996 owner opinions

Hi guys, have been considering a 02-04 996 carrera for a while and wanted to get some opinions from actual owners, as far as I've read/heard about them so far the only real issue with them seems to be the IMS and they are otherwise pretty solid cars. Also have been told they are ~1k a year to maintain and repair and wanted to know from owners if this is a real figure or low-balling it. Thanks rennlist

A thousand bucks a year does not sound realistic to me - but I drive my car a lot, and I drive it vigorously, so I can spend a thousand bucks a year in tires and/or brakes. As much as the "you should do all your own maintenance" guys **** me off, whether or not you do your own oil changes and other normal maintenance WILL dramatically affect how much you spend. You can do the 30K mile services yourself for a whole lot less than you'll pay at a dealership or indie. I feel like my car has been solid - but in 2.5 years I've replaced the coolant tank, motor mounts, brake pads, rotors, one window regulator, a fuel pump, a muffler (one of the stainless aftermarket mufflers it came with came apart internally), the MAF sensor, an oxygen sensor, all six coil packs (only one was actually failed, but all were cracked). Big-ticket consumables: 1 set of front tires, 2 sets of rear tires, 1 clutch Replaced preventively: IMS bearing (retrofitted with LN dual-row and AOS "while you're at it" during clutch change) Even a DIY oil change can cost a little bit, since you're buying 9 quarts of synthetic oil for each change. IF you find a 996 that has been METICULOUSLY maintained and has had ALL preventive maintenance done (coolant tank, IMS bearing, water pump, etc. etc.), sure, you could spend less than $1K a year. However, this has not been my experience. The car has been rock-solid, only failing to start once (fuel pump) - it still ran when the coil pack failed and when the water pump let go, but it has not been Hyundai-cheap to maintain.

so what would you guess your annual spending on it is? would be a DD for me as well so ~10-12k miles a year, and you mentioned LN retrofit, does the retrofit not solve the IMS problem permanently? i read if that is done its something you don't need to worry about going wrong anymore or is that bad info

There are multiple routes for the IMS situation: 1) Ignore it - many people do. 2) Replace the bearing with another bearing (this is now considered preventive maintenance, with some experts saying it should be repeated every 50K miles / with every clutch) 3) Replace with something like the "IMS Solution", which IS a one-time fix. I would guess that I put about $2,500 - $3K a year into the car for the first two years, but at this point I have caught up with anything that had been deferred. Note that a lot of things - like the water pump and coolant tank - were not known to be maintenance items initially - only once the cars started aging did people realize that the coolant tanks split and the water pump bearings fail. A set of 4 tires can be $1K, so that could potentially be your entire budget for a year. This all sounds like I'm harshing the car, but that's not the case. I love it, and don't plan to sell it anytime soon, if ever. However, I'd be lying if I said it has been a cheap car to own thus far. Is it still a LOT cheaper than lease or loan payments on a new, $100,000 911 with a bumper-to-bumper warranty? Hell yes. Hands down. Absolutely. Amazing value, if you look at it that way.

The biggest issue with them is that anything that goes wrong can be expensive, either in parts or in shop time. On the same note, when I was driving my old 98 Jeep Cherokee it was around $600-1k a year in maintance, and that was more or less normal stuff on a 15+ year old car. The 996 seems to be the same way, stuff wears out, and stuff needs to get fixed, plus the landmine of issues that any old car could have (was it beat up, accident, engine issues, etc). If it's a manual, may not be a bad idea to, off the bat, budget in money for the IMS and a new clutch. At least that way you know both have been done and worst case you have a good used clutch for parts later and either have found out the IMS was done or now have it fixed for a while. But, as with any really nice used car, there are a lot of $1000 things that may need to be done which are just normal maintenance.

I'm with Schnell on this. Even if the car you buy is perfect and has been maintained immaculately, you may spend less the first year or two but eventually it'll catch up. My car was pretty much perfect mechanically when I got it 2.5 years ago including a new factory engine with all ancillaries. However, this year I will be replacing the brakes all the way around, I've replaced one set of tires already, will be getting another set this year, I am fairly certain one of my radiators has a leak (was quoted around $1500 to have them both replaced at a good local indy, but think I can do it myself for around $800 total, it's time to replace coolant anyway). The car is also at the point where replacing the suspension would be a worthwhile endeavor. I also had a bad idler pulley, and I replaced the sway bar end links to (successfully it seems) remove an irritating rattle and there were a couple of other little things. Oil changes I do myself every time, it's so easy and obviously you can budget the time and place for it. So when all is said and done it probably makes sense to budget for $2500 or so per year, some years less, some more. It is still a hell of a bargain for what you get and way more fun than anything else I could spend $2500 or so per year on. The car has never left me stranded, is relatively easy to work on, and parts don't have to cost a fortune, especially if you are willing to buy the same exact part in the OEM box instead of the silver Porsche one from the dealer. Also keep in mind that the purchase price is probably not going to plummet much more, certainly less than anything new or near-new that you could buy for the same outlay. Also I enjoy the fact that anyone can walk into a new car dealership and buy a new whatever, but my car, while far from unique, is not that easily or often replicated/seen in the wild.

