996 Turbo to an SL400

[simon45089]

I swapped a 911 for an SL 400 and dont regret the decision one bit. The 911 was a 997.2 Carrera, a dream car that followed on the heels of a 986 Boxster S and 987.2 Boxster.
I kept it for a year, and was glad I had the experience, but it was not comfortable and cost a fair bit in maintaining it / Porsche tax !
I am 57, and not overweight, but I hobbled out of the 911 after a couple of hours. By contrast the SL 400 is luxurious and super comfortable. Its cheaper to run, has loads of extras over the 911, and has real road presence (its black). Its fast enough and can easily be upgraded to 400 bhp- the 911 was 345. I really love it, as much as the 911 but for different reasons. This years Euro road trip should be a delight !

 

[Troutman]

The strangest thing happened and I think it was divine intervention.
I was looking on eBay a saw a really worn out early 996 C2 Coupe manual for sale with "engine issues" not too far away (1.5hrs which is close for us) it's in Arena Red with ambers.
Long story short I bought it and intend to fix it up slowly but keep it as a hack which is the opposite to the Turbo.
Turbo will still be up for sale though as I've been told "yes as long as the other one goes soon"
It's much more "me" , I think I'd have got very bored of an SL very quickly.

 

[Will]

The strangest thing happened and I think it was divine intervention.
I was looking on eBay a saw a really worn out early 996 C2 Coupe manual for sale with "engine issues" not too far away (1.5hrs which is close for us) it's in Arena Red with ambers.
Long story short I bought it and intend to fix it up slowly but keep it as a hack which is the opposite to the Turbo.
Turbo will still be up for sale though as I've been told "yes as long as the other one goes soon"
It's much more "me" , I think I'd have got very bored of an SL very quickly.

Sounds interesting - what’s your plan for the engine?

Engine issues can be quite expensive on an M96 although I’m sure you know that

I’ve had my 2003 C2 for about eight years now. Have used it a lot more recently and it’s really grown on me - was thinking of moving it on (due to lack of use) but I just can’t bring myself to do so at the moment!



I’m not precious about driving mine either which I think has really added to the enjoyment - it’s a bit low (factory X74 suspension, -30mm) so doesn’t like speed humps and rough roads but when you get the right roads it’s great to drive - as said you’re blessed with those no doubt where you’re located

Any pics or more details - you should start a thread for it

 

[Troutman]

I might do a thread but probably on 911UK or another Porsche site...dunno yet.
I'll send some photos when I get it back home.
It's using a small amount of coolant , no intermix and no overheating , new rads and no drips anywhere so might be a cracked head. I've always wanted to strip a M96 down so unless I find a simple fix which is unlikely that's what I'll be doing. Shares the same cylinder heads as the 3.2 Boxster so plenty available.
It's tired and unloved (bit like me) but no corrosion and no previous damage , I spent an hour under a lift with a torch , it'll be perfect and it's got Sanannah interior which is so retro but suites the Arena Red very well. I'll renew and suspension and it'll be getting new MO30 spec struts and springs. Very excited

I wouldn't have got bored with an SL actually, that was a silly statement , I think for doing big Euro trips you couldn't get a better car and Simon above confirmed that but I do like fixing stuff up , I always have and a perfect MB SL wouldn't need much of that, that's what I probably meant.

 

[Will]

I might do a thread but probably on 911UK or another Porsche site...dunno yet.
I'll send some photos when I get it back home.
It's using a small amount of coolant , no intermix and no overheating , new rads and no drips anywhere so might be a cracked head. I've always wanted to strip a M96 down so unless I find a simple fix which is unlikely that's what I'll be doing. Shares the same cylinder heads as the 3.2 Boxster so plenty available.
It's tired and unloved (bit like me) but no corrosion and no previous damage , I spent an hour under a lift with a torch , it'll be perfect and it's got Sanannah interior which is so retro but suites the Arena Red very well. I'll renew and suspension and it'll be getting new MO30 spec struts and springs. Very excited

I wouldn't have got bored with an SL actually, that was a silly statement , I think for doing big Euro trips you couldn't get a better car and Simon above confirmed that but I do like fixing stuff up , I always have and a perfect MB SL wouldn't need much of that, that's what I probably meant.

Sounds like you have gone in eyes wide open. There’s so many possibilities - there’s a ton of pipework on the 996 (it holds 20+ litres of coolant IIRC) and could be something silly or could be something much more sinister but if there’s no obvious drips then it has to be going somewhere internally like you say - head sounds likely. Maybe a pressure test would be a good start before you tear it all apart though!

I have to be honest, I hate working on my 996. The quality of the bolts and fasteners is poor compared to similar aged MBs. Every job seems to be more awkward and take longer than you would expect. By comparison, most MBs I’ve worked on come apart like they were built yesterday

 

[HappytalkAgain]

Sounds interesting - what’s your plan for the engine?

Engine issues can be quite expensive on an M96 although I’m sure you know that

I’ve had my 2003 C2 for about eight years now. Have used it a lot more recently and it’s really grown on me - was thinking of moving it on (due to lack of use) but I just can’t bring myself to do so at the moment!

