Porsche 911 996.2 3.6 C2
Discussion
hermes said:
Car looks good.
Worth a trip to Centre Gravity for a once over before you make any suspension decisions.
911uk and rennlist forums are good technical sources for diy.
If you register with Porsche as a classic owner, you’ll get a parts discount and pay less for quite a few parts than at 3rd party vendors.
Only get the discount if Porsche fit them so pretty useless as you will pay through the nose for labour charges!Worth a trip to Centre Gravity for a once over before you make any suspension decisions.
911uk and rennlist forums are good technical sources for diy.
If you register with Porsche as a classic owner, you’ll get a parts discount and pay less for quite a few parts than at 3rd party vendors.
‘Cracking, how're you getting on with it so far?’
So far = excellent
A couple of small jobs:
Replaced front side lights and indicator bulbs as one had blown, so worthwhile to change both sides. Removing the light housing was a bit tricky.
After a number of head/frunk collisions, I replaced the bonnet struts. 5 minute job and very satisfying thing to do.
Apart from the above, I am driving it as often as I can. Lucky to have decent roads near to me.
Hope you are enjoying yours?
So far = excellent
A couple of small jobs:
Replaced front side lights and indicator bulbs as one had blown, so worthwhile to change both sides. Removing the light housing was a bit tricky.
After a number of head/frunk collisions, I replaced the bonnet struts. 5 minute job and very satisfying thing to do.
Apart from the above, I am driving it as often as I can. Lucky to have decent roads near to me.
Hope you are enjoying yours?
scottos said:
On our previous phone call, we'd managed to agree on a provisional price, he'd already taken off 2.5k from his initial sales add and we managed to agree another 2.5k off, it was a price we were both happy with and thought was fair, so no more haggling on the day (He did throw in a Noco charger!)
Stories like this disappoint me. Why anyone would chop 2.5k off their price during a phone call is stupid. And this just makes more and more potential buyers assume they will get a similar hair cut on any cars they enquire about. This is why now everyone is always asking whats your best price. Its a vicious circle especially if sellers are advertising their cars high assuming they will have to drop their pants to achieve a sale. I think the market would make more sense if this didn't happen or happened a lot less or to a lesser degree but that's probably unlikely to happen anytime soon. ATM said:
Stories like this disappoint me. Why anyone would chop 2.5k off their price during a phone call is stupid. And this just makes more and more potential buyers assume they will get a similar hair cut on any cars they enquire about. This is why now everyone is always asking whats your best price. Its a vicious circle especially if sellers are advertising their cars high assuming they will have to drop their pants to achieve a sale. I think the market would make more sense if this didn't happen or happened a lot less or to a lesser degree but that's probably unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Agreed as IMO it almost implies the car you selling isn't as described....I can see why dealers don't like replying to emails asking the question. Any decent car should be viewed and the service history inspected as a serious buyer will appreciate a decent car. I can see why the likes of Collecting Cars grew so quickly as it offered an alternative way to sell compared to the classified ads plus people could distance themselves further from idiots claiming possible legal opportunity for normal age related wear & tear/their lack of thoroughness in inspecting/checking a car before buying it or buyer's remorse.Back on track.....good to see the OP also driving his 996 in the winter months
ATM said:
Stories like this disappoint me. Why anyone would chop 2.5k off their price during a phone call is stupid.
??? Obviously, you've a vested interest in 996's.Come on, you don't know the original advertised price, you don't know the sellers situation and just possibly the seller was only too delighted to reduce the price as he was dealing with a genuine buyer. Maybe, there's other factors at play but it's a bit ridiculous calling the seller ''stupid'' without first hand knowledge of the complete sale/transaction.
JJJ. said:
ATM said:
Stories like this disappoint me. Why anyone would chop 2.5k off their price during a phone call is stupid.
??? Obviously, you've a vested interest in 996's.Come on, you don't know the original advertised price, you don't know the sellers situation and just possibly the seller was only too delighted to reduce the price as he was dealing with a genuine buyer. Maybe, there's other factors at play but it's a bit ridiculous calling the seller ''stupid'' without first hand knowledge of the complete sale/transaction.
Am I allowed to express my opinion?
Did I say I knew all the facts?
All the factors?
Whatever else you think I should know before i am allowed to express my view.
This could be a different car.
I didn't say this was specific to a 996. You have jumped to a conclusion there. This is my view in relation to any and all cars sold for around 25k - an assumption of the price I have made without any specific facts just in case you were wandering - where there was a discount of 2.5k so that's around 10%.
What about the other potential buyers who saw the car advertised and thought the price was perhaps too high but didn't believe there was a prospect of a 10% hair cut so therefore didn't enquire because the advertised price was too high for them and their budget at the time. Are they all stupid or their beliefs ridiculous?
If you think sellers should be offering up 10% discounts during a phone call before a car has been viewed then that's absolutely fine. But if I think it's stupid can you not even begin to understand why that is so? Should all buyers assume sellers will offer 10% discounts before even viewing a car? Do you think that sellers will enjoy buyers asking for a 10% discount before they even view a car for sale? Or that they should just enquire politely about the best price and if it is not 10% move on to the next? Do you think sellers should be that overwhelmed with delight that the buyer on the phone is so obviously genuine that a 10% discount is only the right thing to do? I will of course welcome your opinion in this when you next sell a car. When buyers call and tell you they are obviously genuine, obviously.
So yes I believe the seller was stupid to do this based on knowing very very little. And I did try to explain why. But just in case you don't get it let me hammer it home. In every transaction there are 2 parties. The buyer and seller. I see lots of comments elsewhere from sellers saying that selling a car nowadays is difficult because all enquiries are just this - what's your best price? Are these people genuine? Should sellers be delighted to receive these enquiries?
