Why do we buy these cars?

Why do we buy these cars? I am a car guy but new to Porsche cars especially the 996. The 996 seems to have more problems than other sports cars in the same price range. What does the 996 Porsche offer that makes us put up with its many issues. Is it because the 996 allows us to own a Porsche with a low entry price? Is it an image car?Please teach me and give me your opinions.

Not sure what price range you're shopping, but for the cost of an e46 M3, I got a car with better brakes, better power/weight ratio, better gas mileage, and handling that is more suitable to my driving style. That same e46 M3 has many of the same issues, and more, that a 996 owner would encounter (sagging headliner, window regulators, rear subframe issues). If you're that unhappy with the car, I'd suggest that you sell, and buy something that's made in Japan.

I bought mine because a Porsche 911 IMHO is a sportscar icon and has been since it's birth in 1964. It's a car I always dreamed of owning but only now became in my price range. I have had mine for 3 and a half years and honestly have only encountered one serious problem. Apart from a gear box which I couldn't do myself, which a previous owner/s had fu^&$d up, which incidentally was covered by my extended warranty which I purchased at the time of buying the car, it has been plain sailing all the way. I do all other DIY jobs as a preventive measure no problem and I will be 73 years of age in October. . I have done just short of 30000 in the time I have owned the car. So in answer to your inquiry. It's MANY issues as you quote (in my case) are non existent. I am very proud to be the owner outright of NOT a BMW or TOYOTA or FERRARI but a PORSCHE 911..... there is NO SUBSITUTE haha. What say you other 996 owners. HOOWAAA.

I've had multiple 911 of many eras. Before the mass volume of the Boxster and 996 a Porsche had a appeal close to those who valued not seeing your clone at every stoplight. My C4S 996 has everyday super car daily driver usability that's still a bit not seen everyday. It still maintains the Porsche performance and exclusivity aura. It's a freaking awesome hunter killer traffic weapon. I've put 30k mile on mine in the last 12 months. Makes. Me. Smile. Everyday. Much more so than the E46 I also have in my garage.

Well put Hurdi and very encouraging to me (new 996 owner 04 Carrera 2) to read, thanks. Ralph

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Generalizations galore. Which sports cars in 996 range have less problems? Be specific, give me the brands and models of the competitors. What are the "many issues"? Again, be specific in outlining the issues and frequency of occurrence. I bought mine because it gets 27MPG, will spank mustang at the stop light, will do 150MPH in 110 degree heat with AC on, will make kids smile, will get ladies to turn around, makes burble flat 6 noise, has engine in the rear, and 911 blood line.

Watercooled or not, the 911 is an icon. Problematic or not, the 996 was the most capable 911 ever made when it was released. When the 996 was new, people used words like "everyday supercar" to describe it. While today's definition of supercar has evolved, the 996 is still the same great car it was when reviewers were extolling its virtues 15 years ago. That's why we buy these cars. I've owned other 300HP cars. I've owned cars with 500HP, and I've driven cars that cost twice as much as the 996 when new. The 996 isn't a benchmark of luxury...it is a well-crafted machine created with the singular purpose of getting from point A to point B in a manner that is in my opinion unique to Porsche. Loving a 996 less because it has some issues would be like loving your spouse less because the doc found a defective heart valve, or like loving your dog less because it developed hip dysplasia. The average guy on the street might not see the wonder of your wife or your pet, but you know the truth. The same holds true with these cars. I don't give a rat's *** what some guy on the Internet says...I love the car, and I will continue to love the car.

I 'll tell you what I've done to my C2 Porsche since purchasing it way back in 2006; front wheel bearing, new coolant tank, new MAF, multiple oil and filter changes( at a minimum once a year or 4k mi.), new console hinge, new front and rear tires, 4 snow tires, new cap for coolant tank, plugs with tubes and o rings, new brake fluid, and front rotors and pads. I 've also purchased new 18" wheels, US MOWO suspension, Fister D exhaust etc. but these were elective on my part. This continues to be a very reliable vehicle, allows me to enjoy driving it every time I get in it, and can't easily be duplicated for the $.

SHNELL I love it hahaha., You two should get a room together lol. No sleeping on the couch for us. We get out the camping bed and put it along side the 911 in the garage.

Hurdi, I do not want to bed my 996 - it's not that kind of love.

