996 Turbo

Hi Trevor Just one comment. The turbo S wont be a Turbo S. Only registered in 2004 & 5. X.50 doesn't mean its an S. X.50 upgrade is only part of the S. For your own peace of mind check the door sills, rev counter, centre console under the radio, they should all have Turbo S badges. Good luck with your search. If they are all near to you then get out there and drive them. Manual/Auto is a personal choice and there are lots of different opinions on here and other forums. Sounds to me like you have already made your choice! [ ]

Thanks. That makes more sense. No, really not sure whether to go man / auto. Drove a paddle shift 2002 before getting the BMW and thought it was a quick car and unlikely that I would need to change gear any faster, but this one is a button shift on the steering wheel. Not sure if that is good/bad. The manual one (in blue) seems to have a really good spec and looks good, but then the manual/auto conversation comes in again. Not sure, but will need to be before parting with my hard earned, as this will be with me for a long time.

I think there is a flappy paddle conversion but not sure which years etc. For what its worth Ive had my Turbo S for six years now and it would require an awful lot of cash to get me to change it as nothing out there comes close for the same money. Also dare I mention it but they seem to be slowly creeping up in price. Depending on how confident you are re choosing and purchasing cars you might want an inspection. I bought mine form a reputable indy with twelve months external warranty and had some things sorted before I bought. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

I've a 2003 Turbo with Tiptronic, 44k miles on it and it has been fabulous - once I got it sorted through the supplying dealer's all inclusive one-year warranty. I looked for an automatic [Tiptronic] as often the manual versions have been "buzzed" i.e revved hard in neutral just for the sheer noise it makes. So do get the diagnostics plugged in and the R registers read; they will tell you quite a bit. If you want some more detailed information on what to look for on suspension / brakes / boy etc then do contact me. Ray Chandler

Ray - you can't 'buzz' a Turbo in neutral. They have a limiter at 4000rpm. In theory, you can only get a mechanical over-rev on a manual car by a premature downshift. Edit: After looking it up again to refresh my memory, it is only the Tiptronic which is limited to 4000RPM in neutral, to protect the torque converter.

Hi all, Newbie to 996 Turbos, but likely to buy one soon. Had quick motors before including a lovely 964 C2. Now choosing between 3 motors: 1. 51 plate, Manual 996 Turbo. Upgraded sat nav and speakers, sunroof, 88k miles 2. 02 plate, Auto 996 Turbo S. Sat nav, parking, Bose, sunroof, 88k miles Up/down change on tip on steering wheel, not paddles. Not pdk, of course. Is the S going to have the X50? Spec seems to state same bhp and I woul dhave expected more. 3. 51 plate, Manual 996 Turbo, Sat nav, parking, bose, sunroof, 996 spoiler, tracker, 75k miles Is the most expensive but most attractive. KEY QUESTIONS: Not sure whether 'S' matters? Does it always mean X50, even on a 2002 plate? Manual or auto (button controls on wheel, not paddles) All in similar region. A few thousand between the lot. I won't be tracking it, but do like a reasonable drive, when on my own. Wife (when she will be in it) prefers slow, sedate comfort, hence a BMW 6 Series for comfort and daily. Any thoughts before I spend out my hard earned. Trevor

If it helps I've always had manuals and had a manual 964 Targa and 996 C4 for 4 years each. Tested both tip and manual and for the Turbo I felt the Tip was the better choice IMHO, perfectly suited to cruising and for hanging on for dear life when giving it some poke- just means you can hang on with 2 hands on the wheel rather than one! It's all down to personal choice so try both before you buy. Don't get confused with a Turbo S vs Tiptronic S which is just the gearbox. Craig

Bought one. Lapis blue, 39k miles, excellent condition and really pleased with it. Thanks for your input.

I don't believe you. Not until you post pictures

[Image-only or quote-only post; no author-written text.] http://www.oakfieldsoftware.co.uk/996/996turbo2.png

Nice! Did you go for Tip or Manual?

Went tip in the end. Tried a manual and liked it, but couldn't resist this one with such low mileage and in excellent condition. Plenty quick enough and I am unlikely to be tracking it, just for country roads round Shropshire and mid Wales.

How are you finding the Tip?

Hi Craig, Loving it! Went out to a PCGB meet on Tuesday evening, fantastic night for a drive out! I was following another local member in a 993 manual. I simply took all the corners at the same speed as him (Pat, top bloke!) and it was a good drive out. On the way back we pushed on a little and I had to flick down a few times before the bends and even had to brake a couple of times. Guess that is the difference between a manual and a tip. Having said that, the difference between the 993 and the 996T was enormous. The speed, the handling. It was really well planted and accelerated so quickly when asked, making the few overtakes that we did almost instant. It is in for a major service on Monday. Then new rear tyres, after a check over the rear suspension. Might also need new brakes, but will have to wait to see what they are like when the wheels are off. Might send off one of the rears for a refurb, as previous owners' wife had curbed it quite a lot. Other 3 are spot on, so no need to do them all. Going to Centre Gravity for full Geo in August, so keeping the miles off it at the moment. Very frustrating, as I simply want for a drive in it. Nice having such low mileage on the clock, but makes me want to keep it 'low'ish', as the value of the lower mileage ones is stupid, at the moment. I saw it go into the 40's. Might be a while before it sees 50k though. Thanks for the post. Good to be include. Look forward to taking more part in this forum. Trev