6 month review of 1999 C2 (longish)

Good morning Y�all I thought that I�d take some time to give a review my impressions of my 1999 C2 after 6 months of ownership. After doing a few months of research on this and a couple of other Internet forums, I decided to go ahead and �pull the trigger� on a low mileage car in Pittsburgh. The car had only 18K miles when I picked it up for the 1400 mile drive home to Dallas (its got 23K now). The car has a few very nice options such as 3 spoke steering wheel, full leather interior, aluminum package, white gage faces and upgraded CDR-220 stereo. Now that I�ve had the car for a while I�m glad that my car has these options. The 3 spoke steering wheel, white gage faces and full leather interior make the car feel much more refined than the base configuration. I would not buy another one without these options. I�m also rather glad that the early models have a mechanical hood/trunk release and mechanical throttle linkage � sometimes simple is better. I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about the purchase of a 1999 after reading some of the posts on the various forums. The coolant reservoir cracking, phantom window operation, CEL and MAF sensor issues sounded all too prevalent. Thus far I�ve avoided all of these little glitches. I bought the car knowing that the RMS had already been replaced once and through the PPI (Sewickley Car Store in Pittsburgh-seem like good guys) I learned that it�s �weeping� again. I�m not really concerned about the RMS issue; I�ll just get it fixed when/if it actually �leaks�. I have a feeling that since I�ve been driving the car more regularly than the original owner the weeping may have been reduced? Everything else seems pretty tight and I haven�t had to add a drop of oil in 5000 miles. All in all the car has been a blast thus far. I generally agree with most posters that if you�re looking for a used P-car, to get the newest one you can afford. That said, if anyone is looking at the MY99 with concern, I can only say go for it! Attached are a few pictures that I took after detailing. I�ve since changed the orange side markers to clear and added bumper plugs. That�s it � time to go drive somewhere, anywhere for any reason�.

Nice job. My first PCar was a black one and after I got all the dealer induced swirls out of it it staid shiny. 3 spoke and Aluminum are great options

That's a great write-up Jim. Enjoy the car and beware the mod bug. Bumperplugs and clear side markers are the first 'symptoms'.

I too have a 1999 C2. Except when I was searching for mine 4 years ago, I went the minimalist route. Manual 6-spd, sunroof, CDR-220, and 18" turbo twists were my only requirements at the time. In fact, my car might be one of the very few that has a storage cubby in the door in place of the stereo speaker. As expected, I've been bitten by the mod bug since. In retrospect, perhaps I should've opted for the full leather interior (or a later model year) since the plastic isn't aging that well. However, it's quickly forgotten after every stint behind the wheel. Nice review. Now you just need some 18-inchers and litronics!

Sharp looking car, love that black on black. When I first bought my car, I drove her from Dallas back to Virginia and enjoyed every minute of it!! First mod: clear corners.....then maybe ssk???

I have a 99 cab that I bought new in 99. It is NOTfor SALE.

Thanks for a refreshing post.

Nice looking car....Love the Black on Black!!! (just like mine)

Nice car- very clean looking, and I love your interior. I, too, have a 99 C2 and just love it. It's my daily driver and I need to drive it several times a day to stay satisfied (literally- several times a day I drive it). In fact, I think I need to go to the store for some reason or another.. I'll take the long way again. I'm planning on spending a big chunk of cash this summer on mods, and am currently researching everything. I figure $10k-12k will give my 85,000 mile car a new lease on life. I plan on keeping this thing for many years.

Thanks all. The mod bug is just starting to bite. I know I need to get some 18" wheels but I'm not sure which ones to buy. I actually like the ones I have, but 18 would make the car look better. I probably won't lower the car much since some of the roads around here can have some bad spots. I've come close to bottoming a couple of times already (right in the city!). I also need to upgrade the speakers and amp, but so far I have not found any installers that seem to know much about insalling in Porsches. I've spoken to 4 different guys and would not leave my car with any of them. They all seem clueless.

I bought my 99 C-2 about 2 years ago. It has about 45K miles on it now - not a single problem so far! Plenty of mods done in the last 2 years. I like the fact that all my mods were installed by me. You really learn a lot about your P-car doing your own work. Also the satisfaction of doing it yourself! Nice review.

Nice review.. I had same concerns, bought a 1999 red Cab with 35Kmiles, had a few problems (MAF, air leak, water pump, door lock, horn mechanism, gas door). But after fixing all these, car is running great.. Did a few mods (Carrera III tires, upgraded radio, hard wired Passport, added clear side lenses) I am quite happy with it... Totally in love with my car.. Next mods are Fabspeed, Alpine Nav, aero kit, and spoiler)... Got extended warranty now.. I think clear lenses will look great in your car...! (easiest and less expenside mod I've ever done..)

It is interesting to hear you say this because I have similar thoughts every winter. I bought a set of 17" wheels for winter and put Blizzak LM-25's on them. There are definitely some styling aspects of the 17" that I really like (i.e. the little dip/lip between the spokes) that my 18" wheels lack. However, I like the look of 18" wheels from size perspective. It seems that the aftermarket is really geared towards 19" wheels which I just don't want for many reasons. Great looking car btw. Did you or the previous owner do the "horseshoe" shifter?

Thanks The car does look much better with the clear side markers. I just put them on last weekend. I'm going to keep my eyes open for a set of 18" similar to my 17s. I haven't looked yet, but I suspect that someone will have some on eBay due to a change out to something else. About the horseshoe shifter, I thought that was part of the aluminum package that the original owner ordered. I have not changed it.

I would definitley go for the 18's. And the clear headlight/taillight lenses would be a nice touch too. Other than that it's a steep slope downwards into obsession. Stay sober.

LMAO......I bought my car in Virginia & drove it back to Houston.....

My trip from Pittsburgh to Dallas took 20 hours. Didn't mind it one bit. I don't think I stopped grinning the whole way home.