911 996 for £12k

[Walesy 0]

I've been looking around for something a bit more fun to drive and was shocked to see just how cheap the 996 has become, you can pick one of these up from £8k, £12k seems to get you a nice one, I've been and test driven a couple and they're lovely cars - so, does anyone here have any experience of these?

 

From doing some reading, there are horror stories regarding the IMS bearing, but knowing what forums are like for doom-mongering (G60's being a good example) I'm not sure whether or not to be put off, are these cars cheap for a reason, and do they cost a fortune to maintain? I've read that they're known as being a 'practical supercar' that can be used daily, they have rear seats and child seats can be fitted so no worries there, I'm not fussed about MPG as I wouldn't use it as a daily.

 

I'm looking at either the 3.4 or 3.6 but have heard the 3.6 is better, preferably the 4wd and would prefer a triptronic (yeah yeah, I know, but I like my autos and my wife would drive it now and then so 4wd would come in handy!)

 

So, anyone owned one or looked into them? I'd appreciate any input, it seems like a lot of car for the money, originally I was looking at the new 'rocco until I saw I could get a 911 with half the milage for the same money!

[coullstar 0]

Best time to buy. Unabused examples will start to go up IMO. I also agree regarding the IMs but worth looking into some sort of warranty.

 

I dont have any specific advice other than go for it. I bet you could buy and run for a few years then sell for at least the same if not more than you pay. Not many cars you can do that and still have some fun in.

[Walesy 0]

That's another good point, you're right surely these cars will never drop much below what they're selling for at the moment, I'm just wary as they almost seem too cheap!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

See if Practical Performance Car have any back issues with a 996 buyers guide. They speak to the experts concerned rather than offering conjecture.

 

For example they did a Cayman buyers guide this month and the 3.4 engine was a picked out as a known weakness, potentially costing £1000s to put right. They said the less stressed 2.7 version was a safer bet. I know forums can sometimes be opinionated, biased and prophets of doom but I've generally I've always found stereotypes and horror stories come about for a reason. If I was in the market for a 3.4 Cayman, I would have been extremely thankful of PPC for mentioning that!!

 

I've only driven a 993 and personally that felt really old and nothing remarkable. I think they're one of those cars you just like because you like them, but I know the 996 is a big leap up from that. If you can overlook the minor negatives and be prepared to risk the more serious ones, go for it! It is a lot of car for the cash!

[Walesy 0]

Good call, i'll have a look on ebay for an old issue, and yeah the Cayman's are also surprisingly cheap, stunning looking cars but I need the rear seat which they don't have, otherwise I'd be very tempted! I'm pretty sure that the 3.4 engine in the Cayman is the same lump that's in the 996 with the bad reputation, obviously it's bad enough to be a contributing factor in the low prices!

[too hot 0]

I'm actually looking for a Cayman just now and have heard all the horror stories too.

Its all relative !! I`m hoping to get a proper warranty with it so should be safe enough

[MarkFoster 0]

I suspect the 996 will always be the 'bargain' 911..... there's a certain something about those headlights....

[Jim 2]

I guess the fact that Porsche officianado's seem to look down their noses at the 996 is an advantage for everyone else who wants more affordable entry into 911 ownership. At the end of the day it's still a 911 and will be an amazing steer compared to lots of other cars.

 

I think though, knowing the potential borkage that a bad 911 could deal out, I'd be looking to buy from a very well reputed specialist or enthusiast owner. Good luck - I'd be extremely envious if you got a 996 :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The 3.6 engine in the 996 should be problem free. The 3.6 VarioRam lump in the 993 is a strong, torquey and very smooth beast and should be a nice motor in the 996 as well, albeit water cooled.

 

Apparently the Cayman's 3.4 engine is a stretched out unit on the ragged edge of performance and emissions and suffers from bore scratching. And then excessive oil scoffing follows! It's also difficult to predict when or if this will happen and the experts recommend checking the cylinders with a Boroscope before buying. Hmmmmm. Hassle!

