Help buying a 996.

Hi all!! Im after some information with regards to the 996. Ive been doing lots of research of buying advice on the 996, but they seems to be all different advice out there, i understand that some people have all the luck and others dont, so some say engines are weak so dont. What i seem to get is that the 3.6 engine in the face lift is better than the 3.4? True? I would also prefer the manual but know to ask about the RMS to see if thats been done but to watch out as i can blow engines?? Check on the manuals thats all gears are perfect no crunches. Porsche history a must. I would prefer a car with less than 60k on clock (personal preferance). So as you see prob dont know half that i should. The 911 is one of the last cars ive always wanted before im 30, im currently driving a mk5 golf gti as couldnt decide what car to get next, my prev car was a Range Rover 4.4 v8 which i loved but they do have there problems, gearboxs, diffs, radiators etc all of which i would of though a 3 year old car wouldnt need. So i want to go into 911 ownership with my eyes wide open So which engine is best 3.4 or 3.6? I would prefer a pre 2001 for the road tax thing but if 3.4 a bit poor build paying a bit more road tax on 3.6 it will be worth it. What do i need to look out for?? Bodywork is ok my brother has working with/on accident damaged cars all his life so he takes care of that. Any hints tips places to look etc be great. Thanks and sorry for the rant.

The Porsche 996 Buyers Guide should help http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=29850

easy - get all three: cheap tax, 3.6 and no RMS issues - that's right, get a MK 1 GT3 or early TT Next?

The 3.6L is the better engine but 3.4L is not so bad - it's just because of one or two blown engines (ie. the same proportion as 3.6s) have given the unit a bad reputation. I don't know what the road tax is on a 3.4, but on all 3.6s, it's £210pa. ~ Maxie

In my research before buying a 996 in early 2007, I certainly came to the conclusion that the facelifted 996 was the best option for the reasons already detailed in the earlier posts. RMS faults were not toatally resolved on the facelifted 3596 cc engines, but were better. Cylinder head cracks between the valve areas were certainly better, and therefore less failure through coolant problems according to knowledgeable mechanics analysing the failures the saw. Personally I have always like the front end treatment of the 996, and I feel the cabin is a little more luxurious than the more austere standard 997. I baulked at the 996 GT3 on the grounds of whether it was too track focused, and I needed mine to be a comfortable road car too! The 996 TT is certainly a contender, but on performance vs fuel consumption issues I settled for a Carrera 2 :angel: which has the added economy over the Carrera 4 as you are not using the engine to overcome the transmission frictions of 4WD. I have now however bought a 997 GT3 which is far more "normal use" friendly than the 996 GT3 ( I now await a barrage of abuse :wack: from the 996 GT3 brigade) My 996 Carrera 2 with a few added goodies uh: is now for sale by the way :lol: . Regards Big Bob :bye:

Yeah ive seen that guide thought id get 1st hand feedback from the people who have them, then ill be buying the guides etc plus internet world of free knowledge. thanks

Ha ha as easy as that!! So what budget would i need for a mk1 gt3 36k?? What about a TT thats a 966 Targa Top about 25k??? I was planning around the 20k mark but thats not set ill pay more if i get a better version.

Thats not what i want engine replacements!! I know all engines can let go but i would rather get the better engine out of the 2. The road tax issue is for when the higher tax brackets come back into play, my Range Rover was due to go to £450 per year, im personally not bothered what it will be cars and bikes are my thrills but i always think about the loss when selling on and if you have a 3.4 2000 v's 3.6 2001 and £200 per year difference on tax i think the 3.4 will sell better.

Yeah you have done a good job at sales pitch there mate As for fuel consumption i just though they all would be poor, but i agree the 4wd ones will be worse, ive run a 350bhp P1 impreza before and that was more how many gallon per miles

