Buying Mk I

Hi everybody, After carefully researching, helped by great forums like this, I have reduced my quest into 911 land to a 996 MkI. The good reasons may be obvious in this part of the forums, the bad like the IMS failure too. My budget does not allow for MkII therefore I am trying to get the best early model I can. I would like to ask you for some advice if I may. First C4 vs C2. There is not much snow where I live, but I would like going skiing with the beast eventually. Is the C4 any good in snow without winter tyres? Is it much better than the C2 in wet conditions? dry?? I suppose that if there are not any maladies in terms of cost of maintenance or reliability, I should opt for the C4, There seems to be no price diffference between the two after some years. Model Year. From what i gathered it should be MY 00 onwards although I am not sure about the main resaons for this. Is there anything wrong with earlier years? Manual vs Tip. Getting close to 50 and having driven lots of manuals I am seriously considering the tiptronic. My only concern is reliability. I am not sure if the tip is as reliable as the manual. Last I would like to ask you if there is one particular option that you should definitely have in this car. Thank you for your expert advice. Hopefully I will be the proud owner of a 996 before summer!!

Do you like black ?

The roof rack mounting slots are an option. If planning on snow sports the rack slots need to be on the car you buy.

C2 drives great in the snow - 99' is as good of a car as the 00' and even has a couple things like throttle by cable that some prefer. Mine has 114k miles on it..... I have rode in a couple tips.... nothing against them, but you need to drive them both so you get what YOU want..... OPTIONS - must have is at minumum ROW030 suspension or better sports exhaust - 18" wheels.... otherwise it is your personal taste that drives the options... IF you can, find a car that had the motor replaced and is still under factory engine warranty...buy a car with some miles.. not too few, not too many (unless its my car then its OK) Have the paint checked by someone who knows Porsche paint, make sure to get a PPI, and check that maintenance has been regular and on time......... and get a black one Dont even wash it until you have read how.... these cars can be messed up so fast if you just do the things you are used to.... read and ask BEFORE doing.........

I wouldn't drive any car in the snow w/o good snow tires, especially a P-car. With good tires you will be fine w/ either - the C4 is very safe in snow.

yea yea, when I stated C@ drives great in the snow, that means with snow rated tires, not summer tires.... and stay clear of all season tires... they = the worst of both worlds, not the best

No car is good in the snow without snow tires. With that said, I have been very happy with my 1999 C4 with snow tires this year (my first with the car).

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Oh, I thought those were on all the cars, I guess not.....? If you find a C2 with limited slip differential, that's a great option for extra traction in weather.

Dont even wash it until you have read how.... these cars can be messed up so fast if you just do the things you are used to.... read and ask BEFORE doing.........[/QUOTE] New 996 owner here. How do you wash the car?

I have a C4 Cab and if you are going to drive it in the snow...then snow tires..its heavier than a C2 but if you aren't going to the track and more of a daily driver C4 is the way to go..just my opinion...Oh! buy the way black is tough to keep clean..Artic Silver is cool.

To wash - search this forum (or any other) for "ONR" - even if ypu choose a differant product those threads tend to be full of "how to" ideas for washing including the most important thing to know - if you wash, you scratch....use 2 buckets, pre-wash, and try to actually touch the paint as little as possible and always use high quality microfiber. Go read and use the products that sopund best for you. I foam bath, power wash and drive dry, I only wash by touching the car about 1 in 4 washes and I hate to touch it then

I agree with the comments above. I'd take a C2 with proper winter tires in the snow over a C4 with all-seasons any day. As for options, I'd look for a full-leather interior. It dresses the interior nicely compared to the standard interior. I agree with the comments on suspension and wheels too.

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really? P/N for the non slot filler panels?

