996 help/advice pls...

Hi all.. I am hopefully going to buy a 996 at the weekend... would be glad if you could let me know what value you think the car is... 2001 51 - new shape lapis blue grey leather carrera 4 tiptronic sat nav phone bose Porsche sports exhaust - he says its porsche fitted.. whats the view on this exhaust? 3 owners 47,000 fsh.. all porsche except the last which was specialist in jan09. really good condition.. prob ?2-300 from being mint, Some questions if you can help.. 1. what value? 2. how often service required. and when is big service due? what service costs going to be like? 3. Any major problems i should look out for? 4. how much is road tax for year.. some websites say 215 others 405... 5. Anything else worth finding out? should i take out a warranty? many thx in advance

Welcome, if you are not familiar, I suggest you get an independant inspection before you buy... value would suggest IRO £16-£20K dependant on condition There is also a guide on here somewhere that you can down load for a few quid and get some good tips. - Simon

hi having recently bought a similar car i can answer a few questions 1.the spec quoted is similar to one i looked at at £20k and another at £21k 2. dont know for speific model year but service yearly and/or every 12k miles alternating between minor and major and a little more at 48k and 96k are quoted for my 1999/2000 car costs dunno as not happened yet for me 3. check oil for any water and "mayonase" in oil filler nozle or on dipstick and that the water cooling header tank isnt over presurised and also dirty both signs of possable cracked head/block and big bills iminent any knocking from front suspention as bushes wear and costly to replace and a dry bottom of engine as alot seem to have problems with the oil seals (RMS) at end of crank ths isnt a "no deal" thing but worth looking for i am sure there is alot more but these are the most obvious and simple checks you can do yourself 4. the road tax price depends on date of first registration so if before 1/3/2001 then will be £190 but if after is based on CO2 emissions so will be the £405 mentioned 5. i did take out a warranty but it generlly wont protect you from the engine failing from a cracked block or head so be especally wary of this i looked at 5 before finding the right 996 for me and 2 were not right from the above symptoms all info gained from a good read of the specialist magazines buyers guides over the last few years and i got the car i bought inspected (most specailist porsche garages willdo this for a fee ) which gave me a bit of peace of mind good luck and i hope none of the above is wrong and its the right car for you cheers tim

The after price is the £215 mentioned earlier. It's much newer cars that fall into the £400+ bracket

Eddie is absolutely right, any car registered after 1st March 2001 but before 23 March 2006 is currently capped at Band K - so £215 per annum versus £190 for cars before March 2001. A bit of mayo in the oil filler cap can be quite normal if used for short runs. I would personally get a detailed inspection done by someone who really knows the cars and then self warrant. As long as the usual bits are all fine when you buy it, the internet can scare you silly about 996s but it does seem as if the majority of cars are nothing like as scary as forums would have you believe!

Great thx for the advice. I live in Southend, Essex. Can anybody recommend a good local specialst near me? Thx

yep sorry my mistake didnt read the smallprint on band K and worked off my manual to get co2 fig honest mistake and also agree that short runs can give similar mayonase and might not be a problem at all but the two things together (oil filler/ header tank) are worth checking for sorry to sound negative in first post but the inspection is the best advise cheers tim

Hi, I use German Engineering Services on the London Road in Leigh, they are pretty good and reasonably priced. Good luck with it