Boggo 996 911s, are they actually any good?
Discussion
Fast Bug said:
TroubledSoul said:
That video has made everything worse, because now I'm thinking "early 996 C2 with a cable throttle...." 
I'm not so sure on the throttle cable versus fly by wire debate. I have a throttle cable car, and to be honest I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference. I did just read this on Wikipedia which has confused me further:
2001 also marked the final year of production for the base Carrera 4 Coupe in narrow body format.
Is that right? I thought the C4S was the only one with the widebody out of the C2, C4 and C4S through all 996 years?
Fastlane said:
Smollet said:
I’m about to get my first Porker. A 996 3.4 C2 with low mileage and tbh it’s arguably the first car I’ve been excited about owning since my 1979 308 GT4.
Well done - look forward to seeing pictures of it! If you haven't already - head over to www.911.uk.com - it has an active 996 forum.Ok, so I have never owned a 911 of any description (although have had 911's in my family), but I just thought I would add something and hope I'm not told to "Do one".
Compared to an Impreza, or a Boxster, for me, a 911 (including a 996) is just a class above. It's a car that is understated, not flash, but any car fan will appreciate. I have only driven a 996 variant but it was to me ridiculously accomplished. It was a very different experience to an Impreza for me (I profess not to be an expert on either car in truth) and driving it, sitting in it and looking at it were all, for me, on a different level to an Impreza, an Audi RS or E46 M3 (I know I will probably be flayed for saying that! I'm a huge Bimmer fan but I am just being honest). It was like the difference between Coldplay(Impreza/M3 etc) and Led Zep (996). It just seemed like I felt the years of development behind the 911, and I just felt a bit more special in it. Of course, the Impreza is bloody horrible inside but the M3 is nice - arguably nicer in some respects. But the 996 made me feel more special, no doubt at all.
If I was in the market now I would seriously look at the 996.
So that's my view, from someone who has never lived with them!
Compared to an Impreza, or a Boxster, for me, a 911 (including a 996) is just a class above. It's a car that is understated, not flash, but any car fan will appreciate. I have only driven a 996 variant but it was to me ridiculously accomplished. It was a very different experience to an Impreza for me (I profess not to be an expert on either car in truth) and driving it, sitting in it and looking at it were all, for me, on a different level to an Impreza, an Audi RS or E46 M3 (I know I will probably be flayed for saying that! I'm a huge Bimmer fan but I am just being honest). It was like the difference between Coldplay(Impreza/M3 etc) and Led Zep (996). It just seemed like I felt the years of development behind the 911, and I just felt a bit more special in it. Of course, the Impreza is bloody horrible inside but the M3 is nice - arguably nicer in some respects. But the 996 made me feel more special, no doubt at all.
If I was in the market now I would seriously look at the 996.
So that's my view, from someone who has never lived with them!
Budflicker said:
Well, what a great video. Terrific stuff - and I know that road!!Chris944 said:
Budflicker said:
Well, what a great video. Terrific stuff - and I know that road!!TroubledSoul said:
I've watched that a few times now. It just makes me want one even more and I start thinking even the 3.4 doesn't look bad actually... But I do definitely prefer the 3.6 looks.
You do know the 3.4 has headlights from the 911 GT1?
https://dedeporsche.com/2011/12/12/up-for-sale-199...
I do. The more reading I do, the more I fancy the 3.6 though, the glove box (daily car), chassis stiffening etc. all sound like the sort of thing I want.
Obviously nothing's set in stone and I change my mind more than a woman but this is where my mind is at today. Might have changed again tomorrow
I've actually been to the museum in Stuttgart and walked by the factory, peering in to see the cars being built via open firedoors as I walked past
It's a wonder I've not scratched this itch sooner really.
Obviously nothing's set in stone and I change my mind more than a woman but this is where my mind is at today. Might have changed again tomorrow
I've actually been to the museum in Stuttgart and walked by the factory, peering in to see the cars being built via open firedoors as I walked past
It's a wonder I've not scratched this itch sooner really. TroubledSoul said:
I do. The more reading I do, the more I fancy the 3.6 though, the glove box (daily car)...
Some 3.4's have a glove box; I say some but you can trust me there is at least one 
Oh and in answer to the OP's question: Yes they are fantastic cars, and in my view, the peak of all things 911.
Edited by CarreraLightweightRacing on Thursday 8th February 15:23
robsa said:
Ok, so I have never owned a 911 of any description (although have had 911's in my family), but I just thought I would add something and hope I'm not told to "Do one".
