RE: Porsche 911 Carrera (996): Spotted
Discussion
edh said:
blade7 said:
I'd rather have a good 944 turbo or 968. The narrow body 996 looks like white goods to me.
Philistine 
you might like it better with some blingy 18's though 
you could have a 944 and a 996 of course...
. Now if you'd said a 944 and a 997S
Personally I don't see what a 944/968 offers as a driver's car over plenty of other offerings e.g. a properly modded E30/E36 and certainly over a Caterham etc.
A 911 on the other hand would provide a challenge you may not get elsewhere.
I still think the real world "Holy Trinity" is a Caterham, Elise and 911.
A 911 on the other hand would provide a challenge you may not get elsewhere.
I still think the real world "Holy Trinity" is a Caterham, Elise and 911.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I would say the front end of a regular 996.1 with the rear end of a 996.2 C4S would be the perfect modern 911 from pure exterior design point of view. The problem with 991 (even the early narrow body C2) is its size and parckaging. When you scale it down 20%, you wouldn’t get enough interior space. And on a 996 even a set of 17” would look nice, but on 991 you will need at least 19” to “fill” the arches never mind looking nice...
Blade I love 968s but there's one thing they lack that I just can't see past. The engine noise. Plus due to recent price rises I could never look past a 911 to a 968.
But yeah I'd love one alongside.
Wasz you'll never convince cmoose as he's Boxster through and through.
For some of us it simply has to be the 911 package.
I grew up watching 911s dominate in Motorsport and that had an effect.
I never saw any Boxsters dominating during all my visits to Lemans.
I'd have a Spyder maybe, or a 981 for my wife, but I just couldn't choose one over a 911. Especially when the difference in cost is so little.
I think I'd actually rather have a BBR Turbo MX5 than a 986/7. Less bork factor and way quicker.
But one man's meat etc...
But yeah I'd love one alongside.
Wasz you'll never convince cmoose as he's Boxster through and through.
For some of us it simply has to be the 911 package.
I grew up watching 911s dominate in Motorsport and that had an effect.
I never saw any Boxsters dominating during all my visits to Lemans.
I'd have a Spyder maybe, or a 981 for my wife, but I just couldn't choose one over a 911. Especially when the difference in cost is so little.
I think I'd actually rather have a BBR Turbo MX5 than a 986/7. Less bork factor and way quicker.
But one man's meat etc...
Like a few others on here, I dreamed of owning a 996 (especially after selling a 964 quite a few years ago and then watching the values sky-rocket). Buying a good one is quite tricky and I made it even harder as I definitely wanted a 996.2 and I most definitely did NOT want a silver one. That's a big problem as most seem to be silver with black leather and of course the buyers guides told me that I wanted a manual box, no sunroof and no four wheel drive. Sounded sensible.
However, as I looked for a car over the course of a few months, I started to re-assess my logic. For starters, the car would mostly be used by my wife as a daily driver and in my opinion (sore point) her gear-changing skills are not the best, eventually leading me to realise that maybe a Tiptronic 'box would be a better bet. A drive in one confirmed that its a good thing and I discovered that its possible to add flappy paddles in place of the steering wheel buttons which makes it rather more intuitive.
Next the 'no sunroof' thing: I like sunroofs and the only reason I can see for not having one is possible extra body stiffness which might be desirable for track days etc. I have other cars for track use (including a Boxster S and a quick-ish Eunos) so the 996 won't go near a track anyway. For me, the sunroof has proved to be a nice thing to have - especially over this last hot summer.
Regarding C2 vs C4, my new logic reasoned that as we live in the Scottish Borders where the roads are fantastic but often wet and muddy. four wheel drive might not be a bad thing anyway. The extra eight over the front end helps negate some of that 911 front end lightness too which is fine with me.
This opened the market right up for me and I bought a 2003 996.2 Carrera 4 Tiptronic in Lapis Blue with a slightly crazy Savannah (tan) interior. For me, the colour scheme its almost so odd that its quite fantastic.
We love the car of course; its massively competent and sounds just wonderful. I've many Porsches over the years and I know fine well that this will need a couple of grand a year thrown at it but then we hopefully have no depreciation to contend with.
However, as I looked for a car over the course of a few months, I started to re-assess my logic. For starters, the car would mostly be used by my wife as a daily driver and in my opinion (sore point) her gear-changing skills are not the best, eventually leading me to realise that maybe a Tiptronic 'box would be a better bet. A drive in one confirmed that its a good thing and I discovered that its possible to add flappy paddles in place of the steering wheel buttons which makes it rather more intuitive.
Next the 'no sunroof' thing: I like sunroofs and the only reason I can see for not having one is possible extra body stiffness which might be desirable for track days etc. I have other cars for track use (including a Boxster S and a quick-ish Eunos) so the 996 won't go near a track anyway. For me, the sunroof has proved to be a nice thing to have - especially over this last hot summer.
