The hunt is on for my first 911 996

Hi guys I am now on the hunt for my first 911 996 and I am in N Ireland and have being doing the various online car sites looking for a 996. I have decided to get a c4 auto tip and I am considering a early gen 1 3.4 or a gen 2, I have seen and been talking to potential candidates over in England and I have seen a nice 2004 996 c4 auto in diamond Black with a good spec asking price reduced from £18.500 to £17.500,with 120000 mi. Its at the top of my budget, I have seen 3 others 1998 models and 2000 c4 autos for around £15.500 and £15.995 both with 89000 and 93000 miles, all have have full comprehensive service history and maintenance records, but which is the best buy, I will only be doing around 3000 miles a year

Hi John, welcome! Welcome and good luck on your hunt! I had the same dilemma as you a while back. I wouldn’t get hung up on C4 vs C2. Why do you feel a C4 is important for you to have? I ended up with a C4 tip but would have preferred a C2 as the steering is lighter and more connected. Try and go for a facelift, there were so many meaningful upgrades with it. Have a look at the buyer’s guide I wrote with Richard in the member’s section to see the differences.

Thanks Rodney for your reply I was thinking of the more grip on the twisty roads in the great British weather but most auto tips seem to be c4, the black gen 2 I do like the look and spec of. You have made me think again a bit more abd thanks for the fed back

Personally I'd view and test drive as many cars as possible before making a decision on whether to get a C2 or a C4 as they do drive differently. I saw 11 996s before choosing a manual C2 earlier this year.

these are great cars at great value prices but make sure you budget for maintenance - that first service will always turn up a few things good luck

That's the way to do it^^^ Take your time, as said C2 & C4s have a totally different feel, lots of good cars around take your time it will pay off in the end. Good luck Andy

As the owner of a 1998 gen1 3.4 tip since 2013 I can highly recommend them. Still gives me a buzz every time I take it out. Now on 126k miles I've clocked up the last 26k. If you see one that you are serious about advertised in the Oxfordshire/Cotswolds area l may be able to have a quick look at it for you. I'm not a mechanic but could give you an indication as regards general bodywork, interior, paperwork and how it drives (probably as passenger re insurance). May save you a long wasted journey! PM me if you want. Good hunting, wish I'd got mine years earlier.

IMHO - I would likely make a decision on wether you want the Mk1 or the Mk2 narrow body C4 as the lights are different for one and the engine size is another factor 3.4 or 3.6. I would certainly look for a well maintained FSH car and check out the MOT history on the DVLA web site. Your looking at a 20+ year old sports car so expect to plan for a service budget with tyres, ideally by now a car should of had a clutch, some suspension work and possibly AOS / starter motor / Air con rads or at least you should inspect these areas for operation or leaks when on a test drive. Read up and draw your own conclusions on IMS Bearings and bore score its better to understand these from the offset and there is plenty of advice out there. If you have not doen so there is a good buyers guide on this site. The 996 is a great car you should be looking forward to quite a drive. Regards Ian

Thanks guys for the advice and useful information on my intending purchase of a 996 I have being looking at all the various buying guides on the gen 1 and gen 2, I would be happy with either or to be honest, I am geared towards a nice gen 2 at the right price and good service history and maintenance records for any work done to the car. I have read all the I M S bearing issue and r m s, they don't concern me much as there is a lot of solutions out there, I have mixed feelings about the bore sore problem or all the hype which only affects a small percentage of 3.6 gen 2s, a bore scope would rule out a candidate very quickly. Its is mostly down to warm up from cold.