In the market for a 996
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm in the market for an early 996. I was considering a 993 but hear that servicing costs are higher.
I've around 35k to spend. Is this enough to buy a reasonable example? Will this get me a C4 or just a C2?
What sort of insurance costs are you looking at for this car? I'm 29 with full no claims in good area.
Any help appreciated.
Cheers,
Andy
I'm in the market for an early 996. I was considering a 993 but hear that servicing costs are higher.
I've around 35k to spend. Is this enough to buy a reasonable example? Will this get me a C4 or just a C2?
What sort of insurance costs are you looking at for this car? I'm 29 with full no claims in good area.
Any help appreciated.
Cheers,
Andy
An early 996 will cost more than a 993 to maintain, from what I gather. A late 993 is probably the most reliable Porsche 911 made. Early 996s had problems.
It is easy to look at the servicing costs and deduce that a 996 may be the cheapest of all Porsche to run, but a 993 is not prohibitive anyway.
For your money, you could get a nice 993 in RHD, although I would seriously consider a Turbo or even RS, as these are available for about 35-40k entry price in LHD.
Arguably the best 993 is the RS, which is not depreciating. Although I was out in Derestrictor's 490bhp Turbo 4 last week, and it is much more refined than an RS. A nice blend of very high performance and day to day usability.
It is easy to look at the servicing costs and deduce that a 996 may be the cheapest of all Porsche to run, but a 993 is not prohibitive anyway.
For your money, you could get a nice 993 in RHD, although I would seriously consider a Turbo or even RS, as these are available for about 35-40k entry price in LHD.
Arguably the best 993 is the RS, which is not depreciating. Although I was out in Derestrictor's 490bhp Turbo 4 last week, and it is much more refined than an RS. A nice blend of very high performance and day to day usability.
On a 993, I mean.The 993 is built like a tank,,If you look at the weights for a 993 and a 996 you will see that for corresponding models i.e. C2 vs C2,you will find the 996 is actually lighter which is refreshing to see an evolution of a model losing weight & helps to explain some of the performance advantage of 996.
911&PorscheWorld had an eight page review of buying a second hand 996 in the July 2002 copy. If you want a photo copy of the article, e-mail me and I can send it on.
From experience ('98 model), mine has not thrown up any unpleasant surprises and is as reliable as you would expect a Porsche to be.
Sounds stupid, but I moved from 993 to 996 for the extra interior room of the latter. If sprogs had not arrived, a 993 Turbo would have definitely been on the list ahead of std 996 - different leagues in terms of performance.
From experience ('98 model), mine has not thrown up any unpleasant surprises and is as reliable as you would expect a Porsche to be.
Sounds stupid, but I moved from 993 to 996 for the extra interior room of the latter. If sprogs had not arrived, a 993 Turbo would have definitely been on the list ahead of std 996 - different leagues in terms of performance.
Thanks Tony - I've sent you a message.
Now I'm really in a quandry, 993 or 996!? What sort of problems did the early 996s have and what year were the problems put right?
Must say that I like the idea of a turbo charged 911 as my existing car is a twin turbo. Though a 996 C2 with Aerokit does look the biz!
Thanks for all your help.
Andy
Now I'm really in a quandry, 993 or 996!? What sort of problems did the early 996s have and what year were the problems put right?
Must say that I like the idea of a turbo charged 911 as my existing car is a twin turbo. Though a 996 C2 with Aerokit does look the biz!
Thanks for all your help.
Andy
nah, i had an early 996 and it was fine.
buy it from a OPC and get the warranty. this is well worth any saving you can get privately as the 3rd gear syncro went on mine and it got a new box fitted without any hesitation.
dont know your situation but a OPC can also do much better leasing deals to make a slightly more expensive car more affordable than a car brought elsewhere.
Bennno
buy it from a OPC and get the warranty. this is well worth any saving you can get privately as the 3rd gear syncro went on mine and it got a new box fitted without any hesitation.
dont know your situation but a OPC can also do much better leasing deals to make a slightly more expensive car more affordable than a car brought elsewhere.
Bennno
True, I've only gone to OPC's since I got stitched up on a 964 purchase...... a supposed specialist whose third party independent warranty wasn't worth the paper it was written on. However, at this end of the 996 market a lot of cars might be in the hands of the specialist dealers rather than OPCs. I'm sure that there are good specialists, just be careful and ask around to see if people on here have had good/bad experiences and even consider an OPC or independent check!
You'd be much better off in a 993 (not that i'm biased at all!!).
As someone has alrady said, the 993 is built like the proverbial outhouse. Mine's cost me stupid money to run, a decent executive car (bmw/merc/audi) will cost you more in servicing.
