Porsche 996 Turbo
Discussion
We are looking at purchasing a 996 TT manual but can only afford one with mileage over 100k and over 7 owners. We are looking at the car as being a fun drive (I have recently sold my M3) but also an asset that will hopefully appreciate (I say hopefully as I know there is no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to cars).
The car has full Porsche service history and has been well maintained and cared for. Good colour and reasonable spec.
From the investment perspective is it a no no to go for one with this sort of mileage and number of owners. Appreciate you should go for the best you can but we are only just able to scrape together enough money for the ones we have been looking at given that it is getting harder to find manual turbos.
Up against a bit of a deadline so urgent advice much appreciated.
The car has full Porsche service history and has been well maintained and cared for. Good colour and reasonable spec.
From the investment perspective is it a no no to go for one with this sort of mileage and number of owners. Appreciate you should go for the best you can but we are only just able to scrape together enough money for the ones we have been looking at given that it is getting harder to find manual turbos.
Up against a bit of a deadline so urgent advice much appreciated.
Thanks for prompt advice much appreciated. Had done quite a bit of research which suggested that whilst automatic turbo’s are quite common and unlikely to appreciate the manuals were different. Interesting to note that the consensus on here is otherwise. is the same view held re the 996 4S manual?
chriscoates81 said:
What's your budget as I can't see it. I'm currently selling my 105,000 mile 996 turbo. I would say I've spent probably the average of 1500 a year on it. A couple of years ago I had an expensive couple of months when I had the water pump changed, a turbo replaced and all 4 discs and pads done. Needless to say I was not very popular with my wife. My clutch was done at 55,000 or so but I have no evidence of slippage. I had the rads and condensers done when I first bought it 4.5 years ago. Remember that some things will go irrelevant of mileage, I.e. water pump is always running. My interior is in fantastic condition.
What are you looking for? What colour? What, if any, add on spec? pete said:
I'd echo the comments so far on running costs. I've been running a very late 2005 Turbo S for the past five-and-a-half years, from 55k to now 75k miles. Generally it has cost buttons to run, but now and again you get a spike in cost that has probably rounded out at a couple of grand per year (£1700 per year for servicing, now I go back and look at my blog on here).
Examples would be about £1000 spent at 9e sorting out boost leaks, diverter valves, etc when I bought it, despite it flying through a Porsche 111 point check with no issues. That transformed the drive of the car, giving it back 100bhp or so, so felt like money well spent.
I then had a few cheap years of routine servicing, with the main costs being a shiny 100 cell sports exhaust from Speedtech and a new water pump, before a big year two years ago. In that year I had 4 new tyres; aircon pipes replaced; new condensers; refreshed suspension (front top mounts, 4 shock absorbers, coffin arms); replaced all the exhaust manifold bolts; clutch accumulator; and a service - all in the space of a couple of months. That added up to around £5k, but again the tyres and suspension work really transformed the car back to "as new" feeling, so didn't feel poor value. They're all known weak points too, so would be looked on as a decent investment if I ever come to sell.
Compare and contrast with the much newer McLaren I've been toying with replacing it with, which would cost a fairly predictable £4.5k per year for warranty and servicing, and the 996 is still far cheaper to run. I'm fortunate that I bought near the bottom of the market, and the S has become somewhat collectible, but even if you bought now you'd have the benefit of very low depreciation and relatively low running costs compared to anything with similar performance.
On the fun point, you have to drive one for a while. Yes, the 996 Turbo is astonishingly capable and gets criticised for that, but it's also very analogue compared to most of today's performance cars. I swapped from a series of mad TVRs and a 997 GT3 to the Turbo S after a short break, and although it doesn't have the incredible steering feel or top end of the GT car, it does feel "alive" on the road. The only problem is the lack of theatre at low speeds, but that can be a positive thing depending what you're using it for.
Best of luck with choosing!
Thanks- more interesting reading. So many thinks to consider in such a short space of time. Examples would be about £1000 spent at 9e sorting out boost leaks, diverter valves, etc when I bought it, despite it flying through a Porsche 111 point check with no issues. That transformed the drive of the car, giving it back 100bhp or so, so felt like money well spent.
I then had a few cheap years of routine servicing, with the main costs being a shiny 100 cell sports exhaust from Speedtech and a new water pump, before a big year two years ago. In that year I had 4 new tyres; aircon pipes replaced; new condensers; refreshed suspension (front top mounts, 4 shock absorbers, coffin arms); replaced all the exhaust manifold bolts; clutch accumulator; and a service - all in the space of a couple of months. That added up to around £5k, but again the tyres and suspension work really transformed the car back to "as new" feeling, so didn't feel poor value. They're all known weak points too, so would be looked on as a decent investment if I ever come to sell.
Compare and contrast with the much newer McLaren I've been toying with replacing it with, which would cost a fairly predictable £4.5k per year for warranty and servicing, and the 996 is still far cheaper to run. I'm fortunate that I bought near the bottom of the market, and the S has become somewhat collectible, but even if you bought now you'd have the benefit of very low depreciation and relatively low running costs compared to anything with similar performance.
On the fun point, you have to drive one for a while. Yes, the 996 Turbo is astonishingly capable and gets criticised for that, but it's also very analogue compared to most of today's performance cars. I swapped from a series of mad TVRs and a 997 GT3 to the Turbo S after a short break, and although it doesn't have the incredible steering feel or top end of the GT car, it does feel "alive" on the road. The only problem is the lack of theatre at low speeds, but that can be a positive thing depending what you're using it for.
Best of luck with choosing!
chriscoates81 said:
I was hoping for £35,000 but I'm flexible. It's silver with black interior, pics I will try and post later (am currently on my mobile and it's a pain to do) spec wise it's got Cruise control, Top tinted windscreen, Parking sensors, PCM (Since replaced with pioneer Avic F960bt which has navigation, Bluetooth with support for reversing camera and microsd card slot for music), Heated leather sports seats and stainless steel entry panels with model type face. Is currently ‘sill naked’ as the kick plates are not attached (but are included with the sale). The centre console has been painted to colour match the exterior colour. Also has a certificate of authenticity from Porsche. Turbos come with pretty good spec as standard and I'm willing to include a set of winter wheels and tires in with that sale price which I would deliver (wheels not the car) a reasonable distance. I live near hull for reference.
Afraid 3k over our budget and the one we were looking atGassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff