Thinking of 996 Turbo

Hi all, I was originally going to sell my car and save the extra needed to get a z06, when I noticed the price of the early 996 Turbos (30k upwards). I currently have a Noble which is purely used as a weekend toy. However if the weather is bad is stays tucked up in the garage and i really want something that I don't mind driving in all weather etc. After the last PH meet of the year i took a drive down to Paragon and had a look around a 52reg manual 996 turbo. The next day I revisited and was kindly taken out on a test drive. I was very impressed with how capable it was at covering ground in damp conditions. I could really see myself owning one and using it a lot more often than my current motor. Although i would want a little more power and some extra noise!! But from a little research i see that this can be done quite easily. So I'm sorry if I am covering old ground but is there anything i should look out for? I noticed the a sticky thread on the PH forum relating to engine failures etc, does this effect the Turbo? Oh, and what about reliability after a mild bit of tuning, i.e. remap and exhaust? I know, so many questions, but i am really interested and once the current car is sold i will be actively looking to purchase the next car, or saving for the Z06 but that would take a little more time and i'm not that patient, lol. Plus i have always had a soft spot for the 996TT and it was something i had always secretly wanted to own but could never afford, until now. Cheers James P.S. Sorry about the silly tag name, but its something that has followed me through my online gaming years and all the forums, lol.

:welcome: Don't worry about the name - there are a lot worse on here :wink: :floor: I'll let the Turbo experts tell you a bit more about the details, but the Turbo does not share the same engine block as the NA cars, and in fact it comes from the racing programme: As you can imagine, it has been modified to the nth degree as such and Porsche have legendary reliability in racing circles! Interesting for me that you have a Noble, and you've answered one question that stopped me considering one myself... I need a daily driver!

Thanks for the reply Wattie and the welcome. I know a few people that use their Nobles as daily drivers and don't have any problems. But it's a car that gets a whole lot of attention, and i mean a load of attention. People stopping to photo it, people carve you up to film it and because of that it can be a worry about where you park it. It's quite comfortable and a long drive isn't a problem for me. but they are hard to keep clean etc (No inner wheel arches as such). I've had mine nearly 3 years and its been a blast. Fancy a change though and something I can drive in all weather and just hose down at the end of the day, i'm a real clean freak. The Turbo seems like a good place to start with replacing it. James

Welcome aboard. The engine in the 996 Turbo is fairly bullet proof (think it's developed from the GT1 engine which was used for racing) but you could save youself the trouble of remapping and look for one with X50 factory upgrade which gives you an extra 30 bhp or alternatively the Turbo S. Turbo S www.midland-ferrari.co.uk/car-sales-porsche.asp

there should be a good supply of 996 TT's as owners often keep them in tip top condition

Thanks for all the replies fellas. That's put my mind at rest re the engine. not that it would have put me off just handy to know what to look for. Cheers James