Regarding C2 vs C4, my new logic reasoned that as we live in the Scottish Borders where the roads are fantastic but often wet and muddy. four wheel drive might not be a bad thing anyway. The extra eight over the front end helps negate some of that 911 front end lightness too which is fine with me.
This opened the market right up for me and I bought a 2003 996.2 Carrera 4 Tiptronic in Lapis Blue with a slightly crazy Savannah (tan) interior. For me, the colour scheme its almost so odd that its quite fantastic.
We love the car of course; its massively competent and sounds just wonderful. I've many Porsches over the years and I know fine well that this will need a couple of grand a year thrown at it but then we hopefully have no depreciation to contend with.
Olivera said:
Would be interesting to know what exactly was included in the rebuild.
I've personally witnessed two 3.4 996 engines terminally expire in person, so like all pre direct injection 997.2 engined models I generally wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
If it had 6 new liners I think we'd know about it...I've personally witnessed two 3.4 996 engines terminally expire in person, so like all pre direct injection 997.2 engined models I generally wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
I purchased an early (98) 996 manual C2 earlier this year, I actually started out looking for a 968 Sport, but decent ones seemed to be mid-late teens, which I felt was just a bit too much for what they were. 968’s didn’t seem to be shifting and I was nervous about paying too much. I had initially ruled out a 996 due to the engine rebuild scare stories.
I then moved onto the idea of an E46 M3, but it had to be a manual coupe, I had always fancied one. However I’ve owned a handful of BMW’s including 2x E46’s and my current daily is an E91, an E46 M3 just didn’t seem ‘special’ enough.
So I then revisited 996’s, whilst also keeping an eye out for a good value 968 Sport. Thanks to PPBB’s mega mileage thread and the early 996 thread on this forum, I did a lot of other research and realised an early 996 was probably the least risky proposition...
I went against all the advice and bought the first one I looked at! I paid only very slightly more than the one advertised above, which included a service and inspection and the local OPC. Mine had only done 68k miles, had some nice options such as M030, sports seats and a sunroof. The nice bit was it was only located 3 miles up the road from work.
So far I’ve done 1k miles, had a coolant leak fixed and installed new AC condensers. Few jobs for the spring to work through, starting with new tyres and an exhaust overhaul.
I then moved onto the idea of an E46 M3, but it had to be a manual coupe, I had always fancied one. However I’ve owned a handful of BMW’s including 2x E46’s and my current daily is an E91, an E46 M3 just didn’t seem ‘special’ enough.
So I then revisited 996’s, whilst also keeping an eye out for a good value 968 Sport. Thanks to PPBB’s mega mileage thread and the early 996 thread on this forum, I did a lot of other research and realised an early 996 was probably the least risky proposition...
I went against all the advice and bought the first one I looked at! I paid only very slightly more than the one advertised above, which included a service and inspection and the local OPC. Mine had only done 68k miles, had some nice options such as M030, sports seats and a sunroof. The nice bit was it was only located 3 miles up the road from work.
So far I’ve done 1k miles, had a coolant leak fixed and installed new AC condensers. Few jobs for the spring to work through, starting with new tyres and an exhaust overhaul.
Edited by CB 987 on Wednesday 7th November 21:35
Edited by CB 987 on Wednesday 7th November 21:37
STiG911 said:
havoc said:
big_rob_sydney said:
Okay so this is an opinion (yeah, and we know the old story about those), but my view is that this car, from the sounds of it, has been an absolute money pit.
One person's money pit is another's cherished motor.Seriously - to me this looks like a car that's had a diligent owner, rather than one that's tried to do the bare minimum.
'Oh I'll buy this other car that's all-original and had nothing replaced' said no sane car buyer, ever.
Compare this 996 to similar cars from the same period with these miles, and see how many can get close to these running costs, assuming that many are actually still running.
You get the picture. It's my daily and I happily bought this over lower mileage examples. It's top spec too. It's cost me a radiator and an inter-cooler, both fitted by yours truly so cost next to nothing.
And the seats look new compared to this 996.
Higher mileage, well cared for cars have always looked after me.
Sbloxxy said:
Like a few others on here, I dreamed of owning a 996 (especially after selling a 964 quite a few years ago and then watching the values sky-rocket). Buying a good one is quite tricky and I made it even harder as I definitely wanted a 996.2 and I most definitely did NOT want a silver one. That's a big problem as most seem to be silver with black leather and of course the buyers guides told me that I wanted a manual box, no sunroof and no four wheel drive. Sounded sensible.
However, as I looked for a car over the course of a few months, I started to re-assess my logic. For starters, the car would mostly be used by my wife as a daily driver and in my opinion (sore point) her gear-changing skills are not the best, eventually leading me to realise that maybe a Tiptronic 'box would be a better bet. A drive in one confirmed that its a good thing and I discovered that its possible to add flappy paddles in place of the steering wheel buttons which makes it rather more intuitive.