Speaking only for myself it is because it is a drivers car. When I entered the 996 world it was not a cheap price of entry. I paid $51K for my O4 C2 in 2007 and $41K for my 04 C4S in 2011. Stupid money but at the time I was fortunate enough to have the cash and a wife who not only understood my "thing for cars" but was supportive and encouraging - and she still is. For me it started way back when I owned a 1968 911 - after a series of American muscle cars including a 1969 Corvette. That 911 just had it all in my opinion. Where my previous cars might have gone incredibly fast they couldn't stop from speed for crap. Where one car might handle fairly well it had no umphh in power band. And just about every car I can remember liked to float the faster it went. None of my previous cars had a homogenous blend of performance. That 911 - as ugly as my friends thought it was, as stupid as it was to need to crack the windows open if you had the heater on just so the smell of burning oil from the incurable leaking push rod tube seals would be somewhat tolerable and a radio that only provided sketchy reception, it was that car that injected Porsche into my blood. That 911 just seemed to have a balance across the performance grid and other than the incredible handling and stopping power, it was the way the car seemed to crouch closer to the ground the faster it went. And that 911 had no driver salvation technology, you had to know how to drive or face a 360 degree view as you spun towards an object and prayed to be saved. For me; the 996, especially the C2, has retained the sense of that 1968 911 to the point where even the smell of the interior reminds me of that 1968. The C4S with all that leather isn't the same though. A couple of years ago I drove a friends 2011 997 Black edition and he drove my C4S. We both agreed that the 996 might perhaps be the last car that retained the sense of Porsche and dollar for dollar my friend thought that my 996 was the better value between the two cars. So, that's my personal answer as to why I have these cars. Drive and enjoy.

Problems come with all cars, no matter what the price point. I bought my car not because it was simply a Porsche, but a Porsche 911! Image? Of course! Don't you remember how cool it was seeing that guy driving a 911 when you were a kid? As a child, I only knew of one guy who owned one and he belonged to a family of Porsche 911 owners. I put him on a pedestal while growing up and saw him as the Porsche guy. I idolized him and dreamed of one day rolling down the street just like him. Now that I have my own 911, he is no longer on a pedestal but rather on the same level, and it feels good living my childhood dream.

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"Low entry price"? Not for a lot of us. I bought used, and I think fairly smart, but not cheap. "Image"? That's part of it (for me), depending on how you define that term. In the literal sense, it means a likeness or appearance; basically, how it looks. The car is an icon; a head-turner. Every day I get validation of my own judgment of how beautiful the car is. And the 996 is really a beautiful 911. For me, it's how it looks and how it drives. I bought mine knowing how it looks (and having admired the looks going back many years), and with an expectation of how it would drive. And my expectations have been met; perhaps exceeded. I read somewhere a quote to the effect that a person feels like a super hero on a mission to save the world when driving one. That sums it up for me. Is it a perfect car? As someone who is in the process of an IMS rebuild, I can definitively state that the answer to that question is "no". BTW, no car is, and sports cars are not known for being inexpensive to operate. Is the 996 (in particular) a good investment right now? Nope, which means that no one should buy one as an investment. And, I think should yield some practical insight about mods (assume that you will get back ZERO $ of any "discretionary" mod, for example). But, again, sports cars rarely perform well as investments per se, meaning that they normally need to get so old that their model really doesn't matter that much, before they begin to generate any sort of ROI..

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Agreed. I spent $30K on my 996 - and while that's dirt cheap compared to the sticker price, it's still the third most expensive car I've purchased. Although my GT3-look 996 shouts "look-at-me," I'm not much of an image guy - I wear khakis and polos, not fancy watches or designer sunglasses. I don't get my kicks from knowing that I own stuff that not everyone else can...I derive pleasure from owning what I believe are excellent products. I have the means to carry around a tricked-out $3,500 Macbook Pro, but I instead use a $900 refurbished Macbook Air. It's an fantastic, elegant product that is incredibly capable. Similarly, I could have purchased a more expensive Porsche - or something a little more exclusive/exotic, but instead I purchased and still enjoy the incredibly capable, thoroughly enjoyable 996. Neither product is cheap , but I believe both of them to be terrific values.

