996 Porkers ~ asking for trouble?
Discussion
No doubt there will be a queue of people telling you that a £10k 911 is a quick route to financial ruin, but given that the 996 was the first mass-produced 911, the price point is more the result of natural depreciation, rather than as a product of any major issues (apart from one of course...)
Granted, you may have to allow a couple of grand to refresh some parts, but the same could be said of any 10+ year old car. On paper, the early 996s present excellent bang for buck.
Now for that one issue - IMS failure. Yes, the engine could go bang, with little or no warning, at any time, and it's likely to be costly to sort. BUT it's no more or less likely to happen to a 10k 996 as it is to a £30k 997, and if both cars are outside of a Porsche warranty, then the costs will be much the same.
Granted, you may have to allow a couple of grand to refresh some parts, but the same could be said of any 10+ year old car. On paper, the early 996s present excellent bang for buck.
Now for that one issue - IMS failure. Yes, the engine could go bang, with little or no warning, at any time, and it's likely to be costly to sort. BUT it's no more or less likely to happen to a 10k 996 as it is to a £30k 997, and if both cars are outside of a Porsche warranty, then the costs will be much the same.
At the risk of repeating myself (this topic seems to crop up a lot!).
I run a now 99K miler 996 as my daily drive. I have a short commute to work (c.5 miles) but do fairly regular long trips, plus of course lots of driving just for fun.
They are designed to be used, and mine copes with everything I throw at it, in all conditions, and is the perfect 'everyday', usable sports car.
You're aware of the well documented IMS troubles, I was too before I bought. Based on my (unscientific) research, I actually sought out a well maintained higher mileage car. Those with IMS seemed to suffer much earlier on in the cars lives. Mine was a cherished privately owned car, and also the previous owner's daily, which spoke volumes to me.
Hartech inspected the car before I bought it. A proper inspection is vital. Refreshing some consumables was expected but once done it has proved a brilliant and reliable car.
As mentioned, you can use the Hartech maintenance scheme, which is highly recommended, or there are a couple of other places that now offer similar plans if you're concerned.
Maybe I'm stupid/naive (both
) but I don't have any kind of plan. I use a very well respected indy for all the work, and basically I just enjoy the car. I would estimate mine to be only worth the £11k mark now due to the mileage, but at that price & with a sound example (full history, receipts, inspected etc) I think that represents an amazing bargain.
I run a now 99K miler 996 as my daily drive. I have a short commute to work (c.5 miles) but do fairly regular long trips, plus of course lots of driving just for fun.
They are designed to be used, and mine copes with everything I throw at it, in all conditions, and is the perfect 'everyday', usable sports car.
You're aware of the well documented IMS troubles, I was too before I bought. Based on my (unscientific) research, I actually sought out a well maintained higher mileage car. Those with IMS seemed to suffer much earlier on in the cars lives. Mine was a cherished privately owned car, and also the previous owner's daily, which spoke volumes to me.
Hartech inspected the car before I bought it. A proper inspection is vital. Refreshing some consumables was expected but once done it has proved a brilliant and reliable car.
As mentioned, you can use the Hartech maintenance scheme, which is highly recommended, or there are a couple of other places that now offer similar plans if you're concerned.
Maybe I'm stupid/naive (both
) but I don't have any kind of plan. I use a very well respected indy for all the work, and basically I just enjoy the car. I would estimate mine to be only worth the £11k mark now due to the mileage, but at that price & with a sound example (full history, receipts, inspected etc) I think that represents an amazing bargain.I had two 996s, they were absolutely fine, sold the last one for £16k and it was mint, as new. Said so in advert but it still took ages for someone to come and look, when they did the first person who saw it bought it. Then I bought a garage queen 'more reliable' turbo and it gave me a heap of trouble until I sorted out all of the bits that had never been properly used. Now it is utterly solid.
My advice- go for it but get one with a good history and that has been regually used and not in town and ffs don't worry about RMS too much it really is not common at all.
My advice- go for it but get one with a good history and that has been regually used and not in town and ffs don't worry about RMS too much it really is not common at all.
All depends on how much you're willing to spend on the car once you've got it. Tyres will cost 1k for all 4 corners, servicing £300-£600 depending on which one it is, disks and pads are not cheap etc...
You'll have 70k running costs on a 10k car and that can hurt.
As far as IMS/RMS issues well they do exist and are costly to sort out but they do tend to affect low mileage cars rather than high milers, (from what I've read in magazines) chances are if you pick up a car that's done 80k it would have gone by now.
Probably best to post this in the Porsche section, as you'll get more responses from people who run these cars and the likes of Hartech etc..
You'll have 70k running costs on a 10k car and that can hurt.
As far as IMS/RMS issues well they do exist and are costly to sort out but they do tend to affect low mileage cars rather than high milers, (from what I've read in magazines) chances are if you pick up a car that's done 80k it would have gone by now.
Probably best to post this in the Porsche section, as you'll get more responses from people who run these cars and the likes of Hartech etc..
I also don't adhere to this 'expect £70k running costs' arguement.
It's just a car, and a mass-produced one at that. It's not seven times more expensive than a fiesta because it's seven times more complex, it's merely the price point that people are willing to pay for a new Porsche.
