Another 'annoying' newbie...

Hi, I've been browsing the forum for about a month now and felt it was finally time to introduce myself... My name is Eric, I live in Indianapolis, and I make my living as a race engineer for Forsythe Championship Racing in Champcar (My Avatar is a pic of my driver Paul Tracy). I've been a huge Porsche fan for as long as I can remember (959, 930 911's, 964's, Porsche GT1's at LeMans etc.). Suffice it to say, I've been wanting a 911 for about as long as I've had my license, and I think the time has finally come. My wife went back to school a couple of years ago and we decided to hold off on anything 'impractical' for awhile, but she is due to finish in May and now she's promised me that I can finally get my 'toy'... Originally I thought I'd get a 930 Turbo to have as a weekend 'fun' car, but with the prices now quite reasonable on a 996, I've decided that I'm going to have 'fun' every day of the week. But being a new buyer, I have been struggling with some decisions am am hoping to get some advice... I'm really looking at a 2001 - 2002 C2 (right price range), but I get my doubts when I read about the 996 not holding its value and not being a 'real' 911. I'm looking to 'mod' it with rims and either a GT3 style or RUF RGT-RS bodykit, as well as some performance upgrades. Is this a good idea for resale value? Is the 3.6 better/worse than the 3.4? Also, on these forums, I tend to read a lot about the 'negatives', i.e. like RMS leaks or engine failures etc. I guess I'm looking to hear more 'I love my 996 and think it's the greatest! It's totally worth it and they're built like tanks!' kind of stories. (To ease my mind I suppose!) Anyways, I appreciate any help/advice you can give me (and any tips on great deals out there - I'm looking for a red/yellow/black one!).

Why are you already thinking of resale on a car that you don't even own??? If you want to hold value get a mutual fund. If you want pure exhilirated fun 7 days a week, then go get the 911. Rule of thumb is to get the newest you can afford and ALWAYS pay more for one that is better maintained. Never fall prey to the price that sounds too good to be true....it usually is. Several on this board can attest to that (Bob should be chiming in any minute now). Those of us on this board didn't buy the car to think about future value, we bought it to enjoy it and spend every last dime modding the crap out of it. And mods are not something you get back in resale anyway. Life's too short to worry about the what if's. If I thought what I paid for my car sseveral years ago and what they sell for now was a concern to me I would be severly depressed. I'm not. Frankly, I don't plan on ever selling the car.

Buy a car you love. Drive the crap out of it. Every day. Clean it when it is dirty. Fix it when it is broken. Park it like you care. Ignore others' opinions on aesthetics. Take heed of others' experiences. Make friends with your service advisor. Forget about the car's value, it is toast as soon as you drive it off the lot, with any car. The 996 is a fabulous, beautiful and fast car. It will make you and others smile every day. Let the purists rail, whatever their particular jones is, and there are a lot of purists and a lot of joneses. It will cost you way less over the life of the car than running an SRF for 3 seasons. Ask me how I know.

DO IT!! Leedav hit the nail on the head. You always wanted it, buy it, drive it, enjoy it.

Well thank you guys for that! I'm glad to hear these sort've responses - that's what I was looking for to be honest - to see that there are people who feel that the 996 is a great car irrespective of what the journalists or purists say. Believe me, I'm not looking to buy one for to be a collector's item and you're right, I should buy one because I think it's a beautiful car and its going to enhance my drive to and from work everyday! Thanks

Not to add more pressure but check this out..... http://movie.eu.porsche.com/flash/en...sen_gb_dsl.swf Get the newest Porsche you can afford. The 3.6 is worth it if you can get it (IMHO), but you can find nice 3.4's for about 10K less. Good luck and enjoy!

Hey Eric, ask your boy PT!! Didn't he used to have a 996 Turbo? Buy it - you'll love it so much you'll miss it almost as much as your wife, with all the time you guys are on the road.

i suggest you go for a 2002 and onward model, there were many improvments that year including the 3.4 -> 3.6 liter displacement chance in base carreras. also there were many tweaks to the car, a better interior, a facelifted exterior. generally its a very good starting point. don't worry about things you can't control depreciation, reliability, etc. overall, porsche's rating on these is better than 95% of whats out there. the key is really to remember that its just a car, use it like it was meant to be used, and you will end up enjoying yourself much more in the long run. when it breaks, fix it, etc. you will have much more fun than the guys that spend all week polisihing it and driving it 20 miles on sunday. the slaves to their garage queens are just preparing the car to be sold to the next guy.

The biggest difference between 01 and 02 is more than just the engine. It's everything from the headlight, fenders, interior, to exhaust. 3.6 will sound more aggresive (stock vs stock). It also looks better given the wider fenders and turbo lights. Its interior is also nicer with better material and good cup holders. I believe 02 is the best year 996 especially if you want to upgrade stereo or add Nav. Most 02 are still under warranty and getting one that's certified would be a great idea. Aside from RMS and tranny issue, I don't think there is any reliability issue w/ 996. RMS tends to be more popular than tranny failure but isn't too expansive to repair. Tranny will be big bucks but is a lot more rare. Bottom line, it's not a Lexus in reliability but it's on par if not better than other real sports cars. For depreciation, I think it's good time to buy since you can still have a virtually new car (lo mi, 3 yrs old) for 2/3 of MSRP. Sure it'll continue to drop but it's already taken a big hit so you won't feel like losing 10k each year. Time to start looking for a nice car for you. Write back and tell us what you find!

i agree that 02 is one of the best years for the 996. facelifted to present spec, but without the annoying MOST bus

Get it, drive it, enjoy it, the BEST car I've ever owned!!!!!

Zd, Will you leave it alone or reengineer it? Perhaps a "push to pass" button? AS

I agree with others - try to go for an '02 (improvements plus some warranty left). Typically mods don't add value, so for your wants I would suggest spending some time tracking down a car that already has a bunch of mods, even if that takes 3-6 months. Get it and drive it like you stole it!

Hope PT has a better year this year than last! Unfortunately we won't be able to see you at RA this summer- haven't missed that race since it started except for one year. Who is PT's team-mate going to be? Can you tell us yet?????

Welcome. Sounds like you have an exciting job. I agree with those who say 02- for a 911, but I gotta tell you after I got my wife her pristine 91 964 I believe it's the best looking classic and can still be pushed and driven daily. It's all personal preference!

lvdell is an idiot and you'd be stupid to take advice like that. Resale is everything. Buy the most car for the least money. Generally, shop the early years as perception with the general market is the same. If you want to mod the car, fine. Someone will appreciate what you've done. Just be careful not to go too wild wtih mods, colors, etc. The 996 is an awesome car and you will enjoy.

Dallasboats, let's keep personal attacks out of your message. I could say things like why don't yo become a member rather than a user. Comments like these are just unnecessary. Cars that are bought for resale are investments that aren't even driven..or driven very little and cost a lot to begin with. I'm 68 and I never have bought a Porsche..or any other car for that matter based on resale. If you're worried about resale, then lease one.

I think I'll start looking for an 02! Although I suppose if an 01 comes along that I can't pass up... What is your guys opinion on the difference between the 3.4 and 3.6? I've read that the 3.4 is more 'lively', but the 3.6 'pulls' stronger. Yes, PT used to have a TechArt Porsche. I remember when we were in Lausitz 2 years ago and TechArt brought along a 750HP version that he lapped the oval with. He's apparantly 'over' hi-performance cars nowadays though (I guess everything pales in comparison to a Champcar). He even traded in his 360 Modena Spyder for an Bentley Arnage... Don't know how our team mate is yet, but we'll find out soon I'm sure (I hope)!

If possible, wait for an 02, the interior upgrade alone is worth the extra little for that one year. Worrying about the resale value of a Porsche is an exercise in futility, buy the car, have fun, don't look back - unless you see red and blue lights.

Yep, don't get me wrong, I love my '01, but if I were looking today, I'd hold out for an '02+ model.

that actually ties in with my own thoughts - its great if you are independently wealthy and don't have to worry about the cost of ownership, but unforunately for a lot of people, they have that consideration. I bought a 97 boxster in the UK - it lost about $7000 in value in three years. this low depreciation has given me flexibility to do other stuff with my money I could have gone ahead and bought a 2001/2002 C4S or a turbo and been OK financially, but I decided to get a less expensive car with hopefully less proportional depreciation - so that i can utilise the money to further my financial goals - i try to be realistic In the end I bought a pretty much fully loaded 99 C2 with 30k miles for $35k - pretty reasonable, which even if it halves in value over the next three years (which would appear unlikely) will stil have a lower overall cost of ownership than a 2002 with 30k miles hopefully over the next 3-5 years I will do enough to get a 998 when they come out (in complete financial comfort) just my $0.02