We buy em because we love them and they are a steal at their current price. Like any car, some are good and some are bad. We bought her 01 C4 new and if you take out the consumables 70k-ish has cost us maybe 6-7k (though I will admit we skipped and delayed a lot of maintenance that we should have done, but there won't be a 2nd owner so that's our business). That number changes significantly when you throw in the tires though as we've spent almost that much again in just tires over the 13 years I don't even fear the great IMSB monster (e.g. I'll get to it when a clutch is needed) In those intervening 13 years it has been an awesome car to own and enjoy (even if the 911 isn't my thing, I still appreciate it for what it is and what it can do). And should the worst happen and the motor kicks it, we'll replace it and the car will roll on. Edit: As a comparison, my last e30 iX cost me about the same amount (not including the tires) and I only had it for 6 months before I just had to throw in the towel

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I will never admit to how much I spent back in the 90's keeping my '88 Fiero on the road. I loved that car, but I'm positive I spent more in 90's dollars keeping that car running that some people have spent rebuilding their 996's.

Are we supposed to be feeding the trolls?

I remember back to the 70s when i used to see a 911S go by the place i worked, it sounded like he was above 4000 rpm all the time. I was driving a TR-4A and then an MGB-GT but that 911 was burned into my brain. And then I saw the 917 at Watkins Glen... I was done.

I was in college in Boston. Late night early driving my roommates Galaxy 500 v8 station wagon to work I heard a unearthly screaming engine noise. A silver 930 with open pipes and roll cage passed me and as he shifted a foot long flame shot out. It took me an hour to find that car after he blasted into the night. SCCA stickers and the paint sandblasted off the nose. I blocked him in and slept sitting up in the wagon until the next morning when he came out. I did not dare ask for a ride but he spent 20 minutes in his scrubs in the cold sharing every detail of that glorious beast. I remember thinking that I would always want to be as gracious a car guy as he was.

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I was trying to convince him to sell. You guys are screwing up my chances of low-balling my way into a second 996.

Well this thread has certainly opened up a can of whoop a$$ on the OP. Loving all the replies and the great stories. I too share in this thought. Being stationed in Germany for almost 9 years, I had the opportunity to drive a p-car in it's native environment, unlimited on the autobahn, regularly. I was able to visit the museum on a whim and day dream looking at the cars coming out of the factory. I had many other soldiers that brought their cars over from America, and I tell you, you could not run them as long and as hard as a Porsche. These cars are totally built for the punishment they take and dole out. I drank the kool aid and never looked back.

FACT: A SMALL NUMBER owners who encounter problems run to the forums (be it car, bike, truck, etc.) to ask for help. Or moan and groan about their crappy ownership experience....more often than not because the car itself sucks but because previous owners used & abused the car. This results in an inordinate number of PROBLEMATIC threads/posts...seeds of doom & gloom planted. Future buyers thinking about buying conduct some research and VOILA......find such forums populated by above unhappy owners. And believe (regurgitate) the same horror stories by THE MINORITY as gospel/truth/fact. VICIOUS CYCLE COMPLETE!!!!

OP, I can't tell from your posts whether you have actually committed to buying a 996 yet. If you haven't, I strongly suggest that you walk away. After reviewing your other posts, which are filled with insights like "money pit" and "ticking financial time bomb," it seems that you worry that every 996 is a rolling mechanical nightmare just waiting to be unleashed on a new victim. I suspect you may be happier with another selection. The Toyota FRS and the base Dodge Charger are just two of the many available vehicles that will provide an adequate mode of transportation (despite being soulless doppelg�ngers of real sports cars). They're well within your budget, and they come with a new-car warranty. If your passion for owning a 911 doesn't outweigh your dread about owning a 911, why even consider it? Find a car you'll actually be happy to own. The FRS, when its Prius tires are overinflated, can very nearly do a burnout, and you won't be terrified every time you dump the clutch that a failed engine is going to empty your bank account. If you're committed to owning a Porsche, I recommend that you look into a CPO Boxster, or maybe a Cayman. Both are VERY capable vehicles, and the CPO warranty will protect you from the maintenance costs that are worrying you. If you can't answer your own question - "Why do we buy these cars?" - you're buying the wrong car.

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Agreed! OP simple, either decide to buy one or don't. It's obvious that your trying to rationalize or justify your decision to buy a car that is considered high risk at the expense of irritating a board of passionate 996 owners. If you want to lower your risk, like 5CHN3LL said get a CPO Boxster or buy an $8,000 extended warranty for piece of mind.

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And I wonder why I can't sell my 996! The more important question is, "Why do we get married?". I mean...think about it. Sure we want to procreate but lets face it. Kids are overrated. At least after they turn 18 or so. Women are difficult to live with, most don't understand us men and certainly limit the time we can spend doing what WE want to do. They allow sex on their schedule and only if we have been reasonably well behaved. They are expensive. Hair, nails, clothes, etc and I am sure they are not doing it for us but rather, to look better than or keep up with her female friends. In short, they cost a lot to maintain. My 996 on the other hand is non judgmental, available for me to take it for a ride whenever I feel like it and usually looks great morning, noon or night, all for the cost of some liquid soap and warm water. Oh..and since I have a cab, my 996 lets me take the top off without complaining or having to give it a half a bottle of wine. To the OP...your question is stupid. Don't let the bridge hit you on the way down.

Exactly. If you can't afford the hedge, you shouldn't make the trade.

Gonzo - Dayam, your 997 is hawt .

Doesn't it seem strange that OP is asking the question considering his username which one can assume could be a MB 500 SL convertible or one of the variants, and we all know how reliable and expensive those can be to repair.

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Thank ya!

I own a Boxster and 996 because of the Porsche name and exclusiveness. I love the Boxster but I needed more power so the 996 was the next besting thing that I can afford. I love the feeling that my car is the only one in a parking lot with the Porsche name. I like the fact that people think I spent a ton of money on it. But I fell in love with the water-cooled Porsche because of the handling. That's it! The moment I took my last Boxster on a twisty road, I knew I'm a loyal Porsche owner for life. Nothing beats that feeling. Reliability? Please.... 110k miles with no issues. Water pump is not an issue. It's a wear item. I upgraded the IMS but the mechanic showed me that their was nothing wrong with the original IMS. Hence, for this 996 I left the original IMS. I'll take the risk. I paid $21k for it so it's not going to break my bank. I'm planning to take this 996 to 200k miles unless it goes up in price LOL I'm going to run this 996 to the ground.....It's not going to be a garage queen.

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I'll know it's time to get rid of my 996 when it is: upside down AND in a ditch AND on fire

for me the 911 was always the goal, always it was cemented in 2000 when the water cooling was applied not necessarily a 996 but a C4S, I was budgeting about 70k for a a car with around 18k miles never entertained the thought of a Turbo or a slant another member here told me it was the place for all things Porsche found the car on a Sunday evening and took delivery on a Friday my 40th AE is just so perfect, the color, the style, the very fact that it had the X51 I love the fact that it's slightly spartan with the interior features, retro is cool the aero treatment down the side, the turbo bumper and the fact that it doesn't have a fixed wing simple, elegant...undeniably Porsche

OK OP. I have hit a slight problem with my cab top not coming down today. That's no detriment to the way the car handles and runs and can happen to any Cabriolet car. No doubt if I can't fix it then a PORSCHE garage can. I have to be able to open the top so I can put the hard top back in place when the winter arrives. This is the first time that the top has not worked correctly this year and it goes up and down at least 20 times a week. Cabriolets are a hoot to drive during the summer months but can be a real PITA when things go wrong with them. I hope a hard top came with your car should yours start to 'play up'. It's not the first time and most likely wont be the last that I will have problems with the top. Something seems to go wrong with the top every summer but I solve it if only temporarily . But hey, the car is running great and that's more important than the cab part to me. It might have been worse, it could have stuck open and be caught in the rain lol.

Ok, I hate to wade into these silly threads but I am slightly qualified. I have owned 8 996's. Not a single one has cost me more than any other used car of its time. And if you are handy with a wrench there are so many DIY's out there you can fix it and be on your way. My 993TT - OH MY GOD SO SUPERIOR - cost me a **** tone of dimes (name the movie) more than all my 996's. And yes it was fun to drive in it OWN way. I have also had 3 996TT's and they were worry free. In my opinion it is the luck of the draw and maint. Pure and simple. Of most exotics (loosely speaking) these are designed to drive and really are tanks. My brother in law is in Germany on a tour of 5 years (3yrs in) and that is what he hears about Porsche and BMW. Drive them. Love them and fix as needed. That is what his German friends have said. Ok that is my .025 worth

Silly? I disagree Would you mind responding to the other silly "worst porsche ever built" thread ? LOL How and why have you owned so many?

Useless thread.