Next the 'no sunroof' thing: I like sunroofs and the only reason I can see for not having one is possible extra body stiffness which might be desirable for track days etc. I have other cars for track use (including a Boxster S and a quick-ish Eunos) so the 996 won't go near a track anyway. For me, the sunroof has proved to be a nice thing to have - especially over this last hot summer.
Regarding C2 vs C4, my new logic reasoned that as we live in the Scottish Borders where the roads are fantastic but often wet and muddy. four wheel drive might not be a bad thing anyway. The extra eight over the front end helps negate some of that 911 front end lightness too which is fine with me.
This opened the market right up for me and I bought a 2003 996.2 Carrera 4 Tiptronic in Lapis Blue with a slightly crazy Savannah (tan) interior. For me, the colour scheme its almost so odd that its quite fantastic.
We love the car of course; its massively competent and sounds just wonderful. I've many Porsches over the years and I know fine well that this will need a couple of grand a year thrown at it but then we hopefully have no depreciation to contend with.
Spot on, Sir!However, as I looked for a car over the course of a few months, I started to re-assess my logic. For starters, the car would mostly be used by my wife as a daily driver and in my opinion (sore point) her gear-changing skills are not the best, eventually leading me to realise that maybe a Tiptronic 'box would be a better bet. A drive in one confirmed that its a good thing and I discovered that its possible to add flappy paddles in place of the steering wheel buttons which makes it rather more intuitive.
Next the 'no sunroof' thing: I like sunroofs and the only reason I can see for not having one is possible extra body stiffness which might be desirable for track days etc. I have other cars for track use (including a Boxster S and a quick-ish Eunos) so the 996 won't go near a track anyway. For me, the sunroof has proved to be a nice thing to have - especially over this last hot summer.
Regarding C2 vs C4, my new logic reasoned that as we live in the Scottish Borders where the roads are fantastic but often wet and muddy. four wheel drive might not be a bad thing anyway. The extra eight over the front end helps negate some of that 911 front end lightness too which is fine with me.
This opened the market right up for me and I bought a 2003 996.2 Carrera 4 Tiptronic in Lapis Blue with a slightly crazy Savannah (tan) interior. For me, the colour scheme its almost so odd that its quite fantastic.
We love the car of course; its massively competent and sounds just wonderful. I've many Porsches over the years and I know fine well that this will need a couple of grand a year thrown at it but then we hopefully have no depreciation to contend with.
blade7 said:
Olivera said:
Would be interesting to know what exactly was included in the rebuild.
I've personally witnessed two 3.4 996 engines terminally expire in person, so like all pre direct injection 997.2 engined models I generally wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
If it had 6 new liners I think we'd know about it...I've personally witnessed two 3.4 996 engines terminally expire in person, so like all pre direct injection 997.2 engined models I generally wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
edh said:
blade7 said:
Olivera said:
Would be interesting to know what exactly was included in the rebuild.
I've personally witnessed two 3.4 996 engines terminally expire in person, so like all pre direct injection 997.2 engined models I generally wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
If it had 6 new liners I think we'd know about it...I've personally witnessed two 3.4 996 engines terminally expire in person, so like all pre direct injection 997.2 engined models I generally wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
The Crack Fox said:
I often look at these. My Porsche Indy detests them, always something going wrong, not the car for you, he tells me. Yes, this has had £15k spent on it, but as mentioned elsewhere, that only gives me the feeling that it was a poorly built car in the first place and will need endless love to keep it going. £15k just to keep it running. I would hate spending that much on a car like this.
Ask yourself, honestly, if it didn't have that badge on it, would you spend £15k on a 20 year old coupe of questionable looks with a poor record for reliability?
Each to to their own, and all that. I know lots of folks love them.
As for your 'poorly built car in the first place' crap - it was almost 17 years and over 100k miles before it needed any serious money spent on it, for crying out loud, don't you understand wear and tear? Plus, it's not a case of look at all the money that's been thrown at it, it's look WHERE the money's been spent. The Engine rebuild and suspension refresh alone give this car years more life. Ask yourself, honestly, if it didn't have that badge on it, would you spend £15k on a 20 year old coupe of questionable looks with a poor record for reliability?
Each to to their own, and all that. I know lots of folks love them.
blade7 said:
If you were buying a leggy 996 with an engine rebuild what would give you peace of mind?
Enough money in the bank It's a 20 year old, cheap 911.. & the weak points of this model are well documented. Ideally I'd be looking for a C2 with recent work on suspension, rads, brake lines, and a receipt from Hartech.. (oh and with ambers )I'm sure the seller of this car would be happy to share with serious buyers the precise details of the work that's been done & why.
Would you rather buy a 122k mile car with a Hartech rebuild or a 122k mile car with no engine work done?
Seriously, you need to consider the failure modes for this engine family - I would be much more nervous about bore scoring and IMS problems in later models for example.
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