View attachment 157234

I’m not precious about driving mine either which I think has really added to the enjoyment - it’s a bit low (factory X74 suspension, -30mm) so doesn’t like speed humps and rough roads but when you get the right roads it’s great to drive - as said you’re blessed with those no doubt where you’re located

Any pics or more details - you should start a thread for it

That looks a fine example Will. Would love to see more photos when you have time.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

The strangest thing happened and I think it was divine intervention.
I was looking on eBay a saw a really worn out early 996 C2 Coupe manual for sale with "engine issues" not too far away (1.5hrs which is close for us) it's in Arena Red with ambers.
Long story short I bought it and intend to fix it up slowly but keep it as a hack which is the opposite to the Turbo.
Turbo will still be up for sale though as I've been told "yes as long as the other one goes soon"
It's much more "me" , I think I'd have got very bored of an SL very quickly.

Did you ever get round to test driving an R231 SL400, or SL55/63 ?

Completely understand the love of fettling a 996 C2. With your skills, it's the obvious thing to do.

As for the power of the Turbo, as I've said before, you won't get anywhere faster with a Turbo rather than a C2. Those days disappeared two decades ago.

 

[Will]

That looks a fine example Will. Would love to see more photos when you have time.

It’s far from perfect Ant but it’s also the antithesis of what I usually would buy and run too. Has a few scrapes underneath and it’s had some paintwork but then not many of these 20+ year old cars haven’t unless they’ve not been used.

I mean I missed out on air cooled ones about 15/20 years ago and then about 9/10 years back I almost bought a couple of different 997s.

This was relatively low miles, driver’s spec and great value so I took a punt to scratch the itch and it’s been stuck with me ever since.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

That’s a beaut Will. Super rear end on those. 65k miles too. Barely run in. Great to knows it’s being used and enjoyed. Much better than a garage Queen.

 

[Troutman]

Sounds like you have gone in eyes wide open. There’s so many possibilities - there’s a ton of pipework on the 996 (it holds 20+ litres of coolant IIRC) and could be something silly or could be something much more sinister but if there’s no obvious drips then it has to be going somewhere internally like you say - head sounds likely. Maybe a pressure test would be a good start before you tear it all apart though!

I have to be honest, I hate working on my 996. The quality of the bolts and fasteners is poor compared to similar aged MBs. Every job seems to be more awkward and take longer than you would expect. By comparison, most MBs I’ve worked on come apart like they were built yesterday

That's true, the E class (W211) I have is a joy to work on , just did a gearbox/torque converter fluid change last week , with the aid of Youtube it was a breeze and using MB genuine parts/fluid not much at all.
The 911 has had a coolant pressure check and it's holding very well, no leak down at all. It's very strange.
He had new rads fitted as this was the initial idea but still uses, I'm just hoping it was the rads and it hasn't yet bled all the air out yet , they can be quite hard to do although I remember doing my Boxster years ago and it bled very easily. Who knows.
The chap was into just about everything I am , sailing , radio controlled aircraft, cars, motorbikes and building stuff. He was incredibly transparent about the car and he had a lift, I'd never buy a car without seeing the underside.

 

[Troutman]

I don't really have any good photos of my 911 but here is the original video from Williams Crawford that made me part with a large wedge.

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[Will]

That’s a beaut Will. Super rear end on those. 65k miles too. Barely run in. Great to knows it’s being used and enjoyed. Much better than a garage Queen.

Ironically it sat in the garage unused for a couple of years til a few months back, I think I’ve done more miles in it over the last 3 months than in the previous 7 years or so!

Tbh mileage on these can be meaningless - there’s some well documented issues with these engines even when they were quite new - mine has been okay so far - touch wood. I did a load of work on the car when I first got it but it’s been super reliable and seems to just get better the more it’s being used. Mine has factory 3rd radiator, baffled sump etc which possibly helps a bit. I scoped the bores and they all look fine - doesn’t use any oil or coolant, engine is sweet - quiet and it pulls really well. Needs to be revved quite a bit compared to what I usually drive but it sings all the way to 7k+ RPM.

Was supposedly a press car for Porsche GB (Reading) hence the unusual options - factory sunroof delete, Porsche ‘exclusive’ engine power kit (345hp), suspension, rear spoiler etc.

Not super quick by today’s standards but it’s just such good fun to drive. I love it

 

[Troutman]

Thats a really nice car , the third radiator will definitely help and 345hp is more than enough.
I had a Cayman S before the Turbo and 300hp was enough tbh.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I don't really have any good photos of my 911 but here is the original video from Williams Crawford that made me part with a large wedge.

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Glorious. Love that Natural Brown interior.

 

[Troutman]

It's actually Boxster Red , that's the name , sometimes called Terracotta. I think they spent far too long on the interior , nothing of the wheels or engine.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

It's actually Boxster Red , that's the name , sometimes called Terracotta. I think they spent far too long on the interior , nothing of the wheels or engine.

Every day's a school day.

How can I put this.... some of the people who were buying this level of kit... back in the day... weren't specifying for performance.

Not unknown for these to be simply given as gifts that weren't driven. As you know when you bought this with an annual mileage of around 500 miles a year.

And this was all long before the modern track day / GT3 scene.

 

[Mark9999]

I’m really enjoying my facelift SL400 it’s no 911 but eats up the miles in supreme comfort. The boot and cubby holes take a surprising amount of luggage.
Mark