P.
www.VerySideways.com
>> Edited by verysideways on Monday 11th November 23:53
As someone has alrady said, the 993 is built like the proverbial outhouse. Mine's cost me stupid money to run, a decent executive car (bmw/merc/audi) will cost you more in servicing.
P.
www.VerySideways.com
>> Edited by verysideways on Monday 11th November 23:53
The interior build quality of the 996 is atrocious if my experience is anything to go by. In the first 6 months (6000 miles) of (facelift) 996 ownership, my car had produced no less than 5 rattles, of which 2 have still not been solved by the OPC despite two visits to rectify.
If this were a Lotus or TVR I might let it slide, but it's a Porsche for crying out loud. I suspect a 993's interior is more carefully assembled. And besides, I love the old fashioned scatter-gun approach to the dash. The 996's interior is a bit boring to be honest.
Anyway, the rest of the 996 ownership experience has been sublime. Unlike earlier cars, the 996 is much less intimidating to drive fast - this is both good and bad. Fresh out of the box, the car needs many months to truly appreciate its dynamic qualities, which is why I think lots of people complain that the experience was dull compared to earlier models. Their opinions often change once they have lived with the 996 for a while and built up their experiences gradually.
After about eight months of ownership, I have now opted to give the handling an edge, dialling out the understeer and firming up the ride. I posted recently on the transformation.
If you like the "concept" of the 996 but the experience of the 993, I recommend getting a 996 and tweaking the suspension and/or the sound via a sports exhaust. The other thing is that prices for late 993s are almost on a par with the earliest 996s, a situation that will have to change when the used car market picks up, IMO.
If this were a Lotus or TVR I might let it slide, but it's a Porsche for crying out loud. I suspect a 993's interior is more carefully assembled. And besides, I love the old fashioned scatter-gun approach to the dash. The 996's interior is a bit boring to be honest.
Anyway, the rest of the 996 ownership experience has been sublime. Unlike earlier cars, the 996 is much less intimidating to drive fast - this is both good and bad. Fresh out of the box, the car needs many months to truly appreciate its dynamic qualities, which is why I think lots of people complain that the experience was dull compared to earlier models. Their opinions often change once they have lived with the 996 for a while and built up their experiences gradually.
After about eight months of ownership, I have now opted to give the handling an edge, dialling out the understeer and firming up the ride. I posted recently on the transformation.
If you like the "concept" of the 996 but the experience of the 993, I recommend getting a 996 and tweaking the suspension and/or the sound via a sports exhaust. The other thing is that prices for late 993s are almost on a par with the earliest 996s, a situation that will have to change when the used car market picks up, IMO.
Go and have a long test drive in both. They really are completely different beasts and it depends on what you're after as to which you'd prefer.
I've owned both (both LHD by the way) and my current C2 996 is undoubtedly a better car than my previous C2 993 BUT it's so civilised it doesn't feel like you're in a 911. If you haven't driven an earlier car and aren't used to the traditional Porsche experience, this may not be a problem for you.
My summary for both cars would be as follows:
993
Prettier, sounds better, more fun (if you enjoy sliding round corners), Dated 911 interior (you either love it or hate it), more politeness from other road users
996
Quicker, quieter on motorways, easier to drive quickly (especially with PSM), modern interior (albeit a bit plasticy), much more room in the back and luggage compartment (may be important)
I thought quite a few early 996 engines went pop and were replaced under warranty. When I was looking, the build quality of 1999 cars and later, was much better than on 97 and 98 models, IMO.
My insurance is £1500. I'm 34, full NCB, crappy area
I've owned both (both LHD by the way) and my current C2 996 is undoubtedly a better car than my previous C2 993 BUT it's so civilised it doesn't feel like you're in a 911. If you haven't driven an earlier car and aren't used to the traditional Porsche experience, this may not be a problem for you.
My summary for both cars would be as follows:
993
Prettier, sounds better, more fun (if you enjoy sliding round corners), Dated 911 interior (you either love it or hate it), more politeness from other road users
996
Quicker, quieter on motorways, easier to drive quickly (especially with PSM), modern interior (albeit a bit plasticy), much more room in the back and luggage compartment (may be important)
I thought quite a few early 996 engines went pop and were replaced under warranty. When I was looking, the build quality of 1999 cars and later, was much better than on 97 and 98 models, IMO.