That looks like a fantastic purchase.
By coincidence I ended up with a Gen 2 C2 manual recently and have been driving around. Makes an interesting comparison to my daily 992.
Non sunroof car with grey leather, 6 sp manual and satnav. Original 18 inch wheels with Pirellis.
I can now see why the 996 owners are so enthusiastic about them as the are lithe and very quick and also sound great too.
This particular silver car came with £18,500 of recent receipts including 20 services. IMS, seals, gearbox rebuild., exhaust brakes and clutch.
I now do understand the appeal. Not sure I need 2 911s though.
By coincidence I ended up with a Gen 2 C2 manual recently and have been driving around. Makes an interesting comparison to my daily 992.
Non sunroof car with grey leather, 6 sp manual and satnav. Original 18 inch wheels with Pirellis.
I can now see why the 996 owners are so enthusiastic about them as the are lithe and very quick and also sound great too.
This particular silver car came with £18,500 of recent receipts including 20 services. IMS, seals, gearbox rebuild., exhaust brakes and clutch.
I now do understand the appeal. Not sure I need 2 911s though.
politeperson said:
That looks like a fantastic purchase.
By coincidence I ended up with a Gen 2 C2 manual recently and have been driving around. Makes an interesting comparison to my daily 992.
Non sunroof car with grey leather, 6 sp manual and satnav. Original 18 inch wheels with Pirellis.
I can now see why the 996 owners are so enthusiastic about them as the are lithe and very quick and also sound great too.
This particular silver car came with £18,500 of recent receipts including 20 services. IMS, seals, gearbox rebuild., exhaust brakes and clutch.
I now do understand the appeal. Not sure I need 2 911s though.
Interesting. Tell us more about the differences please....which do you prefer?By coincidence I ended up with a Gen 2 C2 manual recently and have been driving around. Makes an interesting comparison to my daily 992.
Non sunroof car with grey leather, 6 sp manual and satnav. Original 18 inch wheels with Pirellis.
I can now see why the 996 owners are so enthusiastic about them as the are lithe and very quick and also sound great too.
This particular silver car came with £18,500 of recent receipts including 20 services. IMS, seals, gearbox rebuild., exhaust brakes and clutch.
I now do understand the appeal. Not sure I need 2 911s though.
Nice! I look forward to seeing what you do with this after following the 2002 thread!
I must admit I have been eyeing these up recently. Thinking along the same lines as yourself, to replace my Caterham with something a little more road friendly and usable. I watch with interest!
Also nice to see it’s an X51 car, when you look at the list of work in the kit it’s really special!
I must admit I have been eyeing these up recently. Thinking along the same lines as yourself, to replace my Caterham with something a little more road friendly and usable. I watch with interest!
Also nice to see it’s an X51 car, when you look at the list of work in the kit it’s really special!
Looks lovely Scott, I also have a 2003 Seal Gray C2, but with a more basic original spec - absolutely love it!
On your note about the steering wheel being too close to your legs, this is a common issue with the 996 seats, and I'd recommend changing to 997 seats which go much lower. I have the standard wheel (albeit recovered), 997 seats and a 'GT3' centre console delete and there's loads of room in there (I'm 6'3").
Also on front number plate, I didn't like the massive plinth either, removed that and went with a vinyl plate, looks much smoother!
This is mine:
On your note about the steering wheel being too close to your legs, this is a common issue with the 996 seats, and I'd recommend changing to 997 seats which go much lower. I have the standard wheel (albeit recovered), 997 seats and a 'GT3' centre console delete and there's loads of room in there (I'm 6'3").
Also on front number plate, I didn't like the massive plinth either, removed that and went with a vinyl plate, looks much smoother!
This is mine:
stichill99 said:
hermes said:
Car looks good.
Worth a trip to Centre Gravity for a once over before you make any suspension decisions.
911uk and rennlist forums are good technical sources for diy.
If you register with Porsche as a classic owner, you’ll get a parts discount and pay less for quite a few parts than at 3rd party vendors.
Only get the discount if Porsche fit them so pretty useless as you will pay through the nose for labour charges!Worth a trip to Centre Gravity for a once over before you make any suspension decisions.
911uk and rennlist forums are good technical sources for diy.
If you register with Porsche as a classic owner, you’ll get a parts discount and pay less for quite a few parts than at 3rd party vendors.
Well,
I wasn't going to modify anything on the 996 as it is just fine the way it is.
It has had all the essential work done to it already, so why mess with it?
I took it as part payment for something last week, so am now wondering what to do with it.
At the moment I have an excess of sports cars.
The 996 has all the usual traits of a 911, powerful engine, accurate quick steering, comfortable ride, high quality build. It feels like 300,000 miles would be no problem at all, like all the other 911s I have owned.
With over 300 horsepower and a manual gearbox it is also a very quick car even by modern standards.
In comparison with the 992, it is a slightly smaller car. The 996 is still a wide car however, with a wide track and only 150kg lighter than the 992, which I weighed at exactly 1505kg v 1350kg for the 996.
Of course the 992 has all the tech, however, in any car, all I need is Googlemaps for traffic jams, air con for the summer and music streaming.
In terms of outright acceleration, the 992 gets to 60 in around 3.6 seconds according to dragy, in lowest spec C2 form. I would put the 996 C2 at around 4.5 seconds which is still more than enough to annoy passengers. I dont have any ambition to go any faster. Infact, I recently had a 23' Ferrari Portofino with over 600 hp and it was all a complete waste of power as it had great difficulty putting the torque through the rear wheels without squirming all over the place. Very unlike both 911s. Cant say it felt much quicker either.
