Newbie looking to get into 911

Hi guys, Total newbie to porsches but have loved them since the early 90s and the 993 days. I've been into cars for several years and have loved Bmw m3s and m5s along with Using various VAG group cars as dailies! Recently, I have decided that I finally want a 996 and don't know where to start! I have read various thread about bore scoring, ims etc! How bad is the issue on these cars? I have always liked the look of the turbos but the manual ones seems out of budget which then leaves the C4S. Does this model suffer more issues compared to the earlier 996 carreras? Which is the best model to buy in terms of reliability as well as performance? I'd be looking at manual cars. What sort of budget am I looking at for lower miles 60/70k miles cars with the right maintenance? Thanks in advance!

:welcome: to 911uk You really need to have a good scroll down of the threads on the 996 sub-forum. Just picking out the relevant thread titles will take you ages but will be worth your while. As a brief summary. Gen1 = 3.4 with fried egg headlights = Generally accepted as probably the safest of the Carreras reliability wise BUT ........ do your homework. Gen2 = 3.6 with Crying Eyes headlights = arguably a better car all around but with potentially more issues. Homework is a must, especially if considering a Tiptronic. Gen2 C4S = The same 3.6 engine as the standard Gen2 but with Turbo widebody, suspension and brakes. Generally regarded as the best looking 996 and already a modern classic. Turbo = a completely different 3.6 engine with 2 Turbos. Significantly more expensive to buy and run but engine wise about as bullet proof as you can get. Budget wise ball-park, £16k for a good 3.4, £20k for a good 3.6, £24k+ for a C4S and c£35k for a Turbo. Performance wise there's not much between the 3.4 and 3.6 as weight is also a factor. The turbo is significantly quicker. Enjoy your research and Happy Hunting. :thumb:

All of the above but don't get put off by scare mongering. Only a small percentage were troublesome and most are probably dead or sorted by now.

I obviously haven't done my homework so would you mind telling me why the mention of Tiptronic?

I thought I had read that the issue related to the tip predominantly pulling away in 2nd gear. ETA I didn't do too much homework when buying mine as I felt it would just put me off so I took the plunge. I have a pretty tidy 98 3.4 tip that's pushing 150k miles and on the face of it it seems a good buy at just under £9k

It's widely accepted that Tiptronic cars are more susceptible to bore scoring due to the fact that, after the initial pull away from cold, they default to pulling away in second gear and generally change up at lower revs. When this was queried a renowned expert on the subject - Barry Hart from Hartech - wrote this. NB: it was referring to the 997 but is equally relevant to the 996. For a better understanding of bore-scoring as a general subject this thread is worth reading --> http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?...s=0&postorder=asc&highlight=scoring+tiptronic

Good luck with your search. I had similar path myself. There's something for everyone & all budgets. That's what's great about these cars. Condition and evidence of regular maintenance is more important than mileage. There's loads of good YouTube videos to help. Check out Lee (aka "that nine eleven guy"). He's the editor of Total 911 and is a big 996 fan with lots of very useful videos on the different models, and also mod options for future. My tip: whatever you go with, make sure you keep a few £k back for maintenance. There will always be something needing doing when buying, and access to funds in case you get very unlucky. Engine rebuilds are not for the faint hearted. Luckily very rare, and risks can be minimised. See previous tips above from T8. Personally I went for the best condition manual early 996 C2 3.4 I could find, and sacrificed a few nice-to-have's. I prefer the 3.4 C2 to the 3.6 C2. A similar condition C4S would have been another £10k and as much as I like these, I decided to keep money back for maintenance and improving the 3.4. I could have stretched to a turbo but these were another £10k and getting a bit tired at this low end of the market, and much bigger bill risk. End of day, it depends on what you want for your budget, and how much risk you are prepared to take. Try a few first. Good luck!

Interesting comment T8 Can you explain why arguably it's a better car all around. There's a few changes made to gen 2 that are worse than the gen 1 and the only improvement I can think of is a passenger side glovebox. Everything else is the same car. :dont know:

Opinions will vary hence my use of the word 'arguably'. :grin: The 911 has evolved over the last 57 years and every new generation has been generally acclaimed as an improvement over the previous model. The 996.2 was no exception.

Best user name ever. :floor: :floor: :floor:

Always knew the 996 was an improvement over the 993 With regards to gen 1 vs gen 2 Gen 2 has a weaker ims bearing, bores that score and require a rebuild, digital speedo in the wrong place so you can't see it, worse headlights and many more. :wink:

VAG Fan, as in Volkswagen Audi Group? I'm into the VW scene too. I converted a T5.1 LWB Shuttle DSG into a show standard campervan from a stripped shell, using basic tools on the drive. On a normal summer, it gets used at lots of shows and festivals. :thumb:

You forgot the 996.2 has cup holders. Case closed I think.

If you do look at a tiptronic car then a flappy paddle conversion is such an improvement and makes it easy to always pull away in 1st.

A very useful summary of the 996 options/ specs from T8. After 9 years of ownership, I am considering selling my 996 C4S (bought through this forum in 2011) and have been having a look at the prices on various websites/ forums recently. A few of them seem to be somewhat ambitiously over-priced at £25k+, but I was quite surprised that most of them are at £20k+, depending of course on age, mileage, spec, service history etc. I guess that the early 996 models are now over 20 years old and reaching 'modern classic' status, so appear to be starting to increase in price. I'm not in any hurry to sell (not much we can do in the current lockdown in any case!), so will keep an eye on the market and prices, but there seems to be a fair amount of demand for 996s and in particular the C4S (a wise choice in my view!).