Buying Guide – Porsche 911 (996)
The fifth generation of a sporting legend from Porsche.
If you’ve dreamed of owning a 911, this is the time to buy because you can snap up a 996 for the price of a packet of crisps. OK, not quite – but seriously, prices are rock bottom right now with £10,000 being a not too unrealistic starting price for an early one. Alas, like any gift horse there may be no reason to look in its mouth, but it’s still something that you need to enter into having done your research, particularly as there are a number of issues – albeit mostly with the early 3.4-litre examples – that could quickly render a temptingly ‘cheap’ 996 less appealing.
Breaking a tradition that singled out the 911 from inception, the 996 became the first model to ditch its air-cooled engine in favour of a four-valve per cylinder water-cooled unit when it replaced the now highly sought after 993 in 1997. It was also, by comparison with its forbears, the first ‘mass produced’ 911 – which is good news for buyers because it means there are plenty around to choose from. That said, don’t for an instant be fooled into thinking that it’s a poor man’s Porsche; the 996 boasts plenty of iconic 911 styling cues and represents probably the purist ever form of that instantly recognisable 911 shape. Not only that, it’s spectacularly exciting to drive and performs as you would expect a legend of this ilk should, with blistering performance and exquisite road holding.
Model line-up
The all-new 996 was available as a two- and four-wheel drive (Carrera 2 and 4 respectively) coupé as well as a Cabriolet with a 3.4-litre 296bhp flatsix engine, mounted at the rear of course. There was also a 420bhp Turbo from 2000, a track-oriented GT3 and the totally hardcore 462bhp GT2. There was also the reintroduction of the Targa model in 2002, but examples are rare given that it was £5000 dearer than the C2 at the time and a good deal heavier, which served to deter buyers.
Despite its supremely silky take up and impressive sub-six second 0-60mph time, a criticism of
the early 3.4
was that it lacked supercar oomph, so it was replaced for the 2002 model year by the 320bhp 3.6 featuring a new version of the Variocam Plus, making the engine cleaner and more efficient. At the same time it gained reprofiled ‘turbo’ headlamps, revisions to the front and rear bumpers and a more modern cabin with revised dash and airbagged steering wheel. The C4S from 2002 was the one that shared the same wide body as the Turbo, its brakes and suspension.
Along with the six-speed manual gearbox, the fivespeed Tiptronic S transmission was also introduced at this time.
What to look for
Mostly, 996 build quality lives up to its legendary Porsche reputation, but some feel that with high volume came compromises on product design and quality, which has resulted in a few weak spots which can quickly trip up the unsuspecting. The way to reduce the risk of buying a money pit, of course, is to buy wisely in the first place, which means looking for evidence of on-the-dot servicing. Better still if there’s receipts from a recognised Porsche independent. If you do end up buying a car that’s gone without care, you’ll constantly be playing catch up – although the consolation is that OE quality service parts aren’t prohibitively expensive if you shop at one of the many independents.
Body
Weight saving meant thinner steel panels, so start by checking for unsightly parking dings. Rust won’t be an issue, though the paint on the pillar around the door latch where it closes can eventually wear through. Otherwise, check for paint discrepancies, misted up headlights and damaged
body mouldings. Incidentally, that rear spoiler should lift at 75mph and retract at 37mph, so it is hard to check legally in the UK this is happening.
The majority of 996s for sale will be Uk-spec cars (the build code on a sticker usually found under the bonnet will begin with C16 on UK cars), but there are also some oddball imports around that have come in from Hong Kong, Singapore, Cyprus and Malaysia. Here you might encounter tiny irregularities
like getting leather seats but a plastic dash and not being able to get replacement batteries for the alarm, so watch out.
Regarding convertible hoods, try a specialist such as Car Hood Warehouse who supply replacement mohair 996 hoods from £1475.
Engines
Early 3.4 engines especially have gained a bit of a bad reputation for reliability, though being realistic the majority of issues will have been sorted out years ago. Probably the most publicised problem concerns oil leaks from the rear main oil seal (RMS). Some owners simply live with a few drops of oil on their driveway, although if it becomes particularly bad, the excess oil can contaminate the clutch – and that’s a grand to replace. Bear in mind that many looked-after cars will have been fitted with an uprated and redesigned 997 item by now which will have solved the problem. The seal itself costs pennies, but it’s an engine out job to fit.
There is also a big question mark over intermediate shaft failures. