My 996 story so far...12months on!

Thought I'd just document my first 12 months of Porsche 996 ownership – my first Porsche! Always wanted a 911, but wanted one I could initially use every day (if needed) – my commute is short (circa 7-8miles) and I have access to another car and cycle (if I'm feeling energetic). So I started looking in Feb/March 2017 in anger – I had been perusing classifieds for approximately 6 months before this. I knew I wanted a manual, and I knew I wanted a coupe. Other than that (and the odd bold-coloured interior!) I wasn't fussed. Mileage ideally was sub 100k but again, depends on history etc. My budget was up to 18k, however I wanted to pay as little as possible! Must've looked at around 5-6 cars and disappointed by all of them. Went to look at number 7, and it was lovely – but I hesitated, left it a few days and it went. Lesson learnt. Then in June of 2017, 1 day before going on holiday, I found an ad which seemed too good to be true. A 2003 996.2 C2 manual, in silver, black leather and non-sunroof. 0991 car. Mileage was 69k. Price was advertised at circa 16k. Much to the wife's dismay, I jumped in the car and drove the 88 miles north to look at it that evening (I should have been helping to pack). When I arrived it looked lovely. Exterior – fine. Interior, minimal wear – perfect. Read the extensive history – lots of OPC then Porsche specialists in the Yorkshire (Sheffield) area. All read perfectly. IMS had been done, borescope checked at 67k – lots of expensive invoices and receipts. It looked like it had been taken care of. Then it got interesting. Exhaust was blowing, manifold looked like it had been at the bottom of the sea. Drove it and it rattled, and knocked and made all the horrible suspension noises that you don't want to hear. There was what looked like a power steering leak. A/C didn't work. Cooling fan front left side didn't work. Brakes were, well terrible (corroded as usual). Everything was telling me to walk away. But I couldn't help but think there was a good car underneath albeit with a few consumable suspension component needing changing! The dealer saw my enthusiasm disappear and told me to make him an offer given the work required. I did some quick maths in my head and spat out 13k. As expected, he quaffed. But – didn't say no...after a short period of me totting up all the bad things and pointing them out to him, I alternatively offered him the asking price if he sorted them all. Again he quaffed. Long story short, we settled on a very attractive price and I felt like Mike Brewer. Kind of. I collected it a few weeks later, and drove it back. Other than the brakes, the suspension, the rattles, the vagueness etc etc it just felt wonderful. Probably just from looking at the dial arrangement and my head saying 'you're in a 911, you're in your 911". Queue ear to ear grin for the 3.5hr drive home. I then took it to Cavendish Porsche for their multi point inspection. Got a long list of relatively minor things and some not so (but not hideous) things. Luckily having a friend in the motor trade and being reasonably competent with spanners I set about putting right all the bad things as well as getting Cavendish Porsche (who are brilliant!) to do some of the non-DIY or jobs I didn't want to do! So far between myself and Cavendish we've/I've sorted...4x new coffin arms, 4x new tuning forks, removed and repainted both roll bars and re-installed with new measured superflex bushes, 4x new drop links, full re-alignment at Nottingham Alignment (used to do all of Notts OPC cars), new Pagid pads and discs all around with braided lines and fully rebuilt hard lines back to the cylinder, race-spec fluid, stripped and re-painted the inner arches front and rear, replaced all of the coolant hose clips for stainless due to corrosion, changed the small vent pipe from the reservoir due to a leak, fitted the Hartech LTT, coolant flush and change, new cooling fan resistors, new condensers and re-gas new rear heat shields and DesignTek Predator Exhaust, new SS Manifolds, removed and coated the existing Cats with a specialist aerospace grade aluminium paint, new coil packs, coil pack heat shields, new spark plugs, ITG foam filter and a DesignTek Cold air indiction kit and airbox bung and a full service with Miller nanodrive oil and all fittings/fixings changed to Ti6/4 (except on the suspension components). As you can imagine, I'm on first name terms with the parts chap down at Notts OPC. It now sounds, stops and drives – well brilliantly. As it should have been. It's had a professional mop to make the paintwork looks fantastic and an interior valet and been sealed so it's easy to keep clean. The engine bay and underside again has been steam cleaned and scrubbed (by me!) and certainly doesn't look new, but has wiped a ton of horrible grease and grime off it. with all the new stainless pipework and coated Cats, it looks in good shape. No build-up of road grime! Interior wise all I've done is swap out the standard CDR unit and replace with a Becker 7820 sat nav unit which is very retro-cool – I plan on changing the speakers to focal units shortly. And that's it. So far! Its currently sat sporting a fetching Thule roof rack and box (stupid I know) but this will mean when we go down to Cornwall in August, this will take me, the wife and my two kids comfortably. Can't wait! I was meant to be going to the classic Le Man but unfortunately due to a snapped Achilles, that's not happening and she's been laid up in the garage since April! Attached a couple of pics which I've remembered to snap every now and then! I always think when I've done a job...I should have taken a photo! Next up, dampers and springs – need to start researching but likely to be a bilstein or koni 'kits" (or M030 from Carnewal) and have a used shifter mechanism to play with to remove the standard slop in the box, new underbody plastics – few are damaged, retrim of steering wheel, handbrake and gearknob (by Jack @ royal) – and most likely lots more!

Lovely new owners story and the car looks amazing. Looks like the initial leap of faith at the dealers paid off - well done ! Wishing you many more happy years together

Very nice - looks like you got a good deal. Have you totted up what you've spent on it over the last 12 months? Many of us believe a good 996 will cost you £20k one way or another...so it would be nice to be proven wrong! :?:

Fastlane. I am sure that the figure of £20k (one way or the other) is right. Reading the reports here the low purchase price just seems to be the deposit and the real costs start immediately after. I was very fortunate in that I bought a 996.C2 for just under the magic price and in the last 18 months have spent nothing on the car other than an oil and filter change. Gooey36 you seem to bagged a bargain....well done... and I hope you have as much fun as I am having with mine.

I did consider it, but decided against it should the wife find the evidence! I would estimate i'd be up at about 3k. But have done a good deal of hours on it myself. And my mate has his own garage. Which helps! Suspension and all the other little things I want to do will see that go to 5 pretty easily. That'll see me get slightly north of 19k I suspect, so you're not far off! It would have been a great deal more had I had to use a Porsche specialist or normal garage and pay non-mates rates!

I hope you said "Owld owt yer 'and" when you bought it. :grin: Cracking progress there. Your list is almost identical to mine. No coincidence I suppose as all 996s are due this stuff now. It's unreal how good a sorted one drives isn't it. People who have only driven a 70k or more miler, without a refresh, don't realise just how good they're actually supposed to be. Anyway hat's off to you for getting through that lot in a year of ownership. I look forward to anymore updates. :thumb:

I enjoyed reading that. Glad your car is properly sorted now. I have a MY2000 996.1 C4 with approx. 89K miles. I bought it for what I consider a good price and in the 18 months I have owned it I have done almost everything you have except for the exhaust. I am just back in London from Le Mans yesterday (c.700 mile round-trip) having only put in the M030 kit last month, Design Tek CAI Kit, new discs and pads, P Zeros etc. Loved the way it's driving better every day 8) Enjoy!

Nice story and well done. In my opinion, that's the way to buy one. Fundamentally sound but with some wear items / consumables needing doing. Then you get to put things right your way and know it's beem done well.

Pretty much how I looked at mine, areas to work on but fundamentally a good base car.

Nice write up. You must have started looking around the same time as I did. I nearly gave up in the end. Most cars were pretty tired and needing work. I eventually spotted a 996.1 C2 that, apart from ruffled leather, ticked nearly all the boxes. The PO had gone through everything over a period of 2 years or so. Lots of new parts including MO30, clutch, manifolds, OE silencers, AOS, rads, condensers, starter, alternator, plug tubes, coils LTT, water pump. It wasn't particularly cheap, but then I figured it would save money in the long run, assuming the engine doesn't self destruct...

g911omr, "It wasn't particularly cheap, but then I figured it would save money in the long run, assuming the engine doesn't self destruct..." My thoughts too.

Problem is I would spend that money anyway, Im a tinkerer so always like a wee project or something to muck around with. I simply cannot buy a car and not do thing to it. Also it gives you the chance to tailor the car more or replace with parts you would like to use. If you only want factory spec then yes buy one with all bits done.

I'm on a similar journey since October with my 996.2 C2 manual. So far wheel refurb and tyres, discs and pads all round, plugs & coil packs, exhaust cat bolts, front drop links and a load of niggly faults (petrol cap lock, washer jets not working, engine bay fan relay dropped out, incorrect trim fixings etc). Also major service at GCR Central. The last few weeks I've fitted an M030 kit and changed all the front circuit brake hoses and pipes along with the external steel steering rack pipes. I'm booked into centre gravity in a couple of weeks for a geo check and thats it for the time being. Apart from the service, I've done all the mechanical work myself. Winter I plan to tackle the heavily corroded exhaust manifold bolts, having picked up a used Stomski jig off ebay. PPBB titanium studs purchased already. Regards Ian

Guys, excellent looking cars and great to see them being maintained so well and driven. Here's to many more years of enjoyment.

Great work! Had mine 3 years and already you're a fair way ahead of me sorting bits out. Good luck with the Achilles, it's no fun