Considerations for a 996 cab

I�m new to the world of buying a 911 and am looking for a 996 cab. I think I would prefer a 4 but am flexible. I currently own a �22 Macan S and previously owned a 986 Boxster s. I test drove a very nice looking �03 base model cab with manual transmission. It looks great , inside and out and seems to have been well cared for. But the ride is pretty rough and stiff. And there seem to be quite a few squeaks and rattles when driving over road imperfections. im curious whether the very stiff ride and squeaks (especially with the roof up) are normal for the model or an issue with this particular car. It has pretty low mileage -40s. There is no evidence that the IMS has been replaced. Thanks for reading and I welcome any suggestions.

I had a '99 996 Cab for 7 wonderful years. Sold it in '10 to a customer/friend who still has it. He loves it too. He owned a circuit board manufacturing business that he sold a couple of years ago and could buy a 918 or maybe a Carrera GT. I now have a 996 Cab TT that I've owned since '11 that just turned 40K. Yeah a few squeaks, rattles here and there. Most can be minimized by using a silicone lube on the rubber door and top seal contact points. Sway rubber bushings, adjusting doors, etc. These are not a Lexus.

Just bought a 996 Cab to augment my air cooled 911� one of the things I had seen was an opinion that at this point it might be better to buy a car with the original IMS and just plan to replace it ASAP. The reasoning seemed to be that a lot of the IMS replacements are good for X years/miles should be replaced. Without documentation of exactly when and how the IMS was done it was really a crapshoot on when it could rear its head. From my casual observation on BAT the unfixed IMS cars seem to go for slightly less. With that in mind I bought a nice �02 Cab with 37k miles and am taking it to get the IMS done next week. As for the ride/noise it�s way softer and quieter than my ridiculously loud air cooled car so can�t really comment much on that. But during the brief drive I took it on it seems pretty decent. As for getting a 2 vs a 4� I didn�t see any need to get a 4, just adds weight and additional complexity. If I lived someplace where there was inclement weather and got a coupe maybe a 4 could make sense but how many people will go to the 911 Cab as the car to drive on a bad weather day?

Thanks, that’s great feedback.

Thank you. That helps me to set my expectations.

One additional thing I will say is that it�s probably best to sort out who/how you might have do the IMS bearing (and clutch cause it�s already apart) once you get the thing. The impression I get is that IMS bearings don�t do well with low use cars and the car you are looking at sounds a lot like mine falling in that category with under 2k miles a year. Like pretty much any other brand the dealership isn�t really a great route for service on a 20+ year old car so figure out what options are for an independent in your area. Get in touch with them first and get a ballpark idea of what they will charge and when they can get work done. I thought I had a good option in my area but when it actually came down to numbers the price they gave me to do a few basic jobs was ridiculous and gave me the runaround on actually when I could get work done. In reading a bunch of threads I had seen similar numbers for IMS from a dealership referred to as �we don�t want to do it but if you pay enough we will do it�. I don�t want to be a cheapskate about things but at the same time I don�t want to work with a shop that doesn�t seem to respect me as a customer. After some searching I found a new independent that�s a little bit further away but the owner was extremely helpful on the phone and gave me much more reasonable estimates for price and timeline to get the work done.

I have '02 cab and it does not squeak or rattle whether the top is up or down or if the hardtop is on. The ride is as it should be. It's a sports car and I had the suspension refreshed. I would be interested in the service record.

My 02 Cab has 42k miles, the 18 inch rims and little sidewall along with Bilstein b6 struts makes for a firm ride and will let you know of pot holes and road imperfections. The rattles can be sorted to a point. But the short answer is yes a very stiff ride and a rattle or two are not uncommon.

I test drove a cab last year and it rode much rougher than the coupe I ended up purchasing. Not sure what the difference is but it was noticeably different.

The ride on my '02 C4 cab with 35k miles was hard and noisy on the 10 year old Pirelli Pilots that were on it. It was a magical change when I replaced the tires - much quieter and less harsh ride. Check the age and condition of the tires, After replacing the tires, I am quite impressed with the Lack of squeaks and rattles from the chassis and convertible top. So, it is possible to reduce the rattles you're hearing. While I don't have one to give a 1st hand comment, I was warned that the removable hardtop squeaks horribly. Would love to hear what other owners have found with a hardtop on their cabrio. Jeff

Quotes source post: 20129998

I only had the hardtop on for two weeks after I got my 2001 996, but I do not remember any squeaking at all.

