New user - and car shopping

Hello, everyone. I'm new here and do not currently own a Porsche. A decade ago, I was driving a 1985 model 911 Carrera Targa in light metallic blue ("iris blue"?) and I really miss that car. Since my '96 Trans Am died in an electrical fire nearly 7 years ago, I've been stuck driving a half-ton pickup truck all over this great country (at least when I can't be on my beloved 1996 BMW R1100RS bike), and feel that the time is right to get back to a boxer engine for all-weather use. I've been on the internet enjoying resources that I wish had existed (or that I had known about) ten years ago, to the exclusion of getting any real work done at my office, for the past week and a half. I am astonished ad the depth and breadth of information that's available just at this site, and it has had a couple of dangerous consequences for me. First, it makes me want to post lengthy forum messages asking for advice to help my search for the right 911. Second, and much worse, it makes me feel like I could be capable of working on the car myself. So I basically have those two kinds of questions. First, should I be more afraid of owning a water-cooled 996 or an air-cooled 993 or 964? And should I get a C2 993 or a C4 996 or 964 (as the market prices I've come across for those models basically put a RWD 993 at the same level as an AWD 993 or 964, and my budget for a 'toy' car is kind of in that range). I live in a small city (under 100,000) and about 200 miles from the nearest Porsche dealership. I don't know if there are any qualified Porsche mechanics in town at all - there supposedly used to be a dealership here but that would have been long ago, so if any mechanics are still around and remember which end of the car the engine is on is an open question. We get all four seasons with a vengeance (temperature ranges from -60F to 120F, one time doing that range within a 3-month span) and of course I have a four-wheel-drive pickup so I will not be without transportation if it snows too much one night or if my car is in pieces in the garage to monkey with something. But I do want a car that I can get started and on the road in a reasonably wide variety of weather conditions. Also, when shopping for these cars, what should I watch out for? I know that the RMS and IMS bearing issues are the main culprits on the 996 cars, and are a relatively quick and easy task to replace with no majorly expensive parts; and that a clutch replacement (about $600 for the part) is in order somewhere between 50k and 100k miles. But unless there is a maintenance record of these being done, how hard is it to tell whether they are needed, for instance during a pre-purchase inspection? There are precisely zero 911's for sale locally, and I can't just fly from town to town looking for the right car, so it's fairly important that I be able to make a purchase, fly to the car, sign the title, and drive it up to 2,000 miles home without gritting my teeth the whole way over a ticking time bomb thundering along behind me. Second, am I a fool for thinking that I can do some of this work myself? I grew up changing oil on all the family cars as a father-son thing, changing tires, cleaning out and tuning the carburetor on an old Honda Trail 70 and other things to get the bike up and running after years of sitting in storage, and basic work with farm machinery such as hooking up 3-point hitches and PTO shafts. I am very confident in my ability to do some tasks and less so at others for lack of hands-on experience - as an example, I would not be sure of myself putting a new tire on a rim or setting up a car's alignment. I am mechanically- and engineering-minded even though I have not spent much time in an auto shop through my life. I am fairly good at picking up new technical skills. For instance, I play guitar and decided last year to start building my own tube amplifiers, and took fairly naturally to it. I have no trouble getting around installing a car stereo. I understand how internal combustion engines work and have read through some Porsche technical DIY guides, for instance this one on the 996 RMS replacement: http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/996rms/rms1.php In reading through that how-to, there were very few points at which I scratched my head at all. Is a slightly oversized two-stall garage, some confidence, a little mechanical-mindedness, and a whole bucketload of patience enough to be my own Porsche mechanic some of the time? Thanks to anyone who bothered reading that whole long-winded post, and to any and all responses to my questions/concerns. I really can't wait to have a 6-cylinder boxer engine pushing me around again.

You really need to drive examples of each. The 964/993 will be closer in feel to your 1985 911. The 996 is a whole nother breed. Much better performance.. Much better HVAC (heat, AC). Much more modern. But it gives up much of the "soul" that the aircooled cars come with. Yes, the M96 motors have known issues. What annoys me is the seemingly indiscriminate nature of their failure. Some (many) are fine.. and have logged 100K miles or more. Others just seem to "blow up". That said, a 964 or 993 could run your $10-15K to rebuild. You don't really rebuild an M96 motor so much as replace them. And they cost $3500 used to likely the same $15K for a crate motor. C2 vs C4 is a personal preference. The 996 AWD is very different than the older, mechanical unit in the 964. That said, a 100K miles 964C4 may need its AWD unit refreshed.. and as is the case with any C4, there are more components to replace overall. I found the Boxster a very easy DIY car, and the 996 shares this same philosophy. Don't be afraid of any porsche to DIY.. With internet boards like this and ease of finding repair manuals, they can be tamed.

Thanks for the reply. I have definitely gotten the impression from what I've read that the 996 feels like there is more spiritual separation between you and the road whereas the 993 and before make you feel more connected. With that in mind, I would prefer a car that is less likely to cost me twice the purchase price in maintenance and repairs since it will always feel bitter if I have spent the price of a new 997 just to get my baby out of the shop yet again. I am far enough in time from my '85 911 that I doubt I will feel betrayed by a 996, at any rate. Probably the biggest thing I'd notice would be doing away with the VW-style heater controls on the floor between the seats. (As far as I know, they still put the tachometer in the center and the speedometer off to the side where you can't see it through the steering wheel.) The bad news is that I don't know how I'll have much opportunity to drive examples of any, much less each of the choices (964 C2, 964 C4, 993 C2, 996 C2, 996 C4; rinse and repeat if I consider Cabriolets as well). That is simply a function of my geography. I'll be in Phoenix around Christmas so that would afford me some opportunities, and in Virginia for Thanksgiving but probably short on time as usual with those visits. Otherwise, I know of only one 911 here in town (I believe it's a 964 but haven't spent much time near it) and the owner would likely let me take it for a spin, depending on which brand of scotch I ply him with. I do know that he had the engine rebuilt and perhaps souped up a bit a couple years back and spent much time talking about the pain that it was to pay someone to do that for him. The good news is that I do have a friend here who is fairly versed in German mechanical things. He has a project 944 and his hobbies appear to include buying random imports at police auctions and throwing wrenches at them until they are safe for his kids to drive. He'd likely be willing and able to help with any projects I may need to do. I can always throw in a book or trinket for his 944 with any parts I have to order that will require his involvement to install. Do you know any good pointers to information on how the 996 C4 AWD system works? That might get me started on an idea of how involved it is to maintain. Maybe getting a C2 and just sticking to my truck on the icy days is the way to go.