Is every uk 996 now a rusting hulk?

Hi all, I’m toying with the idea of getting back into a 996. However, having looked at several recent thread around rust occurring on 996s given their advancing years, I’m starting to wonder if it’s such a good idea. Just wondered what UK owners’ views are of how their cars are faring and whether I am justifiably worried or am in need of a good talking to! Thanks in advance.

Like any car of advancing years it's the metal that's hidden beneath the covers that causes the big issues. As enthusiasts rather than just owner drivers start to buy these cars they take off plastic undertrays, wheel arch liners etc that haven't been disturbed in 2 decades and discover all sorts of things that previous owners didn't know/care was there. I guess it's all part of what buying into 'Classic Porsche' ownership entails. Cautious buyers will probably start insisting on such checks being a part of a standard PPI.

Some 997s are now rust buckets. All down to exposure to moisture, not age.

It will all depend on what sort of 20-27yr life the car's had and how much TLC the previous owners have afforded it. Evaluate each car on it's own merit, get it independently inspected by someone who knows what they're looking at, buy a good one and enjoy!

Thanks for the replies - Portiacraft have got a nice 996C4S on (and a 997.1 with an engine rebuild - but let’s not get started on that) within my budget. I’m sure they’d let me put it on a ramp to take a look but not sure what I’d see without removing the under trays and wheel arch liners. I guess the state of the jacking points may be indicative of the general state of the car but it’s a bit of a gamble really.

And would a PPi cover the covered bits? Presumably by the time you can see bubbling on a wheel arch the inner skin is a horror show

Mine is very good underneath even after 22 years. Whenever I see anything superficial there I take care of it with wire brush and zinc-rich paint. However, all cars will rust eventually if you use them on the road, and in some cases even when carefully stored off it. At least the 996 was galvanized from new. 40 years ago cars on the road would look rusty after just a few years, and be scrapped due to corrosion between 10 and 15 years. There were two particularly rusty parts on my 996 - the power steering rack pipes, one of which sprung a leak this Saturday. Horrible job but at least I got to do some other stuff whilst under there such as reconditioning the anti-roll bar and rebushing it.

Thanks for all your replies - I appreciate it’s a bit of a pointless question!

Was just about to say this. There's a bracket above the PS rack for the pipes iirc, I had to give that a right going over. Between the top mounts and strut tops you might find surface corrosion. Seams under car. If you remove the engine, up in the tunnel are some brackets that get a bit rusty. All your intercooler and radiator brackets are worth sending for powdercoating. Tank straps, rear suspension cradle (though I changed mine for an alloy GT2 one) plus other suspension parts. Bilt hamber is what I use, plus epoxy mastic paint. I've checked since I did it in 2018 and still looks OK. Brackets were powder coated and I changed out all the rusty fasteners for SS316 (A4). It's also worth looking at your heat shields, the holes rust so they become unfixed. Every now and again I get under it and spray rust inhibitor like ACF50 or equivalent. I've got various ones. There's a guy in dudly who will spray the underneath, that will last around 2 years, it's not waxy or permanent, just an inhibitor.

Looked at 2 996's at the weekend, year 2000 car with double the miles of a 2002 car. The newer, lower mileage car was in considerably worse condition, ( i put my finger through the outer sill) and no rust on the older car other than some paint bubbling on the corner of the hard top. Got to have a good poke around no matter what the age. If you like a bit of rust, buy an Mx5 - any mx5

There are plenty of good 996 examples out there but also some horrors. Make sure that any car you're considering is a C16 built model (it's on the build label). C16 UK cars had much better anti corrosion finishes underneath. There were some 'imported' new cars that were not C16 models (a way to get round waiting times from new). These cars were destined for other right hand drive markets (Malta e.g.) and don't fair well with UK weather and salt.

No mate, they're definitely not. I'm having one built and the donor car was in exceptional condition, it didn't even matter so much because it is a complete bare shell rebuild but as I said, for a 20yr old car it was in surprisingly good condition. However, the potential for a rusty old nail is very much there, you'll get these hairy chested blokes who keep their cars outside and drive them all year around, through the salt and rubbish on UK roads, if they look after them and regularly replace parts then fine, but many won't and they'll be horrible nasty messes underneath. The UK is a wretched place for car corrosion and longevity. I have cars abroad where it very rarely rains and the UK and the UK cars are horrible underneath, the abroad ones are like new. Choose wisely.