I find both 911s very nice to look at indeed The 992 has real presence and the 996 is more subtle.
The main difference is that the 992 was knocking of the door of £100k, whereas the 996 is probably worth only £12,500.
That seems like an awful lot of car to me.
If you asked me which one I prefer, the option is really
A) a 992
or
B) a 996 AND also about £85,000 in the glovebox in cash to make up the price difference.
Look at it like that it becomes a bit more difficult to chose. The 992 is lovely, but then again, so is £85,000.
I wasn't going to modify anything on the 996 as it is just fine the way it is.
It has had all the essential work done to it already, so why mess with it?
I took it as part payment for something last week, so am now wondering what to do with it.
At the moment I have an excess of sports cars.
The 996 has all the usual traits of a 911, powerful engine, accurate quick steering, comfortable ride, high quality build. It feels like 300,000 miles would be no problem at all, like all the other 911s I have owned.
With over 300 horsepower and a manual gearbox it is also a very quick car even by modern standards.
In comparison with the 992, it is a slightly smaller car. The 996 is still a wide car however, with a wide track and only 150kg lighter than the 992, which I weighed at exactly 1505kg v 1350kg for the 996.
Of course the 992 has all the tech, however, in any car, all I need is Googlemaps for traffic jams, air con for the summer and music streaming.
In terms of outright acceleration, the 992 gets to 60 in around 3.6 seconds according to dragy, in lowest spec C2 form. I would put the 996 C2 at around 4.5 seconds which is still more than enough to annoy passengers. I dont have any ambition to go any faster. Infact, I recently had a 23' Ferrari Portofino with over 600 hp and it was all a complete waste of power as it had great difficulty putting the torque through the rear wheels without squirming all over the place. Very unlike both 911s. Cant say it felt much quicker either.
I find both 911s very nice to look at indeed The 992 has real presence and the 996 is more subtle.
The main difference is that the 992 was knocking of the door of £100k, whereas the 996 is probably worth only £12,500.
That seems like an awful lot of car to me.
If you asked me which one I prefer, the option is really
A) a 992
or
B) a 996 AND also about £85,000 in the glovebox in cash to make up the price difference.
Look at it like that it becomes a bit more difficult to chose. The 992 is lovely, but then again, so is £85,000.
Edited by politeperson on Monday 26th February 12:13
ECG1000 said:
I'm sure you already know this, but if not, have a chat with RPM Technik about their CSR suspension/chassis goodies. It sounds like that's the kind of direction you'll be taking the car in.
Good choice mate. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this!
Thanks! Im looking forward to the journey with it too and to see where it goes.Good choice mate. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this!
Edited by ECG1000 on Friday 23 February 15:09
I've looked at those CSR cars a few times and love what they've done. Rightly or wrongly i like to try things out and will be going down my own path with it, albeit similar principles as you say! I did this with the old 2002 and some things i changed or did multiple times and it came good in the end. Just going to try and apply lessons learned directly to this car and see where it ends up haha
Mallone said:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Thread hasn’t been updated in ages (been having too much fun in my budget/shed Boxster 2.5!) but the car hasn’t changed much since the last update.
Do have a set of refurbished 996.1 GT3 coilovers to fit, but currently sourcing all the various uber expensive random bits and pieces to complete the set.
Really looking forward to seeing what bits and pieces you start bolting to this
GT3 suspension is a great idea, it seems it used to come up for sale quite a bit but not so much any more, its a cool path to go down and of course keeping it all OEM!Thread hasn’t been updated in ages (been having too much fun in my budget/shed Boxster 2.5!) but the car hasn’t changed much since the last update.
Do have a set of refurbished 996.1 GT3 coilovers to fit, but currently sourcing all the various uber expensive random bits and pieces to complete the set.
Really looking forward to seeing what bits and pieces you start bolting to this
MrC986 said:
My x-pipe is a Topgear one with standard manifolds (bought via one of the periodic 911uk group discounts)...if I’d known I was going to need an engine rebuild, I’d have waited & also done the manifolds once they’d heli-coiled all the broken manifold studs. The x-pipe & boxes do bed themselves in after a while & it has a GT3 type howl IMO when you “give it the beans”.
Thanks, X pipe is definitely on the list and i'd been looking at the topgear one, i really would like that howl that you mention!Church of Noise said:
As most, didn't see the sale of the 2002 coming - but looking forward to following your shenanigans with this one with the same level of anticipation 
Enjoy!
Thanks!Enjoy!
RESSE said:
‘Cracking, how're you getting on with it so far?’
So far = excellent
A couple of small jobs:
Replaced front side lights and indicator bulbs as one had blown, so worthwhile to change both sides. Removing the light housing was a bit tricky.
After a number of head/frunk collisions, I replaced the bonnet struts. 5 minute job and very satisfying thing to do.
Apart from the above, I am driving it as often as I can. Lucky to have decent roads near to me.
Hope you are enjoying yours?
That reminds me, i really need to do the frunk struts! The bonnet hit the previous owner in the head on the day of sale! They arent too far gone and hold if you push it all the way up but they definitely want replacing soon!So far = excellent
A couple of small jobs:
Replaced front side lights and indicator bulbs as one had blown, so worthwhile to change both sides. Removing the light housing was a bit tricky.
After a number of head/frunk collisions, I replaced the bonnet struts. 5 minute job and very satisfying thing to do.
