Buying a Porsche 996

Buying a Porsche 996

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Discussion

Jake81

Original Poster:

3 posts

33 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021
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The initial message was deleted from this topic on 09 June 2021 at 19:26

Jake81

Original Poster:

3 posts

33 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021
quotequote all
Jake81 said:
Looking at buying a 996 I have seen one that has had no use basically left in a garage for 5years it starts drives and now has a new MOT but the service history is lacking any information.
I know this affects price etc but wondering what I should look out for.

p4cks

6,885 posts

198 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021
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From a previous owner of a 996

IMS on the 3.4
Bore scoring on the 3.6

I wouldn’t wish one on my worst enemy, but we’ll leave it there as it can cause great divide in this forum

jonny996

2,603 posts

216 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021
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Buy cheap buy twice as my old gran used to say

james.a.c.911

231 posts

67 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021
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Sounds like something that will need a lot of work.

If you are getting what you think is a very good price, get a pre purchase inspection done by a reputable specialist.
You won't really be able to detect bore scoring, worn out suspension, corroded fuel lines, etc. if you don't know what you are looking for.

Generally speaking you are better off paying up for a car that has had plenty spent on it over the last 5 years or so.

barryrs

4,376 posts

222 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021
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I paid £8900 for this on 142k miles and a poor service history around 12 months ago but knew it needed work.



Since buying I have.

Refurbished the front callipers with new discs and pads
Replaced brake lines where needed
New brake fluid
New rear spoiler/deck skirt
Minor service
New AC condensers
New battery
New coil pack covers
New sump
Scavange pump o rings
New oil filler neck
Dash speaker upgrade
Bluetooth head unit
Paddle shift conversion being a tip
New alloys and tyres

All in probably owes me £11.5k now and is running really well.

Nothing wrong with a cheap 996 as long as you are handy with a set of spanner’s.

Jake81

Original Poster:

3 posts

33 months

Thursday 10th June 2021
quotequote all
p4cks said:
From a previous owner of a 996

IMS on the 3.4
Bore scoring on the 3.6

I wouldn’t wish one on my worst enemy, but we’ll leave it there as it can cause great divide in this forum
I know you said you’d like to leave it there but would be good to hear your reasons if possible?

This would be my first Porsche so any advice opinions are worth taking on board.

LordHaveMurci

12,034 posts

168 months

Thursday 10th June 2021
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Lots of good threads on here with loads of great info for you, check out the Poverty Pork thread for instance.

Too much rubbish talked online about these cars, if they were as bad as some would have you believe, nobody would ever own one!

p4cks

6,885 posts

198 months

Thursday 10th June 2021
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Jake81 said:
p4cks said:
From a previous owner of a 996

IMS on the 3.4
Bore scoring on the 3.6

I wouldn’t wish one on my worst enemy, but we’ll leave it there as it can cause great divide in this forum
I know you said you’d like to leave it there but would be good to hear your reasons if possible?

This would be my first Porsche so any advice opinions are worth taking on board.
Mine was my first too, and last. I was lucky as mine only needed a £4K rebuild whereas my mate's C4S needed a £12K rebuild and my other mate's 997 (same engine) needed a £10K rebuild.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

g7jhp

6,959 posts

237 months

Thursday 10th June 2021
quotequote all
p4cks said:
Jake81 said:
p4cks said:
From a previous owner of a 996

IMS on the 3.4
Bore scoring on the 3.6

I wouldn’t wish one on my worst enemy, but we’ll leave it there as it can cause great divide in this forum
I know you said you’d like to leave it there but would be good to hear your reasons if possible?

This would be my first Porsche so any advice opinions are worth taking on board.
Mine was my first too, and last. I was lucky as mine only needed a £4K rebuild whereas my mate's C4S needed a £12K rebuild and my other mate's 997 (same engine) needed a £10K rebuild.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Sorry p4cks but your first post is so misleading and everything that is wrong with the internet.

WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T BUY A 996

(It didn't highlight you bought a cheap sub £10k 996 from ebay and then wondered why you to spend £4k fixing an engine issue).

Due diligence and checks would have covered you and you would still have made money getting it fixed properly.

They're still £50k+ sportscars with running costs to match. Too many Porsche get run on a shoestring budget and the new owner picks up the bills.



p4cks

6,885 posts

198 months

Thursday 10th June 2021
quotequote all
g7jhp said:
p4cks said:
Jake81 said:
p4cks said:
From a previous owner of a 996

IMS on the 3.4
Bore scoring on the 3.6

I wouldn’t wish one on my worst enemy, but we’ll leave it there as it can cause great divide in this forum
I know you said you’d like to leave it there but would be good to hear your reasons if possible?

This would be my first Porsche so any advice opinions are worth taking on board.
Mine was my first too, and last. I was lucky as mine only needed a £4K rebuild whereas my mate's C4S needed a £12K rebuild and my other mate's 997 (same engine) needed a £10K rebuild.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Sorry p4cks but your first post is so misleading and everything that is wrong with the internet.

WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T BUY A 996

(It didn't highlight you bought a cheap sub £10k 996 from ebay and then wondered why you to spend £4k fixing an engine issue).

Due diligence and checks would have covered you and you would still have made money getting it fixed properly.

