Looking to buy a 996 911 Porsche but not sure which one?

Cuticuraser

I’ve always wanted one of these having driven one a while back and never quite forgot the way it looked and how to drove. It was a 2004 40th anniversary edition. It felt very engaging and you could almost feel the road even at lower speeds 

I’m fortunately now in a position to buy one but there are a plethora of 996 models out there so not sure which one? I’m looking for one that’s ULEZ so it has to be 2002-2004 model. 

The 40th anniversary is very hard to come by and probably out of my budget so have to get the next best thing. It has to be a coupe and manual but should I consider getting the Carrera 4S or the Turbo? Will they feel the same as a base Carrera 2 in terms of driver feel suspension setup?

jimjames

Cuticuraser said:

I’ve always wanted one of these having driven one a while back and never quite forgot the way it looked and how to drove. It was a 2004 40th anniversary edition. It felt very engaging and you could almost feel the road even at lower speeds 

I’m fortunately now in a position to buy one but there are a plethora of 996 models out there so not sure which one? I’m looking for one that’s ULEZ so it has to be 2002-2004 model. 

The 40th anniversary is very hard to come by and probably out of my budget so have to get the next best thing. It has to be a coupe and manual but should I consider getting the Carrera 4S or the Turbo? Will they feel the same as a base Carrera 2 in terms of driver feel suspension setup?

The C2 from 1998 should be ULEZ compliant too but you might need to apply to TFL for exemption as it may not be as default but is definitely compliant.

There are various suspension setups, it might have the optional M030 lower suspension on any of the variants which will be slightly harder than standard. 4S will be in the low £20k-£30k range depending on condition and miles, turbo will be £30k plus. Decent C2/C4 will start from around £12k upwards, C4 tends to be slightly cheaper as it is the tiptronic or cabriolet. C4/C4S will have smaller luggage space due to the 4WD setup. Strangely the C4 isn't rated very highly compared to the C2 as the 4wd is less preferred but the C4S with the same system is more highly rated - go figure!

darrensurrey

My thread has arrived after 12 years!

In terms of which model, you will have to drive each of them to see which feels right for you. Personally, I only drove a Turbo and ended up buying it because I couldn't get it out of my head after the test drive. Also, I didn't want to play IMS roulette (it's a small chance like 2% but if it goes, it's a £20k bill).

The thing to note is that IMS/RMS aside (if you don't know what I'm talking about, google IMS and RMS), things like suspension and bushings will be worn out as they're 20 years old so need replacing either as and when they go or in one service to make it feel and handle like new again.

If you go down the turbo route, the turbo and wastegate might need doing (had the wastegates done for £3k, a turbo refurb is £6k).

The coolant lines could also do with welding (but this is predominantly for hotter countries where the glue has perished... and I think is only related to the turbo model).

I would recommend setting aside £3k a year for getting stuff sorted. If in one year it costs less, then do a celebratory dance.

TBH I wouldn't get the turbo. It's so good in all ways that I struggle to bring myself to sell it. I want to try something Italian but just cannot sell the car. Have had it for 3 years and could happily keep it for another 5. But I want to try something with a V8 or a V10. Ask me what I've done in 12 months. I will probably still have it and therefore not have space for something else on the drive!

stuhse

Remember the rule when buying toys..dont buy it unless you can afford to buy 2.

The saying for Jaguars - if you cant afford a new one , you definitely can't afford a second hand one.---i think this probably applies to Porsche too.

BUT remember -

He who dies with the most toys wins.

Have fun..

Just budget for substantial maintenance and repair bills and you can have fun. You cant buy cars like this and think the only annual costs are going to be  tax, insurance, a standard service, MOT and set of tyres. As said above you need to budget for purchase price and on going upkeep of £ xxxx K per year.

darrensurrey

stuhse said:

Remember the rule when buying toys..dont buy it unless you can afford to buy 2.

The saying for Jaguars - if you cant afford a new one , you definitely can't afford a second hand one.---i think this probably applies to Porsche too.

That's hilarious and brilliant. I haven't heard of that rule before.

I suppose it's not quite that bad because you shouldn't have to pay that in one year but maybe over 10 years I will have bought another 911 Turbo with the amount I'll have spent in keeping it on the road!

From my reading around, it's about £3k pa (in addition to servicing costs and obvs fuel/tax/insurance). To keep a Ferrari or Lambo on the road you need a £5k pa slush fund.

Wonka_2

Given your previous challenges/questions on other topics I’d be taking advices from a bespoke Porsche forum/FB page rather than on here. 

Cuticuraser

Can a well sorted 996 be used as a daily driver? This will be a daily driver for me but my annual mileage will be less than 6000 miles. 

jimjames

Cuticuraser said:

Can a well sorted 996 be used as a daily driver? This will be a daily driver for me but my annual mileage will be less than 6000 miles. 

It could be, remember though it's still a 20+ year old car and is pretty fuel hungry. Some of the early ones are suffering serious corrosion which would be exacerbated with winter use. 911uk forum might give you more info. I've had 3 but not as daily drivers.

darrensurrey

Cuticuraser said:

Can a well sorted 996 be used as a daily driver? This will be a daily driver for me but my annual mileage will be less than 6000 miles. 

I do about 4k a year, all weather conditions. Just drive sensibly in the wet especially if you have a 2WD version unless you want to put the engine where the designers hadn't planned (ie in front of the car 😅 ).

Nobbie1967

Cuticuraser said:

Can a well sorted 996 be used as a daily driver? This will be a daily driver for me but my annual mileage will be less than 6000 miles. 

Yes, they are pretty easy to live with, but regular driving on salty roads will result in a right mess underneath unless it’s given some decent rust proofing. Even then there are plenty of alu/steel interfaces in the suspension that will weld themselves solid in a brine bath. My last 986 Boxster was scrapped due to structural rust caused by year round commuting on a well salted M4 and renewing the suspension was a real trial due to siezed components.

Buy the best maintained car you can afford. An extra £3k on purchase price can easily save much more than that in bills. Certainly look for one that has had the suspension replaced as there’s little point having one on old suspension.

Cuticuraser

The car will become my daily driver in London. Mainly short distance driving in traffic. 

How is the automatic in these cars? I’ve driven the 997 tiptronic and it’s not too bad but assuming the 996 will have a laggier slower auto?