Apart from the above, I am driving it as often as I can. Lucky to have decent roads near to me.
Hope you are enjoying yours?
I'm loving it so far thanks, just trying to cover plenty of varied miles so i can get a rounded opinion of it. Definitely glad i went for it!
ATM said:
Stories like this disappoint me. Why anyone would chop 2.5k off their price during a phone call is stupid. And this just makes more and more potential buyers assume they will get a similar hair cut on any cars they enquire about. This is why now everyone is always asking whats your best price. Its a vicious circle especially if sellers are advertising their cars high assuming they will have to drop their pants to achieve a sale. I think the market would make more sense if this didn't happen or happened a lot less or to a lesser degree but that's probably unlikely to happen anytime soon.
MrC986 said:
Agreed as IMO it almost implies the car you selling isn't as described....I can see why dealers don't like replying to emails asking the question. Any decent car should be viewed and the service history inspected as a serious buyer will appreciate a decent car. I can see why the likes of Collecting Cars grew so quickly as it offered an alternative way to sell compared to the classified ads plus people could distance themselves further from idiots claiming possible legal opportunity for normal age related wear & tear/their lack of thoroughness in inspecting/checking a car before buying it or buyer's remorse.
Back on track.....good to see the OP also driving his 996 in the winter months
Back on track.....good to see the OP also driving his 996 in the winter months
JJJ. said:
??? Obviously, you've a vested interest in 996's.
Come on, you don't know the original advertised price, you don't know the sellers situation and just possibly the seller was only too delighted to reduce the price as he was dealing with a genuine buyer. Maybe, there's other factors at play but it's a bit ridiculous calling the seller ''stupid'' without first hand knowledge of the complete sale/transaction.
Come on, you don't know the original advertised price, you don't know the sellers situation and just possibly the seller was only too delighted to reduce the price as he was dealing with a genuine buyer. Maybe, there's other factors at play but it's a bit ridiculous calling the seller ''stupid'' without first hand knowledge of the complete sale/transaction.
ATM said:
Am I allowed an opinion?
Am I allowed to express my opinion?
Did I say I knew all the facts?
All the factors?
Whatever else you think I should know before i am allowed to express my view.
This could be a different car.
I didn't say this was specific to a 996. You have jumped to a conclusion there. This is my view in relation to any and all cars sold for around 25k - an assumption of the price I have made without any specific facts just in case you were wandering - where there was a discount of 2.5k so that's around 10%.
What about the other potential buyers who saw the car advertised and thought the price was perhaps too high but didn't believe there was a prospect of a 10% hair cut so therefore didn't enquire because the advertised price was too high for them and their budget at the time. Are they all stupid or their beliefs ridiculous?
If you think sellers should be offering up 10% discounts during a phone call before a car has been viewed then that's absolutely fine. But if I think it's stupid can you not even begin to understand why that is so? Should all buyers assume sellers will offer 10% discounts before even viewing a car? Do you think that sellers will enjoy buyers asking for a 10% discount before they even view a car for sale? Or that they should just enquire politely about the best price and if it is not 10% move on to the next? Do you think sellers should be that overwhelmed with delight that the buyer on the phone is so obviously genuine that a 10% discount is only the right thing to do? I will of course welcome your opinion in this when you next sell a car. When buyers call and tell you they are obviously genuine, obviously.
So yes I believe the seller was stupid to do this based on knowing very very little. And I did try to explain why. But just in case you don't get it let me hammer it home. In every transaction there are 2 parties. The buyer and seller. I see lots of comments elsewhere from sellers saying that selling a car nowadays is difficult because all enquiries are just this - what's your best price? Are these people genuine? Should sellers be delighted to receive these enquiries?
It was one of the nicest car buying experiences i'd had to be honest. He had that many people offering hims 30-40% less that he was happy enough to give me a ball park figure he would be happy with over the phone, he even said as much as he was sick of dealing with idiots, so what you say does ring true to some extent. We spoke for an hour before this came about and i'd said i was also happy with that ball park, there was essentially no haggling and we were both happy, a win/win, albeit the car was a nice chunk less than originally advertised. The car was above my budget at the advertised price and i'd suggest that any potential buyers that wouldnt get in touch because of this were stupid and very much in the minority, after all hardly anything is advertised at the bottom line price. The seller definitely wasnt stupid either, i've no doubt he made his money on the sale but didnt need to sell initially, so why not 'inflate' by 5k and see if he got a bite.Am I allowed to express my opinion?
Did I say I knew all the facts?
All the factors?
Whatever else you think I should know before i am allowed to express my view.
This could be a different car.
I didn't say this was specific to a 996. You have jumped to a conclusion there. This is my view in relation to any and all cars sold for around 25k - an assumption of the price I have made without any specific facts just in case you were wandering - where there was a discount of 2.5k so that's around 10%.
What about the other potential buyers who saw the car advertised and thought the price was perhaps too high but didn't believe there was a prospect of a 10% hair cut so therefore didn't enquire because the advertised price was too high for them and their budget at the time. Are they all stupid or their beliefs ridiculous?
If you think sellers should be offering up 10% discounts during a phone call before a car has been viewed then that's absolutely fine. But if I think it's stupid can you not even begin to understand why that is so? Should all buyers assume sellers will offer 10% discounts before even viewing a car? Do you think that sellers will enjoy buyers asking for a 10% discount before they even view a car for sale? Or that they should just enquire politely about the best price and if it is not 10% move on to the next? Do you think sellers should be that overwhelmed with delight that the buyer on the phone is so obviously genuine that a 10% discount is only the right thing to do? I will of course welcome your opinion in this when you next sell a car. When buyers call and tell you they are obviously genuine, obviously.
