Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

I am thinking of joining the Dark Side and buying a 911

A good friend is selling his 2000 blue 996 Carrera 3.4 with 88,000 miles on the clock. Two owners from new, he has had it for the last 6 or 7 years and it is garaged every night. It has a full dealer history, everything that has ever been flagged up has been fixed.

Is there anything in particular that I should look out for or should I just buy it and take it as it comes?

sounds fine , glad you have seen the light and are considering a 911, 996's are really good value now, so if the price is right, go and get it. I would have someone check it over for you though, and I am sure you are aware of all the watercooled engine issues, which are worth checking , although by this stage in its life if it was going to go bang it would have by now. Could come further into the dark and go aircooled................................

It looks like the only advisory from the dealer at the last service was brake pads and discs. What brands of pad and disc do people run or is it best to simply stick with Porsche ones from the dealer?

Is the 111 point check from Porsche centres worth doing or is it better to use an independent garage to check the car over?

Serbo disks & Texar pads are the OEM equivalents. Get them from Euro Car Parts. Check out Porscheshop too, as they do very good brake package prices.

IMHO, the 111 point check is useless unless you take out the Porsche warranty at the same time. Even then, I'd still get an independent inspection from a specialist such as Peter Morgan or a good indie. Things like suspension will be getting a bit tired and can cost big money to put right.

On the off chance its a tiptronic gearbox then get the ATF fluid changes ASAP - Porsche say every 96k miles, 48k miles is a better option, and certainly running beyond 60k miles on the old fluid can result in transmission issues.

Its not cheap stuff either - you'll need about 5 litres and you can only change about half the total capacity anyway. Also change the filter.


As to brakes corrosion on the inner faces is a well tried OPC service trick - you can get the disc skimmed, or just run with them for a while. Replacement discs WILL dot he same if the car isn't used on a regular basis, and always dry the brakes off after washing the car. Design911 also worth a try. Zimmermann discs are also OE equivalents, but the inner bell doesn't come treated with zinc paint like the Sebro or Porsche discs. Note, neither Sebro nor Zimmermann supply discs to Porsche. It is believed Textar pads are the same, oftent hey come stamped with Porsche part numbers or in Porsche parts boxes.

Many thanks for the replies. It's a manual gearbox model so the tiptronic issues should't apply

I am expecting to change the suspension soon as it has covered 88,000. I understand that the Porsche shocks are quite expensive. Is there an opportunity to upgrade here? I am thinking Nitron Race, AST Race or KW Variant 3 - or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Any standard replacement will be an improvement over the knackered 88K old ones. You'd probably find a set of Sachs or Boge replacements from Berlyn or GSF. Replace any knackered bushes & a geo set up will probably be light & day difference. If you're tracking it then by all means do an upgrade but I suspect for road use it'll be overkill.

Bilstein did a refurb on all 4 of my GT3 shocks for about £320 including new rods, seals the lot. Way cheaper than buying even one shock new!

Once you have the refurbed shocks, take the car to Chris Franklin at Centre Gravity for a full suspension and geometry set up.

Can Bilstein refurb the shocks on an ordinary Carrera (2) or only for the more exotic GT3 type machinery?

I will be sure to pay Chris a visit - if I can get an appointment!

Dark side now joined

I took delivery if a 996 Carrera in Ocean Blue yesterday A lovely car but needs a couple of minor points to be perfect (tyres all round, brake pads all round and front discs - on order already! plus shocks and some rubber bushes to freshen up the suspension and an oil service).

Can anyone tell me how long clutches last - my car seems to still have the original one at 91,000 miles and I am wondering when I should brace myself for a big bill

depends upon style / technique
that's a good mileage for an original clutch !

Does it feel heavy & bite at the top of it's travel ?
any slip in 3rd at max power ?

if no to all, then i'd suggest it's still got a fair amount of life left in it, assuming you don't ride it !

It doesn't feel heavy but it does bite near the top of the travel (about 1-1 1/2" left), no slip in any gear. I don't tend to ride the clutch but the biting point does have me worried.

I had a report from the MOT of oil on a rear shock. After taking advice from Paragon I just had mine upgraded to the Porsche sports suspension kit for £1100 plus VAT if that helps. Its a lot cheaper than having each wheel done individually (£500 parts + labour + VAT). It drives like a dream now.

I have discovered that OPC's are selling the Porsche Sports Suspension kit (4 x shocks & springs plus front and rear anti-roll bars) for £535 + VAT. I believe that each dealer has been allocated two kits so hurry! My car has the M030 option so this is a straight swap (I don't think I'll bother changing the ARB's) but it's also a great opportunity for anyone wanting to change to the sports suspension from the standard setup.