After several 986/987 is it time for a 996?

Looking for a fun third car and am curious what the thoughts are on a 996 Carrera 4 cabriolet. I�ve had many Boxster variations through the years and think maybe for $11-13k another 986 S could be fun. Then k go to thinking about a 996. Looking for opinions on the cabriolet manual 996 and hopefully for under $20k. thanks.

With all due respect, a 996 Cab 4 for under $20K will need $15K-20K of work. All the issues surrounding this car are so well documented, anything in that price range is likely to need everything on that list. And that list doesn't include the issues with the automatic top. Mine needed work and no one would touch it, not even one of the local Porsche dealers. Fortunately one Porsche dealer said yes and that was a walletectomy.

A Boxster is lighter and much more enjoyable to drive in the twisties than a 996 cab . A 996 cab with the extra weight is a great highway car . They are two different animals . Because you are familiar with Boxsters I suggest you drive a few 996 cabs and see what you think .

Here is some info on a sub 20k car I�ve had it for more than a year. It�s a great car. I had it serviced last year for the high mileage maintenance at Pittsburgh Porsche. Had new battery put in, new tires, oil change, spark plus etc. It has all that done from the previous owner prior to me purchasing it but I had it looked over again with the same maintenance package. I haven�t had it inspected this year because I hardly use it. Just needs a oil change. But occasionally drive around town . I have another �fun� car that I use and this one I just putz around in. Give me a call if you want to talk more about it. I have a binder of past services to the car going back to the first owner. Most of the services were done by a local Pittsburgh dealership either here during my ownership or in Maryland/DC where the past owners lived. also have this pic. Is this top OK?

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Honestly I would stick with the Boxster if you're going to get a Carrera 4 Cab. The "4" option adds 131 lbs and the cab option adds around 178 (for 2wd) or 165 lbs (C4). For a 996.1, the C4 Cab is a 296 lb difference to the Coupe 2wd -- and you definitely feel the difference. Unless you absolutely need AWD, the 2wd has much better driving feel (yes I've owned both). At a minimum, I would recommend you drive a C4/Cab and a C2/Coupe to see if you like the former (compared to your Boxster) and to see if the lightweight driving feel of the latter outweighs your desire for Cab/AWD. I'm not trying to discourage you -- definitely buy what you want -- but I don't think the get the full benefit of the 996 (versus your Boxster) with a Cab/4.

Good info. Only looking at the cab C4 because of the maintenance history, overall condition of the car and the price which is under 20k. There is a C2 cab local to be but he�s asking way too much IMO. Waiting for his reply to get more info on the car.

Only get a C4 if it's some color/spec you must absolutely have outside of the front wheels being driven. You can at least remedy that part of it pretty easily.

Get what you want. You know the routine, just get one with a good service history, fresh parts and no bore scoring. Big different between a C4 996 cab and boxster. I see huge benefit to a C4 cab in a 4 season town, not to mention back seat room in the warm weather months for 2 sets of golf clubs. Not taking away from a boxster which i have always liked and appreciated.

I don�t think the C4 is a bad choice for me. Maybe I�ll do my due diligence on this one. Will a regular PPI do the bore scope? Do I really need to have that done for a car that will get about 10m miles a year? Here is what I got on the car so far. I�ve had it for more than a year. It�s a great car. I had it serviced last year for the high mileage maintenance at Pittsburgh Porsche. Had new battery put in, new tires, oil change, spark plus etc. It has all that done from the previous owner prior to me purchasing it but I had it looked over again with the same maintenance package. I haven�t had it inspected this year because I hardly use it. Just needs a oil change. But occasionally drive around town . I have another �fun� car that I use and this one I just putz around in. Give me a call if you want to talk more about it. I have a binder of past services to the car going back to the first owner. Most of the services were done by a local Pittsburgh dealership either here during my ownership or in Maryland/DC where the past owners lived.

I have a hard time believing a 996 under $20K exists, that isn't a complete disaster. Not saying it's not possible, but extremely atypical. Tread lightly.

Found 2 Cab C4 cars that I�m very interested in. Hoping to buy this week. There is an unjustified $8000 difference between the two cars. Car #1 has the top which I showed above. Has a ton of records and is the less expensive car. No rear wing or spoiler which I really want Car #2 looks pretty near flawless in pics but only has basic recent records and is probably 7k more at the end of the day. Has a very nice rear wing/spoiler. My gut is telling me to go with #1 and save the 6-7k. At the end of the day it�s the same car, with more compete records but does have the headliner issue. Anyway, just thinking out loud here and hope to make a decision soon.

The 6-7k you save could be used for additional maintenance. Drive both your gut will tell you which to buy . I would recommend a PPI be done on the one you think you want . Money well spent upfront .

any spoiler on a cab is pretty regretful imo. go with #1

FWIW in 2019 I bought a 996 C4 Cab for 18K, drove it a year and AOS failure cracked a cylinder. Glad I was only 18IN I had the motor done and still like the car.. I feel like since then I'm dang near back above water, since prices have gone up and the reason I bought the car was it had a hardtop on most of its life and I think the original owner just took that off when they wanted to drive it with the top off. and the paint on mine is basically perfect.

I had a 04 996 C2 and it was a good car. Bought it for 25K about 4 years ago but even with maintenance records, I still ran into issues with the emissions which caused it to not run correctly and spent over a month in the shop. I never was a 100% fan of how the car drove compared to mid-engine so I went back to a 981 Boxster then a 987 Boxster. I may get kicked off the forum but a mid-engine in the twisties is just so hard to beat.

I've considered picking up a 996 cabriolet or a 986 Boxster. Right now future car purchases are on-hold. But if I were to be shopping for a second Porsche it would likely be a Boxster...or a 996 Turbo. I'd skip the 996 Cabriolet, especially a C4. The Boxster would likely be more fun than a C4 cab. The price difference between a 986 and a 996 cabriolet is significant.