So yes I believe the seller was stupid to do this based on knowing very very little. And I did try to explain why. But just in case you don't get it let me hammer it home. In every transaction there are 2 parties. The buyer and seller. I see lots of comments elsewhere from sellers saying that selling a car nowadays is difficult because all enquiries are just this - what's your best price? Are these people genuine? Should sellers be delighted to receive these enquiries?
Besides, specifically on 996's, they are hard cars to value, some are 12k, some are up at £40k+, a lot of them it doesnt even seem to make sense why they are so high. It's a minefield for buyer and seller but as i said, we were both happy in this transaction
politeperson said:
That looks like a fantastic purchase.
By coincidence I ended up with a Gen 2 C2 manual recently and have been driving around. Makes an interesting comparison to my daily 992.
Non sunroof car with grey leather, 6 sp manual and satnav. Original 18 inch wheels with Pirellis.
I can now see why the 996 owners are so enthusiastic about them as the are lithe and very quick and also sound great too.
This particular silver car came with £18,500 of recent receipts including 20 services. IMS, seals, gearbox rebuild., exhaust brakes and clutch.
I now do understand the appeal. Not sure I need 2 911s though.
Thanks, i think its been a good purchase too but time will tell! I know quite a lot of people with all manner of Porsches and they always compliment how well a 996 drives, they are obviously just lacking on the visuals (depending on who you ask) compared to some other generations but i always love an underdog!By coincidence I ended up with a Gen 2 C2 manual recently and have been driving around. Makes an interesting comparison to my daily 992.
Non sunroof car with grey leather, 6 sp manual and satnav. Original 18 inch wheels with Pirellis.
I can now see why the 996 owners are so enthusiastic about them as the are lithe and very quick and also sound great too.
This particular silver car came with £18,500 of recent receipts including 20 services. IMS, seals, gearbox rebuild., exhaust brakes and clutch.
I now do understand the appeal. Not sure I need 2 911s though.
Yours looks a cracking example!
MTW said:
Nice! I look forward to seeing what you do with this after following the 2002 thread!
I must admit I have been eyeing these up recently. Thinking along the same lines as yourself, to replace my Caterham with something a little more road friendly and usable. I watch with interest!
Also nice to see it’s an X51 car, when you look at the list of work in the kit it’s really special!
Thank You, funnily enough i'd even been searching Caterhams, i think i will have to tick that box one day but for now this was the more sensible choice!I must admit I have been eyeing these up recently. Thinking along the same lines as yourself, to replace my Caterham with something a little more road friendly and usable. I watch with interest!
Also nice to see it’s an X51 car, when you look at the list of work in the kit it’s really special!
I hadnt been aware of the X51 pack to be honest but as you say it really is a comprehensive upgrade and sets it apart from the rest. It has the LSD options and M030 sports chassis pack to go with it too, i really found it difficult to look at anything else once i'd spotted it and got my head into the specs of them!
Coldplaya said:
This thread is really making me want to jump back into a 996! They’re ageing so so well aren’t they? Such a good balance of performance and modernity too.
Great to see the comparison to 992 !
I think so, perfect blend of old and new, 997 is nicer inside but then doesnt feel like an 'old' car. I wanted it to feel like i was getting into something old. Im really fond of the thing already!Great to see the comparison to 992 !
MrBen.911 said:
Looks lovely Scott, I also have a 2003 Seal Gray C2, but with a more basic original spec - absolutely love it!
On your note about the steering wheel being too close to your legs, this is a common issue with the 996 seats, and I'd recommend changing to 997 seats which go much lower. I have the standard wheel (albeit recovered), 997 seats and a 'GT3' centre console delete and there's loads of room in there (I'm 6'3").
Also on front number plate, I didn't like the massive plinth either, removed that and went with a vinyl plate, looks much smoother!
This is mine:
That looks amazing in there, ill have a look at the 997 seats at some point, i do like these 996 sports seats but they could be a tad lower from the steering wheel. The cup wheel has sorted this out to a large extent as im not particularly tall but having more adjustability would be great. On your note about the steering wheel being too close to your legs, this is a common issue with the 996 seats, and I'd recommend changing to 997 seats which go much lower. I have the standard wheel (albeit recovered), 997 seats and a 'GT3' centre console delete and there's loads of room in there (I'm 6'3").
Also on front number plate, I didn't like the massive plinth either, removed that and went with a vinyl plate, looks much smoother!
This is mine:
I did notice my knee resting on the centre console at first and hoping for a bit more room but i've got used to it now, interesting to see you've deleted completely! I've also ended up getting a 6 digit plate for the car, which suits the front plate holder. I may remove and have the holes filled and go with a vinyl plate in the longer term though!
shalmaneser said:
997/987 sports seats are a big improvement over the earlier versions, and pretty affordable if you wait for a decent deal to come along.
I'll definitely be getting them on the watch list!Bright Halo said:
Great looking car, following with interest.
I didn’t even know there was an X51 kit for these as I thought it was only found on 996 turbo’s.
Yeh, the x50 pack is the turbo one and there's not all that much to it. The x51 on the N/A cars is really comprehensive and rather impressive albeit it was an expensive option and not many people went for it seemingly!I didn’t even know there was an X51 kit for these as I thought it was only found on 996 turbo’s.
politeperson said:
Well,
I wasn't going to modify anything on the 996 as it is just fine the way it is.
It has had all the essential work done to it already, so why mess with it?
I took it as part payment for something last week, so am now wondering what to do with it.
