Revisiting the idea of using 996 as a daily

I�ve been kicking around the idea of picking up a well sorted and maintained 996 to scratch the Porsche itch I�ve had since I was an 7 yr old. However, I�m facing the reality that despite a low cost to entry, there is a high maintenance cost. I�ve read through several threads on using a 996 as a daily, but most are 2-4+ years old so I�m looking to obtain a renewed perspective given the passage of time. Am I crazy to think that a 996 could still be used as a daily driver? Please be frank with your perspectives and don�t hesitate to break my inner child�s heart. Additional details: I live in Utah and have a Subaru, which would continue to be my poor weather vehicle. I probably around 8,000 miles on the odometer a year. Cheers!

I have an '04 C4S w/ 93xxx miles, black/black, 3 pedal. I don't drive it daily, but at least once per week as it is a great Friday car. I also have a Subaru (2012 Forester XT, about 55xxx miles), its a struggle NOT to grab the Porsche keys on my way out the door. The build quality and feel of the C4S is so superior to the Subaru that its not a fair comparison. It is more to maintain, but its more car, more hp, closer tolerances, etc. I just had it serviced - serp belt, brakes flushed, plugs, filters, its good to go for quite some time. When I don't drive it, I find solace in seeing those wide hips as I pull into the garage.

I picked mine up last year with the intentions of using it as a daily driver. The one I bought was not as described so I had several hurdles to get through. Well sorted is the goal and I still have some projects to go before that will happen. So I have had periods where I do daily drive it. Followed by periods of DIY repair. I'm pretty confident that after this next round of repair it should be good to go. the price of premium fuel may be a deterrent.

I was in a similar situation and I bought a 1999 C4 Tip for $15k. I sorted it for $3k and drive it daily. 21k miles (from 119k to 140k) in 18 months. It has never stranded me or made me regret my purchase. 20 mpg premium fuel and expensive oil changes are worth the driving experience. These cars are reliable, much more so than my BMW (540iT) or my Mercedes E320 wagon. Mark

I have a 2001 Carbiolet with a hardtop and all season Contis on her. I've been putting on a bout 1K a month between daily driving to/from work and around town and the occasional couple hour country drive. Yes, there is maintenance to be done, regular oil changes, some fuel additive, brakes, etc. but the reward is driving a car that's a hoot to drive, especially when the weather warms up and the top is down. The best $17K I've ever spent on a car, I found this one with only 49K miles and the owner I bought it from had just put on the tires and a new soft top. I've spent about $4K in various upkeep & upgrades but even with $21K into this car it is worth every penny to me.

Two reasons I don't daily drive mine... I don't have a set of snow tires for the Colorado winters, and I pick up my kids from daycare every day. If not for that, I'd have no issue daily driving it.

I daily drove my mk1 c2 for 6 years, and only one time did it let me down. Ignition switch went bad. Other wise it was great It had 124k when I bought it and sold to a fellow rennlister it was sitting at 205k miles. Yes it had original ims still in it. This was year round driving Northeast Ohio, never got stuck and was a blast to drive in snow. Keep up on maintenance and use the correct tires depending on weather if driving in snow, you won’t regret it. Nothing like walking out after work and unwinding on a nice back road heading home in the 996.

I bought my 2002 996.2 with a manual transmission with 50k miles in September 2017. I daily drove it(46 miles 1/2 of which was 80+mph, and 1/2 stop and go traffic) until COVID induced working from home in mid-March 2020. Now I only drive it on weekends. I have 82k miles on it now. Post-COVID I‘ll be daily driving it again. IMHO the 996 is a great daily driver.

I�ve had mine for 4 years and added 20k miles. Spent about $17k in repairs since then.

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I had a 2010 Forester. Very disappointing car. I had a 2000 Outback before that for 10 years and 200000 miles. Loved that car. I think Subaru has lost their way. Now I daily a Jeep Wrangler. Having owned most Japanese cars, I must say the Wrangler is the most dependable car I have ever owned. In 6 years, 80000 miles. Rear pad change and a battery. That's it. And it is 3 pedal: the real reason I bought it.

I don't DD mine but I don't see a reason you couldn't, like anything keeping up with maintenance, is key. There are a few guys here that drive their's a lot, Optionman is one of them, he has put a lot of miles on his cars.

OP: The only thing keeping you from DD-ing a Pcar is the extra cost. If your driving is, ex.,mostly freeway, it may not be worth it to you. Here's what goes through my head.......rear tire cost alone is/has been $.05/mile. It pales in comparison to depreciation over the past 20 years, but it's, to me, a striking figure. YMMV

2003 4s. I've put on 32,000 miles in 24 months, using both summer and winter tires. I change oil religiously every 5,000 and don't track it. Have needed motor mounts, new starter, window regulators, and recently diagnosed with leaking front differential. Preemptively replaced water pump and added low temp thermostat. These cars love to be driven, letting them sit around is worse IMO than driving them daily. Good Luck

What Optionman1 said. Drive it. It's a car and not a museum piece. Well maybe someday hah. If you read about all the issues people are having they are most often on cars that do not get driven enough. Maintenance will cost more but the driving enjoyment will be much higher too!

Well I sure hope you can daily drive a 996 since I just bought a 1999 C4, 74k miles, aerokit, full leather, 6 speed with the sole intention of daily driving it. I should have it next week it's on a truck coming from Oregon to NY. I plan to sort everything out this summer and then start to daily it. People daily drove these cars when they were new so I don't see why I can't daily it now especially with all the knowledge in the community identifying the weak points. If it breaks down I have an e46 M3, e46 330Ci and MKIV GTI that I can drive so I'm not to worried about getting to work but it might hurt my wallet but I guess you gotta pay to play. I enjoy cars and I would rather break down in a 911 than drive a Camry everyday.

Los Angeles freeways vary from frustrating to horrifying, our 996.2 cabriolet with tiptronic changes the experience to slightly fun so we definitely enjoy it as a daily driver. In almost 2 years and 14000 miles ownership we have spent about 10K in maintenance. Our strategy when we purchased was get a clean vehicle that hadn't been worked on much with the idea we would do our own work to a high standard. It may have saved a lot of money and time if we had bought an example that had all the maintenance done already so far we had to replace AOS, crank position sensor, fuel pump relay, fuel pump sender, turn signal stalk, etc.

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Exactly. Cost per mile in a 911 is $1-$2 when TCO is factored in for a new 911. Sure, a 996 is way cheaper for acquisition cost, no depreciation, hopefully no financing, lower insurance cost. But cost per mile for everything else isn�t really any better than a new 911.

I would love to DD mine. I love driving it. But mine has been a financial and maintenance challenge. I've had a number of issues in my three years of ownership that have created much down time and wallet-draining, and confidence depletion. Despite routine maintenance, such as 6 month oil changes, there have been a number of expensive issues. And if i didn't do a lot of the work myself, the car would still be sitting for want of funds. There have been times where the CEL was a constant companion, it seemed every time i would drive it the CEL would come one for one reason or another (often for the same issue until the source could be identified). In fact, i went on a fun run this week and another error code appeared, maybe related to an O2 sensor. The engine is about the only part of the car i have confidence in; it was rebuilt by a very highly respected company that everyone knows of and the power is amazing. But the rest of the car has been a challenge. New brakes all around when i purchased the car, new alternator when the old one failed when it out of town, new AOS (actually UAOS in its place), coolant reservoir, spark plugs and coil packs, a very unusual tip coolant sensor/valve issue that took several years and many dollars to sort out (and only because Porschetech3 solved it), one very expensive variocam "cam vane" assembly, vacuum line leaks on road trips that throw CEL codes. cosmetic issues, respray of both bumpers, the rest escape me right now. I think it's back close to being fully sorted out, except it now needs new tires and wheel refinishing (PO curbed them) and I still have to remove the dash to replace the a/c evaporator (or spend $1k in labor). I did do some upgrades, like M030 and paddle shifters, that don't count as maintenance. Why will I keep it, because its a blast to drive and I'm afraid to start over with a different car. So, unless you have unlimited maintenance and repair money, drive the Subaru and save the 996 for days when you can afford to repair it. Just one person's jaded opinion.

I daily drive my 996 Turbo so why not? The only downer is 14 MPG... I keep reminding myself that I didn't by a 911 Turbo for the gas mileage.

