jimi

Hi guys


Well i had better make my mind up very soon as in the next couple of days i think i am going to buy a 1996 c4 six speed with low mileage.

I do not want to sell me scooby but i am dieing to get a porker.

JIM

image doctor

I hope it's a good one.

id

Gastro

Its not in rainforest green by any chance >> ?

Gastro

jimi

no its a blue 993 with 18k on the clock and the guy wants £32,500 for it which i think is a bit dear,what do you think?

JIM

Gastro

Its expensive for a private sale - but its the low miles you are paying for...

To be honest though 18k miles on a 8 year old car --> some would argue that the engine wear from such short journey's may mean engine woes may be around the corner...

Whatever - always get an inspection before buying...

Good luck,

Gastro

jimi

Gastro

I aim to go down and see the car on sunday i will post some pics if i can.

JIM

jimi

Hi all

Just to let any of you know that are intrested that i went down to see the car today.

I took it for a very long test drive and it felt so different to my scooby.

The porsche felt like a very good quality car but not as fast or as sporty as the scooby.

When we got back from the test drive i took the guy out in my car and let him drive back,he could not believe how fast my car was and the kick back in the seat made him smile.

I am some what dissapointed in that the porsche was not as good as i thought they were.

There was nothing wrong with the car it just did not flick my switch.

JIM

Gastro

Thats the reason you took a good long test drive.
Not all 'legends' are everyones cup of tea - the 911 (other than in 996 form) is quirky car to say the least albeit beautiful to the eye..

Now what are you going to do with 35K burning a hole in your pocket

Gastro


[Edited by Gastro - 12/22/2003 7:54:08 AM]

166 ajw

You need a 993 turbo - a good 120bhp more than a 993 - considerably quicker than a sti etc - but considerably more expensive too.

jimi

I love the porsche 911 turbo but the price tag is £45,000 -£50,000 so that is a hell of a lot of money.

What car shall i get now?
What do you think of the porsche 996?


JIM

[Edited by jimi - 12/22/2003 10:27:06 PM]

Gastro

996's are a different breed. They aren't as 'characterful' as the 993 and arguably not as pleasing on the eye... but they are

1) Much cheaper to run
2) Faster
3) have a more modern interior
4) Better handling..

The only things I know to look out for are ..

MY98 - certain batch of engines suffered from porous piston
barrels - be careful of low mileage examples that may have not had a replacement engine under warranty

Gearboxes - the 6-speed Getrag gearbox fitted has a weak 2nd gear - this isnt easily fixable - in fact a new Gearbox is probably just as cheap (circa £3.5K).

TBO I pondered a 993 for sometime - but it was the running costs of the car that made me go for a 9 month old Boxster S - lower maintenance, cheaper and nearly as fast. And of course it shares a lot of the 996 running gear...

Go on - you know you want to

Gastro

RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

I had a Boxster S before the 996 & its a fantastic car in every way however I just felt it wasn't fast enough & changed to a 996 - though I enjoyed the S through our great summer so had it for the best summer in years !
.......wherever I went I got "its not a proper Porsche", "poor mans Porsche" , "Its not a 911 though is it" & my all time fave "couldn't you afford a 911 then ?" made me laugh.
These people should go drive a Boxster S then comment as its every inch a Porsche & in some ways better than a 996/993 etc.

Back on topic - Rear Main Seals & Suspension Drop Links are 2 things to watch out for on 996's (RMS even on brand new ones)
RMS's require gearbox off to change so while the parts are in-expensive you are paying £100 per hour at a Porsche Dealer for them to work on it !
For some reason Porsche never fixed this on the 996 despite it being a known weak point.
The drop links are easy & cheap to replace - just had mine done & it was £50 per side or something.

Other things :

Tracking & tyres - the 996's are very sensitive to the correct tyres & geometry settings. I have been told to get the geometry checked & aligned ever year & even cars coming out of the factory new often have settings that are out.
996's should only should be run on Continental Sport Contact 2's or Pirelli P-Zero's - these are the only 2 tyres with the correct N rating & approved by Porsche for the 996 (not sure about the 993)

Later 996's sometimes have MAF problems - again I just changed mine & that completely sorted an idle problem I had recently - a dealer replaced it for £350 all in so not that bad. O2 sensors are also prone to going on low mileage 996's that have been used for local mileage & have coked up. Again not too expensive to change.

When buying also check the radiator header tank & under the oil filler cap, don't touch the car if there is a mayonnaise-like emulsion or scum - It probably needs a new engine....& Check rear brake discs carefully as they tend to rust on cars not subjected to regular hard braking....but this isn't that common.
Recalls
Check any car you are looking at has been recalled & has this work done - Porsche Head Office can tell you.
1998 MY 996's - 540 UK cars recalled due to wrong size pulley fitted driving ancillaries drive belt which may slip affecting PAS, brakes, water pump and alternator
996 Carrera 4: 1,179 RHD Carrera 4s built between October 1998 and April 2000 recalled to correct software fault which affects fuel gauge reading

Also bear in mind that later 996's now qualify for cheaper main dealer labour rates as Porsche try & keep the cars in the network & away from independent specialist servicing & repair places.

Try & get one with a Sports Exhaust - I didn't & its now top of my wish list for next year - they sound like hairdryers (water cooled) without & sound completely awesome with. You can get them wired into the ECU & have a button on the dash to open & close it - most people dont have this fitted & have it on all the time - this saves around £700 in labour apparantly !!!!! as just the boxes are fitted & not the trick electrics....however Porsche will not fit it like this so will have to take it to an independant for fitting.

Loads more stuff but got sore fingers now !

Ro.

sonu

Gastro

intersting that you think that the 996 is better handling. I thought that was understeer prone compared to the 993?

Thanks

Sonu

NOZZER

Keep it coming Ro!
Great info, im looking to change to a 996 from P1 early next year. Tried the 993 and didnt like it too much, need to try the 996 to see if i prefere that.

RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

Well I went from an STi4 (modded) to a Boxster S then quite quickly to a 996. After the STi the Boxster felt slow......it beat the STi in every department other than outright performance - & even then it wasn't a million miles away from the STi
The 996 addresses that - up to say 65-70 there is nowt in it but it flies from then onwards & the STi would struggle. loads of Torque everywhere you need it & very linear power delivery. At first I thought that it wasn't that much faster but overtaking slow traffic highlights its mid range punch which is awesome.

I use independents for stuff like brakes, minor stuff & stick to the Porsche Centres for servicing etc.

Fuel consumption is a little better than the Scooby too funnily enough.
Brakes are awesome (as they were on the Boxster...same set-up I believe)

You just have to be aware of all that weight over the rear wheels & adjust driving accordingly which actually makes you a better driver longer-term than when driving a Scooby that does forgive you for certain things.

Prepare for lots of unwanted attention - I thought it was bad in the Scooby but everyone wants a race, people cut you up, refuse to let you out of junctions & I have even had a couple of people swear at me when filling up with petrol !

Another tip when buying - get the "right" options ie the options that will help you when you sell.
Electric sunroof, Side Airbags, Traction control are good to have on the earlier cars & can help when re-selling quite a bit.
Avoid the GT3 Aerokit (unless you like it of course) as it puts a fair few buyers off. I personally don't like it as it ruins the lines of the car.

Avoid later cars just now - the 997 is out in 9 months & the current guestimate is that later 996's (2001/2/3 cars) are losing £1k per month because of the arrival of the new model.......the earlier cars are much much steadier - certainly I could put my car in the paper for the same price as I paid for it 9 months ago & feel confident of selling it.
Niche 911's are the only ones holding value at present (C4S, C4S Cab, Turbo Cab & new GT3) but I can't afford any of them !

I bought mine private from a guy with a genuine reason for selling & I got it checked by Porsche. For £150 inc vat AFN will do a full check of the car for you. Quite essential when spending £35k plus. I also have a good list of independent garages that sell 996's - let me know if you want it.

Ro.

Gastro

Sonu,

I'm afraid so - the suspension/handling of the 996 is legions ahead of a 993.

Gastro

jimi

Hi

Ro if you could e-mail me the list of dealers i would like to go round and have a look and see what i can get.

Thanks lads for all your comments,they are all very welcome.


JIM

def

I had a 993 @60 mph in a 300bhp 200sx

image doctor

He drives a Porsche and you drive a Nissan.

Deep Singh

LOL@ image doc.

Deep Singh

Do the Porsche owners out there think its worth having the C4 for more secure handling? I've been told it can at most only transfer something like 30% to the front wheels when needed. Downsides being extra weight and more understeer(?)

Deep.

davyboy

http://www.oilypages.com//links.asp?...orscheDealers&

camk

I initially looked for a 993 and ended up buying a new 996 C4, main reason was the interior was light years ahead of the 993. I like the look of the 993 but since I'm looking at the interior most of the time, its the important bit.
Servicing has been OK(300 quid a year) and MPG is better than my STi was. Porsche dealership has ben nothing short of outstanding, taxi paid to and from the house at their expense. The Rear Seal problem was fixed from certain engine numbers onwards. Mine was a Sept 2000 car and was about 400 after the fix was implemented.

sonu

Sorry guys, I'll have to disagree on this one. Any porker prior to the 996. There's something about the classics....

Thanks

Sonu

camk

interior is a disgrace on 993's in comparison to 996. I just cannot fathom forking our 30-40K on something that looks like its from the 70's inside. Outside I agree is nice on the later models but sorry inside is a disaster zone. The Water/Air debate is just trainspotter stuff.

Skittles

Camk - I am on the market for a 993/6. Having testdriven both, I have to say I couldn't live with he interiod of the 993. Its like my 1980s Micra (first car).

I think the 993 looks marginally nicer, but only CS and Turbo variants.

Also agree the air/water is a geek's debate. If Porsche did not move to an air cooled engine this time, they would be WAY behind the competition. Interesting article in a Porsche mag this month about just this. They reckon the 996 is Porsche's most important car, and this will be recognised in a decade or so as the car/engine that saved Porsche

NOZZER

I have been looking at so many different cars, finally narroed it down to a M3 or 996. After having scoobs 5 years, any car will be so different. I feel the same as camk, the 993 interior is pants, i know thats not what drives the thing, also, ive heard a lot about bumpsteer problems on 993 that make handlig a real problem.
So, its down to M3 or 996. Still deciding!
This thread is great for info thankyou

Skittles

Nozzer - I am just in the process of changing my E46 M3 conv for a Porsche 911 (996).

Having driven both, the M3 I think is a better car overall than a C2 or a C4. However, a 911 is something I want to tick off my list before I need something with 4 doors!

camk

BTW 996 C4 has significantly less 'boot room' than the C2. I love the car but it takes a while to get used to it. Its also hugely impractical and so I've only done 27K KM.
There is no kick in the seat like a turbo car but its very fast when you look at the speedo.The acceleration is very smooth in comparison to anything else I've driven. Handling is very self assured, way beyond my comfort zone so I bottle well before it does. Mine is 3 and a bit years old now(I bought new in Aug 2000).
Its good in the snow but ONLY with winter tyres, even with 4wD its rubbish in the snow without the right rubber.
Its a great car

Skittles

Camk: I am looking for a 2000 model. Reason is I'd like PSM, and not TC. Do you have PSM on yours? A lot seem to have been specified without it