996 High Mileage Tips
Discussion
Same as buying any 911. Make sure it's been serviced properly, get an inspection done and make your own mind up on the way it drives and its condition. It'll probably be too old for an OPC warranty so check what's on offer at Hartech.
I don't actually own one but I've read enough comments from the 996ers that a quality warranty is a must.
I don't actually own one but I've read enough comments from the 996ers that a quality warranty is a must.
Spend an evening reading over Baz Hartech's guide on his site .
I think if I was buying a low priced 996 (sub-£20k) , I'd bring it for a check to Baz , and put some money aside for an engine rebuild , then it'll be one cheap but bulletproof car.
Remember , nothing wrong with rebuilding a porker engine , it's the way it's always been.
I think if I was buying a low priced 996 (sub-£20k) , I'd bring it for a check to Baz , and put some money aside for an engine rebuild , then it'll be one cheap but bulletproof car.
Remember , nothing wrong with rebuilding a porker engine , it's the way it's always been.
Focus on service history, mileage not a problem but ideally under 100K and if you can, buy one with OPC warranty. Ignore cravings for colours interior/exterior as at £20K you'll be buying unloved colours.
I too came from a TVR (Griffith) and bought a 2000 996 C2 with warranty. Commute daily no problems.
I too came from a TVR (Griffith) and bought a 2000 996 C2 with warranty. Commute daily no problems.
Agreed I live in Surrey and its a long way to get it up there but a nice drive all the same. Worth it though if you can be bothered. I spent ages deciding but with the references I got from this site, value for money and peace of mind I finally went with Hartech.
The thing that really swung it was the general cost of a rebuild, the lack of warranty from Porsche for cars over 10 years old and Hartechs engineering expertise and really reasonable costs.
Drop it off on a saturday morning and pick it up the following week or whatever. I try to tie it in with visiting friends up North or visiting clients and it doesnt seem such a pain! Book a month in advance and the train is only 15 pounds return or so!
The thing that really swung it was the general cost of a rebuild, the lack of warranty from Porsche for cars over 10 years old and Hartechs engineering expertise and really reasonable costs.
Drop it off on a saturday morning and pick it up the following week or whatever. I try to tie it in with visiting friends up North or visiting clients and it doesnt seem such a pain! Book a month in advance and the train is only 15 pounds return or so!
ballcock said:
Spend an evening reading over Baz Hartech's guide on his site .
I think if I was buying a low priced 996 (sub-£20k) , I'd bring it for a check to Baz , and put some money aside for an engine rebuild , then it'll be one cheap but bulletproof car.
Remember , nothing wrong with rebuilding a porker engine , it's the way it's always been.
I think if I was buying a low priced 996 (sub-£20k) , I'd bring it for a check to Baz , and put some money aside for an engine rebuild , then it'll be one cheap but bulletproof car.
Remember , nothing wrong with rebuilding a porker engine , it's the way it's always been.
I'm sorry, but I think this is overstating how likely an engine rebuild is going to be, of the thousands of 996 built a very small number will have had engine rebuilds and you'd be very unlucky to have one go pop on you.
These bb's have a way of recirculating the same old issues and blowing them up a lot more than actual reality in my view. People forget how many 996’s have been built from 98-04; it’s got to be at least 90 thousand cars in that time.
I don't disagree its a purdent move though
Edited by bumcrack on Friday 2nd March 14:28
Its 160000 in total...I think they are bound to have the odd lemon out of that build figure. Like you say its all blown up. It only takes a handful of failed engines to spread around the forums and before you know it blind panic has set in.
Its like the 993 is so called ultra reliable, but they made a total of 75000, so for a start twice as many 996 = twice as many stories. Plus of course not many 993s are used everyday now they are getting older, the 996 is still a lot of peoples main mode of transport. Just make sure you get as good as you can afford, get it checked out and enjoy it.
Its like the 993 is so called ultra reliable, but they made a total of 75000, so for a start twice as many 996 = twice as many stories. Plus of course not many 993s are used everyday now they are getting older, the 996 is still a lot of peoples main mode of transport. Just make sure you get as good as you can afford, get it checked out and enjoy it.
I think you may have miss represented me...