Just to throw another opinion into the mix - There is no performance difference between the 3.4l and the 3.6l 996 (track times, acceleration, etc.). The 3.4l is lighter, the 3.6l has more torque. Also, the the 02 & 03s have a variocam plus "surge" around 3600 rpms, some find this very annoying. I've heard this has been worked out with the MY04 cars. I prefer the more linear and lighter 3.4l - I also think the "turbo" headlights look funny on narrow body 996s (flame suit on) and I like having the digital speedo directly under the tach as opposed to off to the side where the 3.6ls have it. Interior upgrades - matt switches, a glovebox, and cupholders with PCM - I'll take the cleaner look. Regarding resale, not that I want to sell my car and I didn't buy it as an investment, BUT I've been very disappointed with Porsche's resale values. I drove my last 911 for ten years, 60k miles, and sold it for $10k less than what I paid for it. It ain't like the good ole' days anymore.

Zd welcome to the forum. BTW I'm a big Champcar fan and PT is one of my favorite due to his brashness and agressiveness. I also hate the IRL. As far as your question maybe I can shed a little light on your decission as I own both a '01 996 and a '78 930. First off there is no feeling of when the boost kicks in an a 930. It feels like an afterburner kicked in. I guess you should know that feeling being around race cars all of the time. The problem with the 930 is that they have plenty of lag and are more finiky as less reliable. Fixing it shouldn't be a problem for you as you are arround mechanics all of the time. The bottom line is that its fun to blast arround for a few hours and put it back in the garage. Day to day driving it becomes some what of a chore. The handling is more touchy as it wants to swap ends, the lag make it difficult on the street, the AC sucks, and it makes more noise. The 996 is just more user friendly and you don't loose any performance. As far as which one to coose get a '02. Its not that the 3.6L is so much more powerful, but the chassis is stiffer and more solid. Being a race car engineer you'll appreciate that extra level of stability. The newer cars also sound a little more racy, but most guys just change the exhaust. The extra torque is also appreciated on the street. The newer cars have a few other refinements in the interior.

Glad to see that there are some Champcar fans left Yes, a guy who works with me has a Turbo 930 and it is indeed a handful - hence I would only want one as a weekend 'fun' car. I'm not that impressed with straight acceleration to be honest - I've driven our Lola champcar before and I also own a 125 Shifter Kart, so I'm used to 'guts smashed against your spine' kind of acceleration. What I'm after is a car that handles like a knife and feels like a bank vault doing it!

Treat her like the dirtiest, nastiest girlfriend you ever had and keep her well lubed.

bad....oh so bad Jim. But oh so true at times

Lubrication is very important...

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Any 996 will put a smile on your face. The '02 is the nicer one to have. Mods don't add any value except to make you happy. I bought my first Porsche two months ago. Since then, I've only ridden my 1000cc sports bike once. That's how good it is.

Since you are looking for handling like a knife and solid as a vault than the extra stiffness of the '02 will suit you better. I would suggest getting a nice coilover system like a PSS9 or got for broke and get the Sach resovior coilover. I usually don't recomend these things for most people, but given you have access to all of the equipment to optimize these system go for it. It really depends how rough of a ride are you willing to live with. BTW did your co-worker modify the 930. Modified ones are pretty wild when the boost kick in, but I'm sure nothing like the Lola. If you have more question or want to talk you can drop me a line if you are traveling to Long Beach.

...extra stiffness of the '02 will suit you better. I agree. This is the Viagra version.

So it sounds like the '02 is the way to go for me. I've seen a lot of reference to the PSS9 suspension. What are everyone's thoughts on this? I guess, other than the damping adjustability, why would you go for the PSS9 vs the PSS and just as a further curiosity, why is Bilstein stuff the apparent way to go? HAs anyone had success with other coil over style products i.e. H&R etc.?

My H&R coilovers are great! Between them and the GT3 swaybars I was able to dial most of the understeer out of the car. Mine don't have adjustable damping, although H&R does have an adjustable damping coilover out (don't think it's available for 996's yet, though.).

The PSS9 major difference is that they have a 9 way adjustable shock setting so you can control the shock rebound/compression to suit your driving needs. Like I said before given you have access to propper setup of suspension you can really optimize it for the street and have a different setting for the track. The H&R are a good unit, but don't have the adjustability of of Pss9. The price is only a few hundread more for the Bilstein.

I smell a GT3 instead of a 996... Buy one through PCNA, get the extended warranty and enjoy. My $0.02