Porsche 911 Carrera (996): Spotted
All the decent, cheap 996s are gone - right? Wrong...
Remember that time, not all that long ago, when 996-era 911s looked like the fast car bargain of the century? Air-cooled values had gone ballistic and 997s were resolutely clinging to their value, with seemingly dozens of 996s languishing around £10k for those brave enough to take a punt.
Of course it couldn't last. Slowly but surely the market has woken up to both the significance and desirability of the first water-cooled 911. The 996s aren't suddenly now six-figure supercars, but they have appreciated recently. Put it this way: the best C4Ses are for sale at £35k, and there are Tiptronic cabrios above £25k. Which is rather more than they used to be. Perhaps the smart classic Porsche money really is in a Boxster...
Or perhaps not, as this example shows - there are still 996 gems at less than £15k! And while it seems like every other late-90s 911 in the ballpark is sullied by an automatic gearbox, additional driveshafts or a folding roof (or, heavens above, a combination of all three), this one is not. It's a manual, rear-wheel drive Carrera coupe, one that even comes with those delightfully retro orange indicators, and it's for sale at £13,995.
It gets better, too; much better. Goodness knows the 996 had its share of, er, mechanical foibles, but this car has had a good chunk of remedial treatment - £13k in five years - to address them. In 10,000 miles since 2013 it's had an engine rebuild at Hartech (following big end failure), which is the big one, but also a new clutch, a suspension refresh to factory 'MO30' spec, a new water pump and more, in addition to oil changes every 2,000 miles.
It looks really nicely cared for, too, which of course you'd always hope for in a Porsche but which isn't always guaranteed as the values drop. There are small touches too, like refurbished wheels on matching tyres, mention of specific oil types used and pictures of an extensive service history (including work undertaken by the owner), that are all extremely encouraging.
And while the 996 may still be the runt of the 911 litter, let's not forget that this was a very well received car 20 years ago. It won evo's Car of the Year contest in 1998, as well as numerous other accolades, the drive more than making up for the fears about the styling and the water cooling. Imagine too, how nice that will feel today, with hydraulic steering, a naturally aspirated flat six, compact dimensions and a cable-operated throttle. Lovely.
Some may baulk at the six-figure mileage, though judged purely on condition this 996 looks in fine fettle. Some will tell you it should be cheaper still, but bear in mind that an E36 M3 will now cost the same money with similar mileage and it looks even better value. What more could you really want?
A 20 year-old Porsche is never going to be the cheapest car in the world to run, sure, but with many of the key problems addressed by the current owner there's no reason for the future to look disastrous. A 20 year-old anything isn't going to be all that affordable to run now, is it? With an MOT until next June and a host of fresh components, this 996 looks ideal for some relatively cheap, tremendously entertaining Porsche weekend fun. It won't ever be as revered as a 993, but the 996 still deserves more recognition that it currently gets - and this car looks like just the thing to prove it.
SPECIFICATION - PORSCHE 911 CARRERA (996)
Engine: 3,387cc, flat-six
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300@6,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 258@4,600rpm
MPG: 23.9
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1998
Recorded mileage: 122,000
Price new: £56,130 (2000)
Yours for: £13,995
See the original advert here.
walk on by..
This car has had all the major mechanical foibles of the 996 sorted out, it's had just about every suspension component replaced, it's had a gearbox oil change, it's a manual with limited slip diff, it's an excellent spec and should give no problems for some time. Were I in the market for such a car, I'd certainly go and see this one.
That's the sort of enthusiast/competent mechanic-owned Porsche I would love to buy.
walk on by..
The leather on this looks like it's done a lot more than 122k though; and that ruffled loose fitting stuff is nasty
I'm glad these aren't as revered as 993's as I probably would never have been able to afford one, let alone drive it every day. A massive thank you to all the 996 haters out there!
I would love an example like this, just really not keen on the front-end looks. Much prefer the face lift 996 model, especially with the wide body.
Even the original, old Porsche Boxsters are now going up in price.
The leather on this looks like it's done a lot more than 122k though; and that ruffled loose fitting stuff is nasty
I miss my 996, it was absolutely spotless when I sold it to Camtune (as was then) after three pretty uneventful years of service to me. Sadly had I kept it and simply left it in the garage driving it now and then it would now probably be worth as much as I sold it for in 2006
Nothing wrong with a 3.4 996 aside from the yellow indicators............I suppose at least they identify it as stock rather than being played with too much.
