Newbie 996 owner

As I write this, I realise this message marks a few turning points and mixed emotions for me. Odd low emotion - I am a newbie! I dont like being a newbie at anything. Cool high emotion - Its a new year, a kind of fresh start for anyone Cooler high emotion - There is a new (to me) car on my driveway! Turning point - Admitting this might be part of what some people may call a "mid life thing" But thats as good an excuse as any! The new (to me) car is a 1999, 996 C2 in black.. I just looked out the curtains for the 100th time this evening and for the 100th time I smiled and for the 100th time my other half rolled here eyes in "that way". On this time, I noticed its getting covered in the beginings of frost, which also looks cool... I think it was the 50th time I checked it out, that I noticed it had beads of condensation forming on it, which was equally cool. So far I am quite impressed.. I have lots to learn, but I am also a little unimpressed with some aspects. * - Gear change, its not much like a sports car.. Is there a quick shift available for the 996 manual? * - Exhaust note/engine sound.. Its a bit bland.. Is there a good way of improving the sound? * - Hifi - Sounds worse than my BMW and even worse than my wifes Honda... What can be done? Between now and easter I want to address some of these issues, which are probably my only gripes in an otherwise awesome happy day! I started thinking about getting one of these about a year ago and decided to put about £20k to one side for one, then over Xmas I casually looked through some ads and noticed I could now get one for as low as £12k!!!! So I decided to go on a mission, look at several examples between £12k and £20k.. On about the 10th car I found the one I bought, it wasnt one of the ones I had seen in autotrader or pistonheads, but one a friend put me onto. The owner wanted £15k He is an estate agent and was way to eager to sell, sorry if your on here James, but, you were. He noticed my wad of print outs from pistonheads etc, the top page was a 996 for £11k.. He just crumbled and said "what if I dropped to £11k" I answered, make it £10k and I will look no further, and the deal was done!! Which is just as well, because I do not think I would buy a 3.4 unless I had the spare money in reserve to at least buy a new engine if it needs it (I may be a newbie, but I did some homework!) and a few other worst case scenarios, so at £10k with another £10k in the kitty, it was what I consider a risk free purchase. I do not intend on worrying about not warranty, I do not intend on taking it to the main dealers. Again I have done my homework, and how much can the value of a £10 car be effected by it not having a main dealer history in its later years? I will take it to a specialist rather than a normal garage though. It seems the hourly rates are close to what a normal garage charge, but your obviously getting a higher level of experience. So the new year will see me trying to find a good specialist to use.. Wish me luck and give me some recommendations! Cheers..

That really is a steal. Depressing for those of us who have had one a few years. Still I can always rely on my Cayennes residuals ................

Welcome Jim! Sounds like a great buy, and I like your strategy on self-insurance. Just for interest, and for the sake of comparisons, what's the mileage? There are several short-shift kits. I've heard good things about the genuine Porsche and B&M kits. Personally, I would avoid the cheap ones you get on eBay. A sports exhaust is a must-have. Do a search here, as it is one of the most discussed topics. Solutions range in cost for a DIY at £120, up to the fully switchable PSE at £1500+. Sound system: Another popular topic, and worth searching. Depending on what system you have, simple speaker upgrades can make a huge difference to the sound, and at the other extreme you can rip the whole lot out and start again. It all depends on what features and sound quality you want, but it's easy to improve on the more basic systems.

Richard, mileage has just passed 62000. What is better, the B&M or the genuine Porsche quick shift? Are there any differences? Neil, I would not worry to much about the low values today, its only a problem if you want to skip the country and become liquid in a rush. If your not selling, its not an issue, if your upgrading the more expensive models have tumbled also.

Hi Jim Interesting read...as mentioned by others, bit depressing for those of us who already own one however they are amazing cars & i certainly have no plans to chop mine in for a while! Sports exhaust is a MUST! If you're ever close to Wokingham I can let you hear mine...i did the drive up to Porsche Head Office last year and EVERYONE commented on how awesome it sounded...Stereo, I had the same concerns you had and I went for the full rip out and start again! It sounds lovely now! The gearshift...I like mine how it is so not got any info on that im afraid.. Anyway, Happy New Year and congratulations on the new addition to the family! [ ] Next on the list...book yourself a place at Le Manns & take her over for us all to see! [ ] X

Oh i quite agree. I've had the 911 for 6 years now so it owes me nothing. Most reliable car I ever owned - serious. And its a 3.4!! Just under 100K on the clock, was my daily runner for 3 years, never missed a beat. Maintained by Indy, no warranty. Turns heads wherever it goes. Love it to bits. The Cayenne on the other hand .......