Discussion
Ladies and Gents.
I'm settled on a 996. My budget is 35K max and i have seen a few in this ball park. For insurance reasons I can only go for a C2 3.4L, so 1998 vintage. Basically, what do i need to look out for? What are the cost of tyres?, is this an everyday car option? and lastly what is the MPG like? Many many thanks for helping me on these points
Andy
I'm settled on a 996. My budget is 35K max and i have seen a few in this ball park. For insurance reasons I can only go for a C2 3.4L, so 1998 vintage. Basically, what do i need to look out for? What are the cost of tyres?, is this an everyday car option? and lastly what is the MPG like? Many many thanks for helping me on these points
Andy
MPg ??? Very good, but if you are concerned then some of the small diesels can do 60mpg with electric hybrid cars even better 
Actually pretty good, for mixed driving i used to get about 23-24mpg out of an '02 3.6 lite..on a gentle run I have had the computer return a 35.7mpg average for the trip.On a track day expect about 10mpg.
rear tyres on a C2 last 1/2 as long as fronts. rears cost £400-450 a pair fitted depending on brand.
there were issues with trim & main seals on early 996, most of these should have been sorted under warranty.Obviously check for history & crash damage.
Actually pretty good, for mixed driving i used to get about 23-24mpg out of an '02 3.6 lite..on a gentle run I have had the computer return a 35.7mpg average for the trip.On a track day expect about 10mpg. rear tyres on a C2 last 1/2 as long as fronts. rears cost £400-450 a pair fitted depending on brand.
there were issues with trim & main seals on early 996, most of these should have been sorted under warranty.Obviously check for history & crash damage.
Andy, they are fine as every day cars, but unlike clubsport I only ever got around 20mpg, something to do with a heavy right foot!!
Best search the forum for buying advice on the 996 there is huge amount there. Pistonheaders have previously covered....specifications, prices, uk/import cars, vin/dealer check overs, common problems etc. Also worth trying the www.porscheclubgbforum.com
If you can't find what you need re-post & I'll rabbit on about 996's for a while..blah blah jak (yawn) etc !
Best search the forum for buying advice on the 996 there is huge amount there. Pistonheaders have previously covered....specifications, prices, uk/import cars, vin/dealer check overs, common problems etc. Also worth trying the www.porscheclubgbforum.com
If you can't find what you need re-post & I'll rabbit on about 996's for a while..blah blah jak (yawn) etc !
Hi Andy,
noticed that you were asking about a 2.5 Boxter a while ago, did you decide not to take the plunge ?
First point I would make is at a £35k budget make sure you test drive a Boxter S, they are great cars with enough grunt & the added extra benefit of a soft top for sunny days. If you intend to use it daily for a fairly high annual mileage you would be able to afford a newer lower mileage car, probably 01/Y/51 with a nice spec.
Onto the 996, at this age it is crucial you pay the £140-ish & have a full OPC check on any car you are looking at. There were some issue's on the early car's including the rear main oil seal, these should have been done by now, but a check with find out.
The 996 has more grunt than an "S" but as standard doesn't handle as well or sound as nice. you really need the 10mm sports chassis on the 996 & this gives you a real drivers car, especially when you add a sports exhaust, then the 996 is a great step up from the "S" in the drivers stakes.
Make sure the car is UK supplied or C16 (country code for Uk specification) there are plenty of imports around that are NOT to Uk spec. If you look under the bonnet (front boot!) there is a sticker that contains the chassis number, country code & the cars specification codes, either your local OPC or Porsche Gb's warrant department (they will even fax a print out of the cars details to you) will interprit this for, providing it is a Uk car, the same applies to the Boxter.
Spec wise, 98 cars could be ordered with what is called a "sports pack" & this added 18 inch turbo alloys, sports chassis, traction control & sports seats to the standard cars spec. This is well worth having, aside from this the only other must have is a sound pack upgrade as the standard stereo is crap,a few alloy extras in the cabin are also nice to lift the interior. Beyond this there is of a host of extra's that you may or may not want like heated seats, sunroof, etc etc. get a brochure from your OPC to give you an idea.