Thanks for all suggestions. Some reminded me old Henry ...so long as it is BLACK...Actually I like black and dark blue, but wouldn�t turn down any silver. Interior must be black and all leather option if possible. What about reliability on C4s, are they costlier to maintain? As for stick i think I will be going for tiptronic. I used one on a 996 and suits me fine. Again is there any extra maintenace or hidden repairs on well used cars with auto trans? Suspension wise, I believe euro spec cars are firmer than USA versions so I think I will be fine without M030. Re wash: I only pretend to wash the thing with spray gun, hot water and soap included. Going skiing. I have the skis up there, but is a good point about the slots not been standard. Even if i wear normal tires, I would have thought that AWD should give a clear advantage over 2WD. In any case if it is safer in wet or even in dry conditions, I will go for a C4. I am not planning racing the car, although I plan to keep combustion chambers clear, if you know what i mean! So it seems my prefered car would be a 996 C4 tiptronic MY00 in blue, black or silver and full black leather. If possible with PCM and xenon (or is litronic) lights. Exterior standard, on 17" wheels and no mods. Good and complete maintenance history, PPI and 60 to 70K miles. on the clock. All this for around 25.000 €. Will that be possible??? I shall keep you posted. Thanks

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Generally the more there is the more there is take care of and the more there is to go wrong. If you don't need a C4 don't get it. The problem in marginal traction conditions (snow/ice) is not the going, as long as you have proper tires fitted, but the turning and slowing/stopping. All cars are equal in this regard, regardless if they're front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all wheel drive. They all have just 4 tires in contact with the ground. Thus I think AWD overrated and a waste of money. Remember too the 996 (and the 986) have quite a bit of weight over the driving wheels. With proper tires the only thing that would stop one of these cars is if the snow depth too well deep. Excessive ground clearance is not a feature of a 996. Regarding AWD: My Turbo has AWD and I believe the thinking is it needs it cause of the HP (420) and the AWD makes helps get the power down without wheel spin, in dry or wet or slippery conditions. My thinking is that AWD is not a substitute for a lead footed driver that has no sense of throttle control and driving based on road conditions. If I can't keep the tires from breaking loose in marginal traction conditions (no snow, but plenty of rainy weather driving, that's a fault of my driving. The AWD adds weight, complexity, additional servicing requirements (fluid changes of front diff), and results in less front trunk space and a slightly reduced fuel tank size. Regading fuel tanks: The Turbo's fuel tank is split and the fuel level of the last quarter of a tank is "computed" by the on-board computer and not reported by a fuel sensor. Also, the tank design requires a bit more complex fuel system which at least one person has found to go bad and require attention. Were my Turbo available in 2WD with a larger front trunk, bigger and simpler fuel tank, I would have skipped over the AWD model for the 2WD model. Get a Tip if you want. Just set aside some money to pay for a fluid/filter change as soon as you get the car -- if you can't make a Tip fluid/filter service part of you buying the car condition -- and thereafter every 60K miles. 'course, you'd have to change the fluid in the manual transmission too so this is a wash. I like the Xenon lights. 17" wheels nice cause tires cheaper and ride a bit better than 18"s. Color a personal choice but I like black cars though I haven't owned one. My 02 Boxster is lapis blue and that's a good color. (Turbo is arctic silver and that's a good color, too.) I enjoy the extra work to keep my lapis blue car looking nice. What better way to relax than spend some nice quality time cleaning and waxing a Porsche. The only thing better is spending time getting a Porsche dirty! Sincerely, Macster.

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then clean it, then dirty, then clean... Love it clean..... and love it dirty.....

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Wow - excellent and as always, comprehensive. As I read your post I wondered about the tip fluid/filter change - is that a DIY or is it safer to write a check to my indy? Big fan of the tip... now that mine is a DD, I don't think I could handle every day SoCal traffic without it... Agree on the 18s... Mine came with 18s, but I thought about going back 17s; seems the selection is limited for 17s... I don't know how guys with the 19s do it, I could really tell the 18s were pretty rough (telegraphic). Ditto on a dark car, black or lapis... The dark colors scared me off, but as I get more proficient with my PC, I sort of wished I would have gotten a dark color, just to see the fruits of my labor... It's hard to see if you screwed up Arctic Silver... doesn't stop me from spending too much money (the stuff I use you can't get from Target) on detailing stuff... and polishing away to my heart's content... Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Rudy