Unless you find a flawlessly maintained example, plan on spending some $ bringing it up to proper form. I call that "baselining" a car. That means all the wear or life-limited items are replaced and the car is daily reliable. This is the expensive side of initial ownership. Some people defer preventative maintenance until something breaks...I don't advise that on these cars.

Quotes source post: 12173458

You'll burn through a set of rear tires every year with that kind of mileage, and then you'll need fronts and rears the next year. You'll come close to or exceed your $1K per year estimate in tires alone.

still not terribly unreasonable, however it would probably be hard to find one that well maintained on a 20-25k budget, thanks all for the info will look more into it

I would figure $2,000 per year if you are willing to do some wrenching yourself

What's your budget for the purchase?

selling my current car for around 23-24k and was hoping it could last 2-3 years of maintenance/repairs as well as the car itself, to many other great cars under that price range to justify spending more on a 10+ yr old car as much as i absolutely love the 996

I paid top dollar for my 03 996 C2 with 39k miles. Everything I did was my call and my option and done in the first two months of ownership...oil & filter change, brake fluid change, complete inspection, 2 new front tires, balancing, alignment, motor mounts, spark plugs...all around $3k. Add another $800 for a window regulator and a power seat motor and I'm pushing toward $4k. Nothing I did seems unusual for a 12 year old car, milage not the issue. I expect to soon do the swap bar end links and replace the shocks. And I will do oil changes every 5k miles. And I expect other things to wear out along the way. My estimate is a bare minium of $3k a year and easily $4k to $5k if bigger ticket items break down. All is possible because I paid cash for my car. I strongly recommend that you avoid car payments. I did nothing to my AOS, IMSB, RMS, or clutch...yet. I am in heaven. I even learned to love my first door ding.

Basically, if the car doesn't have records of the AOS/RMS/Imsssbbb/ and clutch being done recently, plan on paying a good Indy about $2500-3500 for those " while you're there items. That goes for the thermostat and water pump too. Plan on $1000 or so for those two items at an Indy as well. That covers the usual suspects for large repairs for some piece of mind after purchase. If it has records of those items being done, all the better.

issue is finding one with all that done and it still being within my budget, don't want to push up to the top of my budget even with all of those done as surprise bills come with german cars well

Quotes source post: 12173779

I have a 2004, 2nd owner, with all that done. My approach with all of my cars has always been to keep them up to speed; meaning when something needs to be done I get it done. There is nothing more costly than deferring service and repairs. Pay as you go. Although I now have time to do some of the basics myself, like oil changes, brakes, filters, etc I still leave anything major for my dealer to do. You can save some substantial dollars by working with your dealer and providing your own parts. And I agree with John Ireland, I was fortunate enough to pay cash for both of my 996's which made ownership more palatable. I get to rationalize the cost of upkeep by telling myself that the bill is still less than a payment on a car of comparable quality that might provide the driving enjoyment and huge fun factor of a Porsche. Enjoy the hunt, it's part of the fun.

Your budget seems fine, I paid near (below) the high end of your range in Oct 2012 for mine which had a new factory engine installed at the dealer 5000 miles prior under warranty (not IMSB-related) (replaced at 58k miles, I bought with 63k miles). It didn't take me terribly long to find it either. Keep looking, they are out there. On the whole I can't think of another car that does what it does and how it does it for so little outlay along with what is in reality a fairly low annual maintenance budget. Insurance isn't bad either but always a good idea to get a quote before buying...

Quotes source post: 12173875

Guess ill give it a bit more time looking, was basing it on seeing anything in decent condition/replaced IMS was 25k+ on classifieds/craigslist and the like, most of them even being 30k+

Coming up on two years ownership this month (2002 Targa) I've put a total of 12k miles thus far it now shows 74,500. Thus far 2 oil changes (myself) about $100 bucks each( I use DT40 ) and a brake switch $120 (dealer) Still haven't done IMSB yet. Original clutch is still fine.