There is loads more I could pruntle on about, but I hope the above helps, let me know what you think !
>> Edited by grant3 on Wednesday 10th December 14:18
noticed that you were asking about a 2.5 Boxter a while ago, did you decide not to take the plunge ?
First point I would make is at a £35k budget make sure you test drive a Boxter S, they are great cars with enough grunt & the added extra benefit of a soft top for sunny days. If you intend to use it daily for a fairly high annual mileage you would be able to afford a newer lower mileage car, probably 01/Y/51 with a nice spec.
Onto the 996, at this age it is crucial you pay the £140-ish & have a full OPC check on any car you are looking at. There were some issue's on the early car's including the rear main oil seal, these should have been done by now, but a check with find out.
The 996 has more grunt than an "S" but as standard doesn't handle as well or sound as nice. you really need the 10mm sports chassis on the 996 & this gives you a real drivers car, especially when you add a sports exhaust, then the 996 is a great step up from the "S" in the drivers stakes.
Make sure the car is UK supplied or C16 (country code for Uk specification) there are plenty of imports around that are NOT to Uk spec. If you look under the bonnet (front boot!) there is a sticker that contains the chassis number, country code & the cars specification codes, either your local OPC or Porsche Gb's warrant department (they will even fax a print out of the cars details to you) will interprit this for, providing it is a Uk car, the same applies to the Boxter.
Spec wise, 98 cars could be ordered with what is called a "sports pack" & this added 18 inch turbo alloys, sports chassis, traction control & sports seats to the standard cars spec. This is well worth having, aside from this the only other must have is a sound pack upgrade as the standard stereo is crap,a few alloy extras in the cabin are also nice to lift the interior. Beyond this there is of a host of extra's that you may or may not want like heated seats, sunroof, etc etc. get a brochure from your OPC to give you an idea.
There is loads more I could pruntle on about, but I hope the above helps, let me know what you think !
>> Edited by grant3 on Wednesday 10th December 14:18
andy140 said:
Ladies and Gents.
I'm settled on a 996. My budget is 35K max and i have seen a few in this ball park. For insurance reasons I can only go for a C2 3.4L, so 1998 vintage. Basically, what do i need to look out for? What are the cost of tyres?, is this an everyday car option? and lastly what is the MPG like? Many many thanks for helping me on these points
Andy
Andy- I have this very car. Costs, driving impressions etc. in the profile. It's my everyday car.
Kevin
I would stongly advise you not to get a POrsche with sports suspension and 18" alloys. All that happens is that you get a car with amazing handling on smooth surfaces BUT as soon as the road is poor then the car just goes to pieces and hops, skips bangs and jumps around. The worst thing I ever did was to buy this configuration on a 2.5 Boxster and had to sell it because I could not live with it.
I have heard exactly the same for the 996. My present 996 is a C4 with 18" alloys (SEE CLASSIFIEDS) and this has great handling whilst alos retaining the ability to damp bumps.
I have heard exactly the same for the 996. My present 996 is a C4 with 18" alloys (SEE CLASSIFIEDS) and this has great handling whilst alos retaining the ability to damp bumps.
kamal_raza said:Interesting point; it depends what's most important to you. I found the standard settings far too soft and really didn't feel like a sports car, and it's struggling in the charisma stakes at the best of times. Even with sports suspension, the C2 is still softer than a 360 Modena. Sports suspension is no doubt less comfortable than the standard setting, but IMO, does give you better feel for the road surface. And while no one could accuse my Local Authority of building billiard smooth roads, you can make 'reasonable progress' along them nonetheless. Horses for courses.
I would stongly advise you not to get a POrsche with sports suspension and 18" alloys. All that happens is that you get a car with amazing handling on smooth surfaces BUT as soon as the road is poor then the car just goes to pieces and hops, skips bangs and jumps around. The worst thing I ever did was to buy this configuration on a 2.5 Boxster and had to sell it because I could not live with it.
My car is a 4 wheel drive and doesnt seem to suffer from the "bobbing" front end of the C2(but then again I dont think the steering is as good). Perhaps the C2 feels better with the sports suspension. I guess the extra weight of the front diff and different geometry settings have some effect.
I live in Central London and the roads are abysmal.....Most Porsche Dealers will steer customers away from specifing sports susp as they get lots of complaints...as you say..horses for courses but do take a long test drive before taking the plunge...
I live in Central London and the roads are abysmal.....Most Porsche Dealers will steer customers away from specifing sports susp as they get lots of complaints...as you say..horses for courses but do take a long test drive before taking the plunge...
Finding this thread interesting as I have a facelift Boxster S which is now 1 year old. I'd like a change soon to something a little quicker. The new 997 appeals but the thought of spending £60k plus does not.
Is a facelift, 2001 say, 996 C2 going to provide me with "enough" over a Boxster S to really notice? Is the drive "much" better?
My fear is only the Turbo would be enough of a step up to REALLY notice the difference-I dont want to spend £60k plus on a 2+ year old car thats out of warranty-Any opinions......
Is a facelift, 2001 say, 996 C2 going to provide me with "enough" over a Boxster S to really notice? Is the drive "much" better?
My fear is only the Turbo would be enough of a step up to REALLY notice the difference-I dont want to spend £60k plus on a 2+ year old car thats out of warranty-Any opinions......
kamal_raza said:
I would stongly advise you not to get a POrsche with sports suspension and 18" alloys. All that happens is that you get a car with amazing handling on smooth surfaces BUT as soon as the road is poor then the car just goes to pieces and hops, skips bangs and jumps around. The worst thing I ever did was to buy this configuration on a 2.5 Boxster and had to sell it because I could not live with it.
I have heard exactly the same for the 996. My present 996 is a C4 with 18" alloys (SEE CLASSIFIEDS) and this has great handling whilst alos retaining the ability to damp bumps.
Kamal in the end it's all down to personal taste, but I have owned a C2 with sports suspension, a C2 facelift with standard suspension & I now have a Turbo which has the 10mm lowered suspension as standard. The other half (read boss) also has a Boxter "S" so I think I have "hands on" comparison experience of all cars.
I agree that the sports suspension can be bumpy on back roads & this is one reason why I decided to try my next car with the standard set up. But although I found that the standard car was fine up to 7/10ths, beyond that it floated, pitched & rolled (relative to the sports suspension, set up) to such an extent that it spoiled my enjoyment of the car. It is more comfortable but not as much of a drivers car & was one of the reasons for me moving to the Turbo.
The Boxter S by comparison has a great ride & better handling (without the pitch & roll in extreme)than a standard 996 & doesn't need the sports suspension, but is not as good a drivers car as a 996 on sports set up.This is not to be confused with the 30mm lowered suspension which is ROCK HARD alla GT3, maybe this is what you have experienced. BUT at the end of the day if you are happy with the standard car, great, it is a superb beast whatever set up you use.
highway said:
Finding this thread interesting as I have a facelift Boxster S which is now 1 year old. I'd like a change soon to something a little quicker. The new 997 appeals but the thought of spending £60k plus does not.
Is a facelift, 2001 say, 996 C2 going to provide me with "enough" over a Boxster S to really notice? Is the drive "much" better?
My fear is only the Turbo would be enough of a step up to REALLY notice the difference-I dont want to spend £60k plus on a 2+ year old car thats out of warranty-Any opinions......
The facelift 996 added Porkers variable valve (etc) technology to the model, this gave the car much more
grunt in the mid range as well as some extra horses & YES you will notice the extra grunt over a Boxter S.
The "S" is a fabulous car, I think it is the best value porker in the range, it is fast enough & has the benefits of the soft top & good handling. But a facelift 996 on sports suspension (perhaps with a sports exhaust) is a useful step up on the Boxter
as a drivers car. You don't need to spend 60k on new one, with a lot of shopping around I bet you could find one for less than £50k-ish.