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If you have a garage where you can get car up in the air on jack stands -- be sure you protect the car's underside finish from damage from the jackstands --and have reasonable skill as a diy'er mechanic a Tip fluid change is something you can do. I say this never having done a Tip fluid change, just a few USA automatics years ago. However, in my skimming through my copy of the Boxster factory manual and its section on Tip fluid change I don't recall the Tip fluid change requiring any special tools or procedures. Given the fluid/filter service needs to be done so seldom every 60K miles a nice number I'd just have dealership do it. I am not a big fan of indys. My experience a few years ago is they charge almost as much as the dealer and are less convenient for me to use. At least dealer has a good shuttle service or a comfortable waiting room with WIFI while at indy I'm stuck sitting on a stack of tires drinking cold coffee from a paper cup. But if you have an indy you trust to do a good job and use the proper fluid then have the indy do it. If car came with 18"s up to you if you want to change. I thought it came with 17"s. I have 18"s on my Turbo and 17"s on my Boxster and the Boxster's ride a bit softer, less harsh, than the Turbo's. Some I attribute to the the difference in wheel/tire sizes. But I don't think I'd go to the expense of changing a car from 18s to 17s, but that's a decision for you to make. Sincerely, Macster.

Hi Macster, you made me think twice on my prefered MKI. Your point about the added complexity of C4 compared to the benefits is a good one. I still want the tiptronic though. Just to let you all know about my search, I have seen 3 cars already. All C2s, round the 25000 � mark and from 70K to 90K miles. 1.- Black on full leather black. MY01.Tip with PCM. Just a couple of PC invoices from last year. 80K miles showing. looks Ok outside and very good and straight interior. 2.- Dark blue on full leather black. MY00.Tip with PCM. Original GT3 Aerokit and wheels. Shows over 90K miles but owner claims that the engine was changed on an indy 20K miles ago for a second hand unit from a crashed C4 that had 25K on the clock. Not sure if it came with a x51 pack. Some invoices. Has some regulator-mod inside each rear fender that allows for a more free flow and thus noise when manually turned. looks well used but drives very tight. 3.- Met blue on full grey leather. MY99 manual. Odometer shows 90K but engine (and the whole back end) were changed for a new one 3 years and 15K miles ago. Outside looks very good. Inside a bit tired. No extras. Have only road test number 1 car. My heart/head tells me that number 1 is best of this trio but still I have to check it and look for a few more. My first impressions are: - Interiors. They aged very differently on cars of same age and similar mileage. So very sensible to caring/uncaring owners. - Engine bay. You can�t see much! - Black leather much nicer than grey to mee. Grey dates bad also - Three spoke wheel much nicer than original MkI - There is a lot to seee and check so it is imperative a PPI and or going with a 996 knowlegeable person. - They all sounded great - Haven�t seen a proper maintenance book yet Well i guess this is just the beginning of the quest for the right 996 MkI

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Not too up on used cars in Spain, but in UK I read where because service books fully stamped are looked up as validating a car's service history there's some forging going on. If you get service booklet call a few places where service was done to see if it was done... It may be a cliche but buy the newest/best car you can afford. Do not, avoid if at all possible paying "good" or even "excellent" money for a fair car and then spending more money to bring car up to snuff. General rule of thumb is to set aside 10% of car's purchase price to take of incidentals, but if you have to touch this money you need to get better at evaluating used cars. Enjoy the search. I love seaching/shopping Porsches. Happy shopping!. Added: I would tend to avoid any car that has had major mechanical work just to lessen the risk. I know engines go boom once in a great while but unless the seller can provide paperwork showing work done on car at Porsche dealer and at one time had warranty on this work, I'd steer clear of these worked on cars. May be me being a bit paranoid but if you don't have to buy a car that's had major mechanical work you shouldn't buy a car that has had major mechanical work. Sincerely, Macster.

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Almost thought I was in the wrong forum Just love to get it dirty. Oh look! It's raining and a white wine run needs to be done for the chicken. See ya............!

here is a huge article I just found.... have not read entirely Click On Link

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Option 549

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No way! Mounting holes for the roof rack are optional?! Maybe in Europe... I have *never* seen a 996 without the flaps for the roof rack but I kinda would like to. Does anyone have a photograph of this?

I was thinking seeing the configure a porsche on their site that the roof transport option for $400 is the slots for attaching? I thought the racks would be more expensive?

one of my little slot cover doors doesnt close propperly - and since the GT2 wing was too big, I thought I will just leave it and say its a vertical stabilizer

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I got that same problem after buying mine. I looked back and forth at the good one and bad one compairing to see whats wrong. They are plastic flaps and lockily when I used fingernail file of my little swiss knife to pop the bad one back in line it didn't break. I can see however that since somebody let the flap ride pushed out of shape some what pinched that it is curved and not flush when shut now but it does shut none the less. Good luck with it.