Compared to an Impreza, or a Boxster, for me, a 911 (including a 996) is just a class above. It's a car that is understated, not flash, but any car fan will appreciate. I have only driven a 996 variant but it was to me ridiculously accomplished. It was a very different experience to an Impreza for me (I profess not to be an expert on either car in truth) and driving it, sitting in it and looking at it were all, for me, on a different level to an Impreza, an Audi RS or E46 M3 (I know I will probably be flayed for saying that! I'm a huge Bimmer fan but I am just being honest). It was like the difference between Coldplay(Impreza/M3 etc) and Led Zep (996). It just seemed like I felt the years of development behind the 911, and I just felt a bit more special in it. Of course, the Impreza is bloody horrible inside but the M3 is nice - arguably nicer in some respects. But the 996 made me feel more special, no doubt at all.
If I was in the market now I would seriously look at the 996.
So that's my view, from someone who has never lived with them!
Very well put, I thought!Compared to an Impreza, or a Boxster, for me, a 911 (including a 996) is just a class above. It's a car that is understated, not flash, but any car fan will appreciate. I have only driven a 996 variant but it was to me ridiculously accomplished. It was a very different experience to an Impreza for me (I profess not to be an expert on either car in truth) and driving it, sitting in it and looking at it were all, for me, on a different level to an Impreza, an Audi RS or E46 M3 (I know I will probably be flayed for saying that! I'm a huge Bimmer fan but I am just being honest). It was like the difference between Coldplay(Impreza/M3 etc) and Led Zep (996). It just seemed like I felt the years of development behind the 911, and I just felt a bit more special in it. Of course, the Impreza is bloody horrible inside but the M3 is nice - arguably nicer in some respects. But the 996 made me feel more special, no doubt at all.
If I was in the market now I would seriously look at the 996.
So that's my view, from someone who has never lived with them!
There was a thread a few years back, topic was around can you really buy a 996 for £10K.
I read it quite late but there was a car quite local to me, a C2 in deep blue with metropole blue interior and sports seats for around the same price linked. I ended up buying it and ran it as a daily car for a couple of years.
It was the very base Carrera.
It had the non-sat nav dash and needed a suspension refresh as it had done 110K from memory.
I used it a lot for airport runs from Leeds to Manchester in all weathers as I worked abroad a lot.
Besides suspension, it needed just servicing.
It had had an engine rebuild with a P.O. for around £9K but details were a little sketchy.
I think it was around bore scoring at 90K.
The car was one of the best I’ve owned. Fast and reliable.
I saw some high top speeds on Germany’s unregulated sections of motorway.
After 2 years, a chance came up to swap it with a little more cash for a 993.
The 996 was by then sorted with the suspension and other bits and it didn’t really seem it a rare car as no-one was that bothered by the base 996.
I didn’t have the capacity to keep it and the 993 so it went in the trade and sold soon afterwards.
The quality of the car was great, the sport seats were brilliant.
The 993 is solid but in a different way.
The 996 felt underpriced even then, but I did look at 997 headlight conversion as the fried eggs weren’t to my personal taste.
The 993 eventually won out because a new company car meant I didn’t need a daily Porsche and could go more classic with something that I could tinker with. I’ve needed to do a lot of tinkering!
The 996 was more of a dealer servicing vehicle for me, I couldn’t get anywhere near the engine so left it to the local indies, of which there are many good ones in Leeds.
A friend of mine had a 2002 996 C4S which was lovely. He bought it when he returned from working abroad and we visited the main dealers that I’d looked at for the 996.
He needed an auto so his wife could drive and think he preferred them himself.
That car was brutal. The C2 base of mine was fast, the most serious car I’d owned (in terms of needing respect for the power) but his was another step up.
He would have still owned it now but he took a call from the police last year outlining they had written off one of their X5’s stopping the car after it had been used to burgle his house and used as a getaway car. He had hoped his insurance would rebuild it but when we went to view it, it was parked next to the the same X5.
The X5 wheels were all facing in different directions, so I had an inkling the delicate balance of the Porsche set-up would have been affected.....
Every panel smashed, a wheel torn off, rear frame almost off the car.
Even though, salvage sale and car was rebuilt somewhere down south. Don’t know how they managed.
Anyway, someone mentioned the MR2 which is a good comparison. The MR2 is like a baby boxster but more akin to the 911 in my opinion than the boxster. Just my experience from having had both as daily cars for a duration.
Running costs can be large. I didn’t want to do the suspension but a knocking damper up front needed replacing prompting a geo, so the back had to be done which had all seized. At least a couple of £K in the bushes / uprights etc but this did really transform the car. As did putting it on decent N rated tyres, another £K nearly in the same week. It made me think the PO had not really enjoyed the car to its maximum so great was the difference these changes made.