I've had mine for 10 years and have spent less than $1000 a year. Recently sold my other car and am now using it as my daily driver so I'm curious to see what I'll be spending.

There's a thread on Pelican titled 'The affordable 996 thread'.

I share the following not to scare you off, but to provide an additional data point: I will have spent well over $15k in the first year of ownership. That includes some initial maintenance, new tires, a "new" engine, and labor to put in the new engine. I'll probably have another $2-3k more to do in the next few months to address other issues found when the engine was out. And you know what? I'd do it again. I got unlucky with a car that obviously had a problem. It had very thorough maintenance records and I had a PPI, but still got bit in the ***. I think my case is an exception and not something that should be expected, but just know that it's a possibility. I hope to get my car back on Monday (it was supposed to be today...), and when I do, I'm going to drive it like it was meant to be driven and enjoy every moment of it!

Quotes source post: 12174876

god damn dude that is rough, how did they miss something that requires a new engine in a ppi? was it IMS or something else?

Quotes source post: 12176644

My general attitude about it has been that "**** happens". Unfortunately, it happened to me this time. We won't know exactly what went wrong until it gets to Jake Raby and he can do an autopsy. The engine was either picked up today or will be early next week to make the trip to Georgia. When I spoke with him, he didn't think it was the IMS, but still it wasn't something that would have been picked up in a PPI. I chalk it up to a low probability failure, but will be very interested to know what happened. I reiterate: I don't regret the decision to buy the car. I can't tell you how excited I am to get it back in the next few days and finally have that ear to ear grin again.

I'm a little over a month into my first Porsche and have racked up $3786.88 worth of repair bills. Now that I have a new IMS, RMS, AOS, Clutch, Flywheel, Crankshaft Position Sensor, and tie rod endlinks I should be good for a while. I'll be doing rotors/pads soon, as well as new tires within 4000 miles so that's at least another $1300 with me doing the brake job myself.

Like Ryan, I had sketchy records on the car I bought so I did the AOS/RMS/IMSB/clutch/ water pump/ LN low temps t-stat/ LN spin-on oil filter/ LN magnetic drain plug all within the first 6 weeks of ownership. I pay attention to things but don't really worry at this point.

If I was AndrewMT996 I'd be so pissed at the thought of instead of buying a 996 for what $20-$25k? then dumping another $15k into it I could have bought a 996 Turbo instead or maybe a 997 new enough to avoid all the IMSB bull****.

Quotes source post: 12176951

Real world - friend of mine bought one of those $42k Turbo's - clean one owner and none of that IMSB BS. A few weeks of ownership and he had to dump $6,200 into it and at least another $6k of necessary repairs yet to be done. And I haven't seen any 997.2 for $35 or $40k.

Personally, I'd recommend budgeting $1K or $2K per year, and then having a separate "emergency fund" of at least $6K to $8K that you may or may not need to dip into in any given year. Like Andrew, I had to replace the motor this year on my 2003 C2, to the tune of over 10K. Still love the car, though. No regrets. Andrew, good to see that you are of the same opinion. Jake Raby autopsied my engine too.

thanks for all the response ITT, interested to hear what happened in yours still andrewMT - best of luck with it

Im a frequent troller of just about every porsche classified out there. More and more I see preventative maintenance, specificaly RMS and IMS, in used car ads. You can find one of these and forgo a considerable service bill before getting into a 996. A must would be to verify the technical ability of the shop who performed the service. Ive often found my best used cars havent even been forsale. Find or ask your local Porsche specialist. They may have a client who wants to sell a well maintained car.

Quotes source post: 12176951

Well, I definitely wasn't happy about having to shell out the extra $10k, but I went into it with eyes open. In the big picture, if the worst thing happening in my life is that my Porsche doesn't work, then things are going well. Had I known it would be $40k the first year, I may have looked at a 997.2 or found a 996 to send off to Jake from the get-go.

Quotes source post: 12177535

I'll let you know! Good luck with your decision. You'll love the car if you go that route.

Quotes source post: 12177711

Definitely a "first world problem." Also understand that right now is THE worst time of the year to buy. Spring fever makes it a seller's market plus inventory gets snapped up quickly. Wait 6 months and both available inventory and prices will be better. My cousin the used car dealer can't keep inventory on his lot.

Quotes source post: 12177714

thanks, definitely not off the table yet but a decent aftermarket warranty might be the only way it isn't.