If you're buying a '97-98 car with higher mileage (100k plus) the Porsche warranty will not be available for you within a short space of time. At that stage , it's worth considering the down to earth fact that all engines eventually need a rebuild (the problem for other marques is that the engine outlives the car so this doesn't crop up) so therefore it's prudent to either put money aside for the work or maybe even consider getting some less expensive preventive work done.
I think the 996 engine is superb .. I love every blip on the peddle , but it , like it's predecessors will at some stage , require work. If you're looking at 100k plus miles , that day is going to come a little sooner for you.
It's about time that we stopped being so sensitive and protective of our bloody fabulous 996's and recognised that they too will require the same work that Porsche engines have always needed , be it top end rebuild , inlet guide valve work , cylinder work , etc etc.
If you're buying a '97-98 car with higher mileage (100k plus) the Porsche warranty will not be available for you within a short space of time. At that stage , it's worth considering the down to earth fact that all engines eventually need a rebuild (the problem for other marques is that the engine outlives the car so this doesn't crop up) so therefore it's prudent to either put money aside for the work or maybe even consider getting some less expensive preventive work done.
I think the 996 engine is superb .. I love every blip on the peddle , but it , like it's predecessors will at some stage , require work. If you're looking at 100k plus miles , that day is going to come a little sooner for you.
It's about time that we stopped being so sensitive and protective of our bloody fabulous 996's and recognised that they too will require the same work that Porsche engines have always needed , be it top end rebuild , inlet guide valve work , cylinder work , etc etc.
ballcock said:
I think you may have miss represented me...
If you're buying a '97-98 car with higher mileage (100k plus) the Porsche warranty will not be available for you within a short space of time. At that stage , it's worth considering the down to earth fact that all engines eventually need a rebuild (the problem for other marques is that the engine outlives the car so this doesn't crop up) so therefore it's prudent to either put money aside for the work or maybe even consider getting some less expensive preventive work done.
I think the 996 engine is superb .. I love every blip on the peddle , but it , like it's predecessors will at some stage , require work. If you're looking at 100k plus miles , that day is going to come a little sooner for you.
It's about time that we stopped being so sensitive and protective of our bloody fabulous 996's and recognised that they too will require the same work that Porsche engines have always needed , be it top end rebuild , inlet guide valve work , cylinder work , etc etc.
If you're buying a '97-98 car with higher mileage (100k plus) the Porsche warranty will not be available for you within a short space of time. At that stage , it's worth considering the down to earth fact that all engines eventually need a rebuild (the problem for other marques is that the engine outlives the car so this doesn't crop up) so therefore it's prudent to either put money aside for the work or maybe even consider getting some less expensive preventive work done.
I think the 996 engine is superb .. I love every blip on the peddle , but it , like it's predecessors will at some stage , require work. If you're looking at 100k plus miles , that day is going to come a little sooner for you.
It's about time that we stopped being so sensitive and protective of our bloody fabulous 996's and recognised that they too will require the same work that Porsche engines have always needed , be it top end rebuild , inlet guide valve work , cylinder work , etc etc.
you forgot the
mate Ballcock is spot on and all high mileage cars (over 100K) are on average closer to needing engine rebuilds than lower mileage ones.
The vitally important point to grasp is that while engine rebuilds may not be unusual with most Porsches - at some time in their relatively long lives - it is quite unusual to need a new crankcase set or a set of cylinders. In the case of the 996 - it is most likely that you will - or need some special repair work - that we (amongst others) are offering.
When information about this sort of problem is offered to the Forum (and where to get it fixed at affordable prices) it is absolutely not scare-mongering and it upsets me to think that well intentioned people are having their comments devalued in this way. The forum is supposed to inform people and information is supposed to be the source of knowledge.
You can disregard it if you like but it is not criticising all 996's to point out weaknesses that may well cost the owner of an older high mileage car much more to fix than the more wealthy owner of a new one that never needs to consider such a problem.
They are approaching an age where the first examples will no longer be eligible for the Porsche warranty and the mileages are getting higher - so it is a fair point to make that such costs may well be encountered.
I think that the 996 is a good car and the engineering is very good and I have only found a few problems in the engines that - so far - relatively few have suffered from - but as an engineer I can see that these problems will affect them all in time and could prove expensive to fix and that is why we have devotewd considerable time and money preparing to help people when the numbers increase.
