Which 996 to get?
Discussion
Hey all.
I'm selling my BMW E39 M5 in the next few days (most likely) and I'm looking to perhaps get my first Porsche, I'm not made of money sadly and therefore I'm looking at 996's and only those. They are alot more expensive here (Sweden, cheapest for sale is 16500 sterling) than they are in the UK and I'm looking to spend £20k tops.
I've read about IMS bearings, bore scoring etc, is there such a thing as a safe 996 to get? 3.4? 3.6? I understand that my budget will get me a high miler but most likely a well kept one since no-one drives their nice cars in the winter here.
What options are preferred to have? Manual is a given, would like an LSD.
All input is greatly appreciated.
/Daniel
I'm selling my BMW E39 M5 in the next few days (most likely) and I'm looking to perhaps get my first Porsche, I'm not made of money sadly and therefore I'm looking at 996's and only those. They are alot more expensive here (Sweden, cheapest for sale is 16500 sterling) than they are in the UK and I'm looking to spend £20k tops.
I've read about IMS bearings, bore scoring etc, is there such a thing as a safe 996 to get? 3.4? 3.6? I understand that my budget will get me a high miler but most likely a well kept one since no-one drives their nice cars in the winter here.
What options are preferred to have? Manual is a given, would like an LSD.
All input is greatly appreciated.
/Daniel
Manual was one of the few "must-haves" for me. Some people are quite keen on c2, non sunroof as a purer option but i went c4 sunroof and am perfectly happy with it.
3.4 generally have the more reliable dual row IMS and piston coating together with the thicker bores so don't tend to score as much as the 3.6.
3.4 generally have the more reliable dual row IMS and piston coating together with the thicker bores so don't tend to score as much as the 3.6.
skinny said:
Manual was one of the few "must-haves" for me. Some people are quite keen on c2, non sunroof as a purer option but i went c4 sunroof and am perfectly happy with it.
3.4 generally have the more reliable dual row IMS and piston coating together with the thicker bores so don't tend to score as much as the 3.6.
The earliest 3.4 is the least bore scoring I believe and it has a bit or a lot to do with the piston coating depending on who you believe. They stopped using coated pistons after the early 3.4. I'm not sure if all the 3.4 996 engines have the coated pistons or not. My limited research led me to understand that the earliest cars are also the lightest too so that's why I bought one.3.4 generally have the more reliable dual row IMS and piston coating together with the thicker bores so don't tend to score as much as the 3.6.
I chose one with a DIY rebuilt engine and lots of recent maintenance like rads and suspension and clutch. It then threw all manner of bills at me for various pipes and tubes. The biggest problem I had with mine was the gearbox disintegrating. I sourced a really nice 2nd hand box from Germany but this was a total gamble as you have no idea what you're getting with a 2nd hand box. Just look at the price of 2nd hand 996 gearboxes and this will give you a feel for how many disintegrate.
I always thought a manual box is such a simple device that it would never or rarely break and if it did throw up a problem it should be relatively easy to fix. This is not the case with the 996 it seems. I called several gearbox specialists and none of them were even interested in talking to me when I mentioned the word Porsche.
Now when I watch some of the videos I took in my car before the gearbox change I am alarmed by the amount of whining I can hear in the back ground. This was not a consideration for me when I did my 996 shopping. I now believe that all 996 boxes begin to whine eventually and that this gets worse over time and then it needs replacing or rebuilding.
I wouldn't say the gear change in mine now is lovely because it can be cumbersome when cold. I only use my 996 now for pottering around town and daily commuting. If the gearbox doesn't want to shift smoothly then I never rush it or get forceful. If anything my biggest fear now is the gearbox. When its warm it shifts just fine and gives me all manner of feedback through the lever but with short little slow commutes the thing will hardly ever be warm. It definitely adds a lot to the experience though.
Anyway I'm done rambling on now. Feel free to ask any questions or check out my car's blog.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Manual, 3.4, C4 circa 1999.
If you don't want a 4WD car then just remove the centre/front diff and driveshafts (it's just a bolt in and about 2 hours work) which will give your a 2WD car but with the same shell as the GT3 and Cup race cars in terms of front bulkhead, stiffness etc. The C2 is essentially a boxster from the A pillars forwards.
Ignore the whole cable throttle argument. The 99 C4 ECU is easily accessible and can be flashed via the OBD2 port (which the cable throttle cars can't be) so you can have whatever throttle map you want with whatever response curve you want (to the point that the weight of the flywheel is the limiting factor in perceived response). Also many of the cable cars had TCS which is piss poor compared to the PSM that was standard on the C4.
A 99 C4 will also have a dual row IMS bearing and the earlier spec pistons which had ferrous coated pistons rather than the plastic in later 3.6 engines so they don't suffer from bore score anywhere near as much.
If you don't want a 4WD car then just remove the centre/front diff and driveshafts (it's just a bolt in and about 2 hours work) which will give your a 2WD car but with the same shell as the GT3 and Cup race cars in terms of front bulkhead, stiffness etc. The C2 is essentially a boxster from the A pillars forwards.
Ignore the whole cable throttle argument. The 99 C4 ECU is easily accessible and can be flashed via the OBD2 port (which the cable throttle cars can't be) so you can have whatever throttle map you want with whatever response curve you want (to the point that the weight of the flywheel is the limiting factor in perceived response). Also many of the cable cars had TCS which is piss poor compared to the PSM that was standard on the C4.
A 99 C4 will also have a dual row IMS bearing and the earlier spec pistons which had ferrous coated pistons rather than the plastic in later 3.6 engines so they don't suffer from bore score anywhere near as much.
OP needs to have a look at this post
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Tells you all you need to know
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Tells you all you need to know
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