996 non-turbo - early or late?
Discussion
Hi there. First post so treading carefully. Looking to get into a manual 996 currently. They seem great value and lots of nice things said about them. They appear to be a strong everyday proposition.
Just wondered if there was a particular year that was favoured and any significant pitfalls to be wary of?
Regards, Nick
Just wondered if there was a particular year that was favoured and any significant pitfalls to be wary of?
Regards, Nick
Hi,
I ran a very early C2 basic model as an every day car from 2009 to 2013 and it never missed a beat.
It had had an engine rebuild at 90K I believe to address bore score or IMS so research that.
It had the very basic dash which was better as 20 year old navigation tech is now obsolete.
Main thing is to have it checked for engine gearbox and suspension with a PPI if possible as repairs can potentially exceed the value of the car.
Absolutely great machines, good for 2+2 and a pleasure to own. I put around 20K on mine and it does make every drive an event. Also look to 911UK forum for user experiences. Good luck!
I ran a very early C2 basic model as an every day car from 2009 to 2013 and it never missed a beat.
It had had an engine rebuild at 90K I believe to address bore score or IMS so research that.
It had the very basic dash which was better as 20 year old navigation tech is now obsolete.
Main thing is to have it checked for engine gearbox and suspension with a PPI if possible as repairs can potentially exceed the value of the car.
Absolutely great machines, good for 2+2 and a pleasure to own. I put around 20K on mine and it does make every drive an event. Also look to 911UK forum for user experiences. Good luck!
There are many who say the early 3.4 with the cable throttle is the one to have.
The 3.6 seems to be more prone to bore scoring from what I have read.
Even the newest of the 996 is now 16 years old and the early ones are 22 years old so I think the condition and maintenance history of a car is more of decider than which year to buy.
I have had a 3.6 C2 for 10 years, replaced suspension, exhausts, radiators, condensers and brakes as part of keeping it up together. It now has over 100k miles and still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.
The 3.6 seems to be more prone to bore scoring from what I have read.
Even the newest of the 996 is now 16 years old and the early ones are 22 years old so I think the condition and maintenance history of a car is more of decider than which year to buy.
I have had a 3.6 C2 for 10 years, replaced suspension, exhausts, radiators, condensers and brakes as part of keeping it up together. It now has over 100k miles and still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.
OP, if you can state what spec of 996 you are looking for both on PH & 911uk you might find someone will send you a PM about a car that isn’t in the market currently that the6 might look to sell & often this is the best way to buy. Ideally you should buy a car with a PPI done for you or that has had a full engine rebuild (people will say rebuild & yet it’s only partial & not known who did it) by someone such as the likes of Hartech or RPM Technik etc. with a detailed explanation of what went wrong & what was replaced? A decent engine rebuild will only add say £2k in value over a car which hasn’t been done & yet a full rebuild with 6 new pistons, clutch etc etc. will set you back at least £10k if you had it done by a reputable techie.
Budget sensibly for running costs at say £2k pa & go & fill your boots reading all the buyers’ guides available & also speaking to owners before you kick some tyres. The 996s aren’t as unreliable as people make out though you can’t run one on a Fiesta sized budget, even if it costs less than a new Fiesta to buy! Service history is key & again ideally a car that has been serviced by a Porsche specialist annually is better than one that’s had 2-3 year gaps. Also check the MOT history as it’s a good indicator of how well a car has been maintained.
FYI a good PH friend of mine bought an early C4 manual with aero kit for less than £9k late last year with about 115k miles. The car had had over £4K spent in the previous 3 yrs & had a wad of invoices but he’s still spent about £2k already on bringing the servicing up to date & doing some preventative work at the same time to save some future labour costs. Good luck
Budget sensibly for running costs at say £2k pa & go & fill your boots reading all the buyers’ guides available & also speaking to owners before you kick some tyres. The 996s aren’t as unreliable as people make out though you can’t run one on a Fiesta sized budget, even if it costs less than a new Fiesta to buy! Service history is key & again ideally a car that has been serviced by a Porsche specialist annually is better than one that’s had 2-3 year gaps. Also check the MOT history as it’s a good indicator of how well a car has been maintained.
FYI a good PH friend of mine bought an early C4 manual with aero kit for less than £9k late last year with about 115k miles. The car had had over £4K spent in the previous 3 yrs & had a wad of invoices but he’s still spent about £2k already on bringing the servicing up to date & doing some preventative work at the same time to save some future labour costs. Good luck
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