If you want to spend £60k put your order in for a 997 & wait until the end of next year, much more sensible, get the new model with around 30-40 extra ponies.
HERE IS A QUOTE FROM 456GT on another part of this site!!!!!!!!!!!
"Have to say I agree with the above two posts. Sometimes you just want to get from A to B, with a minimum of fuss. This occurred to me recently when heading for Heathrow at 05.30 on a cold, wet & murky winter morning, in a 911 with rock hard suspension and more power than grip. Sometimes you just don't want the bastard communicating with you through the seat of your pants and the steering wheel. You just want to engage ponce-o-tronic, gay assist and sleepmatic and have the car wake you up when you've arrived."
ASSUMING YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAR THEN WHAT ARE WE TO BELIEVE!!!!!!
>> Edited by kamal_raza on Thursday 11th December 22:42
"Have to say I agree with the above two posts. Sometimes you just want to get from A to B, with a minimum of fuss. This occurred to me recently when heading for Heathrow at 05.30 on a cold, wet & murky winter morning, in a 911 with rock hard suspension and more power than grip. Sometimes you just don't want the bastard communicating with you through the seat of your pants and the steering wheel. You just want to engage ponce-o-tronic, gay assist and sleepmatic and have the car wake you up when you've arrived."
ASSUMING YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAR THEN WHAT ARE WE TO BELIEVE!!!!!!
>> Edited by kamal_raza on Thursday 11th December 22:42
kamal_raza said:
HERE IS A QUOTE FROM 456GT on another part of this site!!!!!!!!!!!
"Have to say I agree with the above two posts. Sometimes you just want to get from A to B, with a minimum of fuss. This occurred to me recently when heading for Heathrow at 05.30 on a cold, wet & murky winter morning, in a 911 with rock hard suspension and more power than grip. Sometimes you just don't want the bastard communicating with you through the seat of your pants and the steering wheel. You just want to engage ponce-o-tronic, gay assist and sleepmatic and have the car wake you up when you've arrived."
ASSUMING YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAR THEN WHAT ARE WE TO BELIEVE!!!!!!
>> Edited by kamal_raza on Thursday 11th December 22:42
Kamal, if you want to engage "ponce-o tronic", "gay assist" & "sleepmatic" that's fine by me !!!!
Joking aside I haven't got an issue with you, if you prefer the standard suspension, great. the sports suspension isn't "better" it just provides a more focused drivers car....if thats what you want. As I said before I think the 30mm lowered suspension is TOO firm for the road (alla GT3, RS etc) but fantastic on track,I just feel the 10mm sports suspension offers the best compromise between driver interaction & comfort. If I wanted maximum comfort I'd get a Lexus or the like !
Comfort is NOT the issue...damping is...there is no point of specifying the 10mm drop if the damn thing cannot provide the compliance needed for decent damping when hitting mid bend bumps...The Porsche sports suspension is truley aweful (unless off course you are buying the car for track day use only).
Actually Lexus do a great job of damping..have you driven an LS430 recently??
It has to be a die hard philistine that likens rock hard suspension to good handling..the french seemed to understand this better than anyone -witness the 205 GTI, 405 Mi 16, Renault 21 Turbo etc. The Japs began to understand it with the Imprezza (but forgot about it with the Mitsi Evos)
Anyway..if the suspension were not a compromise then why wouldnt Porsche just fit it as standard..it hardly costs anything at all..BMW for example fit the 3 series coupe with the sports settings but then provide the owner the no cost option of standard (nobody bothers because the sports suspension is better in every way).
My point was aimed at 456GT who ealier made the point of how good the set-up is and shows that in the harsh reality of light (and not in the romantic notion of sports car owenership-when you are blasting up A road blasts on sunny days and with no traffic or racing round brands hatch) SS is not worth the compromise.
Porsches are real world, everyday supercars..if you really think that you are driving a sports car and that compromise is acceptable for that Nth degree of pleasure than I suggest trading in the 996 for a nice Catarahm or Aerial Atom...after all-roofs and adjustable seats and power steering and air con are just so poncy!