Just a follow up, here's what it cost me to maintain and repair my 996.2: (Note, I do all my own work. No mods cost are included, because that's an insane amount ) Maintenance: 1st year: $275.31 (Sept 20, 2017 - Sept 19, 2018) 2nd year: $2091.23 (Sept 20, 2018 - Sept 19, 2019) 3rd year: $1698.22 (Sept 20, 2019 - Sept 19, 2020) 4th year: (Sept 20, 2020 - YTD) $142.10 Repairs: 1st year: $846 (Sept 20, 2017 - Sept 19, 2018) 2nd year: $336 (Sept 20, 2018 - Sept 19, 2019) 3rd year: $624.89 (Sept 20, 2019 - Sept 19, 2020) 4th year: (Sept 20, 2020 - ) Repair specifics: Year 1 Windshield Control Arm Headlight Switch Year 2 Passenger side window regulator GBox 2nd gear popout detent Defroster Button Year 3 2 x control arms 2 x EPS control arm link(Front) 2 x Swaybar bushings Visor Mirror Flap Motor Mounts AOS - Coolant T-connector Year 4 Under Tray panels Maintenance Specifics: Year 1 Oil Change 10/22/2017 55,847 miles Oil Change 5/28/2018 59,794 miles Year 2 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S Tires 9/2018 Oil Change 11/1/2018 64,704 miles Porsche Water Pump 1/2019 Conti Serpentine Belt 1/2019 Oil Change 5/18/2019 68,974 miles Brake pads F&R Year 3 Oil Change 9/27/2019 74,658miles Akebono Brake pads/Pagid Rotors 1/2020 Oil Change 3/9/2020 79,702 miles UAOS & Hoses Michellin Pilot Sport 4S Rear Tires 8/2020 Year 4 Oil Change 10/3//2020 81362 miles Oil Change 4/??/2021 8x,xxx miles

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I wish i had gotten off as inexpensively as you have. But you can do a lot more of the work than i can. Yeah, i don't count mods in my maintenance/repair cost. I just keep the credit card statement away from my wife.

I have 00 C4 Cab. I daily drive it. My commute varies from 20 min to an hour. It's a really pleasant commuter. My 14yo son was actually telling me how much he like riding in it due to the comfort (our other cars are a Tesla S, Rav4 and an odessey). I would recommend changing out the stereo. I got one with wireless Android auto and it makes a huge difference in convenience. Makes Waze available for the police alerts, let's me play Spotify and I have Google assistant to answer my questions. Makes the 996 equivalent to the Tesla for all practical purposes. I also had to get an aftermarket cup holder. M

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+1 That's the largest negative to DDing a 996, the cup holders suck!

I use my 996 as a non-family daily driver for myself. Keep in mind that it's a 20-year old car so you will most likely have to catch up on maintenance after your purchase and this is expensive. Once this is done, however, you're golden. I also own a '72 Targa which is an even more rewarding experience on a summer back road; but it's so impractical that I only use it for "weekend" drives. I bought the 996 because I missed having a Porsche in the winter. It turned out to be a great decision, and is now the car that brings me the most pleasure all around because I can drive it all the time. It's comfortable enough to take the wife and kids along, I don't worry about rain or snow, and I don't need earplugs on long drives.

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Front seat I take it? My kids (7 and 9), are starting to get cramped in the back.

I removed my rear seats (and installed my rollbar) in December 2019 when my youngest (daughter) was 13 and really no longer fit in the back seat. I'd owned the rollbar since I'd bought the car in 2017. My son never fit back there. (18 in 2017)

Wow - thanks everyone for the numerous responses, and I appreciate the perspectives. In short, a 996 can be a joyous DD, but I should be prepared to pay to play. From the comments, which I realize are anecdotal, I should have $3000-$4000 set aside upfront for catching up maintenance, and maybe $1500 - $2000/year for maintenance, consumables (tires) and potential repairs. My Subaru already drinks premium fuel (Legacy GT) so the incremental cost of fuel would be due to MPG. I'd prefer to find a higher mileage but well-maintained example that has IMS, RMS, clutch, etc with associated documentation done prior to my ownership. What else should I be prepared for before making the plunge?

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A uncontrollable urge to seek out lonely, twisty roads.

Best part of my day is driving to and from work. I love it when my crew calls and tell me they forgot something, awe shucks I need to make a 2 hr round trip to deliver something dumb!