My insurance is £1500. I'm 34, full NCB, crappy area
Mr Fix It:
Bought my car from an independant who didn't know exactly what he was selling so i got the car for 96 LHD C4 money, not C4S money. Let's just say i paid about 7k less than it's worth. I spent 4 hours going over the car with a fine toothcomb (special option colour, special option leather, sat nav) before i would believe my own eyes. It was advertised on the Friday and by Friday evening i had the deposit down.
All C2S and C4S have wide body, but the C2S came with 17's and normal C2 brakes and suspension, the C4S came with turbo wheels (18"), turbo brakes, and turbo suspension (lower by 10mm at front, 20mm at back).
You'll find a lot of C2S' have the turbo wheels anyway though, a popular option.
(NB turbo wheels standard on C4S and optional on C2S are not exactly the same as the turbo wheels, genuine turbo got hollow spokes whereas 2S and 4S got solid spokes).
Burnham:
I'm insured with Privilege. Most of the quotes i got (a fair few refused to quote as i'm under 30) were between 1800 and 3100, Privilege came in at 1197.
Hope this helps.
Mr Fix It, where are you based? If you want to see the car we can arrange something. Oh, and i wouldn't sell it for all the tea in china, though i'd be tempted if someone wanted to swap a 993 GT2....
P.
www.VerySideways.com
>> Edited by verysideways on Tuesday 12th November 14:34
Bought my car from an independant who didn't know exactly what he was selling so i got the car for 96 LHD C4 money, not C4S money. Let's just say i paid about 7k less than it's worth. I spent 4 hours going over the car with a fine toothcomb (special option colour, special option leather, sat nav) before i would believe my own eyes. It was advertised on the Friday and by Friday evening i had the deposit down.
All C2S and C4S have wide body, but the C2S came with 17's and normal C2 brakes and suspension, the C4S came with turbo wheels (18"), turbo brakes, and turbo suspension (lower by 10mm at front, 20mm at back).
You'll find a lot of C2S' have the turbo wheels anyway though, a popular option.
(NB turbo wheels standard on C4S and optional on C2S are not exactly the same as the turbo wheels, genuine turbo got hollow spokes whereas 2S and 4S got solid spokes).
Burnham:
I'm insured with Privilege. Most of the quotes i got (a fair few refused to quote as i'm under 30) were between 1800 and 3100, Privilege came in at 1197.
Hope this helps.
Mr Fix It, where are you based? If you want to see the car we can arrange something. Oh, and i wouldn't sell it for all the tea in china, though i'd be tempted if someone wanted to swap a 993 GT2....
P.
www.VerySideways.com
>> Edited by verysideways on Tuesday 12th November 14:34
I agree with Herman, you should drive both and then decide. I had a 98 C2s and currently own a 996 Cab and a 996TT. My 98 C2s was a great car, the best looking 911 I have owned. I had a few minor problems, radio lights worked sometimes, wind noise around the driver door, but it was very solid. My 2000 996 Cab had no major problems when I owned it (more about that later) but had minor problems with rattles and squeaks. They were all repaired under warranty. After I sold my 00 Cab to my best friend, the trans failed. The good news is that Porsche fixed it under warranty. If you buy one, I'd buy an extended warranty.
My 02 Cab has had no problems, they seem to have sorted out the issues that my 00 had.
As said previouslly, drive them both. When I decided I wanted a Cab I drove a 993 Cab and a 996 Cab. After the drive the choice was clear for me, I got the 996...
Roy
ps. I did upgrade the suspension, stock is too soft for me...
My 02 Cab has had no problems, they seem to have sorted out the issues that my 00 had.
As said previouslly, drive them both. When I decided I wanted a Cab I drove a 993 Cab and a 996 Cab. After the drive the choice was clear for me, I got the 996...
Roy
ps. I did upgrade the suspension, stock is too soft for me...
Good buy and very nice car by the way. Based in the north near leeds, so unfortunately a bit tricky to meet. Ive not seen too many 993 for sale in the main deallers so have been looking at independant specialists on the web - although a bit tricky to find some.
Does anyone know if its possible to buy a porsche warranty from a main dealler, even if you buy the car from a specialist. And do you then have to get it serviced at the main dealler to keep the warranty????
Does anyone know if its possible to buy a porsche warranty from a main dealler, even if you buy the car from a specialist. And do you then have to get it serviced at the main dealler to keep the warranty????
The best insurance quote I have got so far is from Norwich Union Direct. They beat Tesco, Egg, Priv, Elephant, Direct line....
Keep asking to get the quote down, they did this twice with talks of special offers, I'll have to speak to my manager about that etc, but some do keep reducing the price.
Keep asking to get the quote down, they did this twice with talks of special offers, I'll have to speak to my manager about that etc, but some do keep reducing the price.
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