996 2014 C2

[rdodger]

I am looking at a 3.6 C2 2004 with approx. 60,000 miles. It has 13 service stamps and looks never to have done more than 12 months or 10,000 miles between oil changes.

It's in my ideal colour with Aero kit so I am pretty keen. I have been doing a lot of reading and wondered how scared I should be of the 3.6 engine. If it all checks out now is there any reason to think it will be more delicate in the future than earlier 3.4?

Form what I understand if regularly serviced and if the cooling system is kept in tip top condition it should be no different to the 3.4.

Any advice or experience welcome.

[Dammit]

The 3.6 is more fragile than the 3.4 in certain areas, but that's the wrong way to approach it - I'd include a potential engine rebuild in the standard cost of ownership for one of these cars (indeed, any car getting to the sort of age that these are).

If you can afford 2k per year for maintenance whilst putting another couple of grand away as a slush fund for anything more major then go for it.

[nickpan]

Agree with the above.

The only way to truly enjoy a 996 (or any old Porschs really) is to have a rebuild fund should the worst happen.

I sold my 996 C4 after 18 months - it was such a great car but I got fed up up thinking every noise that it made was either bore scoring or IMS failure.

That being said - the garage I sold it to conducted a boreoscope and a check of the various seals and said it was all OK!

Maybe I was too much of a cynic! Are you glass half full or empty?

[Dammit]

I'm going to rebuild my engine before it hits 100k anyway, so it's somewhat academic, but I honestly don't worry about the engine, these cars are so much fun to drive that everything else fades into the background (for me, anyway).

[skinny]

Get a decent inspection and should be good to go. Generally if they haven't blown up by now they should be reasonably safe.

[EGTE]

Change the oil every year, fit a low-temp thermostat, don't thrash it until oil (not just coolant) is warm, don't labour it in too high a gear.

Then enjoy it; it's actually a great motor!