Are 996.2 just not worth the risk now? - Page 3 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

Seen a nice low miles 40 jahre. I’ve been down the 996 rabbit hole and the consensus seems to be that even at 22 years old and with 30k miles, you run a vivid risk of bore scoring. My interpretation is that even assuming the car passed a bore scope with flying colours, you could still bump into this issue anyway. Is this really the case? I’m aware of Hartech and similar but paying for a rebuild on an engine is really not something I want on my bingo card. I’d be doing 3-6k per year. Thoughts?

Personally, if the bores were clean it’s not something I’d worry about… but I’m guessing it’s top money at that mileage, so I’d want a full inspection as there are plenty of things that can throw big bills on a 996.

Knowing what we know now about M96 engine maintenance and driving style, I think you will be fine - subject to you checking that the bores are clean at the point of sale. For the record, bore scoring is more prevalent in the 3.8 engine, the tiptronic gearbox and in territories with lower octane fuel. What is much more important on a 20+ year old 996 is that all of the other components have been refreshed - as these components alone can exceed the cost of an engine rebuild. Purchase an enthusiast owned car with a strong service history and genuine proof of proactive maintenance and you ll be fine. The M96 engine is an absolute peach of an engine when treated with respect.

Don't forget the issue of possible IMS bearing failure. That's impossible to predict and can't be diagnosed like 'bore-scoring'. I had an early 996 C4 tiptronic ('99 car, which I had from 2002 to 2010 and 100k miles) which eventually had an IMS issue and engine failure. At the time I couldn't afford to repair it so sold it to Hartech. They fixed it and ran it as a 'company car' for a few years. I may have been unlucky and the high miles may have had something to do with it - no idea. 150k miles on the clock when it went 'bang', so I go a lot of driving pleasure from it. I have a 997 gen 2 now and have driven a 993 and 991 - the 996 remains the better handling and steering car - nimble, light, precise. Even more so that the 997 (which I love!). 996's are lovely cars to drive.

Yep a sorted 996 is a cracker. If you are going to worry about things going bang or high bills then Porsche ownership will sting at times... I love my 996 even alongside Lotuses, Caterhams, GT4s etc

Gen 2's are mega cars, perfect halfway house between the 'better' and more refined 997 and the 996.1. I think borescore failure rate is somewhere around 7% for the gen 2, its been widely covered on the 911uk forum. The gen 1's suffer with cracked heads and 'D chunking' of the cylinder walls, whereas the gen is more prone to borescore/ ims issues, you take your chances on either. I didnt even get mine bore scoped when i bought it and i didnt read too much into the horror stories either, there are good examples out there and you tend to pay more for them but they also tend to have had plenty spent on them over the years as well. I simply went to view it and fired it up from cold, smooth as silk, no smoke etc. Job jobbed. Like any 25 year old sports car, you need to go in eyes wide open, however.

16610LV said: I have a 997 gen 2 now and have driven a 993 and 991 - the 996 remains the better handling and steering car - nimble, light, precise. Even more so that the 997 (which I love!). 996's are lovely cars to drive. Agreed. The 996 I think is the best back road Carrera there is, I'm sure some will prefer the aircooled cars for the overall feel they can give, but the 996 is spot on, as you say, feels lighter and more nimble than the 993 and more raw than the 997. I love my 997, and I won't sell it, but if I was starting over I would get a 996 again.

highway said: Seen a nice low miles 40 jahre. I ve been down the 996 rabbit hole and the consensus seems to be that even at 22 years old and with 30k miles, you run a vivid risk of bore scoring. My interpretation is that even assuming the car passed a bore scope with flying colours, you could still bump into this issue anyway. Is this really the case? I m aware of Hartech and similar but paying for a rebuild on an engine is really not something I want on my bingo card. I d be doing 3-6k per year. Thoughts? I own a 40 Jahre 911 (Nr. 0711 of the limited edition) and am the manager of the Registry for these cars. I'd be happy to connect with you about your questions and put you in touch with an owner closer to you. The Registry website is www.40jahre911.com and you can email me at [email removed]. If you let me know which car you're looking at I can see what records we may be able to share. I'm Ted by the way - nice to meet you.

If you buy from Portiacraft they guarantee the engine during your ownership with a fixed rebuild cost if bore scoring occurs, around £4.5K, for peace of mind. They usually have some good 996’s in stock with either rebuilds or bore scope check done to confirm all Ok.

Thanks for the replies. Ted, I’ll be in touch if I buy the car. I had a 993 for a decade, which looked after me well. Unlike many, I’ve always liked the 996, but never owned one. Largely as result of the scare stories. Looking for my next fun car now and one of these has come onto my radar. I like low miles cars as they are always easier to sell when that time comes and the car I’ve seen looks great. I’m well aware that there may be significant costs with other bits- brake lines etc but the issue that concerns me is bore score. The internet effectively says that it’s an inherent design flaw that all cars suffer with. Some sites give the impression the cars are all ticking time bombs on a very slow timer. But the internet says a lot of things, hence this post.

highway said: Thanks for the replies. Ted, I ll be in touch if I buy the car. I had a 993 for a decade, which looked after me well. Unlike many, I ve always liked the 996, but never owned one. Largely as result of the scare stories. Looking for my next fun car now and one of these has come onto my radar. I like low miles cars as they are always easier to sell when that time comes and the car I ve seen looks great. I m well aware that there may be significant costs with other bits- brake lines etc but the issue that concerns me is bore score. The internet effectively says that it s an inherent design flaw that all cars suffer with. Some sites give the impression the cars are all ticking time bombs on a very slow timer. But the internet says a lot of things, hence this post. So - all M96 engines are susceptible to it on the basis of their design. The difference in 2026 is that all 996 enthusiasts are now well aware of this design flaw and it is possible to work around it. In the engine’s first 10 years of its life, I imagine owners stuck to the two year service intervals, didn’t keep on top of their cooling system, went off network and serviced the car with the wrong oil, pushed the engine when cold etc - and all of these factors can increase the chances of it happening. We know how to look after these engines today - and I think this gives owners the very best chance of avoiding the issue. Non Mezger 996’s are cheap because of this risk - so if you’re prepared to treat the engine with care and maintain accordingly, they can be good deals. I should also note that 993s don’t have bore scoring stories associated to them, but can you find me a 993 that hasn’t had an engine rebuild by this point in time? It comes with the territory of classic 911 ownership!

I owned a 993 for a decade after owing a 996 for a few years, so the other way round! Was definitely a step backwards into the 993 but I prefer classic cars, and at the time the 996 was too modern to be classic, if you know what I mean. 996 was measurably better than the 993 in every area but I just preferred the 993. Any appreciation I enjoyed personally was offset with the bills to keep it on the road. A sorted 996 is just a great car, mine was the most basic of specifications but a lot of car for the money….

Found a car I really like. Owner seems a proper chap as well. Hope to view later this week. I’m coming to this from an Emira which I really liked and had a good experience with. Sold it last summer when the stories about the factory closing and Geely pulling the plug surfaces. I liked my 993 ownership more than the car- albeit the car itself was a special thing. Loads of rare factory options- C4 with (ice cold) AC, Technology wheels, extended leather )including sunvisors, hard backs etc. Met a group of really nice blokes who I stay in touch with to this day. We all had 993’s once and were all over 911UK. Back then the 996 was very much the poor relation and not much has changed. If you want a really nice 911 with spending well north of £40k it’s a 996 or early 997 or nothing. I always liked 996, albeit for choice an early 3.4 manual with one owner and about 30k would have been favourite. Let’s see how the viewing goes

highway said: Thanks for the replies. Ted, I ll be in touch if I buy the car. I had a 993 for a decade, which looked after me well. Unlike many, I ve always liked the 996, but never owned one. Largely as result of the scare stories. Looking for my next fun car now and one of these has come onto my radar. I like low miles cars as they are always easier to sell when that time comes and the car I ve seen looks great. I m well aware that there may be significant costs with other bits- brake lines etc but the issue that concerns me is bore score. The internet effectively says that it s an inherent design flaw that all cars suffer with. Some sites give the impression the cars are all ticking time bombs on a very slow timer. But the internet says a lot of things, hence this post. Unless you buy a car with the Hartech improvements in the rebuild, there is a risk. The risk is largely based on how you look after it and of course, how long you intend to keep it. If you are keeping it 10 years, you will have to accept that there is a fair chance you will need a rebuild. A couple of years, probably not! But remember that no engine lasts forever. They ALL expire eventually. The car is already 20+ years old. If you buy a good car that otherwise wants for very little and has been maintained to a high standard then you will put yourself in the best position. Good luck!

I sold my 996.2 to a friend at 80k miles, It had a new bearing and IMS at around 70k. He's put another 20 or so on it and its been fine. Lovely cars - very easy to use everyday and I think they actually benefit from it reliability wise.

I've owned my 2002 996.2 for almost exactly 2 years now. I bought it at 85k, with a good service history of 22 stamps in the book (on the 2nd service book) and a few owners more than I would have liked. I paid strong money for it at £20k. However, it has full Aero kit and many desirable options. It is a Carrera 2 with a manual gearbox. In the 2 years I have spent around £4k on preventative maintenance, if its been mentioned at service or MOT then I have had the work done. It has been very reliable with no issues other than flat batteries as it can go weeks without being fired up due to work commitments. I would happily drive it anywhere. However, I am putting money away for the inevitable eventual rebuild.

I've owned my 2003 996.2 for almost 3 years now. I bought it at 177k, with a good service history of many stamps in the book (extra sheets in the original book) and a few owners more than I would have liked. I gave £2k and a boxster for it, i valued it around £11.5k. However, it has full Aero kit and many desirable options. It is a Carrera 2 with a manual gearbox. In the 3 years I have spent around £4k on preventative maintenance, if its been mentioned at service or MOT then I have had the work done. It has been very reliable with no issues not even flat batteries as it lives on a ctek, can go weeks without being fired up due to work commitments. I would happily drive it anywhere. However, I am not putting money away for the inevitable eventual rebuild, it will just get scrapped.

I’ll bookend this thread. Seller revealed his ask which was north of £45k. Lovely looking car with the IMS done, PCCM and low miles. But none of these are worth north of £40k to me. I’ll turn my attention back toward 991 I think.

highway said: I ll bookend this thread. Seller revealed his ask which was north of £45k. Lovely looking car with the IMS done, PCCM and low miles. But none of these are worth north of £40k to me. I ll turn my attention back toward 991 I think. I know these GT Silver Jahre cars are the limited edition top of the 996 Carrera tree, but for £45k I would want it from an OPC or Paragon or the like with a bulletproof warranty Edited by pitchinginaporsche on Thursday 26th March 13:05

You’d have to really want a Jahre to spend £45k! You could comfortably buy a very nice 996, put brand new top end suspension on it and sort any other issues for half that. You might not have the X51, but you’d have a better driving car.

Thats an insane price, my car is much rarer/ better spec'd than one of those (with a rebuilt engine) and i'd let it go for a chunk under 40!

scottos said: Thats an insane price, my car is much rarer/ better spec'd than one of those (with a rebuilt engine) and i'd let it go for a chunk under 40! You can’t leave that post hanging out there without further details. What you got?

jonny996 said: You can t leave that post hanging out there without further details. What you got? https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=2065447

996's are going up in value, but I wouldn't suggest a 40 Jahre. Buy a low-mileage 4S coupe in manual instead. I think Porsche got the 40 Jahre model all wrong. Giving it the Turbo/4S front bumper coupled with the standard rear bumper, makes the car look odd. I've seen the 4S parked next to the 40 Jahre and it blows it out of the water. No contest. Seen through glass (influencer fame) had one and got rid of it, as did Lee Sibley (9werks). It's a great car in terms of its fundamentals; it's just presented incorrectly. As an NB 911, they should have given it an NB body kit, even if they didn't want to step on the toes of the GT3. Your cash, your choice.

I think the 996 4S is one of the best looking modern 911s, I prefer it to pretty much any 997 (I am one of the few that also prefers the 996 interior to the 997 interior)

MDL111 said: I think the 996 4S is one of the best looking modern 911s, I prefer it to pretty much any 997 (I am one of the few that also prefers the 996 interior to the 997 interior) 996 C4S always makes me think ostentatious, a bit shouty visually, but with nothing to really back it up. If you're going turbo look, buy a turbo... But you're not the only one who prefers the 996 interior styling, it's just a shame the materials used in the 996 are somewhat cheap and nasty.

maz8062 said: 996's are going up in value, but I wouldn't suggest a 40 Jahre. Buy a low-mileage 4S coupe in manual instead. I think Porsche got the 40 Jahre model all wrong. Giving it the Turbo/4S front bumper coupled with the standard rear bumper, makes the car look odd. I've seen the 4S parked next to the 40 Jahre and it blows it out of the water. No contest. Seen through glass (influencer fame) had one and got rid of it, as did Lee Sibley (9werks). It's a great car in terms of its fundamentals; it's just presented incorrectly. As an NB 911, they should have given it an NB body kit, even if they didn't want to step on the toes of the GT3. Your cash, your choice. Agree on the front bumper, they should have used the 996.2 GT3/Aerokit front bumper complete with the smaller (more practical) front splitter the Aerokit equipped non-GT3 cars utilised : Deeper GT3 item : The "chrome" finish wheels look a bit naff too. It's shame they fitted sunroofs and rear wipers as standard also. I think 9Werks sold his because he wasn't using it, and he eventually realised the folly of buying a "limited edition" 996 as an "investment", when it was no such thing. As for Sam Seen through Glass selling his, his MO is having the latest greatest thing, so an old 996 was never going to cut it for his content output.

MDL111 said: I think the 996 4S is one of the best looking modern 911s, I prefer it to pretty much any 997 (I am one of the few that also prefers the 996 interior to the 997 interior) Yeah, 996 interior with leather dash and centre console delete is a great interior imho. Even more so with the black cluster dials, such a clear cluster to read.

Slippydiff said: 996 C4S always makes me think ostentatious, a bit shouty visually, but with nothing to really back it up. If you're going turbo look, buy a turbo... But you're not the only one who prefers the 996 interior styling, it's just a shame the materials used in the 996 are somewhat cheap and nasty. where did you find my holiday pic ....

MDL111 said: I think the 996 4S is one of the best looking modern 911s The 996 just doesn't need 4wd unless you're off roading

I'm probably £35k deep into mine (3.9, Wavetrac,sports exhaust, suspension refresh etc). Was a toss up between "upgrading" my S1 Elise for a newer Lotus or chucking the cash into the 911. The Porsche won... Not 100% sure about the suspension as it currently stands so getting it tweaked and if that doesn't work, I am tempted by the Werk 96 setup. Then need to sort the interior... Great cars once sorted.

Ed.Neumann said: MDL111 said: I think the 996 4S is one of the best looking modern 911s, I prefer it to pretty much any 997 (I am one of the few that also prefers the 996 interior to the 997 interior) Yeah, 996 interior with leather dash and centre console delete is a great interior imho. Even more so with the black cluster dials, such a clear cluster to read. I adore the 996 interior, particularly the facelift with the built-in cupholders etc. The 996 is also the only water cooled 911 that you can delete the centre console for the authentic old school 911 feel. The increased leg room is a revelation on longer drives for anyone of average height or above. I know the console delete kits are ludicrously expensive now, but it is the best non-performance mod (weight saving obvs) you can do to a 996..It looks pretty cool too My only negative on the 996 interior is the lack of standard steering wheel height adjustment.

pitchinginaporsche said: I adore the 996 interior, particularly the facelift with the built-in cupholders etc. The 996 is also the only water cooled 911 that you can delete the centre console for the authentic old school 911 feel. The increased leg room is a revelation on longer drives for anyone of average height or above. I know the console delete kits are ludicrously expensive now, but it is the best non-performance mod (weight saving obvs) you can do to a 996..It looks pretty cool too My only negative on the 996 interior is the lack of standard steering wheel height adjustment. I prefer the earliest of early 996 cars because they have no side airbag and the door looks so much better without. Also it doesn't dig into your forearm. I dont like the rigid door bin lids mind you. Probably fixable if you can add some padding. And same for the cubby behind the handbrake. 997 wins in this regard. If you have stiffer suspension you really start to feel it in your elbows. The centre console delete is totally unnecessary if you change seats. 997 seats get you a good bit lower and are much more comfy. And further back too. I could almost not reach the clutch fully when right back using 997 seats. So therefore unless you're a giraffe you dont need any extra legroom and the steering wheel is in a better position too.

Cup steering wheel is the single best modification of any sort you can make to a 996

Cup steering wheel AND centre console delete. The centre console delete IS a necessity, because without it, the interior/dash looks sh*te, especially when "stacked" and finished off with that nasty trim piece at its base. My guess is the centre console delete was how the designers intended the dash to be/look. Then the practicalities got in the way, and when PCM was introduced with its double DIN head unit, the HVAC controls were moved to the lower centre console, which leaves the dash/centre console looking like something a halfwit off Rennlist has conjured up in their garage ...

Slippydiff said: Cup steering wheel AND centre console delete. The centre console delete IS a necessity, because without it, the interior/dash looks sh*te, especially when "stacked" and finished off with that nasty trim piece at its base. My guess is the centre console delete was how the designers intended the dash to be/look. Then the practicalities got in the way, and when PCM was introduced with its double DIN head unit, the HVAC controls were moved to the lower centre console, which leaves the dash/centre console looking like something a halfwit off Rennlist has conjured up in their garage ... What's the best airbagged steering wheel on these cars. Something thin rimmed but smaller diameter would be good. I keep looking at 991.2 wheels but not sure they would feel much better in the hands?

911Spanker said: What's the best airbagged steering wheel on these cars. Something thin rimmed but smaller diameter would be good. I keep looking at 991.2 wheels but not sure they would feel much better in the hands? Speak to these guys. They'll make you what you want. Most people want thicker rims, but I'm sure they'll do a standard thickness rim with their T96 reduced diameter wheel. https://www.dctms.com/Products.html

Slippydiff said: My guess is the centre console delete was how the designers intended the dash to be/look. Then the practicalities got in the way, and when PCM was introduced with its double DIN head unit, the HVAC controls were moved to the lower centre console, which leaves the dash/centre console looking like something a halfwit off Rennlist has conjured up in their garage ... That guess would fit with the suggestion that the 996 interior was originally worked up for the 993

pitchinginaporsche said: I adore the 996 interior, particularly the facelift with the built-in cupholders etc. The 996 is also the only water cooled 911 that you can delete the centre console for the authentic old school 911 feel. The increased leg room is a revelation on longer drives for anyone of average height or above. I know the console delete kits are ludicrously expensive now, but it is the best non-performance mod (weight saving obvs) you can do to a 996..It looks pretty cool too My only negative on the 996 interior is the lack of standard steering wheel height adjustment. I'm of the same opinion, the interiors are great and you still feel you're in a 911, anything newer doesn't feel like that despite being a nice place to be! I've deleted the center console and fitted a momo wheel that also has an eccentric mount to raise it 15mm. I'm not even tall but these changes, along with the heated 997 comfort seats, mean i've spent 6-7 hours a day driving the car for multiple days and havent thought about a bad position once! 20260102_160912 by Scott Osborne , on Flickr Set up for my favorite passenger: 20260306_174041 by Scott Osborne , on Flickr

ATM said: MDL111 said: I think the 996 4S is one of the best looking modern 911s The 996 just doesn't need 4wd unless you're off roading I would rather have a 2S just for the looks like they did on the 993, but alas that does not exist (or is called a GT2 without the rear stripe...)

scottos said: pitchinginaporsche said: I adore the 996 interior, particularly the facelift with the built-in cupholders etc. The 996 is also the only water cooled 911 that you can delete the centre console for the authentic old school 911 feel. The increased leg room is a revelation on longer drives for anyone of average height or above. I know the console delete kits are ludicrously expensive now, but it is the best non-performance mod (weight saving obvs) you can do to a 996..It looks pretty cool too My only negative on the 996 interior is the lack of standard steering wheel height adjustment. I'm of the same opinion, the interiors are great and you still feel you're in a 911, anything newer doesn't feel like that despite being a nice place to be! I've deleted the center console and fitted a momo wheel that also has an eccentric mount to raise it 15mm. I'm not even tall but these changes, along with the heated 997 comfort seats, mean i've spent 6-7 hours a day driving the car for multiple days and havent thought about a bad position once! 20260102_160912 by Scott Osborne , on Flickr Set up for my favorite passenger: 20260306_174041 by Scott Osborne , on Flickr I am thinking about deleting the lower part of the centre console [where the radio is on this one] to have a continuous horizontal line across like on old 911s, but I think the aircon/heating unit is about 1cm too low to do it. I need to look at it properly when I have my car back (hopefully next week).

MDL111 said: I am thinking about deleting the lower part of the centre console [where the radio is on this one] to have a continuous horizontal line across like on old 911s, but I think the aircon/heating unit is about 1cm too low to do it. I need to look at it properly when I have my car back (hopefully next week). Here's what the delete leaves you with :

I want to delete the bottom shelf so the horizontal line goes across below the aircon unit Edit: so you then have on leather colour below the line and a different one above the line all the way across

oddman said: That guess would fit with the suggestion that the 996 interior was originally worked up for the 993 Isn't it funny how if it had it would be the best interior evah, evah, evah?

Yep, the 996.2 is undoubtedly the ginger haired step-child of the 996 range, and to be avoided at all costs ... The lack of a physical throttle cable has clearly made the 996.2 featured in the video above all but "undriveable", and the huge weight increase over the hallowed early 3.4 996.1 ensured the later car is no faster than a stunned slug ... Whilst the 996.2 engine might be more prone to bore scoring, ultimately it's far, far more tuneable than the early iterations courtesy of it's bigger initial capacity and far superior Variocam Plus. Enjoy

Personally found the 996.2 C2 felt substantially quicker than the .1, more so than the on paper 20 PS would imply. Also think the idea that the .1 is revier doesn't stack up. Didn't feel so to me and indeed the .2 lump actually has a higher specific output. .1s for me can feel like they need a bit more grunt on occasion, but the .2 is a really nice level of performance. You'd have to go all the way to a 991.2 to get a base Carrera that felt significantly quicker.