996/997 purchase advice

[m66hol]

Hi, having had lots of sound advice in the past from the pistonheads community, when making previous purchases (jag XJR/TVR Chimera/Merc SL) i thought i would ask a few daft questions of the Porsche crowd.

Next purchase is going to be a 911 as its another car ive always wanted to own. im getting a bit older now and the want list is getting shorter so want to keep this for a while.

Ive been looking at the 996 Carrera 4S and am aware of the key issues (again via the forum), and the intention is to buy lowish miles, well maintained/cared for example at the top end of the price range. However the budget could stretch to circa £28k which means a decent but lesser spec 997 gen1 model could be considered, again my intention would be lowish miles well maintained etc, i would rather pay a bit extra and get a good example rather than something thats tired. im not hung up on the whole turbo thing as the non turbos are quick enough for me.

so would appreciate any advice/experiences as to the relative merits of 996 vs lesser spec but obviously newer more expensive 997 from someone who has maybe owned either and or both.

thanks

[m66hol]

Hi, having had lots of sound advice in the past from the pistonheads community, when making previous purchases (jag XJR/TVR Chimera/Merc SL) i thought i would ask a few daft questions of the Porsche crowd.

Next purchase is going to be a 911 as its another car ive always wanted to own. im getting a bit older now and the want list is getting shorter so want to keep this for a while.

Ive been looking at the 996 Carrera 4S and am aware of the key issues (again via the forum), and the intention is to buy lowish miles, well maintained/cared for example at the top end of the price range. However the budget could stretch to circa £28k which means a decent but lesser spec 997 gen1 model could be considered, again my intention would be lowish miles well maintained etc, i would rather pay a bit extra and get a good example rather than something thats tired. im not hung up on the whole turbo thing as the non turbos are quick enough for me.

so would appreciate any advice/experiences as to the relative merits of 996 vs lesser spec but obviously newer more expensive 997 from someone who has maybe owned either and or both.

thanks

[jackal]

You seriously gonna buy 3 of them ?

[m66hol]

Not sure how that happened
Not sure how that happened
Not sure how that happened.....

[m444ttb]

What's the key issue? One of mine doesn't work and I was going to fit a new battery next week. Not usually the concern at the top of people's lists for the 996.

[m66hol]

Nice one, had been warned about the Germanic sense of humour...

[Shaoxter]

Would definitely not get a 996 C4S for £28k, that's Turbo or very decent 997 money. What's the intended usage for the car?

Also low miles doesn't always mean fewer problems and bills, sometimes quite the opposite.

[m66hol]

Hi,

The intention was to spend low 20's on a 996 the stretch to £28k would be for 997. Usage is weekends really, I have Other stuff for doing the miles in. I intend to buy on condition and service history, rather than just mileage.

Thanks

[mollytherocker]

If its for weekends, does it have to be watercooled?

[m66hol]

I think so, I've got an XJS so want something a bit more modern and less of a GT

[mollytherocker]

Ok, then its a 996 turbo.

I know you say you dont need that much power, but you dont have to use it all if you dont want to.

[chowgar]

Of all the cars you've mentioned, I too would choose a 996 Turbo. You'd get a very clean example for mid £20K. The benefits overall for this car is a bullet proof engine, as its totally different to the units in the 996 and 997, both of which have there share of failures.

I wish, I had enough money for a 996 Turbo but my budget was only £20K, so I settled for a 997 Gen 1, knowing that I was taking a risk with it fragile engine. Low and behold mine is now going in for a full engine rebuild or replacemnt under warranty from Porsche after only owning it for 6 weeks!

Do some research and you'll find out that the 'Mezger' engine, found in the 996 Turbo, is well revered in the industry. Just look at the resdiduals, last year they were fetching £20K and this year the same cars are commanding at least £25K. They are just going up in value!

[m66hol]

thanks for that, thats useful

[gerlewis]

Chowgar,
Sorry to hear about your engine troubles.

Do you think the previous owner sold it to you know ing what was up? (or did you buy it from a dealer etc?) And in hindsight - was it something you could have spotted at the time of purchase?

Ger

[jayemm89]

My neighbour turned up last weekend in a gorgeous 996 C4S for less than £20k, not so many for sale this time of year but plenty of cars out there.

Personally in your budget I'd be looking at a 997 C2 or C2S... but that's just because I've done a 996 already. Superb cars, all of them.

[chowgar]

gerlewis said:

Chowgar,
Sorry to hear about your engine troubles.

Do you think the previous owner sold it to you know ing what was up? (or did you buy it from a dealer etc?) And in hindsight - was it something you could have spotted at the time of purchase?

Ger

It's nigh on impossible to know if a car's suffering from Bore Scoring unless you have a borescope inspection done. I knew this fully before making the purchase and bought the car based on condition and upkeep. Both of which were exceptionally good, having been maintained even better than Porsche's own service plan. So many of these cars are now suffering with this condition, so I kind of expected it, as much as I'd rather not have had to deal with it. My local Porsche specialist told me my car was in very good condition other than this problem and he said that the engines are still very well designed for their purpose.

Had this insufficient cooling of the cylinder walls not have plagued these vehicles, they would've been almost perfect. It still puts a huge smile on my face every time I drive it though! It sounds like a jet engine behind you and feels amazing when driving it they way it was intended. The gear changes are nothing like I've ever pysically experienced. I've only ever felt this in a video game! You honestly feel like your driving a race car!

Is it worth the expensive initial outlay and possible massive overheads in maintenance. Oh yeah. Once you've tasted a 911, you'll never want to drive anything lesser.

[mollytherocker]

You 'felt' it in a video game? Interesting statement.

[Steve996]

Depends whether or not your budget is low 20's or 28. If it's 28 then your looking at a good 996 tt or a decent 997 gen 1. The 996 tt has the extra poke and more engine security but is a bit more old school nowadays, particularly inside.

If you do decide to peg yourself at the 20k end of the spectrum then you could do worse than a really well sorted 996 4s. I've had 3 996's spanning 3-4 years ownership without a hitch, I've also had a gen 1 997 4s and that gave me no dramas neither.

Earlier this year I was looking to get back into a 911 after a few years without one and faced a similar choice to you, in the end I held my budget at the low 20's and bought another 9964s cab with a great spec and an engine that's already been done. I bought from Portiacraft and had good service, they also mentioned that they don't buy anything in without doing a boroscope and they reject about a 1/3 based on that inspection so in fairness that would suggest buying with your eyes open.

[chowgar]

mollytherocker said:

You 'felt' it in a video game? Interesting statement.

How do you know, I don't have a Race Driving Simulator Machine in my home?

Go suck a lemon, and take that out of context! I can't stand people who love to wade through posts to find literal errors. Its a bloody casual forum, not a thesis on a PHD subject!

Edited by chowgar on Sunday 30th November 03:44

[gerlewis]

Thanks for the info Chowgar.

Im in a similar position to you, £20k budget, and prefer a 997 to a 996. So I enjoyed your take on things.

Ger