About to buy my first Porsche

I'm new here so i just want to introduce myself. I'm from dirty Jersey and i'm about to buy my first Porsche which its a 996. I find that there are quite a few people here that know a whole lot more than i do and google experience don't count for much. I've done quite a bit of reading on the ims and rms issues they have. I'm aware of the problems i can face. I'm looking at 2 996 cabriolet, ones 1999 911 4s manual for 20k and other is 2000 911 rwd automatic 16k. they both have 70kmi, any and all opinion are welcome. As a kid i always want a 2door sports car and something i know every other block i turn i see someone else have the same car in their driveway. Also i've never drive manual before and i'm not afraid to take that leap out of my comfort zone and stall from time to time......missing a gear........

If you prefer an auto, you will find better prices on cars with autos in general. Also, a 4s is more valuable car than a c2 996. Resale is way better on the latter. im(probably uninformed)o between the two, the 4s seems like a better value. But you'll need to learn to drive stick

please don't lol. i just got off of work i'm going to go to my credit union in the morning, then help a friend and go spend $75 to get 45min to learn stick. My birthday is coming up soon.

Learn to drive manual - it's more fun...

If you find yourself uncomfortable with a manual, the tiptronic in the 996 is very good...maybe that's why German Police 911s are tiptronic...or were while they still made tips. But a manual will be cheaper to repair so it is worth learning to drive one.

My opinions. 1. There is no such thing as 1999 4s model. 4s first appeared in 2002. The car is Carrera 4. 2. Destroying the clutch on the 996 will be expensive learning experience. If you never drove the manual car, try renting/borrowing one for a week to see if you will be down for it. I can switch fluidly between either. My mother only drove manuals since she started driving, she refused to drive autos. If you never drove manual in your life, you could not enjoy driving one at all. 3. If you are trying to finance the 996 (credit union comment), I would advise you not to do it. This is a 15+ year old super-car with $80k parts. You can get lucky and car will be perfect, but if motor pops or transmission goes- you are in a very bad financial spot. 4. Get a solid PPI on both cars. $300-$400 for PPI can save you a ton of money. 5. Tip will be cheaper to buy, but will also be harder to sell should you try to get rid of it after a few years. Sub 2002 tiptronics are slower and less durable then 2002+ tiptronics. 2000 tip has 5 programs, 2002 has much more.

I second the thoughts on learning manual in a 996 or any sports car isn't a great idea. These aren't cars that are easy to drive they have a fair bit of power. Good luck on what ever decision you make ​​​​​​

learn manual first before considering a manual car of any type. I would go for the 1999 simply because I already have that year manual.

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Make sure you are able to buy the car with cash you don't need for something else and then make sure you got another 5k to spare for any repairs. Buy an early one and you can gamble that the IMS is OK, it probably is. It would be a shame if you spend 18-20k on a car, drive it for a bit and then run into a repair you cannot avoid but cannot pay either. Your 18-20k then suddenly became 6-8k; that is quick money gone! Just my 2c.

thz for the advice, omw out the door to go ruin someones clutch.

The transmission is totally a preference thing. As everyone states the resale is tip cars is much lower but that makes it a great deal if you don't like shifting and do a lot of driving in traffic. In addition, my new cars have automatics (actually auto-manuals/double clutch) and I sure do like driving them better as daily commuters in traffic. However, manual 996 is so much more fun than any of my new model super cars have been from a driving experience on the track. The thing about a manual transmission is you are always learning on the track, always tuning your drive and its so involving as you learn to heal/toe better and better. If you plan to try the track and you want to really learn how to be a great driver, manual all the way. If you don't plan to track and you are primarily in traffic, auto is not a bad option particularly if you don't like to be involved. As a side note, my so is 15 and just got his permit. After a couple of weeks driving a sedan, he wanted to drive my 996 (which has a short shifter) and he drove it for about 60 miles. He had a few stalls , one near money shift (accelerating and going from 2 to 1) but he said he likes the control. Now we are looking for a manual car for him. You can learn in a couple of days....Even my wife learned how to drive manual in a couple of days... good luck and either way you will enjoy.

Unfortunately I haven't had the option to learn stick growing up, now I'm in a much better position to make that choice for myself. I don't wana to jump the gun and do something I will regret. The car isn't the perfect color but I can vinyl it to get what I want. As for the rest of the car I need to b sure it manageable. This will be my weekend driver, an escape from the city. I'm not used to do long driving but I'm sure a manual would be fun to drive long distance. Thanks again for your input everyone.

I bought what appeared to be a solid 996 mechanically (not so much cosmetically) and within the 1st year I ended up with around $4,500 in repairs. Just make sure you are not overextending yourself to get into a Porsche. The purchase price is cheap, the repairs are not. I have seen too many people jump into a Porsche or Aston Martin due to the low entry cost and then up having to sell because they can't keep up with maintenance. My porsche is my 3rd car, so I have more flexibility than others when it comes to repairs and letting my car sit on jackstands in my garage for a month at a time while I work on it. I DID finance it but it was because at the time it was my 4th car and i got a rate of 3.4% so it made sense for me.

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If you are in any stop and go traffic you may want to rethink the manual in a performance car. Try to find and auto 996 to test drive. Then once you had a little practice go and look for the stick 996. Get a feel for both... Everyone should learn to drive a manual, but not all will enjoy one.