For me a high mileage 996 is very good value for money indeed and I would not be put off from buying one just because of these weaknesses - but I (like many others) are concerned for those who may have less financial resources and may try to exploit the reasonable prices assuming that the cars will be similar to previous Porsche's to run (like perhaps their old 944 or 3.2) and then find that they cannot afford to repair them if the worst happens.
That - for me - is the beauty of the forum and why people should not feel intimidated from offering observations even if they don't suit everyone because they critise a type of car they happen to own.
Baz
The vitally important point to grasp is that while engine rebuilds may not be unusual with most Porsches - at some time in their relatively long lives - it is quite unusual to need a new crankcase set or a set of cylinders. In the case of the 996 - it is most likely that you will - or need some special repair work - that we (amongst others) are offering.
When information about this sort of problem is offered to the Forum (and where to get it fixed at affordable prices) it is absolutely not scare-mongering and it upsets me to think that well intentioned people are having their comments devalued in this way. The forum is supposed to inform people and information is supposed to be the source of knowledge.
You can disregard it if you like but it is not criticising all 996's to point out weaknesses that may well cost the owner of an older high mileage car much more to fix than the more wealthy owner of a new one that never needs to consider such a problem.
They are approaching an age where the first examples will no longer be eligible for the Porsche warranty and the mileages are getting higher - so it is a fair point to make that such costs may well be encountered.
I think that the 996 is a good car and the engineering is very good and I have only found a few problems in the engines that - so far - relatively few have suffered from - but as an engineer I can see that these problems will affect them all in time and could prove expensive to fix and that is why we have devotewd considerable time and money preparing to help people when the numbers increase.
For me a high mileage 996 is very good value for money indeed and I would not be put off from buying one just because of these weaknesses - but I (like many others) are concerned for those who may have less financial resources and may try to exploit the reasonable prices assuming that the cars will be similar to previous Porsche's to run (like perhaps their old 944 or 3.2) and then find that they cannot afford to repair them if the worst happens.
That - for me - is the beauty of the forum and why people should not feel intimidated from offering observations even if they don't suit everyone because they critise a type of car they happen to own.
Baz
hartech said:
..but I (like many others) are concerned for those who may have less financial resources and may try to exploit the reasonable prices assuming that the cars will be similar to previous Porsche's to run
I'm guessing that moving from a Griffith 500 to a 996 is somewhat like coming out of an abusive marriage and finding heaven!!!! OK, heart firmly back in the box. I guess I'm trying to way up the risks of not spending another £10k (£30k instead of £20k) on a 996, and I think I have learnt from my griff that it doesn't really matter.. they are performance cars and need TLC.
Luckily, Bolton is up the road from me... sorry Surrey crowd!! Baz yhm
powelly said:
hartech said:
..but I (like many others) are concerned for those who may have less financial resources and may try to exploit the reasonable prices assuming that the cars will be similar to previous Porsche's to run
I'm guessing that moving from a Griffith 500 to a 996 is somewhat like coming out of an abusive marriage and finding heaven!!!! OK, heart firmly back in the box. I guess I'm trying to way up the risks of not spending another £10k (£30k instead of £20k) on a 996, and I think I have learnt from my griff that it doesn't really matter.. they are performance cars and need TLC.
Luckily, Bolton is up the road from me... sorry Surrey crowd!! Baz yhm
That kinda puts it all in perspective really!!
powelly said:
hartech said:
..but I (like many others) are concerned for those who may have less financial resources and may try to exploit the reasonable prices assuming that the cars will be similar to previous Porsche's to run
I'm guessing that moving from a Griffith 500 to a 996 is somewhat like coming out of an abusive marriage and finding heaven!!!! OK, heart firmly back in the box. I guess I'm trying to way up the risks of not spending another £10k (£30k instead of £20k) on a 996, and I think I have learnt from my griff that it doesn't really matter.. they are performance cars and need TLC.
Luckily, Bolton is up the road from me... sorry Surrey crowd!! Baz yhm
yeah but the tunnel is only 75mins away from Surrey and that means the whole of Europe available at our right foot
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