Porsche 911 (996) Help

[Brett]

I've been told to avoid split rims as the lacquer can peel off rather too easily leaving the wheels prone to corrosion. Red paint on a porsche can also be difficult to sell on, as can savannah interior. Enjoy your search

 

[Satch]

993 looks lovely. 996 has had 5 owners in 6 years ...

Having lusted after a 911 for a while now, been watching (yes, lurking) on a number of Porsche forums and a sad but very familiar sounding story is unfolding. It is a tale that involves a lowering of engineering standards to increase volume and fatten up the bottom line, attempting to maintain brand image but with absolute denial of quality issues to the point of driving loyal customers mad.

Now MB mostly had this manifesting itself as bodywork and electronics problems. But Porsche have it coming from inherent design flaws in the 996 engine, one of the worrying ones not listed above being with the design of the oil baffles on non turbo engines (the 996 turbo engines are based around the 993 block design) that can sometimes cause oil starvation during hard cornering. Which is not good news.

Worse still, the 996 engine design is virtually identical to that found in the Boxster and carried over to the 997. Hopefully a lot of the problems have now been sorted but Porsche are clearly trying to keep a lid on this by serving out of warranty owners outright denials of a larger & wider issue in much the same way as MB tried to do. (This was despite a Porsche main dealer reported to have at one point no less than 22 dead 996 engines waiting collection.)

But perhaps the most worrying comment I have read was to the effect that some non turbo-996's have dropped in price to the point where people who could not really afford to maintain them properly or just treated their cars badly were picking them up. General perception seems to be there will soon be a wave of knackered 996's coming on to the market.

So having lusted after a Porsche under the delusion they were about the only "proper" car left, find all that a bit gutting. So would go for the 993 but, as at about the same time last year, still have this niggle that there is a 993 price bubble waiting to burst.

So maybe just have to hang on a bit and then go for a turbo 996

 

[Dieselman]

I actually prefer the shape of the 993, the 996 looks a bit bloated and has lost the semi agressive look.
One of the guys at work has the latest one (996?) and it really isn't attention grabbing.

 

[Ade B]

My brother has just bought a 993 C4S with the Turbo body from 911virgin. He loves it. Paid 28k for an immaculate silver and black leather interior LHD car. I also have a mate who drives a LHD 993 C2S with the smaller body, again in silver and black - last of the 'proper' aircooled porsches, almost depreciation proof (allegedly)..

My brother was going for a RHD C2S until he drove the C4S...

Earlier tiptronics sell for much less.

Ade

 

[stats007]

I understand the 996 has problems - but it doesn't affect all cars and a warranty covers everything which is why I'd insist on a full OPC history. I drive less than 5000 miles a year and as far as I can tell the oil scavange issue is only a problem if you use the car heavily on track days which I wouldn't do. The number of complete engine / gearbox failures is around 1% of the 15k built I think I read and a lot of cars have had the newer design bearings and seals fitted in any case.

I do like the 993 but it is a little dated on the inside and certainly not infallible mechanically.

Not really interested in a Turbo even if I could afford it - the GT3 would be my choice.

I'll keep an open mind and speak to more owners - having had a TVR I'm well aware of the advantage of a warranty and also of horror stories being exaggerated.

Some excellent advice and knowledge coming through on this thread .

I need to drive a C4 to see how it compares - it looks like the weight penalty is minor at 50kg though the balance will be different. The 3.4L 996s are about 10% lighter than the 3.6L versions anyway - after the SL I really want a light car!

 

[AdamBoyse]

Agree with the comments about 996 engine problems but most aren't that serious - RMS failure seems to be main issue and is a relatively straightforward fix. If you look at the Rennlist forums it does seem to be carrying over to the 997s. However the Porsche official warranty is excellent and really gives you peace of mind - at a price though and I think they've recently increased the cost.

Forget all that though - get yourself a Porsche. You won't regret it!

Yes I am somewhat biased with a Porsche but Mercs are superb!

 

[SL300-24]

Andy I like the 993 but not the colour.........you must buy black! It is the best colour IMHO for a Porsche.........good luck with your search........

 

[stats007]

Thanks Ray! Even though the Obsidian Black SL I had was a pain to keep clean and stone chips were more noticeable I miss the colour. I'm favouring a black 996 C4 with a sand leather interior or similar at the moment. The chassis is a fair bit stiffer than the C2 so I'll need to see how it drives but the wider body is more appealing.

 

[glojo]

One of our neighbours has a new black 911 4S. I know nothing about these cars and really thought it was a V8 until I looked on the Porsche website. The noise it makes is to die for (not literally)

Come to think of it next door but one has a one year old 911S, but drives it in a more sedate manner.

Good luck with your search.

John

 

[e55]

I dont know much about porsches but a have a good friend who is a fanatic and recently brought a 993 series TT model.
According to him the 993 is the series to go for. 996 was not that great apparently.

 

[stats007]

There are die-hard 993 fans and more open-minded 996 fans - no different from Mercedes owners going on at the build quality fading after the W124 / W140 / R129 etc. I will drive a few cars and if the 993 does it for me then I'll buy one, otherwise it will be a 996. If he has a TT then then the 996 version is definitely better - just more expensive! The NA versions in the 996 range are the ones that have questionable mechanical issues.

 

[High-Lo]

Stats have you tried these guys who are local? Theres also Camtune and Paragon who are clued up and have many cars available for test drives. I have used Camtune for servicing work and they are very knowledgable.

If you want to browse the Porsche Club GB forums you are welcome to borrow my login. Let me know and I'll PM you.

 

[stats007]

Stats have you tried these guys who are local?

They are the ones who have the C4 (or did) - will be going down tomorrow to have a look at a few .

 

[High-Lo]

Just checked my 911&PW mags and it appears that there is a thorough 996 buyers guide in the December 2006 issue. Let me know if you want it scanned/faxed.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[stats007]

Steve if you could scan it that would be fantastic! I've spent the last 24hrs reading forums and magazines on them - the 993 crowd are a stubborn bunch! Do you have a 993 buyers guide - anything like what options were available etc? The Targa roof looks impressive and a compromise against the convertible (tired of scuttle shake!) though the coupe probably the more sensible route.

 

[SL300-24]

Andy....my business partner bought his Boxter from Cridfords and they were excellent...good luck

 

[haydar]

Hi,

I've got a little experience on this as I currently own a 996 C2S Cab. I know everyone goes on about the 993 and I'm sure it's a brilliant car, but the 996 is much more of an everyday car and can handle high mileage much better. Also, the cost of running a 996 is much cheaper than a 993 since it's much easier to service. Apart from the exceptions, a 996 should be pretty much bullit proof as long as it has been looked after. Don't go trashing until the engine has warmed up for example. Service it on the dot with the right parts, engine oil, etc...

There are many specialist that can service these cars for much less than Porsche and often they are far more knowledgeable about the cars.

As for which 996, will you believe when I set out to buy one I wanted a manual coupe, but after test driving a several ended up buying a tiptronic convertible. This is really down to personal choice, but the tiptronic is amongst the best I've used, since it's really a fully automatic gearbox with exceptionally fast gear changes, much better than the true semi-automatics since they never seem to work properly in the real world. Since I live in London when I'm in the UK, the tiptronic in fully automatic mode makes so much sense. Also, when you are really on it, when in full tiptronic mode, it can be a real hoot throwing the car around. I suggest you try one of each and see what you prefer.

The reason I went for a convertible was simply when I drove one, I didn't really get a feeling that I was loosing much dynamically. Also, the sensation of driving fast through country roads with the wind in your hair just hightens the experience. It was just so much fun! Talking of fun, I'd really recommend you go for a C2 and not a C4. With all things being equal, it's likely that the C4 would be faster on a wet road, but even then the chap in the C2 will be having more fun!!!

My last advice is that you really need to try quite a few cars and take your time. I experienced a lot of difference between cars that were supposed to be identical. Porsches are very sensitive to the tracking being setup properly. This is best done by a independant specialist, since they can setup the car to your taste.

My car is a 2000 model car which I've now owned for 2 years. This is the 3.4 litre engine. I have tried the later 3.6 litre engine and to be honest I didn't notice a huge amount of difference. Again, it is more to do with how well the car has been looked after.

If you buy one, especially after driving a Mercedes, you'll absolutely love it. This is not putting down Mercs, it's just that a Porsche feels alive when you are driving it! It's just so much fun, something even a die hard Merc enthusiast must admit is not a Merc strong point.

 

[grober]

buyers guides at total 911

Try these:-
Ultimate Buyer’s Guide: Porsche 911 Carrera, Turbo & GT (996).
By Grant Neal
Full information on specifications, facts and figures, model changes, colours, option codes, chassis numbering and special editions, together with detailed photos of what to look and look out for when inspecting a 996. 64 pages, 100 colour illustrations. £9.95.
AND
Ultimate Buyer’s Guide: Porsche 911 Carrera, RS & Turbo (993).
By Peter Morgan
All the prospective buyer needs to know about specifications, models, options, changes and more. Plus valuable tips and what to look for and what pitfalls to avoid when examining a car for purchase. 72 pages. £8.95

They can be found on this website:- http://total911.co.uk/index.asp?id=1
under buy now -all products and scroll down.

the mag total 911 is a good source also.

 

[stats007]

The 3.6 996 is probably out of my price range as it came in late '01 to '02 I think - power was up by about 5% but so was the weight so I'm not too bothered. I'm looking forward to trying all of the cars out - I suppose I shouldn't discount the cabrio but I'd rather have a Targa - I've had my share of hardtop storage and soft top care . The tiptronic sounds interesting - I used to hate autos but have had no choice with the V8 SLs - no clutch replacement at 50k to worry about too though this is when most get the RMS done. I miss the heel / toeing of a manual with the throttle blip!

 

[awg454]

I have just sold my 2000 996 typical!! its going on friday,this was my 3rd 911 i have never had any problems with any of them,i have however always paid for extended warrantys on all,my wife is on her 2nd boxter also no problems whatsoever.