Even after adding on many, many miles in a short period of time, if I go just a few days without driving my 996, the next time I get behind the wheel I immediately question why I went �that long� without taking it out. Porsche Therapy, by the mile!

I would get a PPI that included scoping the bores from top to bottom, along with cam deviation check. And don�t replace stuff just because it�s old. Old is not the same as worn out. We can all go broke replacing perfectly good parts on this car, and then something that just got replaced breaks 3 months later (figures).

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Yes...if you do your own repairs & maintenance. One thing to consider, my 2002 Porsche has the lowest insurance cost of all of my vehicles. The 2011 Honda Odyssey, 2006 Ford Mustang, and the 2009 BMW 135i it replaced cost me more to insure.

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Haha. Yup. Although I�ve had to take home some extra kids unexpectedly so I have had two 6+footers and my son 5�4 in the car at one time. Tight squeeze for sure but doable.

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Taught my 15 � yr old daughter to drive stick today on mine. She figured out the feathering of the clutch in 1st pretty well! (and she loves how it handles)

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It will make a great first car for her. She'll love driving to high school every day

Just Do It! You will not regret it. Stupid grins never stop. to Jobyt: I taught my son how to drive stick and let him take the car to high school. In one year all his friends knew how to drive stick and I was changing the tires on the car! (luckily it was not a Porsche) Be careful...

No reason why you couldn't. Daily mine during the warm months and it's still a superb product twenty years on. If you think the 996 is old, I still press my 944 into daily service for a month in the summer just so it gets some miles added. Still completely viable. These cars are built well and reliable. Enjoy and drive as you please.

Electric vehicles and their simplicity compared to fuel injected smog devices gasoline engine is really surprising. They have full torque at idle, no transmission because motor rpm range is 0-18,000, and low 50-50 cg. We are driving the equivalent of a horse and buggy, and when a light weight energy dense battery is developed most carbon burning vehicles will be worth $0. If government allows, a few fun gasoline vehicles like Mustangs and 911s may still be enjoyed by future generations.

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We've been searching for that for about 150 years so far. .

Back in 1968 I was promised that soccer would take over as America's sport and that the US would adopt the metric system. I'm still waiting! (anyone remember 55mph/88kph speed signs?)

Working from home there's no commute, but there are plenty of daily driver trips every week, like picking up food, going to the pet store, Walgreens, taking my kid out for ice cream, driving Mom here and there, and many joy rides to nowhere. 'Casper' has racked up almost 1000 daily driver miles since I got it 2 months ago.

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As an owner of both types of vehicles I will say both have their place. I was an early adopter of Tesla (6th in the state or so I was told). The torque and the convenience of never stopping at a gas station can't be beat. The emergence of the electric vehicle is pretty stunning. When I bought mine there were less than 10 superchargers now there are 15000. The obsolescence of the gas engine is inevitable. That being said the gasoline engine is a much more mature and refined product. And it shows. The Tesla is heavy. It handles ok. For long trips gas is still king if time/convenience is the most important. For pure driving experience the 996 is superior. The horse analogy is a good one. In my lifetime the gasoline car will become the hobby of the rich much like owning a horse is today. The death of the sports car is more likely to be at the hands of self driving cars. Once these get good there will not be a future generation of drivers. Even now driving does not have the same appeal. It was a battle to get my 16 yo to do the minimum driving to get his license. My 14 yo seems more interested, but he is the exception amongst his friends I love to drive but once this tech gets super safe I'm going to want the OTHER drivers on the road to be using it. Hopefully one day I'll be so old I shouldn't drive and I'll be glad there will be an alternative.

That is why I got mine, plus I wanted a manual transmission. I think the mercedes suv is actually faster, but the 996 is much more fun to drive.

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I had the same issue with my oldest.(now 21) He wasn't that interested in getting his license and it took forever for him to get the practice hours in. He didn't get his license until he was 17. (It took 2.5 years to get 110 hours of driving in) Now he enjoys driving, and I've taught him how to drive a manual transmission in my 996. My 14 year old daughter can't wait to start learning how to drive. I imagine she is going to have her license as soon as she turns 16. She already talks about picking up her friends and going places. I've talked about getting an electric car and my wife is against the idea. We have a Tesla supercharger near our house, and installing a charger at home wouldn't be too difficult. My wife is also totally against self-driving cars. I've told her I hope they're safe, reliable, and available when I'm too old to drive so I don't get stuck at home. Until then I'll be tearing up the road in my smelly, loud Porsche 996!