At the moment I have an excess of sports cars.
The 996 has all the usual traits of a 911, powerful engine, accurate quick steering, comfortable ride, high quality build. It feels like 300,000 miles would be no problem at all, like all the other 911s I have owned.
With over 300 horsepower and a manual gearbox it is also a very quick car even by modern standards.
In comparison with the 992, it is a slightly smaller car. The 996 is still a wide car however, with a wide track and only 150kg lighter than the 992, which I weighed at exactly 1505kg v 1350kg for the 996.
Of course the 992 has all the tech, however, in any car, all I need is Googlemaps for traffic jams, air con for the summer and music streaming.
In terms of outright acceleration, the 992 gets to 60 in around 3.6 seconds according to dragy, in lowest spec C2 form. I would put the 996 C2 at around 4.5 seconds which is still more than enough to annoy passengers. I dont have any ambition to go any faster. Infact, I recently had a 23' Ferrari Portofino with over 600 hp and it was all a complete waste of power as it had great difficulty putting the torque through the rear wheels without squirming all over the place. Very unlike both 911s. Cant say it felt much quicker either.
I find both 911s very nice to look at indeed The 992 has real presence and the 996 is more subtle.
The main difference is that the 992 was knocking of the door of £100k, whereas the 996 is probably worth only £12,500.
That seems like an awful lot of car to me.
If you asked me which one I prefer, the option is really
A) a 992
or
B) a 996 AND also about £85,000 in the glovebox in cash to make up the price difference.
Look at it like that it becomes a bit more difficult to chose. The 992 is lovely, but then again, so is £85,000.
I've been lucky to drive all manner of Porsche cars and the 996 is definitely a sweet spot, as are the earlier Caymans. Unless youre a millionaire then the price difference is hard to look by!I wasn't going to modify anything on the 996 as it is just fine the way it is.
It has had all the essential work done to it already, so why mess with it?
I took it as part payment for something last week, so am now wondering what to do with it.
At the moment I have an excess of sports cars.
The 996 has all the usual traits of a 911, powerful engine, accurate quick steering, comfortable ride, high quality build. It feels like 300,000 miles would be no problem at all, like all the other 911s I have owned.
With over 300 horsepower and a manual gearbox it is also a very quick car even by modern standards.
In comparison with the 992, it is a slightly smaller car. The 996 is still a wide car however, with a wide track and only 150kg lighter than the 992, which I weighed at exactly 1505kg v 1350kg for the 996.
Of course the 992 has all the tech, however, in any car, all I need is Googlemaps for traffic jams, air con for the summer and music streaming.
In terms of outright acceleration, the 992 gets to 60 in around 3.6 seconds according to dragy, in lowest spec C2 form. I would put the 996 C2 at around 4.5 seconds which is still more than enough to annoy passengers. I dont have any ambition to go any faster. Infact, I recently had a 23' Ferrari Portofino with over 600 hp and it was all a complete waste of power as it had great difficulty putting the torque through the rear wheels without squirming all over the place. Very unlike both 911s. Cant say it felt much quicker either.
I find both 911s very nice to look at indeed The 992 has real presence and the 996 is more subtle.
The main difference is that the 992 was knocking of the door of £100k, whereas the 996 is probably worth only £12,500.
That seems like an awful lot of car to me.
If you asked me which one I prefer, the option is really
A) a 992
or
B) a 996 AND also about £85,000 in the glovebox in cash to make up the price difference.
Look at it like that it becomes a bit more difficult to chose. The 992 is lovely, but then again, so is £85,000.
Edited by politeperson on Monday 26th February 12:13
You do make a good point about google maps, i would like to stick an android auto unit in the car so i have that ability. With that id get google maps and spotify, perfect!
I've been on making a few changes based on my first hoon out and against my original list.
I'd been told by a friend that the Porsche Carrera Cup steering wheels were available from Porsche albeit in leather instead of alcantara, fine by me! I ended up ordering the full black one and also the one with red stitching and 10 o'clock marker as i got discount at my local dealer through a guy i know.
It's not quite a straight forward fit. You have to installed a 964 horn ring contact and install an extra pin in the connector to link back to the horn wiring that the standard clockspring connects to. There's also the airbag connection to install a resistor in. I ended up buying a clockspring off ebay second hand and cutting the connectors off it to make it 'plug and play'. The connector pin for the horn is available from Porsche but didnt arrive in time so i essentially made one out of a bullet connector, works great!
Things apart:
20240215_133456 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
964 horn ring contact and connector:
20240215_123324 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
Top left is the hole that needed to be populated to plug into the 964 part:
20240215_133314 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
Plug and play harness made up:
20240215_134550 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
Installed, everything plugged in and sorted, just the cowlings to install:
20240215_135012 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
all back together and you can see the 964 contact on the front, which just snaps into place:
20240215_140148 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
wheel from Porsche:
20240215_140126 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
All fitted, love it!
20240215_141606 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
I also had a chattering from the sun roof when it was closed, this turned out to be the wind deflector hitting the frame over bumps. I stuck down some sticky back velcro pads and this sorted the noise, result! Also an excuse for another angle of the wheel!
20240218_102907 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
20240218_102853 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
So thats the steering wheel ticked off my list, next was the pesky rear wiper! Nice easy job, pull this panel off the back, 3 bolts and its out:
20240219_154926 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
I bought a few bungs off ebay, this slimline plastic one was the most suitable. It's tricky to secure from the back side as its through a double skin but i got there in the end!
20240220_204051 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
A dateless 6 digit plate so it fits the plinth better was the next item, i know private plates can be a bone of contention on here but there we are!
20240220_211143 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
I mightve got a shortened plate for the rear as well but it seems like it's had many plates over the years and a pair of securing holes would be outside of the shortened plate:
20240220_211421 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
That was it from my original list, i've ordered some toe arms for the rear, coilovers and also some exhaust tips but they are a few weeks away from being with me, let alone fitted! I think the wheels/ tyres and the fancy coffin arms/ tension struts will go on hold for now, unless something comes up, as well as the X pipe for the exhaust.
Onto my additional list from the drive out. I sorted a phone holder in the form of a Rennline magnetic one, nice product, if a little pricey for what it is! Im sure a lot of the cost must go on the fancy packaging!
20240220_202226 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
20240220_202250 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
This attaches by pulling off the side panel of the centre console and bolting it on. Whilst here i also binned off the CD storage compartment and fitted it with a cubby hole:
20240220_202739 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
20240220_202735 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
All back together:
20240220_203246 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
A headunit upgrade is on the cards too but i need to look into it more and contact some people!
Brake pads, i've ordered these and have the fluid lined up. MOT is due in 40 odd days so ill have them fitted before then and get the fluid done by others whilst thats getting done. I may even get some brake lines before this time and i've seen people mention the GT3 master cylinder also. I'll see if i can hold out and do this in stages, i.e. pad swap first and then the lines, then master cylinder later down the line, to see if i can gauge the difference each time.
For the gear shifter, i looked at all manner of options, from modifying an ebay short shifter, to a full replacement numeric one and went somewhere inbetween by ordering in a 997 gt3rs shifter to my local dealer.
Collected:
20240222_154452 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
Out of the box:
20240222_174857 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
The plastic bushings that wear and create play are made out of metal in this one and provide a much more positive feel. One portion of the mechanism is still plastic but hopefully there will be another 20 years of wear and tear! It's also slightly shorter throw than the standard one.
I was surprised when i went to fit it that my car already had some form of short shifter installed (along with the UK's supply of white grease!):
20240220_203447 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
This turned out to be Porsches own shortshifter option and from the date stamp it appears to have been fitted from new, or perhaps retro fitted at some point. Upon dismantling the center console and exposing it properly, the fore and aft play appears only to have been from a missing tension grub screw and lock nut! A little frustrating. The side to side play was coming from the plastic bit i mention on the above 997 GT3 shifter and in the pic below. You can get aftermarket billet versions of this that run on proper bearing races. I may rebuild this short shift with one of those at some point and swap back but we shall see.
20240222_210459 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
It was a little crusty under there:
20240222_204752 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
All removed and the hoover busted out:
20240222_210413 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
Comparison between old and new
20240222_210638 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
20240222_210643 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
New one in:
20240222_204746 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
20240222_212735 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
I cleaned up the center console, please forgive me, this level of cleaning is beyond me haha
20240222_211652 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
Getting there!
20240222_214434 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
Looks odd without the sea of white grease!
20240222_215527 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
All together:
20240222_220651 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
In terms of feel, i think if i went from a worn standard one to this, it would be amazing and the next best thing but because ive been unknowingly spoiled by the short shifter, it feels a little odd having a longer throw, as nice as it is without any play!
I've been out in it since and it is really nice, just took a little bit of getting used to again.
The last little thing i did was to get a panel filter and a helmholtz resonator 'delete' kit. Apparently this frees up a couple of HP but more importantly a little bit more noise!
You can see on the intake pipe here, theres a large pipe that comes off at 90 degrees and down to another section of the airbox:
20240213_212118 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
20240213_212114 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
You get a new silicone pipe that is smooth internally that deletes that section and you blank off the corresponding hole on the airbox.
Airbox out and stripped, surprised to see Porsche drill the base from factory. I'd looked into this and apparently on 964/993 this was done as part of a performance pack that made them sound better! Not sure if thats the case on the 996 but there it is. I would be lying if i said i didnt contemplate making more
Filter in, new and old parts:
20240216_145518 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
Re-fitted:
20240216_151119 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
20240216_151123 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
I didnt really notice much difference in sound initially but i do always have the exhaust in its loud position (i am still 17 at heart). My 3 year old wanted it to be quieter the other day when i took him out so i was only too happy to oblige! This is when i noticed the epic induction noise up over 4-5k, still too loud according to my 3 year old though, so i didnt experience it again for the rest of the journey!
I still havent had the car up in the air on the quick jack with the wheels off, i've just been driving it too much! I hope to do that soon so i can have a poke around underneath and look for more things to replace haha
I've done about 400ish miles in it now and im really happy i went for it!
Thanks,
Scott
I'd been told by a friend that the Porsche Carrera Cup steering wheels were available from Porsche albeit in leather instead of alcantara, fine by me! I ended up ordering the full black one and also the one with red stitching and 10 o'clock marker as i got discount at my local dealer through a guy i know.
It's not quite a straight forward fit. You have to installed a 964 horn ring contact and install an extra pin in the connector to link back to the horn wiring that the standard clockspring connects to. There's also the airbag connection to install a resistor in. I ended up buying a clockspring off ebay second hand and cutting the connectors off it to make it 'plug and play'. The connector pin for the horn is available from Porsche but didnt arrive in time so i essentially made one out of a bullet connector, works great!
Things apart:
20240215_133456 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr964 horn ring contact and connector:
20240215_123324 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrTop left is the hole that needed to be populated to plug into the 964 part:
20240215_133314 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrPlug and play harness made up:
20240215_134550 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrInstalled, everything plugged in and sorted, just the cowlings to install:
20240215_135012 by Scott Osborne, on Flickrall back together and you can see the 964 contact on the front, which just snaps into place:
20240215_140148 by Scott Osborne, on Flickrwheel from Porsche:
20240215_140126 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrAll fitted, love it!
