what is an 'early' 3.4 996?
Discussion
Hippea said:
lovely car that. 
six port said:
Trying to get over to see this. Been flirting with an 996 for a few years. Anyone know of the car?
Seems great value, which is the worrying thing.
Would it be cable throttle and genuine ambers on a W reg?
It looks like it has the tacky looking glittery dark grey plastic trim around the dash which early cars had. I can't see if it has levers for bonnet and boot release. If it has both of these it is an earlier car although I'm not too sure about ambers. Obviously the very first cars had ambers. The jury is out on the preferred piston coating of the early cars as some believe this was dropped in 99. But you didn't ask about this so perhaps I'm straying off topic. Although this was my primary reason for seeking out an early car. I see red calipers which are incorrect. They should be black on the c2. Although lots now use red from the Boxster S as these are more plentiful and identical. Seems great value, which is the worrying thing.
Would it be cable throttle and genuine ambers on a W reg?
My best advice is don't be worried. If you want one then go buy one. If you will be always worried about stuff breaking once you have bought it then you can't buy any car. So decide who you want to be first. A happy owner, a worried owner or a passive observer. I think they're generally the 3 buckets people fall into.
Off [this] Topic
I've recently seen a 996 several times parked on a route I frequent occasionally. Its a black coupe with I think oz wheels. I think there are some stickers on the rear quarter glass. So it clearly says enthusiastic owner. I was going to get a pic to ask if it's someone here but on my last pass the view was obscured by a white golf so I didn't get one. I will see if I can grab a pic next time I'm passing. Obviously I'm excited to see a 996 out in the wild even if it's only parked. I'm not sure yet if I'm brave enough to just knock on the guy's door because that's a whole different level from just polite stalking.
six port said:
Didn’t know about the piston liners, just that early 3.4 cars have seemingly less bore issues.
I prefer the purer design of them with the ambers too and like the way this sits on the Bilsteins and imagine it will handle really well!
That would depend on whether all the other suspension components are in tip top condition too, and the quality of the geo set up, and the quality/age of the tyres.I prefer the purer design of them with the ambers too and like the way this sits on the Bilsteins and imagine it will handle really well!
six port said:
Didn’t know about the piston liners, just that early 3.4 cars have seemingly less bore issues.
I prefer the purer design of them with the ambers too and like the way this sits on the Bilsteins and imagine it will handle really well!
And this is why the very early cars have less bore score. The pistons were coated with something that is better at preventing it. I believe that means 97 and 98 and maybe some 99.I prefer the purer design of them with the ambers too and like the way this sits on the Bilsteins and imagine it will handle really well!
My first car was very stiff. Yes it handled well once the geo was fixed and if I found smoother roads. I used to live in the countryside and had some great roads on my doorstep. One I used to like had 2 bumps in close succession. If you hit them in any other car you just felt a slight ruffle. In my rock hard 996 the car would get airborne leaving the second. I think maybe the distance between them hit some kind of sweet spot so the suspension was just compressing from the landing or dip after the first bump as you hit the second and it amplified it's effect.
Now I'm older and boring and live in a city I suspect I'd prefer a softer setup. There are so many different setups it's almost impossible to know what's best. I read comments from other owners saying they have read this and read that before deciding which direction to go in. But we are all trying to decide what to choose based on what other owners have said about their setup. I do wander what the bog standard setup would feel like.
ATM said:
And this is why the very early cars have less bore score. The pistons were coated with something that is better at preventing it. I believe that means 97 and 98 and maybe some 99.
If thought bore scoring was a result of cooling issues?Which is why the larger capacity engines suffer more (996 3.6 and 997 3.8)… and why it is almost always on the same cylinders on the left bank of the engine.
I’ve not heard of 3.4’s of any year suffering from bore score (not saying categorically it doesn’t happen, but if it does it’s very rare).
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