 

Jim I think the 996 snobbery comes from a few narrow minded types. 996 saw the end of the Air cooled engine, the arrival of the ugly headlights and the arrival of a notable drop (by Porsche's usual standards) in cabin quality. But without going water cooled, Porsche would have been stuck in the 70s and with the bhp outputs to match. The headlights are marmite, as is the cabin, but the actual car underneath is all 911 goodness.

 

Jump onto the EvoTV youtube channel and check out the Cayman S (current one) vs 996 GT3 track battle. The two cars put in an identical time and that's a testament to the 996 if you ask me. Sure, the GT3 is their flagship but 15 years separate the two cars! Bovingdon loved the GT3! Great cars.

[Walesy 0]

Yeah I realise that the 996 is the ginger child in the Porsche family, being the first water-cooled was never going to go down well and sharing a front end with the Boxster didn't help, but if that means that they're affordable to me then I can live with it, a 911 is a dream car for me which is why I was so blown away to see what sort of prices they're going for.

 

From what I can gather then 3.6 engine still suffers with the IMS failure that is the big problem with the 3.4, that seems to be the downside to them, I've not heard of any problems with the 4wd system or the triptronic gearboxes though.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

A lot of ginger women having cracking bodies to make up for it though ;)

 

No German performance car is free of problems. M3s, M5s, 911s, Audi RSs..... they all have an expensive weakness. You just have to choose which frying pan you want to jump into :)

 

After reading a few posts, the IMS can be changed in situ on the 996, which saves a lot of labour cost.

[liam_raddo 0]

I ran a 2004 one for 2 years as my daily, and was trouble free, I did take up the Porsche Warranty at £1k a year for piece of mind. Must admit didn't realise they had dropped so much, the 3.6 IMO is the only one to have. When you factor in depreciation they are very tempting .... Must resist..

[loepan 11]

to be fair we already drive the 'ginger child' of the vw world so nothing will be new as far as thats concerned

 

mr bacon, i like pale gingers too :norty:

[Bullfinch 0]

I say go for it. Do some careful research and drive a few 996's to get the feel of them. I suggest looking at the Carrera 4S - its wide body looks the business. I was lucky enough last year to buy a 997 Gen 2 Carrera 4S and it's a cracker.

[Walesy 0]

The the C4s is preferable, that back end, mmmm! :D You're a lucky guy having a 997, fantastic looking cars!

 

I'm still scared though. Being able to buy the thing is one thing, it's having the finances to run one properly that I'm thinking I'm going to struggle with, it won't be a daily so I suppose it wouldn't be the end of the world if something went wrong and I needed to lay it up while I got the money together to fix it, but I'm just not sure that it's sensible to buy a car like this if I'm not 100% sure I can maintain in properly. Even though they're referred to as the 'practical supercar' they're still an expensive car to run and probably beyond my means if I'm being sensible, but you only live once, etc. Gah, around the circle I go! :-/

 

I've test driven two, and loved every second, I'm going to go and test drive a Rocco TSI and see how I feel, that's the other option for me and I've never sat in one let alone driven one, I can't help feeling they're going to be pretty dull compared to the 911 though!

 

Cheers for the input.

[Bullfinch 0]

How was the test drive in the Scirocco? On my return from Oz I had one for a few months before the 911. It was a 2.0 TFSi which went perfectly well. You don't get any exciting engine sounds but VW do try and engineer a bit of a throaty exhaust. I didn't think the dash and some of the plastics were finished in that high a quality material and also the rear headrests hampered the rear view. I owned a Mk2 TT for 3 years and that was a much better put together car than the Rocco.

[Walesy 0]

Unfortunately I've not had chance to test drive one, due to working 7 days a week at the moment and being in Cornwall where we're not exactly spoilt for choice in terms of car dealers, however I'm pretty much decided that I'm not yet in a financial position to afford to be a 911 owner, I got a bit carried away on seeing how cheap they are to buy but the more research I've done about the cost of ownership the more convinced I am that it's not the right time.

 

So yeah, I'm looking at newer cars, the Scirocco being one, and for the first time ever I've even been fancying a Jap car, the Toyota GT86, so will be trying to find one of them for a proper look.