I love the 996 and Porsche's in general, I've take a sojourn to a Jag XKR but the 996 is a very drive able and competent car which stands up well against sports cars 10 years younger. I don't think $1000 is realistic maybe 3 to 5k a year depending on mileage. There older cars and they will require work. I personally believe the IMS issue is over blown but you have to be aware of it.

If you're worried about having to spend a few grand a year, this is not the car for you. Go lease a honda camry or some other roller skate type econo s-box, they are cheap and I dont think you even need to change the oil in them. With all the money you save you can pad up your roth IRA and have lots of money left over when you're on your death bed If money was meant to hold on to, it would come with handles. Now if you want to drive a highly refined performance oriented german vehicle that has the potential to go 173mph from the factory with entry point cost of $0.25 on the dollar of MSRP, a 996 is the car for you. There is no better bargain right now than a 996, these forums and the IMS hysteria has been a blessing for cheap bastards like myself. If you pop an engine it will cost ya $10K, you're still $65K ahead of the game. The reality is that these cars are 911 Carrera's with all the rights and privileges bestowed on the lineage. A water cooled Porsche is about the most practical thing to ever happen to these cars, when you're sitting in traffic on a 100* day with the air blasting it becomes very clear just how functional these novelty vehicles have become. I would plan on $3500 per year operational costs, maybe more maybe less, but these things don't run on friendship thats for certain. Take your time and find a good example, I would shy away from low milage garage queens in favor of a higher milage properly maintained car. These cars are fantastic, built solid and are a pleasure to drive. All records must be in order or an owner willing to adjust price accordingly. Go talk to your local indie and see if he has any clients that are getting ready to pull the trigger on a new ride and looking to unload a good 996. At the end of the day, if you're going to drive around with your eyes glued to the oil pressure gauge because you are worried about popping an engine to the tune of $10K+ you should consider going a different direction.

Couldnt have sed it any better!

I 100% agree with MRWW. I would (and did) go with a high mileage car. I just purchased a 2002 in February. I'm going to submit a posting on that soon. I think you can find a great 996 for $23-25k. I feel $1,000 per year (on average) in maintenance is too low and not realistic. On average being the key. I spent $1,500 the first week and the car barely needed anything. I also like the idea of going to a Porsche dealer, find the guy in service that's been there 10 years, and have him contact a customer who's looking to upgrade to a new Porsche.

I bought a 2000 996 with quite a bit of mileage 128,000.The previous owner had spent $5000 in preventive maintenance and had the IMS changed. I had a PPi that went well but I did have surprises once I got the car. I noticed a coolant leak and a check engine light about the same time.The error code should MAF so I removed it and cleaned.The check engine did not return. As far as the coolant leak it was from the AOS as coolant goes through it and was cracked.The AOS was changed as the suction from the oil filler tube was extreme and I could not remove it while engine was running. That was a $1200 job from my indie shop. When I got home I noticed an oil leak that was not there before.This time the RMS was leaking and because of the suction did not show previously or I would have done it then to save labor.I had expected all this so it was not a surprise and I have no regrets.When I do the RMS I will have the IMS rechecked just in case. Now I have another check engine the O2 sensor which is not a big deal and I can do myself. Don't worry about maintenance,just do it and enjoy the car. I have seen a 996 hit 500,000 kilometers,so there is lots of life left.Mine is not a DD so I can take my time,Good luck

I don't think spending more to get a "newer" car...i.e. 997.2 from 2007 or 8 is going to save anyone money. You are still buying someone else's car. Seven years old vs my 12 year old 996...the only difference I see is that on the newer car the deferred maintanence is only slightly less over due. For the last decade most new Porsches have been leases. So you have cars driven and operated by people who are notoriously maintanence adverse. They'll drive it for three years, spend as little as possible and then turn it in on a new one. The second owners is also usually a lease but now a CPO...so unless it is a warranty item the guy probably rarely brings it into the shop. And now one of us comes along and says..."gee a 12 year old 996 or a 7 year old 997." The 996 will cost you 20 to 25 grand and you'll put 5 to 10 into it over the first couple of years. The 997 will cost you 40 grand and you'll still be putting 5 to 10 into it over the first couple of years. A turbo with the engine difference is one way to solve the IMS issue...and you will still be pouring money into it because the turbos are more maintanence intensive and the odds still are that the previous owners didn't do anything that wasn't under warranty. The exception to all this is when you are buying private party to private party and you have full documentation of all work done and by whom and where and when. The only people who don't seem to be complaining about cost are those who go crazy moding their cars. They are actually happy to be spending money. Love it and drive and be happy every day your are alive.

