Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi All,

With the 996's looking excellent value for money now, what are the potential pitfalls of buying a 996? I know some of the early 3.4 M96 engines weren't without they're problems and I know the RMS's can cause problems. These problems aside, is there anything else I should be looking for i.e. clutch, gearbox?

I'd ideally like a Carrera 4 Tiptronic but I'm just worried about the bills. The reason I say this is because I've been told the difference between 944 ownership and 911 ownership is an extra 0 on the end of every bill. Surely this can't be right?

Anyway, are there any associated problems with the Tiptronic box, and associated clutch if there is one?

I'm tempted to throw my sticks into the wind and move to the dark side. I'd appreciate any comments or help from current users.

Ben

No clutch on a Tip it is a Merc Auto in a different case!
Article in this months 911 & Pork World on buyiing a 996, not sure it is as bad as people make out but if it goes bang then it isn't going to be pennies to fix!

Think most of the problems were on the earlier cars, if it was going to go bang it probably would have gone before now, C4's are more expensive to maintain than 2's , but Tip box is probably less expensive to maintain than a manual..............................not so much fun though

Must be a good new job if it means running a 996 Carrera 4 Tiptronic instead of a 944 S2

Your posting 01 March 2010 - A change of job means that I am unfortunately going to have to sell my beloved 944 S2. This car was shown last year on the pride of ownership stand at the Annual TIPEC show at Gaydon.

Hi Jim,

Its same said article thats got me thinking about a 996. Obviously, any perspective purchase would have to have an independent inspection. As you say, I don't want any problems straight away as it won't be cheap to fix!

Ben

Ben;
first hand experience;
I've had (have) two 996's
one was a 2001 C2 facelift Tip, approx 25K miles when I bought is
now have a Y2K 996 GT3 CS

basically, the tip box caused me loads of grief.

in short, no-one wants to touch them when they go wrong.
OPC wont - 7K for a new box fitted

I had torque convertor failure first off;
PCT managed to find an indy in B'ham who 'fixed' it
next time it blew up due to oil starvation
Third time it blew it was down to the internal oil pump dying (probably as a result of death no. 2)

all times, I was left with no drive.

Best of all, When the car was starting to play up, I took it into the local OPC who stuck it on the diagnostic computer and said nothing was wrong;
A week later is was on the back of a transporter - failure 1.

so; I wouldnt buy a 996 Tip - but that's just my experience
The KN I have is a tip, and is fine - wouldnt have it any other way

Oh and the GT3 - its not a tip either !

as for running costs / breakdown costs, a fair bit can be done DIY.
When the engines go, they really go - think oval cylinders....
Take a look at Autofarms website - they rebuild engines & should be able to guide you as to cost.

Don't be put off though - they are still fine cars to drive !
David

Having owned a late S2 and now a late 996 4S, the 4S has cost as much to run in the first 6 months as the S2 did in 4 years. In the 4S's defence the S2 was a very well sorted car when I bought it and cost nothing other than service consumables. The 4S had a full service history but needed a few odds and sods to make it tip top, unfortunately they were pricey and now it is sorted the costs should be comparable.

The 996 doesn't feel as solid as the S2 or the Speedster but it looks good, sounds fabulous and makes me smile.

Keep us all posted on what you decide to do.

As someone who is quietly but seriously considering a 996 I really want to know what you mean by the " doesnt feel as solid as the S2 " bit. Dont get me wrong it's not that I dont believe you as I have no clue re this at all , I am just intrigued and flabergasted by the possibility of an S2 in some way feeling more solid or indeed better in any way than the 996. Prey tell

Cheers Mas

Hi Mas,

Look I've never been driven in, let alone driven a 996 so maybe I'm speaking out of turn here.

Fact is the 996/Boxster era saw a huge rise in the volume of cars Porsche was manufacturing, and a much greater focus on profit margins with obvious implications for the manufacturing processes used and the quality of components used. It's easy to see how this would be reflected in the 'feel' of the car.

Trivial point but I was recently disassembling the instrument pod of a 928. Gosh it's a hefty thing, with the usual over-engineering in terms of the number and type of fixing used, choice of materials, thickness of materials etc. It's very satisfying how precisely everything fits back together, and how parts click and clack into place.

Round about the same time I happened to pick up and examine a brand new 996 instrument pod. Compared with the 928 item it was a very flimsy, light and plasticky thing - I was actually shocked. Only one component but it serves as a useful metaphor for the general decline in quality.

That's not to say the 996 isn't a fabulous car, but it's probably a less durable car than the Porsches being manufactured 20 years or more ago. Porsche is far more successful as a business now (notwithstanding the VW cock-up), but success has come from mass manufacture of cars which have a "service life", as opposed to a much lower volume environment where engineers called the shots to a greater degree than accountants.

Well i have a MY03 C2 in Manual. I went for a basic car with no toys really other than the M030 sports suspension. I have owned the car for nearly 4 year now and other than very minor issues (Chain tensioner, switch on the alarm) it has been very good. Reasonable to service now i have moved from an OPC to Zentrum. The car has now covered 28K. Mine is the 3.6 engine which appears to be less problematic than the 3.4

Steve