Drove my first 911 today... :)

I've been lurking for almost a year now and sponging as much info as I could from all you guys. You are an unbelievable resource to someone who is looking to get into a P Car for the first time and it's always nice to know way more about the car you are looking at than the salesman does. So now that I have finally driven one, I have a quick question... The steering on this car was VERY tight... as in I had to fight it to make it turn at any speed. It felt as if the power steering was not functioning. Is this normal, or is the power steering in fact probably bad on this car? It was a '00 C2 that had been horribly neglected, and not a strech to think that there are multiple things wrong with it. Sad. I plan on driving some more cars in the near future, but figured I would ask to put my mind at ease in the meantime, since it kinda put a downer on my first drive.

Chexk out another car..... The steering in an 00' should be super smooth and easy (I just sold my 99') (sorry edit: thought I was in the aircooled forum - again )

You can steer a 996/997 with your pinky.

Drive another one that has not been neglected and you will feel the difference.

At high speed corners, (track usage)... you have to fight the steering on a C4..... the C2 steering is very light compared to a C4, are you sure you drove a C2?

biggest question is why would youo look at a "horibly neglrcted" MKI 996??? do you have an additional $20k you want to throw into the car after you get it?

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Thats an image I would rather not have in my head

I'm not sure what you mean by "tight" - did your arms hurt after driving? Did you have to grunt when pulling out of the parking space? If the power steering is working, it should not feel "heavy" or "laborious" to turn the wheel. It should be silky smooth and precise. However, it won't be "light" or "disconnected" like some American cars I've driven.

oh boy

The only time my steering feels remotely heavy is when I'm parking or moving at very slow speeds, but not at all tough on my arms. Go drive another example so you can compare the feeling...maybe it's just new to you and you aren't used to it.

Try the steering at around 140 on and off the gas and see if it remotely resembles a rental car that would crash just thinking of touching the brakes at 110. I figure you might be mistaking clumbersom with hard steering since the airbag and spokes are in the lame region for high performance. You can one handed steer over 100mph by the way. It's a smooth car.

The steering on my C4S never feels overly heavy, even at slow speeds. I agree with the previous comments - it sounds like something is wrong with that car...

maybe someone needs to hit the gym?

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Gime... what's a Gime?

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the ab-dominator. hahaha

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Now, how did I know with this group that this thread would eventually lead to the questioning of my manhood... Honestly I only looked at it because it was close to my house, I had never driven one before, and I had a couple of hours to kill. The pics online didn't look horrible, so it wasn't until I got there that I could see how bad of shape it was really in. Since I had already taken the time to go to the dealer to look (and help them get the thing jumped since it was dead), I figured I would take it out for a spin and wrestle the steering wheel with my girlie arms. I am pretty sure the search for the "perfect for me" 996 will take months, but I figure that if I don't get out and start driving a couple that might not be what I want, I'll have no firsthand knowledge to compare to when I do finally find "the one".

Got it well its worth driving if you went to see it...you need data points! where abouts are you located...there are LOTS of events this time of year and maybe go to some of those and talk to people face to face - word of mouth - great way to learn, waste time and maybe find a car for sale that is not listed.... and maybe drive a couple too

It's too bad your first 911 experience was with a junker...Try again as I remember my first time driving one was quite special! Kept me smiling from ear to ear for hours afterwards. Granted it was an air-cooled model but still the 996 maintains the same spirit!

did you check the power steering fluid?

Find a different car. There are tons of them out there!

That's a great idea Ivangene... I'm in the St. Louis area, so hopefully I can find some knowledgable enthusiasts around here and pick their brains. I'm going to try to drag the wife out on Saturday to test drive a couple more and get her tongue wagging a little bit. r1de23, nope, I didn't check it because it wasn't really until the first corners on the test drive that I noticed a problem. Between that, the carpet behind the rear seats being worn to the mesh in places, the dead battery, the rusted lugnuts/rotors (obviously had been sitting), the paint damage, and overall condition, I was ready to get out of there as soon as I got back. Of course, it took a few minutes more to leave as the dealer tried to hard sell me to death on a car I had no intention of buying. Ugh.

Good plan, keep in mind not everyone will share your passion and your dream. Wive's, family, co-workers, friends might think you are off your rocker and may be some what less tolerant of your constant Porsche blah-blah-blah. Don't let them bother you though. Oh, rusted rotors happen in 5 minutes after a washing with a hose (paint issues and heavily worn areas are not washing side effects )

I am lucky/unlucky as far as the wife goes. She digs the 911... so I'm lucky in that I won't get any resistance getting the car I've wanted since I was a kid... unlucky however when it comes time for her to replace her car $$$. hehe Anybody else, not so worried about... they just won't get a ride.

Buy the newest Porsche you can afford.

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there Tim, I fixed your MISTAKE!!

Check out your local PCA. Go to one of their Cars & Coffee. I am sure you will meet someone there that will be more than happy to share their knowledge.

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Fixed it for Porscheless Honda owners...

OUCH

Cmon, it's cheaper than a Honda! http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

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C'mon Tim. You know you want to trade down to a Porsche..

Tim's going to be a 997 guy

I really feel sorry for him.....I dont see anything in a 997 you cant get in a 996 for 1/2 the price except the headlights............. I think I will buy another 996 in 2 years (keep the 86' though)

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Good plan.. Well, the prospect of no IMS in a 997 is nice, but with the bargain that 996Turbos and GT3's are.... that would be my choice in this current market.

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My first 911 driving experience was ear to ear smiles as well. I didn't like the exterior color (Arena red), I didn't like the interior color (savanna beige) and the car was optionless (17 wheels and cassette deck), and it was still a great thrill.

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Double OUCH!!!! You guys are COLD!

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That is correct! There is one other thing that I can't get in a 997.2 that is on a 996........ an intermediate shaft..... and that is NOT a bad thing!

Hi I am upset about the response of this threaad. The 996 is very light to handle, slightly heavier than my wifes subaru turbo. drive another one and do a comparison. I just drove 3000km in 4 days and not once did the car become heavy on the arms. A 996 set up with the right allignment and ballance is light and responsive, just a dream to handle.