bigpkr: My first reply was a bit sarcastic (beware of anyone posting at 2:30 in the morning!), the problem with the factors you have discussed is they are really quite minor differences. I think you may need a more "passionate" deciding factor. You didn't originally mention a budget or a model preference (Targa is a 3.6 only anyway). By that I mean: VED - well currently 185 plays 210 (I wouldn't choose a random 3.4 vs 3.6 for a saving of £25 per year). Even if/when the govenment bring in the higher VED the difference will be £200 or less per year. Still not a lot and I am sure a buyer of a 3.4 or 3.6 would haggle a bigger discount than a year or two of tax differential. If it really bothers you, get a Prius! As for 3.4 vs 3.6 "better engine" question, the facts are that the 3.6 IS almost 5 years newer design. It has many fiddly and some significant changes (VarioCam Plus, new intermediate shaft operation and 20 BHP spring to mind), but it is the same basic block and the RMS issues were not solved in the change from 3.4 to 3.6. Porsche only stated a full solution to the isssue in 2005 when they released a PTFE RMS seal as a retro-fit for 996. But even this has the jury out as time goes on and even the 997 has shown RMS problems. There are probably as many quality, manufacturing and design changes (ok many are small) between a 1997 3.4 and a 2001 3.4, the outgoing 2001 3.4 and incoming 2001 3.6, and 2001 3.6 and 2004 3.6. What I am saying is that, age and wear and tear aside, the differences between random 996s is not black and white. The process was continual. And this ignores staggered evolution between C2, C4, GT3, TT etc models. Not all engines received the upgrades at the same time. There is no one "great" engine, unless you include the GT3 or TT :wink: You probably got closest with "some people have all the luck and others don't, so some say engines are weak so[me] don't" Come back to anyone when the engine has blown up or soiled its garage and they will give you a different story! Any way, general guides to buying (3.4 or 3.6) attached below:

I thought the retrospective VED issue had been scrapped? Anyway, I don't think that will make a significant difference for resale - a 911 will always have Porsche running costs, whatever the purchase price, so I will be surprised if anyone baulks at £200 if they think they are getting a better car as a result. As far as I am aware there is no proof that the 3.6 engine is more reliable than the 3.4: OK, so maybe a few more 3.4s have failed (I don't know this, by the way), but that could be simply because they are older and have done higher mileages on average? For me, I prefer the styling of the pre-facelift - especially the GT3 aerokit - but then you might consider having a glovebox more important :thumb: Performance-wise, there is barely any difference: The facelift has 20 bhp more, but weighs a tad more as well, so it's swings and roundabouts I guess. As always, drive a few, and buy what you prefer (and on condition of course). One tip for 3.4s particularly, full leather trim wears a lot better than the standard plastic - which can look very scruffy after a while.

Problem is i like all the different models! Thats the best thing been open to decide between the models depending on which is better, say i love the TT but it was the worst one to run/insure/fails all time i wouldnt buy one my head rules over my heart ive made them mistakes before. I do like the TT version, also the GT3 looks nice too but would be happy with a 1998 3.4 996 for 15k if they were ok, im not a car snob saying ive got the best 911 or will ever know the difference is handling between all the models, i love to drive my cars fast but they will never be on the track, im just an average driver too. I never said the road tax bugged me that much but its always best to look into things that could/will effect the resale value of cars. I always change my cars every 1-2 years so i need to look at things that could effect the resale value of the cars in a few years, so fuel cost, road tax issues. Like i also said personally i dont mind what ever they cost to run its only an issue for the resale valve. Prius now thats an insult!! So basically check the basic and good luck is bottom line??

No the VED issue is still on Dvla's website but the prices have been reduced to only slighty higher then previous years but its only on hold for a few years till the economy pick up then they can tax us some more!! I think everyone getting hung up on the VED issue, its not a big issue to me just thinking for future. Thats a point im trying to find out if you had 50k on a 3.4 and 50k on 3.6 which is better but think its been decided its down to luck. I do like the GT3 aerokit not bothered about a glovebox dont wear golves for driving Ive looked at a few 3.4 and even on internet the leather doesnt look like its worn very well, nothing a retrim wouldnt solve.

Quite. The car probably needs at least £2-2.5k PA average budgeting for servicing, maintenance, tyres and insurance (plus RMS/Clutch amortisation) - oh and that's just for standard NA models. So £25-£200 more/less tax is a bit of a pointless way to define any Porsche purchase. PS - VED changes have just been deferred one year, and the ridiculous retro-VED "phased" over the next three. However, this government changes its mind at the drop of a hat, so the future is anyone's guess (although total car ownership prohibition can't be far off!)

Still going on about the difference in VED like i said its not important to me just a consideration ive spent more on eating a meal lol. So am i the only one who considers the future resale values when buying any car? So yearly cost are a good point. Servicing per porsche http://www.porsche.com/filestore.as...icepricing-type996&lang=none&filetype=default Est mileage per year is 6-10k as got 3 other vehicles i can use. Service av £500 Insurance £950 Tyres £?? MOT £40 Tax £210 Unexpected £???????????????? To me thats not bad at all infact less than other cars ive run but the only one that would worry me is the Unexpected if its major.