I always buy the best I can find. I like low mileage cars and I buy from private parties. Its different if I buy a car just for transportation such as my pick up truck but when I buy a bike or a car as more of a toy I want it as close to new as I can find. I find that its easier to keep it like new if thats your thing than to try to bring it back to like new. If its a car that is no more than transportation it doesn't matter. Many times I have to much money in this type of car, more than I will get back but not always. That does not bother me at all, as long as I really like it while I have it I'm a happy guy. The Porsche is so nice whenever I drive it and whenever I see it in the garage that I'm thrilled with it. I spent a lot upfront on a super low mile 996 to have all the things replaced that start going out on a car its age even if it doesn't have many miles. Everybody is different about what they like and their financial outlook on car ownerships.

First of all - am I the only working stiff out here that had to finance his Porsche to be able to even own one? Anyway, here's what I have experienced after 15 months and 17000 miles. I did everything wrong: no PPI, no service history. I just saw the car and had to have it as a DD. 2002 C2, stick, bone stock, 39k miles (then). I paid $25K. It was a one-owner trade-in at the local Jag dealer. Tires looked good - but I found out that you have to feel all the way across the rears; mine were bald in the middle. Matching up to the good front tires (Pirelli P-Zero Rossos) set me back $800. That was the first week of ownership. After 10000 miles, the rears were bald again. Found a set of four new tires (not N-rated) for $700 installed (18 in., BTW). So there was $1500 the first year, just for tires! I've also done 3 oil changes (every 5K miles), and changed out the coolant because my real good indy said what was in there was the wrong color. The only other thing was changing the coolant cap for the "04" update. I'm going with the "if it ain't broke - don't fix it" approach. Like I said, I got a real good indy, so he checks the car out every 5000 miles and I do what he suggests. Works for me. I don't regret for one second buying the car - good luck with yours!

Quotes source post: 12173458

No. My mechanic shed a little light on IMS fixes. He doesn't like the idea of straying away from the original design from the Porsche engineers (ie oil fed bearing) and recommends the LN engineering replacement (like you mentioned). However, this new bearing still has a service life (something like 5 years) so it is not a set-and-forget fix. I guess it depends on how you drive your car. Personaly, I am 60,000 miles on the original IMS. Do I think about it? Yes, but statistically my heads will crack first. Or I'll be hit on the head with a coconut....

Quotes source post: 12186524

Right there with you my man. Although for tires, I went with the michelin pilot super sports. Update form the factory PS2. Got 265/35/zr18's installed for 600 bucks (not as bad as your 800). They were pretty grippy on the track, too. Just a small recommendation for a slightly cheaper tire.

Don't waste your money on an extended warranty. They won't pay you even close to what it costs to repair/replace one of these engines. The warranty company I went through offered about a third of what it costs to fix/repair one of these engines. The inspector 'totaled' the engine and these crooks just ignored it. Take your time and find one that has had the IMS issue addressed by a shop that has been certified by LN Engineering to install their product.

Thanks for all the responses everyone, just thought i would update the thread even though i opted to stay away from the 996, looking at an is-f now.

Quotes source post: 12173450

+1 Last year I spent about $5,000 on the same. Tires, water pump, AOS, Coils. Right now I need to replace a drivers side window regulator and door lock, brake flush and front tires soon. I put about 12,000 miles on the car. Yes, $1,000 is way to low.

Best replay ever!

My '03 996 C2,purchased as a CPO car 8 years ago with about 16,000 on the clock (at 55,000 now) typically needs front tires one year, rears the next, has eaten 1 clutch, 2 batteries (I went to AGM last year) and a water pump. I will be bringing it in for the IMS Solution upgrade when my Indy receives the kit. I did opt for the extended warranty, and yes, it was a waste of cash. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Quotes source post: 12192397

Big mistake. My friend had one....better off getting a e90 M3

Quotes source post: 12176898

Hey Ryan, care to share where you did your repairs? Just purchase my first 2003 996 C4S with 82k km. Great maintenance record but none of the preventative measures done like what you just did. I'd like to get same repairs done to get a piece of mind. How long did they keep your car for? Cheers Chen

Quotes source post: 12195255

whys that? was a very fun drive in the two I've been in, seems like a bargain performance car repairs and maintenance wise as well