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She *only* gets to drive it once in a while...it's MINE. But she is inheriting my old BMW 330Ci that has some mods....

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You should get her to test drive a Tesla. It's fun in a different way. It really goes when you step on it. My kids love the Tesla and that's my 16 yo (and my wife's) favorite to drive. Not ever stopping at a gas station is a special kind of pleasure. I'm not in any hurry to switch to self driving. I had a loaner with the latest version last month and while impressive I'm still too much of a control freak (I don't even use cruise control). It was nice if I wanted to play with the radio or something. I too will be burning up the road in my 996 till someone says I'm a danger to others.

We're on our second Tesla, but the 996 is always the preferred car for a fun drive. Not that the Tesla isn't awesome, it's just the 996 is awsome'er.

When elevators came out, people were very against the idea of a sealed, moving box falling to the ground if something failed. I don�t blame folks. But now we have autopilot on commercial airliners, traffic lights, etc. The auto-drive tech is still very new, and we are in uncharted territory. That is why the software package for autonomous driving from Tesla is an optional add-on.

Quit sitting on the fence and do it! You won't regret it. There are very few cars you can buy, drive for a few years, and then re-sell for what you paid (or more). The 996 is a bargain now and an incredible all around car. I used it as a low-mileage daily for 4 years and it was great. Ironically (based on the direction this thread went) I recently sold it and bought a Tesla Model 3 Performance. Still loved every minute of 911 ownership - but I will admit with a new baby the Tesla gives me more smiles per mile in normal day to day driving scenarios. Doesn't compare to the Porsche in terms of handling/road feel/connection to the driver, and of course sound though.

In regular commute times, I'm totally ready for a self driver. I don't want a shared self driver that will come and pick me up. I think these will end up smelling like our BART trains. So at some point, I'll buy an electric car with self driving ability. What I want is that 1-1.5 hours each way back. With a self driver, I could continue to work or read. It's getting close, but still many years off. Tesla is the only one with a controller fast enough to make decisions at speed. And it seems there is still a bit of risk with the algorithm. But now, with new work from home rules, when I need to commute, it is always at full speed and only takes 40 minutes. I'll take the 996 MT for this any day! The problem will be when we have a big mix of self drivers and manual drivers. Maybe some roads will be deemed 'self drivers only'. Similar to many hiking trails being off limits to mountain bikes. So get your smoking 996 today! My guess is 10 years before enough of the industry catches up to the Tesla autopilot! And another 10 years to argue about who gets to use what road.

I daily drove a 996C2 manual for three years and now daily drive my 996TT Tip for the past couple of years. The Turbo is a better daily driver with the Tip for ease of use in traffic. Both cars have cost on average around NZ$5000 per year to maintain on top of fuel and tyres. The turbo might be slightly more expensive to run. The Turbo has a tune so makes around 500Hp. That along with the torque really suits the tiptronic. It’s a beast I would recommend it as a daily driver.

It�s interesting to note that my wife�s new-ish Audi Q5 lost as much money in depreciation ($17k) as I spent on my 996 over the same time period.

My 996 C2 is used as a daily driver, and pre-covid was my commute car for a 90mi round trip commute 3-4x/week. I put 15k on it the first year I had it, take it camping to Yosemite, grocery store, everything

As a 20 year old car it won't be as trouble free as a 2018 Toyota but they're very well built and pretty damn reliable. Lots of people DD them with no problem. I've only had mine a year. I put 7,300 miles on it and spent around $5k on parts, maintenance, etc. BUT - Most of that was not necessary to keep the car running. $450 PPI, $650 stereo, $1,200.00 tires, plugs, coils, H2O pump to be safe, etc. The only time I've had an issue that stopped me from driving it is a cracked coolant tank which is pretty normal for these. Even then I was able to get home. I could have gone another year on the tires but I'm taking it to the track for HPDE events and the tech didn't like the almost 5 year old tires on it.

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Thanks for the note. Did you do the maintenance yourself or have a shop do it?

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Mine is regularly seen with my Pivot 429T on top...

Before covid-19 driving my car 80 miles a day back and forth to work, plus another couple of hundred on the weekend tooling around the Hill Country. These cars were meant to be driven! The harder and faster you drive these things the happier they are!

