Searching for first Porsche 99 or 00 996? Big diff?

Hello all. I've been reading here for a few weeks, and slowly researching over the last couple of months. I've been pretty focused on a 996 cabriolet, in a very specific color and interior combo. I've found a few that look clean with anywhere form 25k to 80k miles. I keep coming back to the difference between 99 and 00. There do not seem to be many differences, unless I am missing something. I'm looking at a car in green or blue. Again, not rare colors, but not common. Add to the mix that I want beige interior and manual transmission, and the field gets reduced pretty quickly. That's a tough color to sell, am I right? I look at prices on blacks and silvers, and I don't think either a dealer or personal seller can expect the same prices for a blue or green model. Lastly, I just found a dealer with what I want, and he's offering to take it to a Porsche shop for ppi. He's also pitching an extended warranty. Good idea? I think so. But when I go to warranty web sites myself, none of them will warrant a car older than 10 years. Do dealers have a special way of getting around that? Thanks for all the info, both to these questions, and all the other stuff posted here. Hope to join the ranks of owners soon!

On a 2wd, the 00 has a newer engine computer than 99, but aside from that not much else is different. All 99 C4's and 00 C2/C4 and onward have electronic throttle bodys, the 1998 and 1999 2wd are the only that have traditional cable operated throttle bodies. Yes go for PPI and warranty if you can get it.

its not the blue one on ebay, is it? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT I'm in the same boat as you; wanting to learn all about the 996 before I purchase. Hopefully someone else can educate us on the subtle difference between model years (why isn't that a sticky here?) and what to look out for (why isn't that a sticky also?). I will say through past experience that a non-manufacturer warranty on an older, high $ car is practically worthless. The warranty company knows that the costs to repair/replace is extremely expensive, and they are scared to death about 10+ year old cars. Think of how many ratty, mistreated 5-year-old cars you see out there! IF a company has the fortitude to step in and offer a warranty on a '99 Porsche, you can bet that the premiums are going to more than reflect the potential losses! And, the warranty will be worded to provide them with the maximum opportunity to deny any claims. Honestly, I'd be much more comfortable with a non-warranty car that had been owned & maintained by an enthusiest and had the RMS & IMS updates, or a like car with obvious meticulous care that is priced accordingly to allow for both of those items to be updated. You have to remember that to us (enthusiests), these are treasures that we lovingly maintain and cherish, but there are many who buy them, drive them like a Honda Accord, and then trade them in after a few years. That's even more common in the big cities.

I think the biggest changes to the 996 came in 2002. Bigger engine & a glove box.

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Ask the seller for details about the warranty. In fact ask for a copy of the warranty contract (do not rely solely on what is in the slick sales brochure) and read the fine print of the contract. You want to know what is covered, what is not covered. What it takes to keep the coverage intact. And so on. Also, you want to learn as much as you can about the company that is underwriting the warranty. Lastly, speak with the local Porsche dealer service departments to get their input regarding the warranty company. The techs deal with 3rd party warranty companies all the time and have a feel for which ones are ok and which ones are not ok. Sincerely, Macster.

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don't forget the CUPHOLDER. also GLASS window for cabs These might help a bit: http://www.edmunds.com/porsche/911/history.html https://rennlist.com/forums/911-foru...immermann.html

99 has the LSD option and cable throttle which can be a big plus if you track.

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I personally agree with statement. But since you are looking for a Cabriolet it does not appear that you expect to hit the track with this car. I could be wrong. I LOVE my '99 SPECIFICALLY because it has the foot throttle hard-wired to the throttle body, which means that whatever my right foot tells the throttle to do, happens. There is no computer program deciding what I can or cannot do. I do not have PSM, I have an LSD (Limited Slip Differential) which is not electronically controlled. PSM (Porsche Stability Management) was an option on '99's and then pretty much standard after that. PSM decides how much brake, how much throttle, and what angle and speed it will allow you to attack a corner. I prefer to do that myself at the track. Again, a cabriolet is less likely "need" these "manual" controls, so the basic differences between '99 and '00 are irrelevant. I bought a new '99, then bought a new '01, then a new '03, and then went back to the '99. But this was strictly because of track driving control desires.

If you are ever planning on messing around with the ECU. the 99 has very limited aftermarket options, due to the throttle by cable. Same for superchargers, etc.

There is also a difference in the interiors. The '99's had a materials that was like the surface of a basketball. In '00 they went to a smoother surface and the soft touch paint. Minor but noticeable, there was a lot of criticism of the earlier material.

Recommend investing in one of several books on the topic; cost to you about $15-20, which should be approximately 1/1000 the price of your new car. Try Porsche Red Book 1965-2005 by P. Paternie, or A. Streather's Essential Buying Guide. Going to give you, year-by-year and model-by-model differences, changes and details that you can't get anywhere else (except here).

Great stuff, folks. Thanks very much. Sounds like since I'm not tracking then the main things would be which model I found and how it was maintained. I'll keep looking.

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I like that one, too. Should I be afraid of a 99 with less than 30k miles?

Two changes that would not impact a Cab & stick buyer... The 2000 has Alcantara headliner & on the Tip you can override the Auto function with the Tip steering wheel controls without selecting Manual. Also the already mentioned "soft touch" surface coating on plastic interior surfaces - and this is N/A if you get All Leather ... which I highly recommend. Also ??? early 99's had amber turn lamps front & rear which changed along the way to clear/smoke lenses.

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Sounds like I want your car! Any thoughts, from anyone, on whether those colds get less money on the market than a silver or black model? Thanks again.

The Porsche dealer near me sells aftermarket warranties with a $50 copay and it covers almost everything. They will also sell you the warranty even if you don't buy the car from them. They weren't able to locate a Mini Cooper S with the options I wanted and I found one in FL. I talked to them before buying, brought the car back to NC after 3 months and purchased the warranty (they did do an inspection) from them. I had a cooling fan failure and they transported the car to the Mini dealer (25 miles away) to do the repair and gave me a loaner car (not a Panamera like I get when I take the Porsche in though) while it was getting fixed; all for $50! It is also valid at any dealership. However, there are warranties out there that are crap. I know of someone who bought a warranty and was never able to get them to pay for a THING, even stuff the you would assume would be covered. So, one, check with your Porsche dealer and two, read the agreement VERY carefully.

Also keep in mind options... Porsche is all about options. They added thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars to the original sticker price and yet add very little to the used price 10-12 years later. Why buy a stripper when you can have a car loaded with options for a bit more? When I was looking I specifically wanted a car with full leather (much nicer than just partial leather seats), Bi-Xenon headlights (Litronics), and the upgraded stereo for that year (Bose in my case). I also specifically stayed away from 996s with Nav. The system is just too old today and the update CDs are very expensive. If you get to know the option packages you can sometimes figure out from ad pictures what type of options the car has that the owner or dealer may not mention, or even know about. Of course the car's options list under the front hood will tell you everything, but that is no help when you are scrolling through dozens of cars in the middle of the night. For example, in 2002 the Advanced Technics II package provided Bose and Bi-Xenon headlights. So if I could see the Bose name on the door speaker grills, I knew the car probably had the headlights I wanted. I also learned to recognize the stitching patterns on the doors and console to identify if a car had full leather. Good luck!

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That's great info. I've noticed differences in interiors and am not familiar enough with them to tell what's what. There was a 2000 green cab on eBay last week with 4000 miles. It was gorgeous, and the interior was definitely upgraded. Any idea what the white speedo and tach represents as an option? Full leather sounds sumptuous. You guys are all great. Thanks again.

The white speedo and tack just mean that the car was ordered with the white gauges.