1998 996 Carrera

[therock77041]

Hello everyone,

I am new here and need some help..
I am very interested in buying a 1998 996 Carrera with about 65,000 miles..
The price is very interesting...but I am concerned about future maintenance..when does this car need parts to be replaced, severe maintenance, how long do they run without any major problems etc....

Thanks in advance,

Alex.

[therock77041]

anyone can give some advice????

[dazren]

Service history is essential. With the age of the vehicle you should be eligible for the OPC discount labour rate (eiligibility is 5 years). 996's were designed with ease of access to the engine for servicing higher up the priority list than the previous models. Standard servicing for a 996 turbo is £250 for the 12k and £450 for the 24k, the C2 should be cheaper? (obviously excluding consumables such as tyres, pads, discs etc).

Does any one have specific details or experiences ie clutch life, cam chain change etc?

Can anyone fill in a few details for a new PHer?

DAZ
(moderator)

[456mgt]

Alex- I bought one of these a few weeks ago, and asked the same questions you are asking now. I think the thread was entitled 'early 996 specific problem areas' which should be somewhere in the Porsche archives.

From memory, the specific areas are engines self destructing, clutches and interior trim coming away. Rattles etc were also mentioned. The advice was to buy a late 993 or a newer 996. Like you, I came with a fixed price point hence went for a '98 car. So I ingored all the advice!

So far it's been pretty damn good. I've put a sports zorst on it (mandatory IMO) and replaced the battery. I've seen better build quality but have no real complaints at the price. The only thing I'm not comfortable with is the light front end handling characteristic, so if I keep the car will probably bite the bullet and put some aerokit on it.

If you're buying privately I would think really hard about getting some sort of powertrain warranty- given the history of these cars I think it's necessary. I bought mine from Camtune, and independent Porsche specialist.

HTH

Kev

[HermanTheGerman]

456, I'm worried about your "light front end handling". From your previous thread, I think you're talking about lift at high speed.

It may just be what you and I are used to, but my 996 (18" wheels, standard suspension, no aerokit) felt totally planted all the way up to 165 (the fastest I went in it). My 993 felt like it was gonna take off at 135-140 however.

[granville]

HermanTheGerman said: My 993 felt like it was gonna take off at 135-140 however.

Must say, in mein 993, I find that when pressing on big style, things feel utterly planted and squat, positively encouraging higher and higher throttle pressure; one might even say cruising speed (for Europe at least) - not exactly RS6/EV12 standard - but just the right blend of noise and solidity.

If you know what oiz mean?

[911newbie]

I agree about the 993 being planted at higher speeds. I've had mine up to .. well a tad beyond the legal limits... and it felt great, very secure, almost pressed into the road.
The faster it went the better it felt. Maybe your 993 had a problem or something ?

I've never yet experienced any understeer - is this what you mean by light front end handling ?

[oldtimer]

Getting back to the question, I went for a Nov 97 build 996, its been brilliant. I see all the bad press these cars got, but not experienced any probs, I paid big money in Aug 99 but todays price is NICER..still could have been worse could have invested in yer stock market

[sb930turbo]

Mine is an early 99 996 with aerokit,handling is fantastic,wonderful car.....what light front end? If you are talking about front end float,Kev,I had a similar problem on the flatnose,turnedout to be the front end alignment(toeing out)
Steve

>> Edited by sb930turbo (moderator) on Tuesday 11th March 22:16

[C3 GTK]

Again although my 993 has a Techart front and rear spoiler I was impressed at the high speed stability. At 150+ even uneven surfaces didn't put it off line although the spincter was expecting it too!

[clubsport]

456MGT I would really have a proper suspension alignment check before you think about spending big money on aerodynamics.
The cars do tend to squat above 3 figure speeds,in my experience the 996 is much superior to the earlier cars so I don't think it is neccesarily that.
the only lightness is on the 2wd in comparison to the heavier feel 4wd

[Grant3]

back to "therocks" question, I used to own a 98 996 the biggest issue that I had was the rear main oil seal going several times, the parts are cheap but the labour costs are NOT. this was covered by my warranty
but it took 3 attempts to sort.Make sure it has the modified rear main oil seal Porsche introduced for the model year & if you are buying outside the main dealer network do two things 1/ MAKE SURE you have a main dealer 87 point check for around £100 it's a bargain & they work hard to find faults, don't buy one without this only main dealers have the full diagnostic kit ! 2/ phone one of the main dealers buyers & they will give you the real value of the car !! You may pay more on repairs & service but you'll gain on depreciation if you are buying at the right price. Best of luck.

[456mgt]

OK,OK! Christ almighty I heard you the first time My car is booked into J Z Machtech on the 25th to check out suspension geometry etc. Interesting point is that the guy I spoke to knew what I was talking about before I got four words into the decsription. Said that it was a common problem on 996s; from what he said (bits breaking easily )I might have to replace some bits. Will post on the result.

Kev