There are plenty of good indie garages, and sites like europarts can save you plenty of money.
It's just a car, and a mass-produced one at that. It's not seven times more expensive than a fiesta because it's seven times more complex, it's merely the price point that people are willing to pay for a new Porsche.
There are plenty of good indie garages, and sites like europarts can save you plenty of money.
TTwiggy said:
I also don't adhere to this 'expect £70k running costs' arguement.
It's just a car, and a mass-produced one at that. It's not seven times more expensive than a fiesta because it's seven times more complex, it's merely the price point that people are willing to pay for a new Porsche.
There are plenty of good indie garages, and sites like europarts can save you plenty of money.
You will be very lucky to sell a 996 with just a pile of receipts from Halfords, an oily Haynes manual and good intentions. If you don't ever want to sell it then you can look after it relatively cheaply - but this is a complex £70k car that needs looking after properly and that is reflected in the buyers market for them. A car with a good independent history is infinitely more sellable than one with none/patchy history.It's just a car, and a mass-produced one at that. It's not seven times more expensive than a fiesta because it's seven times more complex, it's merely the price point that people are willing to pay for a new Porsche.
There are plenty of good indie garages, and sites like europarts can save you plenty of money.
I used a good independent for mine and it still cost a lot. £3.5k in servicing is about 7 times more than I have spent on my £10k Kia this year, so there
TTwiggy said:
I also don't adhere to this 'expect £70k running costs' arguement.
It's just a car, and a mass-produced one at that. It's not seven times more expensive than a fiesta because it's seven times more complex, it's merely the price point that people are willing to pay for a new Porsche.
There are plenty of good indie garages, and sites like europarts can save you plenty of money.
Parts are expensive, quality not so great. It's just a car, and a mass-produced one at that. It's not seven times more expensive than a fiesta because it's seven times more complex, it's merely the price point that people are willing to pay for a new Porsche.
There are plenty of good indie garages, and sites like europarts can save you plenty of money.
I've got a 986 Boxster S (similar running costs to a non-turbo early 996). I've done about 8,000 miles in two years of ownership and it has cost me just north of £4k in servicing, repairs and general upkeep. That's excluding fuel/tax/insurance. An inspection is vital. Regrettably I didn't have one done.
It's spot-on now but it was a bit of an expensive lesson and I was a fool going in with my eyes closed.
Things I have had done include:
New clutch and major service (plus RMS examination, which was fine). £1100
Discs and pads all round. £700
2x CV boots £300ish
Wheel bearing and new front springs and coffin arms (coffin arms are common faults on these). £920
MAF sensor and a couple of lambdas. I forget the figure now but it totalled about £600.
Four wheel alignment. £200 I think.
Throw in another service and a couple of other bits and bobs and there you have it. These are all indie prices mind and fairly approximate (I haven't got the receipts in front of me at present)
A proper inspection would of course have highlighted a fair few things there. I agree that cars like this cost a bit to run but I'm a little miffed at forking out that much over so little mileage. My own fault though.
I just need to get out and drive it more now and get my moneys worth out of it!
It's spot-on now but it was a bit of an expensive lesson and I was a fool going in with my eyes closed.
Things I have had done include:
New clutch and major service (plus RMS examination, which was fine). £1100
Discs and pads all round. £700
2x CV boots £300ish
Wheel bearing and new front springs and coffin arms (coffin arms are common faults on these). £920
MAF sensor and a couple of lambdas. I forget the figure now but it totalled about £600.
Four wheel alignment. £200 I think.
Throw in another service and a couple of other bits and bobs and there you have it. These are all indie prices mind and fairly approximate (I haven't got the receipts in front of me at present)
A proper inspection would of course have highlighted a fair few things there. I agree that cars like this cost a bit to run but I'm a little miffed at forking out that much over so little mileage. My own fault though.
I just need to get out and drive it more now and get my moneys worth out of it!
My Dad is on his 2nd 996 Carrera. His current car hasn't had any problems (other than a £25 cable) in about 6 months ownership, and the previous owner who is also a PHer never had any issues with it. My uncle also owned one for three years and never had a single problem with it, ever. Not sure about the very cheap ones, but generally the 996s are quite reliable. Make sure you get the car you're thinking of buying inspected.
I'm always tantilised by these ads too, and am very seriously considering a 996.
There are some regularly regurgitated problems that could arise with ownership of an early 996, however some research into the marque, model and the potential purchase candidate should help with some peace of mind.
Always remember that a £10k 996 will come with the associated running costs of a £60k car, and budget a few grand a year for wear and tear, and its not an unrealistic proposition .... From my classified surfing, my conclusion is that if you are happy with a 3.4, Auto, Silver, car with disgusting orange seats, then you can have a bonifide junior supercar for less than the cost of a new Fiesta.
There are some regularly regurgitated problems that could arise with ownership of an early 996, however some research into the marque, model and the potential purchase candidate should help with some peace of mind.
Always remember that a £10k 996 will come with the associated running costs of a £60k car, and budget a few grand a year for wear and tear, and its not an unrealistic proposition .... From my classified surfing, my conclusion is that if you are happy with a 3.4, Auto, Silver, car with disgusting orange seats, then you can have a bonifide junior supercar for less than the cost of a new Fiesta.
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