Advice on a 996 Driver

Hello, I'm toying with the idea of getting a 996 as a driver. My background is all air cooled with one 997 GT3 in the mix. If I wanted a 996 that went like hell, and handled great, with a very good maintenance record, what would I look for? What year is superior, is a C2S the way to go? Do I need to go to a Turbo to get decent speed or are the regular 996's pretty quick. What maintenance items/upgrades are a must? Any advice or threads you could recommend would be appreciated...Thanks Steve

I drove a handfull c2, c4s, turbo. If I wouldn't have driven the turbo I'd say the na cars were more than quick. I did however drive a turbo and I was hooked. Drive a few, and decide what you like. I'm by no means an expert but at face value you really can't compare the turbo and na 911 (besides the gt3). If you previously enjoyed the gt3's speed it's fair to say you will be more than impressed by the turbos get up and go....go....speeding ticket. Creep around in the turbo forum as well. Plenty of great info and well informed chaps to better address the technical side of things.

C2S is very very very hard to find. They don't exist as a matter of fact.

As a driver, '99 model is hard to beat. You can pick up a nice higher mileage one for under $15k. IMSB failure is generally thought to be around 1%. Drive it like you stole it. They are a lot of bang for the buck.

^ Precisely why I bought a '99 for my daily driver. Love it!

^ yup

My '99 Aerokit is my daily. I only drive about 5000 miles a year but she's my grocery-getter, airport car, etc. I love it.

Turbo's are vision-blurring quick out of the box, plain C2's (not C2S, just the plural of C2) with upgrades springs or coil-overs are the best handling, MkII's have the nicest interiors... Opinions vary though, as you can see above.

Bought my third C4S this year: An '03. Turbo brakes and suspension; adheres as if on rails, prettier shape than any other 996 IMO, and no turbo upkeep issues. Can't beat the current prices, either. One might argue "Well, you only say that because you have one." No; I have one because I think so. Passed on getting a 997, 996 Turbo, or (a bit reluctantly) another 964. All of there things equal: Get the one that speaks to you. That's the best one.

Depends where you are planning to go fast. On public roads a stock un modified 996 (any of them) will keep you easily entertained and will also be usable. Stiffening the suspension, giant wheels, etc., will all degrade the everyday drivability. There are a couple of threads here on how 18" wheels are better than 19's at speed. However if this is your midnight canyon racer and sometime track car then ROW suspension might be fun. But race cars are a real drag on the street. How much more fun would a turbo be? Well Paul Walker died as a result of too much car and not enough good judgement on public streets. Sometimes it is more fun driving a slower car fast than a faster car slow.

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I think that after the 997 GT3 you would find any of the NA 996s pretty slow. Stock 996 turbo is similar in performance spec to a 997.1 GT3.

This is all very helpful information...Thanks so much. I really prefer the look of the C4S, but I'm not very familiar with the all wheel drive up keep. Again I appreciate everyone's input...Cheers

I think you should get a 1999 in Speed Yellow with an aero kit and almost no one will tell the difference between your 997 GT3 and this !!

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Best advice I can offer is test drive examples of all and make up your mind. The AWD system doesn't require much in the way of up keep. There is the front diff and its fluid changes every so often, I can't recall how often. There are the front shaft CV boots and bearings, but these appear to be quite robust and long lived. 'course there is the increase in potential trouble should the front diff go bad. These are expensive to rebuild or replace. Sometimes the owner will just remove the front portion of the AWD system and go RWD only. All that said, bottom line is given two otherwise identical cars I would choose the RWD over the AWD. Furthermore, I have never been in a position where I felt the AWD system in my Turbo was doing anything, although I know that at any speed some torque is routed to the front axle. Owners who have removed the front portion of the AWD system of their Turbos report no anomalous behavior and some claim an improvement in the car's behavior. I have never felt in my RWD only Boxster it needed AWD. A few times it could have obviously used real snow tires, but would with these have been just fine with RWD only. As for speed, frankly, even my 2.7l Boxster is plenty fast. While it may not win the stop light gran prix -- neither will my Turbo unless I drive it like I hated it -- against all comers, the Boxster (and obviously the Turbo) are plenty fast cars. The Boxster will accelerate at a pretty good clip and the N/A engine doesn't run out of steam at higher RPMs. It pulls right up to red line. I'm sure the engine in the 996 model will do the same. On the street one seldom gets a chance to use any of the power/acceleration of the Turbo. On the open road its power/torque make for effortless cruising at highway speeds in any kind of terrain from the flat featureless highways of KS to the mountains of CO and other states. Which reminds me: One place where the Turbo really comes into its own is in areas of higher elevations. Even at 8K or 9K feet above sea level the Turbo generates impressive power and acceleration is unfazed by the altitude. If I lived in a mountainous area a Turbo would almost be a must have, or if not a Turbo, a turbo-charged car. A Turbo as a daily driver is going to be an expensive car to maintain. I'm using my Turbo for DD as my Boxster is in the shop with a bad instrument cluster. This can be rebuilt but the turn around time can be weeks. And the car has already been in the shop 4 weeks. So my Turbo is serving as my DD now and will for probably close to if not 2 months. For my work commute I put 300+ miles a week on a car and the Turbo is going through gas like crazy. Also, by the time the Boxster is out of the shop, the Turbo will be due to go in for oil/filter service. In fact I have to run the Turbo by the dealer this AM to get a turn signal bulb replaced. If you get a Turbo for a DD it pays (no pun...) to have deep pockets.

Daily driver here of a 996 1999 - avg. 75 miles per work week, if you don't count the recent clutch work I've had done... then it's very feasible to maintain, it's super fun to drive. Be sure to get it checked out though.

I put somewhere between a hundred and 400 miles a week on my '99 C4 depending on what we're doing over the weekend. I have found that ~300 HP is more than adequate for FUN daily driving. The 996 does lose a little power above 6,000 feet, but it's still always up for anything I've asked of it.

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HEY Macster, what the heck! . . . Well, OK, you're correct.

Daily driver '00 C2. Previously had '99 C2 DD. The 996 is a versatile car for DD and quite comfortable. It's a fun car to DD, fairly cheap/easy to maintain. Upgrading the suspension to coilovers makes the car much more enjoyable IMO. However, the power department is lacking for some. After coming from a bolt-on C5 DD to the '00, it is underwhelming at WOT in comparison. So I picked up a Turbo to correct that issue. Between the C2 and Turbo, the C2 is a small car and you definitely feel the lightness.

Very friendly community here! Thanks for all the input. If any of you have a lead on a well sorted 996 coupe, let me know...Thanks Steve

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Macster - you are one of the most knowledgeable guys on he forum here - in always imagined you changed your own light bulbs and oil ? To answer the original poster - c2 is more than enough performance from the street and the ride is surprisingly pliant too ... sure turbo will make you smile even more ... And drain the wallet faster ...

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+1 I put on about 200-300 or so miles a week, mostly city driving or morning/evening commute. Although a turbo would be a lot of fun there just isn't really any places I drive where it would have a chance to get going. Not even to mention the hour and a half I spent this morning, mostly in 1st, crawling along in traffic, stop and go, under 10 miles an hour if that. A turbo would have just loved that... As far as speed, I let a few friends drive it last night and it put a smile on each of their faces. Sure it's not going to be as fast as a turbo or gt model, but hey, it's still plenty fun and I've been averaging around 17-18-20 miles to the gallon.

Agree with other members. I'm glad I have a C2 vs a Turbo or I might have been dead already.