Can’t think of much else. If the chance exists I would definitely go for it. I’m not well versed in the 3.6 topic etc but had conversations with Hartech on their maintenance plans for peace of mind before the 993 came along.
IMS can be switched as a precaution, maybe budget for the engine rebuild at some point of the worst happens. They were so cheap at the time you could buy another 996 if you didn’t want the rebuild costs!
Lovely thing, I’d come from a series of old Lotus so it really spoiled me to GT / sports cars from then on.
One point among others is keep an eye on the expansion tank on old ones as they can split at the front where you can’t see them and all the coolant can disappear seizing the engine without any visible sign of it doing so.
The Evans stuff allows for low pressure running but the views are mixed on this. I’ve seen cars run with the tops off the expansion tanks using it and it broke the expansion / contraction cycle so possibly reduced stress.
I read it quite late but there was a car quite local to me, a C2 in deep blue with metropole blue interior and sports seats for around the same price linked. I ended up buying it and ran it as a daily car for a couple of years.
It was the very base Carrera.
It had the non-sat nav dash and needed a suspension refresh as it had done 110K from memory.
I used it a lot for airport runs from Leeds to Manchester in all weathers as I worked abroad a lot.
Besides suspension, it needed just servicing.
It had had an engine rebuild with a P.O. for around £9K but details were a little sketchy.
I think it was around bore scoring at 90K.
The car was one of the best I’ve owned. Fast and reliable.
I saw some high top speeds on Germany’s unregulated sections of motorway.
After 2 years, a chance came up to swap it with a little more cash for a 993.
The 996 was by then sorted with the suspension and other bits and it didn’t really seem it a rare car as no-one was that bothered by the base 996.
I didn’t have the capacity to keep it and the 993 so it went in the trade and sold soon afterwards.
The quality of the car was great, the sport seats were brilliant.
The 993 is solid but in a different way.
The 996 felt underpriced even then, but I did look at 997 headlight conversion as the fried eggs weren’t to my personal taste.
The 993 eventually won out because a new company car meant I didn’t need a daily Porsche and could go more classic with something that I could tinker with. I’ve needed to do a lot of tinkering!
The 996 was more of a dealer servicing vehicle for me, I couldn’t get anywhere near the engine so left it to the local indies, of which there are many good ones in Leeds.
A friend of mine had a 2002 996 C4S which was lovely. He bought it when he returned from working abroad and we visited the main dealers that I’d looked at for the 996.
He needed an auto so his wife could drive and think he preferred them himself.
That car was brutal. The C2 base of mine was fast, the most serious car I’d owned (in terms of needing respect for the power) but his was another step up.
He would have still owned it now but he took a call from the police last year outlining they had written off one of their X5’s stopping the car after it had been used to burgle his house and used as a getaway car. He had hoped his insurance would rebuild it but when we went to view it, it was parked next to the the same X5.
The X5 wheels were all facing in different directions, so I had an inkling the delicate balance of the Porsche set-up would have been affected.....
Every panel smashed, a wheel torn off, rear frame almost off the car.
Even though, salvage sale and car was rebuilt somewhere down south. Don’t know how they managed.
Anyway, someone mentioned the MR2 which is a good comparison. The MR2 is like a baby boxster but more akin to the 911 in my opinion than the boxster. Just my experience from having had both as daily cars for a duration.
Running costs can be large. I didn’t want to do the suspension but a knocking damper up front needed replacing prompting a geo, so the back had to be done which had all seized. At least a couple of £K in the bushes / uprights etc but this did really transform the car. As did putting it on decent N rated tyres, another £K nearly in the same week. It made me think the PO had not really enjoyed the car to its maximum so great was the difference these changes made.
Can’t think of much else. If the chance exists I would definitely go for it. I’m not well versed in the 3.6 topic etc but had conversations with Hartech on their maintenance plans for peace of mind before the 993 came along.
IMS can be switched as a precaution, maybe budget for the engine rebuild at some point of the worst happens. They were so cheap at the time you could buy another 996 if you didn’t want the rebuild costs!
Lovely thing, I’d come from a series of old Lotus so it really spoiled me to GT / sports cars from then on.
One point among others is keep an eye on the expansion tank on old ones as they can split at the front where you can’t see them and all the coolant can disappear seizing the engine without any visible sign of it doing so.
The Evans stuff allows for low pressure running but the views are mixed on this. I’ve seen cars run with the tops off the expansion tanks using it and it broke the expansion / contraction cycle so possibly reduced stress.
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