Pro's/con's of a Porka 996

[midgeman]

Well, as the title really.

I'm seriously considering this after seeing one for sale locally, being intrigued I looked on here at the price of something I though would be way out of my league but Could be fairly affordable.
My LCR 225 (low miles, platinum grey, 3 owners, FSH) is probably worth more than I payed for it or at least a definate break even so is it worth moving it on, putting a few 'K' to it and looking for a low end 996 (or maybe slightly earlier) Why leave the money in the bank eh.

Biggest con I can see is insurance and running costs/parts.

I have seen people say these are still DIY workable on too if you really wanted but I'm not fussed by that, mainly intrigued at 7-12k prices for what seem to be good cars.
I'm only using my car a couple of times a week too so its not got to be a daily, doing about 10 miles a week, 30 tops if I go out (hence the Leon is still low mileage)

So, I open it up to you guys. Please don't hate me..

[HorneyMX5]

The horror story of 8K engine rebuilds due to IMS failure put a lot of people off. Some say it will happen, some say of it's covered plenty of miles it would have happened by now.

I'm considering buying one next year and am well aware of the pitfalls but consider it worth the risk because I have always wanted a 911 and really like the look of the early 996s with the amber indicators.

Best bet is to get one from a reputable 911 dealer that offers an IMS warranty type scheme or et one with one of the 'fixed' engines from Autofarm or the other place who's name escapes me right now.

nick

[jkh112]

There are a lot of stories about engine failures but no agreement on the probability of occurrence. Hartech are the other company who specialise in engine rebuilds.
They are great cars and are, in my opinion, undervalued. This is partly due to the engine horror stories and some snobbery over the water cooled engines and the boxster headlights in the 3.4 cars.

Running costs are not too bad if you use a local independent specialist.

[ArsE92]

Search for the £10k 996 thread on here. Very useful and almost convinced me to get one!

[LordHaveMurci]

Do a search, there are several threads running on this subject already. All the same stuff will just be brought up again in a new thread, RMS, IMS etc.

[midgeman]

Thanks guys, looking through threads now having a read up

[spikeyhead]

For that sort of money, you'll get a much better Boxster than a 996, and unless you need the piddly back seats it's a better car too.

[midgeman]

Wouldnt PH count me as woosing out if I bought a boxster? I would buy one, theres a few locally Iv seen that are LCR money but I'v never liked the stigma they seem to have, the extra seats would be nice and the fact its a 911 but expensive repair bills are off putting. I guess it could be a stepping stone..

Most of the 996's out there though should have shown up any issues by now though??

[alan-87]

didn't realise they had got so cheap!!

Had a quick look local to me and this seems like a bargain, nice low miileage compared to some of the others to.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3533930.htm

i say go for it OP even if you only run it for 6 months just to say you have.

[midgeman]

Link doesn't seem to work?

[chris7676]

midgeman said:

Wouldnt PH count me as woosing out if I bought a boxster?

No.
Buy 911 if you want one though. Running costs are almost the same (esp compared to Boxster S).

Pro's:
- It's a unique car with the engine in the back (911)
- It's fast

[KevinA3DSG32]

Had a 996 for a few months a few years ago. I covered about 2K miles but it cost me about £5.5K in that time. Cost me more per mile than my F348.

However, my circumstances are different to yours, at the low end of the price range they can be fun.

[afrochicken]

KevinA3DSG32 said:

Had a 996 for a few months a few years ago. I covered about 2K miles but it cost me about £5.5K in that time. Cost me more per mile than my F348.

However, my circumstances are different to yours, at the low end of the price range they can be fun.

Would be interested to hear what you spent that money on.

I had a 996 for two years, during which time it covered about 40,000 miles. Insurance/fuel etc excluded, the only costs in that time were rear tyres, the MAF and a water pump. The MAF and water pump would be just as likely to need replacing on any other 7/8 year old car.

OP, if you want to own a 996, and can afford a 996 then buy a 996. Seriously, while it is nice to be informed about the potential pitfalls, I do feel that it detracts from the pleasure of owning such a car.

I'd never post such a thing in the Porsche forum, but I bought mine from a Fiat dealership, without an inspection and without a warranty (other than that provided under sale of goods act, naturally). I just went there, test drove the car that I was there to see, and bought it. Didn't regret it for a second at any point during my ownership.

[BrewsterBear]

Pros - It's a quick, competent sportscar.

Cons - It's not really a 911.

[HorneyMX5]

BrewsterBear said:

Pros - It's a quick, competent sportscar.

Cons - It's not really a 911.

Why? Because it's a step too far from the beetle by being water cooled?

I can always understand Mini owners saying the new MINI isn't a real mini. It's huge, it's made by a different company and doesn't really fit the design brief of the original car.

The 996 is made by porsche, has a boxer engine hanging out the back, has 4 seats, and looks like a fast beetle. Sounds like a 911 to me!

Nick

[jonny996]

BrewsterBear said:

Pros - It's a quick, competent sportscar.

Cons - It's not really a 911.

Tosh, as is all this muttering about engine failure. of course it is going to go bang if you redline it every time you are in 1st & 2nd.

Had one for 2 year, only thing it needed was fuel & some air in tyres, sailed throught MOT.

Hunt out a good one on private sale that has been owned by a gent & used for weekend runs. they are out there

[chris7676]

jonny996 said:

Tosh, as is all this muttering about engine failure. of course it is going to go bang if you redline it every time you are in 1st & 2nd.

It's nothing to do with redlining as most of the cases show. BTW, the redline is there to prevent it going bang the old style (non IMS related). Otherwise you are right

[river_rat]

+1 on the bores being the real issue for an older 996. Get it inspected carefully, but that still won't guarantee no future problems.

If the worst happens you need to spend £6K+ on a rebuild, which is a lot on a car still only worth £10K after the work is complete.

[alan-87]

not really sure what happened with the link, i'll try again!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3533930.htm

ETA: Definately works this time

Edited by alan-87 on Wednesday 4th April 18:11

[BrewsterBear]

HorneyMX5 said:

BrewsterBear said:

Pros - It's a quick, competent sportscar.

Cons - It's not really a 911.

Why? Because it's a step too far from the beetle by being water cooled?

Having owned two aircooled 911s and a 996 C4S I'm in a pretty good position to actually give an informed opinion. To me they just aren't 911s. They are good, competent, quick cars, but apart from the layout they have very little in common.

Your example of the Mini is perfect. Whilst the 996 is manufactured by Porsche they have none of the ethos of the earlier cars. They feel flimsy, mass produced, under-engineered and a bit cheap when compared to an actual 911. Like the Mini they are massive compared to the earlier cars and lost a lot of the delicacy. The 993 and beyond were considered everyday supercars. The 996 is simply seen as a high-end sportscar and for very good reason.

As a sportscar they're great. As a 911 they're a pale imitation.