Quotes source post: 20129998

I have a hardtop and there are zero squeaks. However, I am not surprised to hear of this as an issue because the hardtop has to be adjusted so it fits properly. It isn't like screwing in a spark plug. There are adjustable settings and here is a good example of what's required to get it right. Measurment points Tolerances ​​​​​​​

Thanks for the great feedback. Here is the carfax report per the request from 996 cab -

CarFax isn't too bad. I don't like the 5 previous owners but at least it was being seen regularly by a Porsche dealer. That's a plus. On the rough ride, you can check the air pressure. If it has tire pressure as recommended inside the gas cap, that would contribute to the rougher ride. Lower the air pressure and try again.

Quotes source post: 20130804

If the tire pressure sticker isn't under the gas cap check under the frunk. That's where mine is.

One thing to look out for besides the above is checking the roof drains, I live in Wyoming so rain isn't much of an issue, I recently took a trip and got rained on a lot. what happens is the roof drains get blocked or broken and will flood the rear floorboards of the car. It does seem a harsher ride, I only have my Cayenne to compare it to but I guess it is a sports car. other than that it runs great.

I have a 2003 C4 cab with 56k on the clock that I�ve been �close� to listing on BaT for a couple of years LOL. The cab top seals will squeak a bit but can be treated with silicone I�ve read but never done it. Took it out yesterday (no squeaks) but found that both front outer CV joints are cracked and leaking😐 so now I need to fix those. It�s either a messy job to replace the boots if I can find someone willing to do that, or two new expensive axles which first indy thought was best plan.

Quotes source post: 20131702

The CV boots take an hour to change. The Turbo guys have been buying replacement front axles for $200/set on Amazon.

You can get the whole front CV axle assembly made by GKN from Rock Auto for about 1/3 the price of it in a Porsche box. Dunno about the 996 specifically but GKN is the actual manufacturer for a lot of other cars, no need to pay the Porsche box premium.

I am the owner of a 2004 C4S cabriolet with a manual transmission for a little over two years now. I can honestly say that it is the most refined of the four that I have owned. Three have been cabs (1987, 1997, 2004) and one a coupe (1967 912). With that said, they all have had a very stiff rides. They are, after all, sports cars. Also, because of the rear engine, rear wheel drive (except the C4S), they are much lighter in the front, and they all have a road feel very unlike most other vehicles. What this means is that every nuance of the road surface is transmitted to the driver through the seat/steering wheel combination. This is something I have grown to love, but admittedly, it's not for everyone. The fact that a vehicle is a convertible, especially an older one, means there will always be more "squeaks and rattles" than a comparably aged coupe. I'm no expert, but I think it has a lot to do with body stiffness as well as aging rubber in the vehicle. This is not something that would keep me from purchasing a vehicle. There is certainly an undeniable pleasure in driving a convertible. As far as the IMS bearing goes, I purchased mine without it having been done. I was advised, at the time, by an independent mechanic to wait (my car had about 58,000 miles on the odo). I think the best course of action here, is to price out, in your local area, the cost of an IMS retrofit, vs a complete engine rebuild and see what you are comfortable with. I just checked this. According to a local mechanic in my area (Los Angeles), the cost of doing an IMS retrofit (including a clutch replacement, since much of the labor is the same) is around $5,000-$6,000. A complete engine rebuild (also with a clutch replacement) would be in the neighborhood of $12,000. By the way, thanks for mentioning this, since I'm considering doing this myself, depending on whether I decide to keep or sell the car (mine now has 64,000 miles on the odo). Also, the mechanic I spoke with told me that most IMS failures they see, occur in the 100-110,000 mile range. The benefit of having it done after you purchase a vehicle is the peace of mind knowing exactly when and what has been done to the vehicle versus taking someone else's word for it. That said, they do not all fail. Has much to do with proper servicing and driving style. Also, I will note, although not related to your post, mine has the factory "sport sound" option. This, to me, adds a special pleasure which is very difficult to relate unless someone has experienced it. It is able to be switched off, but I love it and run with it on all the time. I find the engine note especially satisfying at lower speed and torque. Hope this all helps and good luck finding the right car.

Make the tire change. That will solve a lot of issues. I�d like to find a hard top for my 996.2 cab. Any leads would be appreciated.

My 2004 cabriolet has 80000 mi on the clock, and no IMS history. I plan to use Oil analysis to help me decide when to get serious about tackling the IMS. Like others, i have no squeaks or rattles, but a firm ride. My son got his front cv axles (997) rebuilt by CV Source in Atlanta. Very pleased with their professionalism and their work. Nice people, too. I went there to pick them up when they were done. They use only highest quality parts. Just a thought.