>> Edited by kamal_raza on Friday 12th December 14:22
Actually Lexus do a great job of damping..have you driven an LS430 recently??
It has to be a die hard philistine that likens rock hard suspension to good handling..the french seemed to understand this better than anyone -witness the 205 GTI, 405 Mi 16, Renault 21 Turbo etc. The Japs began to understand it with the Imprezza (but forgot about it with the Mitsi Evos)
Anyway..if the suspension were not a compromise then why wouldnt Porsche just fit it as standard..it hardly costs anything at all..BMW for example fit the 3 series coupe with the sports settings but then provide the owner the no cost option of standard (nobody bothers because the sports suspension is better in every way).
My point was aimed at 456GT who ealier made the point of how good the set-up is and shows that in the harsh reality of light (and not in the romantic notion of sports car owenership-when you are blasting up A road blasts on sunny days and with no traffic or racing round brands hatch) SS is not worth the compromise.
Porsches are real world, everyday supercars..if you really think that you are driving a sports car and that compromise is acceptable for that Nth degree of pleasure than I suggest trading in the 996 for a nice Catarahm or Aerial Atom...after all-roofs and adjustable seats and power steering and air con are just so poncy!
>> Edited by kamal_raza on Friday 12th December 14:22
The new buyer probably bought it for the same reason that you bought it.....die hard chest-wigged....machisimo...
What you should do is to remove the suspension all together..no chance of roll then...oh and how about removing 100 years of progress...that "air in the tires stuff"...its so poncey (NOT GAY as you would be insuting the gay community who are not necessarily stupid as infered by a previous mail). If you use solid rubber then restience to roll will be increased by another 22.3% due to stiffer sidewalls...meaning that you will be able to get to Sainsbury and back .2333333 (rec) faster.
>> Edited by kamal_raza on Friday 12th December 14:30
What you should do is to remove the suspension all together..no chance of roll then...oh and how about removing 100 years of progress...that "air in the tires stuff"...its so poncey (NOT GAY as you would be insuting the gay community who are not necessarily stupid as infered by a previous mail). If you use solid rubber then restience to roll will be increased by another 22.3% due to stiffer sidewalls...meaning that you will be able to get to Sainsbury and back .2333333 (rec) faster.
>> Edited by kamal_raza on Friday 12th December 14:30
Oh..I see...thats why when I went on the Boxster challenge day which was hosted by Porsche and enlisted the help of some of the best BTCC drivers they all said..whatever you do dont get the 18" wheels and sports suspension...and also when I was at the Birmingham motor show and talked to some knowledeable Porsche representatives then they said the same thing too!
Next car..not sure...not too bothered about selling the car..its a 3rd car and sits in the garage most of the time..just fancied a change. The whole issue of the last thread on my selling the car is not about desparation or depreciation..I can afford the loss...its about the number of idiots that seem to be attracted out of the woodwork when selling Porsches and also questioning who the crazy people who pay £10k margins to Porsche dealers are....
Next car..not sure...not too bothered about selling the car..its a 3rd car and sits in the garage most of the time..just fancied a change. The whole issue of the last thread on my selling the car is not about desparation or depreciation..I can afford the loss...its about the number of idiots that seem to be attracted out of the woodwork when selling Porsches and also questioning who the crazy people who pay £10k margins to Porsche dealers are....
They were spot on and i had the same advice...but as often is the case the devil is in the detail.."now pay attention 007"
The sports chassis is 10mm lower.....slightly stiffer than standard
The sports suspension is 30mm lower with revised spring and damper rates , which gives a near GT3 ride quality which is less than ideal for making progress on choppy B roads.
Both Grant & myself are referring to the 10mm lower sports chassis.
The sports chassis is 10mm lower.....slightly stiffer than standard
The sports suspension is 30mm lower with revised spring and damper rates , which gives a near GT3 ride quality which is less than ideal for making progress on choppy B roads.
Both Grant & myself are referring to the 10mm lower sports chassis.
Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff