911 996 3.4 C2 - Manual
Discussion
Been thinking I should do a reader’s thread for some time, this site is one of the big reasons why I bought a 996 in the first place after much reading of the 3.4 thread, and poppopbangs 3.4 thread. So I want to give back a little and chart my experiences thus far
For years I have loved 911’s,I remember the first time I went out in one, back in 2001 my late father had an Impreza P1 from new, which was a very rapid and capable car, at one point he got itchy feet as he always chopped and changed his cars and he took me a long to a test drive on an S plate 996 C2 at the OPC in Tonbridge. I remember it being so much more an event than the P1, this car I remember clearly as it was an ex Newcastle footballers car and it was in white with white hard backed seats with white centre console, would imagine pretty rare in that spec now. Unfortunately, my dad never did a deal on it as the depreciation from the P1 was too great at that time
My daily driver is an old LS400 MK3 which is a car that my dad used to have, so some real fond memories of them, so I picked one up this year as they are a real bargain these days and still uber reliable. As I only do about 50-60 miles per week fuel consumption for me is not a big priority.
What also whetted my appetite for a 996 was being the owner of a 986 2.5, it was a great little car with fantastic handling and a really very good analogue car. But in reality all it did was make me want a 911 more. The issue I had with that really is that the running costs and price of parts is pretty much the same as the 996, but it doesn’t add the kind of value to a boxster that it would to a 996
I did seriously consider a Cayman (987) but I would have only of wanted the 3.4 and not the 2.7, and with the issues that those engines have and the price point of the car it didn’t seem worth it to me when I could get into a 996 and have two rear seats, which are handy for me having two young children. I really do love the shape and style of the Cayman, just a shame about the engine issues
So a couple of months of looking at the current market ensued. In short there are a lot of dogs out there with big gaps in service history much the same as I found when I got the 986. Many people’s idea of FSH is that it has been serviced every 10k, even if they only did 1k per year
I was very specific with what I wanted, this is a car that I was going to covet and keep in the garage and take out on high days and holidays. With the actual aim of it being a real keeper, with no intention to sell in the future (unless of course 996’s go to 993 levels of price).
So the brief was to find a C2 manual, with no sunroof with good history, pre-2000 model, good condition and a colour that was palatable. This was the hardest part of all I found. This is the spec that everyone seemed to want. I have always preferred the 996.1 in terms of looks. This is the 911 I loved when it came out as a young 16-year-old at the time.
So after a long search and wasted phone calls and duff descriptions I came upon one fairly local to me at a Porsche specialist dealer. Now this doesn’t happen much if ever at all. Found the car at Paul Devyea in Sevenoaks. A silver 99 model C2 with 86k on the clock, FSH (18 stamps in total) new clutch, new IMS ceramic bearing, full M030 suspension refresh and just had a £800 service at the OPC in Tonbridge. I rang Paul and chatted for a while and within half an hour placed a deposit.
Even he said this is the kind of stock he could sell all day long, I happened to get in quick but he said he could have sold in ten times over easily and I believe him to be fair. The car really is great condition, it has the later 5 spoke 997 wheels which does give the car a bit of a lift, also all of the leather interior has been recolonised and looks amazing. I really wanted a car with a lighter interior and I think it looks great. I find the black interiors a bit sombre and boring, the red is okay but not sure how much I could live with it, so this is the perfect one for me
I am a bit of a firm believer that cars in this spec will always be desirable and I would only assume will slowly go up in value.
A couple of pics and will get chapter two out this week which will detail my first impressions...
For years I have loved 911’s,I remember the first time I went out in one, back in 2001 my late father had an Impreza P1 from new, which was a very rapid and capable car, at one point he got itchy feet as he always chopped and changed his cars and he took me a long to a test drive on an S plate 996 C2 at the OPC in Tonbridge. I remember it being so much more an event than the P1, this car I remember clearly as it was an ex Newcastle footballers car and it was in white with white hard backed seats with white centre console, would imagine pretty rare in that spec now. Unfortunately, my dad never did a deal on it as the depreciation from the P1 was too great at that time
My daily driver is an old LS400 MK3 which is a car that my dad used to have, so some real fond memories of them, so I picked one up this year as they are a real bargain these days and still uber reliable. As I only do about 50-60 miles per week fuel consumption for me is not a big priority.
What also whetted my appetite for a 996 was being the owner of a 986 2.5, it was a great little car with fantastic handling and a really very good analogue car. But in reality all it did was make me want a 911 more. The issue I had with that really is that the running costs and price of parts is pretty much the same as the 996, but it doesn’t add the kind of value to a boxster that it would to a 996
I did seriously consider a Cayman (987) but I would have only of wanted the 3.4 and not the 2.7, and with the issues that those engines have and the price point of the car it didn’t seem worth it to me when I could get into a 996 and have two rear seats, which are handy for me having two young children. I really do love the shape and style of the Cayman, just a shame about the engine issues
So a couple of months of looking at the current market ensued. In short there are a lot of dogs out there with big gaps in service history much the same as I found when I got the 986. Many people’s idea of FSH is that it has been serviced every 10k, even if they only did 1k per year
I was very specific with what I wanted, this is a car that I was going to covet and keep in the garage and take out on high days and holidays. With the actual aim of it being a real keeper, with no intention to sell in the future (unless of course 996’s go to 993 levels of price).
So the brief was to find a C2 manual, with no sunroof with good history, pre-2000 model, good condition and a colour that was palatable. This was the hardest part of all I found. This is the spec that everyone seemed to want. I have always preferred the 996.1 in terms of looks. This is the 911 I loved when it came out as a young 16-year-old at the time.
So after a long search and wasted phone calls and duff descriptions I came upon one fairly local to me at a Porsche specialist dealer. Now this doesn’t happen much if ever at all. Found the car at Paul Devyea in Sevenoaks. A silver 99 model C2 with 86k on the clock, FSH (18 stamps in total) new clutch, new IMS ceramic bearing, full M030 suspension refresh and just had a £800 service at the OPC in Tonbridge. I rang Paul and chatted for a while and within half an hour placed a deposit.
Even he said this is the kind of stock he could sell all day long, I happened to get in quick but he said he could have sold in ten times over easily and I believe him to be fair. The car really is great condition, it has the later 5 spoke 997 wheels which does give the car a bit of a lift, also all of the leather interior has been recolonised and looks amazing. I really wanted a car with a lighter interior and I think it looks great. I find the black interiors a bit sombre and boring, the red is okay but not sure how much I could live with it, so this is the perfect one for me
I am a bit of a firm believer that cars in this spec will always be desirable and I would only assume will slowly go up in value.
A couple of pics and will get chapter two out this week which will detail my first impressions...
Edited by maxwellwd on Wednesday 27th September 21:05
Edited by maxwellwd on Thursday 28th September 11:23
Nice and simple that, looks lovely and classic.
What is the interior colour then by the way?
Often think maybe I should have gone for an earlier C2 model but I just couldn't find any with the engine rebuild that I wanted, and I couldn't run one of these knowing it hadn't been rebuilt and it could go at any point.
Looks really good though I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Any plans for exhaust upgrades or similar?
What is the interior colour then by the way?
Often think maybe I should have gone for an earlier C2 model but I just couldn't find any with the engine rebuild that I wanted, and I couldn't run one of these knowing it hadn't been rebuilt and it could go at any point.
Looks really good though I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Any plans for exhaust upgrades or similar?
lewisf182 said:
Nice and simple that, looks lovely and classic.
What is the interior colour then by the way?
Often think maybe I should have gone for an earlier C2 model but I just couldn't find any with the engine rebuild that I wanted, and I couldn't run one of these knowing it hadn't been rebuilt and it could go at any point.
Looks really good though I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Any plans for exhaust upgrades or similar?
Its a grey interior, sorry I got to rambling too much thereWhat is the interior colour then by the way?
Often think maybe I should have gone for an earlier C2 model but I just couldn't find any with the engine rebuild that I wanted, and I couldn't run one of these knowing it hadn't been rebuilt and it could go at any point.
Looks really good though I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Any plans for exhaust upgrades or similar?
This is why I went for an early 3.4 with a good definitive history, no reason it should need a rebuild as the 3.4's are meant to be more reliable than the later ones
It has an uprated cargraphic exhaust fitted 3000 miles ago (in 2013) sounds great, although had a lot of surface rust
So first impressions are good. The car is extremely nimble, sharp and everything I could expect it to be
It feels very quick as well, that may well be me having not being used to a car such as this and I am sure it is slow compared to a lot of modern stuff
As mentioned here is the exhaust, I think the previous owner must have not had it garaged the last four years
It feels very quick as well, that may well be me having not being used to a car such as this and I am sure it is slow compared to a lot of modern stuff
As mentioned here is the exhaust, I think the previous owner must have not had it garaged the last four years
Now due to this being an old car and even though the 996 isn't specifically known for too many rust issues, I wanted to keep it in the best possible condition going forward.
So I had a good chat with a detailer that I have used in the past and I asked him about what is the best rust prevention treatment, he said hands down Dinitrol as that is what is essentially used at the factory on new cars so this has now been done..
So I had a good chat with a detailer that I have used in the past and I asked him about what is the best rust prevention treatment, he said hands down Dinitrol as that is what is essentially used at the factory on new cars so this has now been done..
Now nice and shiny, my detailer also brushed/drilled off as much of the surface rust as possible and has now painted the exhaust and manifolds in a heat resistant paint which has really tidied it up
Seemed a waste to not to try and bring it back on such a lightly used exhaust system and these things aren't cheap after all
Seemed a waste to not to try and bring it back on such a lightly used exhaust system and these things aren't cheap after all
JS1500 said:
Excellent car!
Congrats on a fine purchase (another 996 owner here).
The LS400 and 996 sounds like a great pairing - I really quite fancy an old LS400 too... or an old Volvo estate, not decided yet.
They are a great pairing, LS400's are great value right now, the only issue is finding one for sale in reasonable condition. Can't go wrong with a Volve either, I use to have a V70 2.4 which was probably the most comfortable car I ever owned, had the turning circle of a tank thoughCongrats on a fine purchase (another 996 owner here).
The LS400 and 996 sounds like a great pairing - I really quite fancy an old LS400 too... or an old Volvo estate, not decided yet.
Another early 996 3.4 owner here chiming in, I also started looking after a combination of childhood memories and PPBB's thread! You've found the same as me, with the early 3.4's being built with better materials etc - hopefully that stands us both well. Car looks lovely, did you apply the underseal yourself? It's a job for me next month to do on mine.
CornedBeef said:
Another early 996 3.4 owner here chiming in, I also started looking after a combination of childhood memories and PPBB's thread! You've found the same as me, with the early 3.4's being built with better materials etc - hopefully that stands us both well. Car looks lovely, did you apply the underseal yourself? It's a job for me next month to do on mine.
No my detailer did it, with something like this I would rather leave to the professionals as it takes quite a lot of prep work to remove all existing dirt and grime underneath and ensure it is totally dry before applying the Dinitrol. Certainly worth doing thoughParacetamol said:
I had a 996.1 C4 back in 2001. It was a great car..why they cant make steering feel like that anymore is beyond me.
The only thing I would change would be the wheels. Ideally a set of 18" turbo twist or the GT3 wheels. Both were optional and suit the shape.
I had the GT3 wheels on my Boxster, very nice wheels but not my favorite. I do like the turbo twists, but I think my favorite are C4s wheels, not sure if they fit thoughThe only thing I would change would be the wheels. Ideally a set of 18" turbo twist or the GT3 wheels. Both were optional and suit the shape.
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