Quotes source post: 12199597

Its not a bad car but I'm assuming here that you are looking at a IS-F because its 4-doors and/or you don't want to go the pure sports car route with a 996? And its a depreciated priced car in today's market Well if thats the case then the BMW M3 e90 is its closest rival and if you're looking maybe in buying a Lexus IS-F then you got to be fair to yourself and compare it to the e90 M3. And if you go head to head, the M3 wins hands down. The M3 is a better driving/handling car. Engine in both cars are great but the the M3 V8 is legendary and is going to go down as a classic. Both have ****ty gas mileage, so thats a draw. Reliability edge I will go to the Lexus but the M3 is going to have a bigger 3rd party market and fan-base so you will have better resources and options to upgrade. Price wise, they are going to be the same - especially the early 2008 and up models. To be honest, my good friend had one when I had the M3, and he eventually sold his IS-F. It's a good car but the reality is the e90 M3 was the best car in its class.

Quotes source post: 12199850

the 2 vs 4 door thing really doesn't matter to me at all , I'm just looking for a fun car that fits my budget. the reliability of the lexus plus the M3 being just a bit more expensive is honestly what made it for me - then again I've only driven the is-f

Quotes source post: 12199871

Thats my point - you should test drive a e9x M3 if you're going to purchase the IS-F. The M3 is a much better car. Price wise what are you looking at for the IS-F? 2008 M3 are now hitting the upper 20s/lower 30s. Can't see the IS-F being cheaper.

Quotes source post: 12200192

can be found low-mid 20s pretty easy

Quotes source post: 12201414

Good luck with your hunt. If you're set on the IS-F, go for it.

Quotes source post: 12202083

thanks man, appreciate the input

Big difference between a 4 door luxury car and a sports car. I don't see whats to compare, one is family transportation and the other is a sports car.

There is no substitute

Give this man the Pulitzer Prize for posting. They're sports cars. They're not F150's, and they're darned sure not Grandma's Crown Victoria. While I am absolutely NOT an expert: I've had five of them, and twenty automobiles, from Gremlins to Porsches to s600s. Porsches are pricey to maintain, part-for-part, but considering the level of performance and just sheer good looks: It's a fairly good price-to-joy ratio. Buying a 'cheap' Porsche is like buying a 'cheap' Rolls Royce: Brace yourself for some unpleasantry. If you need to 'stretch' to afford it, I suggest running away. I bought my first, a 928, for $16,000 when it was only 8 years old. When I was taking home $1100 every two weeks. Don't. Do. It. Get the equivalent of a Honda CRX (whatever the equivalent is, these days) and enjoy some cheap, fast fun. That said, I believe the 996 is currently the best value among Porsches of the last 25 years. If you can accept that you're probably going to replace your tires every 16 months if it's your DD, and that 'interesting' things will break from time to time, usually only fixable by a guy named Klaus or Hans: Then you'll be fine. If you're looking for the Lexus 'buy it and forget it' experience: Buy a Lexus. Love my '03 C4S. I'll get the IMS addressed soon, regardless of 'need', because I live in the desert and don't care to walk 70 miles to civilization if The Event occurs. I accept that it's not an SUV. On the upside: It's a Porsche.

Quotes source post: 12268284

Nicely said and beautiful car.

Quotes source post: 12268284

Nice post. Our cars are Identical Twins. I love my C4S.

Honestly, I don't understand the point of this thread. Let me just highlight that this is a 996 enthusiast forum. What other than positive remarks do we expect in this thread? This not an AA meeting. Come on! Yes, I love my 996. Did you expect me to say anything else?

Well perhaps, if you were commenting on the 996 you had before you traded for a 997, or 991, or a Lexus, or were someone who considered a 996 but chose another type: Yes, I would expect some critiques. I don't see unalloyed praise in this, nor any of the strings: I see enthusiasm tempered with experience and, where appropriate, some well-placed caveats. Some come to sites like this for information before making a purchase. Some, to gain the insight of others with similar vehicles. Some just like to chat. If those are deemed 'pointless' exercises, then yes: You are exactly right, and your time, as well as the rest of ours would be better spent cleaning our gutters, or reading a book or praying the Rosary, or whatever you deem useful.

I just picked up my 1st Porsche, 02 C2. I have always loved the 996. My brother has a 02 996TT. Car has 75K and no leaks. Runs great but needs some TLC. 1st thing I am doing is dropping the car off at Flat6 for IMS retro and clutch. The car had regular service history but i want to "Drive" this car and I do not want to worry about IMS/RMS. It is not my every day driver. I knew what I was getting into and love it. I agree with most, the 1st couple of years maintenance will be higher getting the vehicle caught up on maintenance. I think the 996 is the best bang for the buck.