The leather on this looks like it's done a lot more than 122k though; and that ruffled loose fitting stuff is nasty
I miss my 996, it was absolutely spotless when I sold it to Camtune (as was then) after three pretty uneventful years of service to me. Sadly had I kept it and simply left it in the garage driving it now and then it would now probably be worth as much as I sold it for in 2006
Nothing wrong with a 3.4 996 aside from the yellow indicators............I suppose at least they identify it as stock rather than being played with too much.
Lets not forget that when the 996 was released, it was lighter, stiffer, faster and better screwed together than any Carrera before it.
Everyone that drove the 996 rated it better than previous Carreras, and a 996 in some form went on to be Evo car of the year each year for many years after.
The 3.6 had engine reliability problems (reduced spec IMS bearing, and inferior piston coating leading to bore score).
The 3.4 this one included was never affected by these issues but got tainted by the same brush. Many 3.4s have gone onto 200k and even 300k miles without engine work.
As with any engine - main bearings wear out, but this can be detected with oil analysis and if caught before the crank scores it can be a fairly low cost fix.
The leather on this looks like it's done a lot more than 122k though; and that ruffled loose fitting stuff is nasty
I miss my 996, it was absolutely spotless when I sold it to Camtune (as was then) after three pretty uneventful years of service to me. Sadly had I kept it and simply left it in the garage driving it now and then it would now probably be worth as much as I sold it for in 2006
Nothing wrong with a 3.4 996 aside from the yellow indicators............I suppose at least they identify it as stock rather than being played with too much.
I prefer clear and specified those on my 996 but yellow/amber are correct now.
But you know what? Its better than the Porsche I don't own; my daily is an Octavia estate.
And lets face it, a decent Porsche breaker would be able to supply a set of compatible seats in good condition for relatively little money and then you would have a Porsche with (hopefully) all the major expenditure taken care of.
I'm sure plenty would swap the orange indicators for aftermarket clear ones, but there's a quirky sort of kitsch in keeping it OEM to me....
walk on by..
However, even though how things look is a very subjective topic, I must defend the exterior design from a more design oriented point of view. We all know a so called classic 911 front should include a pair of round headlights and a pair of secondary lights (eg, indicators, fog lamps...). What's more do we have? Shut lines, panel curvertures and of cause front air intakes. How do we combine all these together while following the natural curvatures of the wings, bumpers and bonnet? If you spend some time with a pen and paper (if you are ok with drawing), you will see 996.1 has really got the best lines, surfaces and shapes of all 911 (including 997 and 991). I personally think if Porsche could afford to do so, they should've had two lines of 911s, one is based on the natural progression of its design language, the other is the ever so popular retro look ones (ie. 997 and 991).
Added to that, it's an old car, with a lot of miles on it. Not exactly a recipe for long term reliability in my opinion (although a guy who drives a Lexus which has had zero spent on it in 5 years barring consumables probably would focus on reliability, granted).
However, even though how things look is a very subjective topic, I must defend the exterior design from a more design oriented point of view. We all know a so called classic 911 front should include a pair of round headlights and a pair of secondary lights (eg, indicators, fog lamps...). What's more do we have? Shut lines, panel curvertures and of cause front air intakes. How do we combine all these together while following the natural curvatures of the wings, bumpers and bonnet? If you spend some time with a pen and paper (if you are ok with drawing), you will see 996.1 has really got the best lines, surfaces and shapes of all 911 (including 997 and 991). I personally think if Porsche could afford to do so, they should've had two lines of 911s, one is based on the natural progression of its design language, the other is the ever so popular retro look ones (ie. 997 and 991).
At least £1k a year IMHO
BUT...how much depreciation (or lease payments) would you lose per year on a modern 300bhp sports coupe? Hell, a Golf R lease will set you back £4k/yr with low mileage limits, while a 240i is more still, and purchased new both will lose £4-5k a year in depreciation easily.* And crash protection / interior toys aside, would that modern car be any better than a 911?
* Yes, the elephant in the room is the Cayman, but a new one is now a £50k+ car (potentially much more), so ~£7-9k a year depreciation at least, and it's now a turbo-4 not a charismatic flat-6. And if you start talking 2nd hand Caymans you're now entering the "second hand car market", which is where this car sits and you take your choices...
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