Once again - thanks for all your responses. Now if someone could just choose me a car and guarantee the bodywork against rust for the lifetime of the vehicle then that would be awesome!

No problems, I can also give you this weeks lottery numbers and a picture of my sister in her best briefs. Just PayPal me the £25k and I'll collect the car and drop everything off to you in the morning. I know where there is a 2006 Cayman 3.4S for sale in an Indy Porsche garage, it's the best car I've seen for the money since, well forever, it's not my car, they're just my mates, they've literally rebuilt this whole thing, lightweight rebuilt engine that goes like it's on fire. I live abroad for most of the time and the only reason I don't own it is I was picking up my 930, I was only in the country for a couple of days, they were going on holiday and we just couldn't match our diaries, but I was going to buy it and put it away, just because it's so good it's daft not to. But that's the type of thing I'd be after, buying from a reputable indy that loves the cars and will stand behind what they sell you, otherwise you really need to know what you're looking at and be confident that you can spot a bad one.

Sure they've still got it H...? I was there last week and didn't see it.... i'm dropping mine off on wednesday evening for a few things to be sorted and i'll have another look for her. ... she did sound like a bit of a beast.

No idea mate, last time we spoke about it was back when I was actually going to buy it and we were back and forth because neither of us were in the country at the same time. The thing was I think as a car to use it was actually worth way more than they could ever sell it for and they don't need the money so I don't think they were even advertising it, it was just that I knew it was there. If they've made it known what it is and that it's for sale, then yeah I'd be amazed if it hasn't gone.

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That's interesting as the hardtop is Aluminium, so won't rust. Upside is it can just be flattened back and resprayed without any treatment.

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Yes, looks like water has got under the paint and caused it to bubble - i have a replacement coming so the current one will be going on fleabay soon

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Question, seeing as you're spending or looking to spend on seats, hardtop etc..... why didn't you up your budget and buy a more expensive 996 in the 1st place that had what you wanted already done...assuming you got here for the £11k budget..?

At this sort of money you've got to be willing to wing it to a degree, buy what you know is going to be an ongoing project, or just enjoy fettling your own car. One way or another I think these are £25k cars any way you slice it, so whatever you pay up front you'll just spend the rest fixing it....if you want it right....otherwise run it as you go and then sell it on to the next bloke the same way, eventually most will die this way and the ones that are left and absolutely spot on will be worth good money.

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I bought my car primarily on the history and maintenance as all the mechanical stuff has been attended to, replaced, fixed etc. To me that's the expensive stuff. The body is as rust free as i can see (never say never) but the final decision point was viewing the 2002 car with half the mileage that was a total dog (its still for sale now) and was also over budget. It highlighted that spending more does not guarantee a better car at this age of 996. My car was significantly under budget - we're talking a 4 figure car, not 5 and actually if all goes to plan, i "should" come out fairly cost neutral as i'll sell the parts I replace while still retaining a buffer pot. I could drive and enjoy it as it is, but i like my cars to be OEM and i like them clean and tidy, so things like the kerbed wheels would get on my nerves. End of the day, its all a gamble as any 2nd hand car is - time will tell, but i will enjoy the tinkering and fettling in the process - and i have a 911

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The problem areas are difficult to see. Unless you take your top mounts off you aren't seeing any corrosion. You can't see the bracket above the power steering or the ones in the gearbox tunnel. R35's are way worse, I think they're painted underneath with salted paint. Since then I never buy a car now without looking underneath.

One thing for sure is deep corrosion around sills can be incredibly expensive to sort out , to the point if bad enough it'll right the body shell off with the 996's being so plentiful and relatively cheap to buy. That being said you won't see one being crushed for scrap , someone will take it on as a project and do the welding themselves. Damo's car on here was really bad but he chose to fix it although I don't know whether he would have had he known the extent of the rot from the beginning but he's saved one and enjoying it These cars are really old now, most other cars from the late 90's early 2000's have been scrapped years ago , some probably down to rust repairs being more than the cars value , some for mechanical issues , some during the governments scrapage scheme. I bought a 98 C2 manual coupe last March for £7750 , it's tatty and well used but that's what I wanted , the chap had a lift so I could spend an hour underneath with a good torch , the jacking points had surface rust but nothing to worry me and everywhere else it was fine until I got it home and removed the plastic rear arch trim things and the offside was rusted through to the sill but had stopped there so I got that welded up last week for £400 and it passed it's MOT yesterday. There's no corrosion anywhere else on that car , I've spent about £3k on broken plastics underneath , shocks , some suspension arms , coolant hoses , tyres , expensive little Porsche parts etc etc and now I'm ready for the next issue but it drives so well and very nimble compared to my Turbo. So if I turned up to view a car and it had rusty wheel arches I'd be very wary and have it put on a lift , that's essential.

My 98 Cab site under a car port now and has for the last few years. The only noticeable rust it had when I bought it 5 years ago was a little bit at the bottom of the front of the rear nearside wheel arch. I cleaned it, cure rusted it and painted it. It's been fine ever since. When I was underneath it removing the gearbox, I went around any areas of surface rust again, cleaned, cure rusted it and covered in underseal. It wasn't that bad and mainly just small bits of surface rust here and there. During an MOT a few years ago, the tester showed me a little patch where the underseal had come off and a bit of surface rust was forming, so I caught that early. It looked like a tyre place had jacked the car up in the past from the wrong point and scraped off the underseal.

It all depends on how it's been looked after and the conditions it's been driven in. These are pictures Nick Giles sent me when I asked him to inspect a 2010 997.2 C2S for me. I reckon it'd need at least 4 figures spending to sort, so I didn't buy it - shame as I love Guards Red. The next car was "one of the best he'd seen last year", and it's now in my garage. Best of luck with your search, and get a PPI done!

The shell on my donor car for my build was really clean, not a spec of corrosion, the engine was a bag of frogs, the big ends went and bore score, but the body was great It doesn't help that the car industry is plagued by shysters and rip-off merchants who would sell their own mother a wreck. I'm thinking of a 981 Spyder as a fun thing and even on something relatively cheap (compared to my other stuff) I've still decided I'm getting a PPI 100% of the time, I really don't fancy buying another car that I have to put in the shop for a year.

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100% this. The previous owner had work carried out to have corrosion sorted so I used Nick Giles for the PPI on mine specifically because he can separate the rust buckets from the good ones. It's almost a cliche on here to say buy on condition and get a PPI by someone that knows these cars - but for very good reason.

Would you buy one if the jacking points had been replaced or would you be worried about other hidden issues that may not have been addressed?

If they'd been replaced , firstly I'd want to know who did it but also it shows what an unfavourable environment it's spent it's days in and most likely will have other issues , maybe not but you'd really have to check. I drone 300miles to look at a 99 C2 in Liverpool , looked well used and uncared for which was a sign but I lay down on the chaps drive and looked under at the jacking points, 2 of them crumbled away in my hands , the other 2 would have needed a few taps with a hammer. I phoned Autofarm for a quote , they said leave it , find a better one. The chap had a yard right next to the estuary , that's where the car was kept.

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That’s my feeling too - I’ve tried to weed out cars from adverts prior to travelling as so many seem to be the other end of the country and I’ve almost got to that point that if I see from the history that the car has spent a lot of its life in Scotland or coastal that it’s off the list. I appreciate that’s a bit of a generalisation in approach.

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That is the first I have heard of Porsche leaving off anti corrosion finishes. Do you have any evidence you could share?

Not seen this post before and i find it rather odd, to my knowledge Porsches were galvanised from 1979 and since (using maybe different methods) have been excellent in environments (like the UK) where rust is an issue. Having said that all cars can rust and should be ok if examined annualy. The thing I do find odd is generic Indy servicing (at least in Suffolk and excluding Porsche official). Tell me if i'm wrong, but my expectation of an annual service, appart from the obvious (oil change/filter etc/) is the following: - Note: Read into all that I am paying a premium at an indy for experience and not for some new numpty hire who hasn't a clue. 1) As I never look (am unable to) under my vehicle I rely on you to tell me if there is any rust in order to prevent the death of the structure. 2) I drive my care 10,000(ish) per annum and excpect to be told of any items likely to cause an issue in that sphere. 3) Although I have booked my car in for a service/mot I expect you to deal with the other issues i have mentioned as part of the job (* see apendage as this is really important). I also expect you to have the time to deal with any issues identified in any service/mot, excluding perhaps more severe high timefactor issues which would require a rebooking. * my issues related to servicing requests 1) From purchase my 996 had a really lumpy tickover, I mentioned this to at least 4 indies and all of them came back with a cost and "we couldn't find it" Result: on my drive to a holiday in Cornwall the 996 broke down, Williams Crawford (who are blameless and helped me out) had to replace the variocam solenoid on the right hand bank (bank 1?) and guess what? tickover issue solved, so altough i paid to solve the issue it was me who ended up paying for it. 2) I have had a sound (screeching ancilliary) for 3 years, in this time the car has had 3 services where this has been a priority to solve and several other visits where this was stated as am issue to solve. Result, I have paid lots an still have the screaming ancilliary, usually the indy approach has been "change everything until the issue is gone", well i don't need a Porsche specialist to do that, a decent back street mechanic would suffice. So far I have had changed the 3 pulleys, the alternator, the water pump (2 years ago Meyle) ,this worries me if it's the issue as it is engine death. Nothing changed on the right side yet but the sound comes from the left. Am I being unreasonable having these expectations?

The quality of garages differs like the quality of the cars, all the way from genuine brainy people that would be good at anything, to monkey-see monkey-do ones that worked somewhere and decided they can do it as well, they set up, demand for servicing and basic jobs is huge, so they get loads of work, loads of feedback on Google and before you know it you've got loads of people saying they're amazing, for fitting basic components and changing oil, but when it comes to something technical, they're stuck. I don't think proper mechanics get anywhere near the respect they deserve and as a consequence for some it's seen as a lowly job, so it attracts some people that perhaps aren't at the top end and the money isn't there. I came out of engineering and ended up in management just through chasing the money, but I remember my dad telling me that if I go to a garage and they don't have a lathe, mill, welding kit, etc, then they're fitters, not proper engineers/mechanics. I run a large engineering business with multiple components, I'm not going to talk numbers because someone will latch onto it and call it willy-waving, but I know how to run a business and I did look into starting a specialist garage, but finding the staff was the first massive problem, I looked at it, talked to industry people and I struggled to find people that would work for £35-40k that I would be happy with, so I don't know where they are or what they're getting paid but if you find a really good garage, with top guys then stick with them and pay their rates.

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I was informed by a reputable Porsche specialist when I was looking at 996's prior to purchase. It was during covid lockdowns so not easy viewing cars. The car in question looked fine and I was doing some digging around and saw the service records so contacted the indy that had last done work. Long story short they said to leave alone because of a potential engine issue and that the car was not a UK C16 car and had corrosion issues. I've heard of this issue from other sources as well but I've not independantly resaerched.

I don't know about Porsche, but my wife knew the Bentley people through a work connection and they told her there were definite differences between the GCC (Middle East) spec cars and UK cars, so don't get them confused. My build is having the optional extra radiator, which I *think* comes as standard on a GCC car, on the 997 it is anyway. The underside of my Dubai cars are very, very clean, no signs of that thick corrosion protection that I've seen on UK cars, they're very easy to blast with an air hose and maybe a very light dry ice clean and have them looking literally like new, whereas a UK take many hours to get even close to the same result. If it wasn't for the LHD issue I'd bring all my cars from abroad, I hate used UK vehicles with all that nasty mess underneath. I think I'll probably bring my 997 back, just because it's so nice, it's genuinely like new, my mates came over and went over it and couldn't believe it's 20yrs old.

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I think your source has got hold of the wrong end of the stick. I do not have the book to hand at this precise moment but Porsche make a big play on how much effort they take to prevent corrosion. In fact it would cost more to NOT treat the body shell for 'warmer climates'. Also I think there is confusion re the application of 'stone guard' prior to the body being painted. Regardless of which country a car is destined for it is the stone guard which protects the body shell from stone chips. As a matter of interest do people actually waxoil or similat their water cooled cars? Foul stuff................!

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Not since the 70s. There's the latest ones tested, it's worth a watch. I use this chap, he'll do the underside for about £250. Things have moved on since waxoyl. Home | BUSINESS NAME www.krown.co.uk

Funny you should out this up, I was in the market again recently and after going through the rear arch/jacking point replacement thing on my old one I asked about a few cars. Each one to get photos of said points and to be honest almost all had some rust showing through, its one of the reasons Ive moved away from 996 now, especially with the constrained budget I had. It totally depends on previous environment the car has been in but I think to guarantee a rot free car you are looking at one thats never been used in winter and low mileage so commanding higher prices. It totally depends on what sort of gamble you want to take and if you have a trusted local bodyshop or can do some of the work yourself. I just dont want to get into that again.

My C4S is a C98 (Cyprus) car, rather than C16, but has spent all its life in the UK. I think it was fairly common in the early 2000's for some dealers to supply cars this way. Can't say whether it had less underseal than C16 cars, but it's definitely had a LOT of rust. I've had all four arches cut out, welded and sprayed, as well as lots of work done to sills.

...I think that rust will be an issue for any car that lives outside and is used year round? My 2003 has lived in a garage since 2007 onwards and not used in winter thus the sills,wheel arches ,underneath is in great condition with no rust to speak of at all... It's done 75k miles... I'd be worried about any car with a body kit and side skirts as I would be very concerned about rust hiding underneath in the unavoidable damp conditions ?

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Buyer beware, this car has just appeared on autotrader. Whilst it may have had work done to rectify the corrosion I pictured above, I'd absolutely get it inspected, if anyone's interested...

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do you have a link to the ad?

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Link here ...

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wow - surprised that its at that dealer in that condition, and MOT expired too, so i guess some of that will be picked up - just goes to show though, doesn't matter what your budget is, any second hand car has potential issues lurking beneath

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Indeed as I've heard nothing but good things from about the dealer, I believe 911Virgin rejected the car last year for the corrosion issues, as I said, it may have been sorted, but definitely needs investigating...

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Blimey....

Are the Jacking points easy to replace diy if you’re handy with a welder? What’s the likely cost for a Pro job? Any recommendations , Hampshire Surrey borders? My rear o/s has collapsed, so I’m looking to get it sorted.The rest are surprisingly good…

I had: 4 jacking points and repairs to both ends of both sills, repairs to front ‘chassis legs’, new rear arches, and sills, floor, rear quarters and bumper repainted a couple of years ago by a small bodyshop in Derby for about £3500. It was reasonably bad but the repairs didn’t look too involved in the end. Another shop estimated £15k for inner/outer sills and rear quarters, saying that there would be at least £5k in panels from Porsche before they had started. The guy I used bought repair sections for the jacking points but made everything else himself.

That shop in Derby sounds like they are worth their weight in gold!

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Hi tttc, I'm in a similar position- I've just had a quote for about £10k from somewhere local. I'm sure they'd do an amazing job but the value of the car doesn't justify it. Could you let me know the name of the bodyshop in Derby? It's not particularly close to me but if they're good value & experienced it would be worth the trip. Cheers!

How often do people clean the underside or have it done by someone else? I usually have it done yearly and in the winter season I'll rinse it myself to the best of my ability. I'd say my 996 is in fairly good condition.

I just used my patio cleaner to clean oil leaks off the underside of my bmw (just had them all fixed) - it worked so well I’m going to start doing it on my 996 as well I bought a garden sprayer with an angled end and filled it with degreaser, let that sit a while, then used the patio cleaner - I know you can now get under chassis attachments for the Jetwash, but the patio cleaner did a great job! I just put the car on a kerb to give me a little more room to get under it!

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Lee: https://www.leesbodyshopderby.co.uk/

Sorry for "dropping" like this into conversation, but mine C4 996.1 2000. model is originally from Austria, then, shortly came to Germany. It was driven during the whole year, so you can imagine the Alps and the salt, and everything. And it is in a very decent condition. I am planning to have a full paint job and everything, but I can see under the car it is ok, mostly rust is concentrated at side sills, and of course fenders, but just shallow, no structural rust. I had Miata NB generation, man, that is a one of a kind rust machine... Also I have 2003. BMW Z4 without any rust, at all, with 228.000 km on the clock, driven the whole year.