting would love this 911 but the 996 is "unloved", whilst the Porsche beards get all misty eyed and spend 40 grand on a 993 I think the 996 Turbo is good value and comes with proper water cooling, like big boys cars do !

I suspect for most of us the air cooled thing and the hallowed versions of 911 is a bit Emperors New Clothes for most of us who would sell a kidney for this 996 and love it to bits, must be terrible for the cognoscenti to be so jaded that a 996 turbo is boring so we will leave them to their 300k RS models which must be fantastic but for the average PHer this is a very desirable car, hell I even enjoy my four grand 944 Cabriolet, it is just different markets, I am just glad there is some poverty Pork out there for us bottom feeders.

Great post mate.........spot on.
I love all porsches whether it has water or air in it, 996 turbo's are phenomenal cars.