20240215_141606 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrI also had a chattering from the sun roof when it was closed, this turned out to be the wind deflector hitting the frame over bumps. I stuck down some sticky back velcro pads and this sorted the noise, result! Also an excuse for another angle of the wheel!
20240218_102907 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr20240218_102853 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrSo thats the steering wheel ticked off my list, next was the pesky rear wiper! Nice easy job, pull this panel off the back, 3 bolts and its out:
20240219_154926 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrI bought a few bungs off ebay, this slimline plastic one was the most suitable. It's tricky to secure from the back side as its through a double skin but i got there in the end!
20240220_204051 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrA dateless 6 digit plate so it fits the plinth better was the next item, i know private plates can be a bone of contention on here but there we are!
20240220_211143 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrI mightve got a shortened plate for the rear as well but it seems like it's had many plates over the years and a pair of securing holes would be outside of the shortened plate:
20240220_211421 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrThat was it from my original list, i've ordered some toe arms for the rear, coilovers and also some exhaust tips but they are a few weeks away from being with me, let alone fitted! I think the wheels/ tyres and the fancy coffin arms/ tension struts will go on hold for now, unless something comes up, as well as the X pipe for the exhaust.
Onto my additional list from the drive out. I sorted a phone holder in the form of a Rennline magnetic one, nice product, if a little pricey for what it is! Im sure a lot of the cost must go on the fancy packaging!
20240220_202226 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr20240220_202250 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrThis attaches by pulling off the side panel of the centre console and bolting it on. Whilst here i also binned off the CD storage compartment and fitted it with a cubby hole:
20240220_202739 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr20240220_202735 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrAll back together:
20240220_203246 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrA headunit upgrade is on the cards too but i need to look into it more and contact some people!
Brake pads, i've ordered these and have the fluid lined up. MOT is due in 40 odd days so ill have them fitted before then and get the fluid done by others whilst thats getting done. I may even get some brake lines before this time and i've seen people mention the GT3 master cylinder also. I'll see if i can hold out and do this in stages, i.e. pad swap first and then the lines, then master cylinder later down the line, to see if i can gauge the difference each time.
For the gear shifter, i looked at all manner of options, from modifying an ebay short shifter, to a full replacement numeric one and went somewhere inbetween by ordering in a 997 gt3rs shifter to my local dealer.
Collected:
20240222_154452 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrOut of the box:
20240222_174857 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrThe plastic bushings that wear and create play are made out of metal in this one and provide a much more positive feel. One portion of the mechanism is still plastic but hopefully there will be another 20 years of wear and tear! It's also slightly shorter throw than the standard one.
I was surprised when i went to fit it that my car already had some form of short shifter installed (along with the UK's supply of white grease!):
20240220_203447 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrThis turned out to be Porsches own shortshifter option and from the date stamp it appears to have been fitted from new, or perhaps retro fitted at some point. Upon dismantling the center console and exposing it properly, the fore and aft play appears only to have been from a missing tension grub screw and lock nut! A little frustrating. The side to side play was coming from the plastic bit i mention on the above 997 GT3 shifter and in the pic below. You can get aftermarket billet versions of this that run on proper bearing races. I may rebuild this short shift with one of those at some point and swap back but we shall see.
20240222_210459 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrIt was a little crusty under there:
20240222_204752 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrAll removed and the hoover busted out:
20240222_210413 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrComparison between old and new
20240222_210638 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr20240222_210643 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrNew one in:
20240222_204746 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr20240222_212735 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrI cleaned up the center console, please forgive me, this level of cleaning is beyond me haha
20240222_211652 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrGetting there!
20240222_214434 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrLooks odd without the sea of white grease!
20240222_215527 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrAll together:
20240222_220651 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrIn terms of feel, i think if i went from a worn standard one to this, it would be amazing and the next best thing but because ive been unknowingly spoiled by the short shifter, it feels a little odd having a longer throw, as nice as it is without any play!
I've been out in it since and it is really nice, just took a little bit of getting used to again.
The last little thing i did was to get a panel filter and a helmholtz resonator 'delete' kit. Apparently this frees up a couple of HP but more importantly a little bit more noise!
You can see on the intake pipe here, theres a large pipe that comes off at 90 degrees and down to another section of the airbox:
20240213_212118 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr20240213_212114 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrYou get a new silicone pipe that is smooth internally that deletes that section and you blank off the corresponding hole on the airbox.
Airbox out and stripped, surprised to see Porsche drill the base from factory. I'd looked into this and apparently on 964/993 this was done as part of a performance pack that made them sound better! Not sure if thats the case on the 996 but there it is. I would be lying if i said i didnt contemplate making more
Filter in, new and old parts:
20240216_145518 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrRe-fitted:
20240216_151119 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr20240216_151123 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrI didnt really notice much difference in sound initially but i do always have the exhaust in its loud position (i am still 17 at heart). My 3 year old wanted it to be quieter the other day when i took him out so i was only too happy to oblige! This is when i noticed the epic induction noise up over 4-5k, still too loud according to my 3 year old though, so i didnt experience it again for the rest of the journey!
I still havent had the car up in the air on the quick jack with the wheels off, i've just been driving it too much! I hope to do that soon so i can have a poke around underneath and look for more things to replace haha
I've done about 400ish miles in it now and im really happy i went for it!
Thanks,
Scott
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