They're still £50k+ sportscars with running costs to match. Too many Porsche get run on a shoestring budget and the new owner picks up the bills.
It wasn't that much of a bargain in 2013. The engine issue would never have been found until it went bang, it was sheer fluke that it was being taken apart for the IMS bearing to be fitted.

My experience aside, it still means that the two other 996 owners that I know personally have sunk £22K between them on the chocolate engines.

The internet scare stories exist for a reason OP

g7jhp

6,959 posts

237 months

Thursday 10th June 2021
quotequote all
p4cks said:
It wasn't that much of a bargain in 2013. The engine issue would never have been found until it went bang, it was sheer fluke that it was being taken apart for the IMS bearing to be fitted.

My experience aside, it still means that the two other 996 owners that I know personally have sunk £22K between them on the chocolate engines.

The internet scare stories exist for a reason OP
Nobody said there aren't issues. The engine is known issue, but doing no checks is asking for trouble.

But a 996 with a rebuilt engine from a trusted specialist like Hartech is still a great way to get into a 911.

barryrs

4,376 posts

222 months

Thursday 10th June 2021
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The only consideration I gave to engine issues was to get an early car.

Spend too long worrying about it and you will never end up buying one.

Yacht Broker

3,158 posts

266 months

Friday 11th June 2021
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Sat behind an early 996 on Wednesday driving through the New Forest. Sounded lovely right up to the point where the engine grenaded on the main road between Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst. Really felt for the poor owner. We had been crawling through traffic and I suspect as his oil temp was rising and rising, his oil pressure was dropping through the floor.

Having has a Boxster S and then a 997.1, I am now fully cured of Porsche and managed to get out the other side with my shirt still on. Definitely no desire to go back.

Great cars let down by a truly woeful engine design and some serious cost cutting under the skin (stupid uses of mild steel bolts, routing of cables etc etc).

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Friday 11th June 2021
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I've been looking and it seems to be a bit of a punt. From my understanding, and I know I've probably missed stuff out:
-IMS issue - replace the bearing and at least get the oil checked for metal fragments if you don't want to pay £2k; less likely on old cars due to the dual row bearing, 2000-2004 used single row so 10% chance, 2004+ used bigger bearings so also very unlikely.
-RMS seal - get it checked
-suspension - it is complex and can be expensive to replace
-bore scoring - less likely on 3.4 engines, if 3.6, get a borescope inspection

I was considering a £13k 996.1 (3.4 engine) and budgeting £3-4k to deal with the above if tests aren't satisfactory, so in theory paying closer to £20k.

But then I started looking at C4Ss as they cost about £20k... and when you consider that you still need to deal with the above that puts the price at around £25k, I ended up looking at 996 Turbos, purely for their apparent reliability over the N/A engines, m'lud. jester

Edited by Hoofy on Friday 11th June 10:27

James76G

345 posts

183 months

Friday 11th June 2021
quotequote all
g7jhp said:
Nobody said there aren't issues. The engine is known issue, but doing no checks is asking for trouble.

But a 996 with a rebuilt engine from a trusted specialist like Hartech is still a great way to get into a 911.
I agree with the idea of buying a 996 with a Hartech rebuild 100%.

And you'd think that with all the horrors stories every other example for sale would have been rebuilt. But in my on/off search for one through 2020 I didn't see more than 3-4 with rebuilt engines and they were either Tiptronics or C4S examples, neither of which was what I was after. Maybe the majority of rebuilt cars get sold before being advertised?

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Friday 11th June 2021
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Oh, I see everyone recommending Hartech and someone also recommended some other indies. What's the opinion on Charles Ivey and Eporsch?

Fnumber1user

411 posts

51 months

Friday 11th June 2021
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The scare stories of 996 ownership put me off - I wanted turn key reliability and a warranty. Plus found the Cayman a better drive. Found a nearly new OPC car and haven't looked back. Through more luck than judgement the true cost has been amazingly good value.

If you are really worried, there are ways and means of getting in to something much newer for the kind of figures being banded about above. Horses for courses and YMMV. Enjoy the chase, its a great position to be in, even considering getting one.

jonny996

2,603 posts

216 months

Friday 11th June 2021
quotequote all
Fnumber1user said:
The scare stories of 996 ownership put me off - I wanted turn key reliability and a warranty. Plus found the Cayman a better drive. Found a nearly new OPC car and haven't looked back. Through more luck than judgement the true cost has been amazingly good value.

If you are really worried, there are ways and means of getting in to something much newer for the kind of figures being banded about above. Horses for courses and YMMV. Enjoy the chase, its a great position to be in, even considering getting one.
There we go, a sensible post. Wanted turn key & near new reliability so cough't up the money and bought a nearly new Cayman. It might not be a 911 but it is most likely better than a 20 year old 911 in every way.

if you want a 100% relible 911, be willing to pay £100K
if you dont have £100K buy a Cayman for £50K
if you dont have £50K buy the best 996 you can for £25K & put it on the Hartech maintance plan.

the info will be out there but I bet the percentage of 1998-2001 car that are still on the road is way higher than any other cat that was sold in 1998.

Hereward

4,134 posts

229 months

Friday 11th June 2021
quotequote all
Hoofy said:
...But then I started looking at C4Ss as they cost about £20k... and when you consider that you still need to deal with the above that puts the price at around £25k, I ended up looking at 996 Turbos, purely for their apparent reliability over the N/A engines, m'lud. jester
Had to chuckle, that process entirely mirrored my mental gymnastics too!