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Almost all myself. I did have the Indy do the brake fluid flush for me at around $300. I�d say I actually spent $1,200 on absolutely necessary maintenance. Since it was 20 years old and I had little service history, I wanted to level set the fluids, spark plugs, water pump, etc. Stereo, tires and original PPI represent almost half of that $5K.

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That's probably the way electric autopilot cars will really work. It's not yet acknowledged but there are too many variables in the real world for them to go from your driveway to the office, but if a standard specification lane was developed the sensors and computers could safely navigate that. So you will manually drive to the freeway and get in the special lanes, engage autopilot and it will take you to your offramp 1 hour away where you will take back control for complicated city streets. Progressively freeway lanes and main city streets will convert to autopilot only, and around cities self-drivers will not be able to travel.

Thanks again for the perspectives and I'm moving forward with finding a good daily driver. I would appreciate y'all helping me think through two 996 examples that are local(ish) to me. The first is a 2001 C2 in Arctic Silver with ~48K miles. I talked to the owner and the only maintenance that's been done during his/her ownership is oil changes. No other fluids have been changed, IMS not done, RMS not done, clutch not done etc. They're asking $27,700. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...84964295873897 My initial thought is that there would be about $4K for preventative maintenance (IMS, RMS, Clutch, etc) and to bring all the fluids current. I also don't know how old tires are. Second is a 2003 C2 in Cobalt Blue with 28K miles. IMS recently done at a Porsche dealer, but clutch and RMS was not done. I'm thinking maybe another $1.5K to 2K for maintenance off the bat. https://cars.ksl.com/listing/7071652 I'm thinking the first is priced high given the amount of maintenance needed. I like the color of the second, but I also think it's priced high. If I were to make an offer on the first, I'd aim for $24K and $28-29K for the second, but I'm curious what you all think. Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the perspectives. I'd also appreciate your input as I'm looking at two examples. One is very local and the other is ...close enough. First is a 2001 C2 with ~49K miles in Arctic Silver. I talked with the owner, and IMS, RMS, Clutch, etc are not done. Only maintenance items during their ownership (3 years/15,000 miles) is oil changes. Asking price is ~$28k. I figure there's about $4K in maintenance/work for IMS/clutch/RMS, brakes, etc. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...84964295873897 Second is a 2003 C2 with ~27K miles in cobalt blue. IMS recently done at a Pcar dealer, but clutch/RMS not done. Asking is $32K. I figure there's about $2k of upfront maintenance. https://cars.ksl.com/listing/7071652 BAT auctions indicate the 2003 is in market price, but that the 2001 may be overpriced. Curious what you all think. Thanks!

https://vinanalytics.com/car/WP0AA29933S620798/ Here's the build sheet on the 03 C2, it has factory sports exhaust which i really love. Surprising they wouldn't do the clutch and RMS when doing the IMS but you might get by without needing to address those immediately. gen2 in cobalt blue is a nice looking car, not a fan of black rims but to each their own. Good luck

The cobalt seems like a better deal on paper. With the silver car I would budget the IMS into that price and then while you are there do the clutch and aos. At that point you are at the price of the cobalt car. With the cobalt one like Optionman said you can probably get by without needing the clutch done.

Not too much mileage on the .2 clutch. Nice car with nice spec.

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No brainer, get the 996.2.

So if I'm following everyone here correctly, if you're not going to be doing your own work on the car, you should probably budget about $3,000 to $5,000 a year to keep the car operating, barring some catastrophic failure of something especially expensive. In other words, considering the purchase price of a 996 Carrera is around $25K to $35K, plan to spend 10-20% of the purchase price every year on maintenance costs?

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Eh, it depends on what your starting point is. When I bought mine I immediately did the IMS, RMS, AOS and clutch, the RMS and clutch needed to be done and it made no sense not to do the IMS. Since that first year almost everything has been optional besides oil changes. Replaced the top, refinished the wheels, replaced the mufflers which are notorious for falling apart. If you buy a car that is sorted you won't have to do this stuff and it will cost less

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I�m reading that some examples may be had for a little less than the range, but may need additional upfront costs. If you do your own work, the ongoing maintenance is on the low end of your estimated range with tires and brakes likely being the largest recurring expenses. Depending on the IMS solution, that could require a replacement down the road (~$2,500) but with adding in clutch, RMS, AOS, etc at the same time that bill goes up. I�m a finance guy so my model assumes $2,000 in recurring maintenance to cover consumables, fluids/oils etc, which works out to be $166/month so that�s what I need to set aside each month.

