Hunting for the right 996

Hi All, Time I returned to a 911 - this time water cooled, I know much less about these than the earlier cars so a few questions to aid the search: Who do you recommend for Pre purchase inspection? Has anyone here purchased from Friends Green? 3.4, is nearer in spec to the air-cooled cars (lighter, cable throttle, etc) 3.6 gains refinement, as drivers cars how different are they? How common is the LSD option? Thanks in advance! Tony

Hello Tony. Looking for a Porsche 996? Others may not agree with me and I fully respect their opinion but my personal view (for whatever it may be worth) is that if you find an early 3.4 C2 manual car with cable throttle (the non sunroof LSD and sport chassis options would be nice things to have - but an aero-kit may not be to your taste) - or a car having as near to this spec as possible then just go out and buy it ....... and be very very quick about it! Don't bother wasting your extremely precious time and hard earned money looking at anything else or tying to find that 'perfect' example just be prepared to have to spend a fair bit doing stuff at it once you find 'your' car. If you locate a good solid 'poverty spec' car with few options and a weird hard to sell colour / trim combination check it out as you can always upgrade the mechanics and change the interior later. Don't be afraid of the car you buy either - they are just (very slickly engineered) motor cars but still relatively simple machines and everything on them is fixable and yes I fully appreciate 'fixes' can be costly. By shopping around and using some of the great indy specialists out there you can save money without cutting corners or compromising on quality. Spread the cost out by sorting out the essentials first and then doing the pretty stuff later - just do what you can afford to and then save up for the next job. Having my dinner money in one pocket and my bus fare in another is how my Nan (bless her to bits) taught me to budget at 5 years old. [ ]xxx The early 3.4 C2 manual 996's were never ever a laughing stock or a stain on Porsche's reputation and whilst they have their by now well known issues they are truly great driving motor cars - they always were and always will be (just have a good listen to what Magnus and others say about them on you-tube) - the only trouble is whilst Porsche sold lots of them they stopped making them 20 years ago and what cars are still left running about now ....... is just about the number of cars there is going to be left in future. If at any point you happen to find one and decide to 'pass' on it please put me in touch with the seller. Best of luck finding one and most of all have lots of fun with it when you do! Regards. Zeusy.

i've just purchased my first 996 and had it around 6weeks (had a Boxster couple years ago also) my search was interesting my caveat was it had to cabriolet , so looking at Gen 1 3.4 Cabs prices were all over the place and the way i approached it was not on colour or spec but.....work it had done recently in the last 2-4 years , i ended up with a metallic black one with grey leather but i never set out to get this colour or combo but the car 100K on clock and in the last few years had nearly £10k spent on it to include IMS RMS clutch flywheel , both rads and pipes , air on pipes and air con rads , brakes all round , full suspension refresh , brake pipes , new hood , performed an over rev report etc and of course FSH all of this "for me" was way more important then it's colour or spec and LSD ??? i drive mine as 911's can be driven and don't even about LSD ? cant compare to other 911's as this is my first Freinds green porsche never been there but they seem to have a great reputation and from there youtube channel fully prep there cars before sale and seem very good ! good luck be great to see your purchase !

Hi to mirror the first reply early C2 manual great car, but I may be bias mine 1998 C2 manual no traction control as above described, purchased from Luke at Friends Green Porsche would highly recommend, don’t know your budget but prices appear to be rising Mark

Steve / Mark. Seems like you both have great motors there - well found. A well sorted early 996 3.4 C2 manual ...... and an empty open road? What a treat! Anything else is just ........? What more could anyone want? Happy days (despite everything). [ ] Zeusy.

I Bought a 1999 gen 1 C4 a few weeks ago, I love the narrow body and purer look plus it’s the last of the real analogue cars. Don’t discount the C4 as it is a rear wheel drive car most of the time with the AWD only kicking in if you get into a bit of trouble around a corner, so rarely depending on how you drive. But the added security blanket is a welcome addition. don’t be put off by high mileage, buy on condition plus i tend to find that cars with slightly higher number of owners is a good thing due to the new owner usually lavishing lots of money on it when they first buy. Good luck with the hunt

I have had my 2004 Gen 2 Cobalt Blue 996 C4 since 2005 and I still love driving it after 16 years of ownership. I agree with the comments that the slim body is a great look and a complete contrast to when you look in the wing mirror and see the wide haunches of a 991/992. I have found my 996 C4 a great car to drive and one I would highly recommend (the AWD has also carried out a few rescue missions when the family have been stranded in the snow). Good luck with your search.

Great pics, looks lovely in that colour