The thing is that after your purchase you will have to get all the maintenance sorted and that can be expensive depending on how well sorted the car is. Generally 5-10k. After that, I would say 1-2k a year should be enough although there could always be unforeseen expenses. You definitely want to have the IMS replaced and do a thorough PPI to check for bore scoring. Because an engine replacement/rebuild will be REALLY expensive.

I just reached 2 years, 32k miles of ownership. Upon purchase had the IMSB retrofit/clutch/flywheel/RMS done. Should have done AOS too but didn�t. Subsequent costs: Xpel PPF front half/ceramic coat rims Stereo upgrade/radar detector/backup camera both window regulators horn motor mounts starter water pump w low temp thermostat (preemptive fix) post cat O2 sensors (CEL light w code) set of summer tires set of winter tires 2 rear winter rims, different size than for summer Front differential replacement (next week) 6 oil changes/UOA Car gives me so much enjoyment I don�t regret spending whatever it takes, It�s just that good!

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Looks like your non-discretionary costs were these: This is perfect! This gets to exactly what those maintenance costs specifically are. Other than tires, gas, and oil changes, what exactly is everyone spending that money on every year to keep their 996 Carrera running?

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Check out post #20 for a work and cost breakdown for TexSquirrel.

Shouldn't have answered, I don't DD.

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Yes, that was another good one: I keep wondering how this compares to, say, an E46 M3 or an ND2 Miata or even a 981 Boxster.

For anyone considering a 996 I hope this advise doesn�t come off as rude, it�s certainly not mean to be. If you�re questioning pre-purchase whether or not you have the financial resources to stay on top of 996 maintenance, its not the right car for you. You will constantly drive in fear, ruining the experience.

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For me, it's less a matter of whether I can afford it so much as whether I can justify it. My last fun car was an Acura Integra and that car needed barely anything except for oil changes. That's a tough thing for any performance car to live up to. I know the 996 is not an '80s Ferrari, where I can expect it to be broken down and in the shop constantly. On the other hand, I know it's not going to be a Toyota Camry. At this point I'm just trying to figure out where exactly it lies on that spectrum and exactly how I feel about that. So I really appreciate the feedback everyone has in this thread/forum.

I've never owned other performance cars, but with a 996 you are basically buying a $20-30k engine and the rest of the car is free. If the engine goes, folk over $20k+ or sell for $5k. Maybe this is oversimplified, but way too many RL posts about people learning the hard way, and usually quickly after buying their "dream car". If I knew then (2 yrs ago) what I know now I wouldn't have bought a 996 with a stock engine, I would (a) buy a roller and send it to F6I and wait for it to be done right, or (b) I'd find one that someone is selling that already has a F6I engine in it. As my signature list reflects, I did just that with my 2nd 911, found one that had already visited Georgia. Good luck, go in eyes wide open.

Thanks for the candor, OptionMan. One last question, I�ve read about 997s having issues with bore scoring and that 996s also suffer. Is this one of those expensive issues that hits a small number of vehicles?

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No, it’s an expensive problem that’s affecting a large number of cars. Lots of potential causes. Some are easy to avoid (short trips, improper driving, wrong oil, long drain intervals) and some are hard to avoid. (Fuel quality, Lokasil application quality)

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E46 M3 would probably be similar or slightly cheaper to run. ND Miata would be a lot cheaper to run. 981 Boxster would likely be cheaper to run, but a LOT more expensive up front. The Boxster will also depreciate where I believe (IMHO) the 996 will only appreciate from here on.

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I think that once the deferred maintenance is sorted, you will have a very reliable car that won't depreciate. A 986 Boxster is a lot cheaper to buy, but most likely just as expensive to run and keep updated on maintenance.

My next large expenditure for the 996 will be replacing fuel injectors. If I keep racking up the miles I might need to replace the LN retrofit with The Solution in another 2-3 years. Plan on doing the UAOS then as well. By then the suspension parts will most likely need refreshing.......Just need 5% yearly appreciation and the car will pay for itself in the long run!

I've dailied my 996 for the past 2.5 years. Purchased a well maintained 996.1 manual 127,xxx mile car. Currently sitting at 137,xxx. No complaints yet.

If you're worried about 996 maintenance please ask yourself if you are bleeding money on apps, Starbucks, takeout, shopping at the local grocery vs. Costco in bulk, cable tv vs. Roku, etc.

I daily my 996.2 C4S. If it breaks, I’ll probably park, have engine rebuilt, drive beater until fixed. It’s that much fun to drive. I really don’t care if it’s not a great investment. I didn’t buy for that.

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That�s a bit like it was with air-cooled cars. Wait for a top-end rebuild and buy that car, or roll the dice and have to do a top-end at some point. Back then (2003-2006), those cars were $17k all day long.

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I talked to the owner of the 996.2 - and the IMS bearing was done in 3/2016 with a ceramic LN bearing. My understanding is that those have a 4 year/50,000 mile service interval so that would need to be done again and/or go with the IMS Solution. Either way, probably $4K+ to bring that part and the other maintenance up to date. I've also learned that both cars had an oil change annually, which is less than I prefer to be deemed "well-maintained". Given the price differences between the two I'm currently looking at, the 996.2 would need to come down a couple thousand dollars for it to make sense compared to the 996.1 since the 996.1 plus maintenance/IMS/etc is the starting point of the 996.2. What am I missing though?

Wow, you have some high standards for maintenance. 996.2's generally go for a couple thousand extra over .1's. I also paid $3k for my IMS + clutch install at a reputable indy, FWIW.

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I'm in the market for my first 911, but I would never consider it for my daily driver. Part of that may be due to my particular circumstances, as I live in Los Angeles but definitely want a manual tranny. Luckily, my commute involves very little stop-and-go traffic, but even so, I'd want it as a second vehicle, not a first. I live near some great canyons, and would also like to use the vehicle for short vacations up and down the coastline. Interesting thread nonetheless. HD

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It's very possible I'm overthinking things so I appreciate being talked off the ledge. I came to the $4K amount for clutch, IMS, RMS (maybe AOS) and flushing all fluids since both examples haven't had fluids flushed in 3+ years. Just trying to go in with eyes wide open. I've been watching the F6I YouTube series on bore scoring (best/worst horror show I've seen in years) so I was going with a 6 month OCI as the expectation.

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My RMS was changed at the same time, IIRC. The indy offered to do the AOS at the same time, it would have been an additional hour of labor + part cost I think. It had been done just a few years prior, so I skipped it. In hindsight, I probably should have replaced it for peace of mind. Getting the fluids flushed is also a good idea. I don't *think* the oil change interval (within 1 year) would be related to the bore scoring issue, but I don't know that. I do know that most oil manufacturers encourage you to change the oil after 1 year regardless of mileage. Since they're the ones selling me the oil, I trust them to give me the minimum amount of time between changes while remaining market competitive. Happy hunting!

996.1 vs 996.2 was a tough call for me when I was looking. Personally I kept getting drawn to the '99s because it seems a lot of the car guys and 911 guys that really knew what they're talking about liked the '99s. I'd say get a 1998 build .1 or the newest .2 that you like, depending on your personal preference. My personal feeling is that in 10-20 years, the '99s will be more sought after than the other years when looking at normal C2 models. The C4S and millennium editions will be even more sought after. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking at it like an investment but it doesn't hurt to hedge your bets. The Boxsters cost just as much to maintain (apples to apples). The parts and labor are both just as expensive as the 911 and they are prone to the same problems with the generation being the same. However, from what I could tell, they will depreciate down to 4K for a still running car while the 911s will hold their value much better. That's how I justified a 911 over a Boxster. When I was browsing the forums, I came to the conclusion that the average maintenance expense per year was around $4K. Some years might be $2 and some might be $7,000 but that was the average. Oil change every year isn't optimal but it's what the factory recommended. I walked away from a car because he changed the oil every 10K miles which for him could have been 5 years. He was not happy and accused me of wanting to buy a premium car at a bargain basement price. Then again, I wasn't the guy who bought it for $80K, let it sit in the garage and sold it for $25K. Most of all, buy the generation and color you like! I loved the greys, arena reds and blues. I didn't want black or silver. Guards red was too flashy for me. I'm really happy I ended up with a slate grey model.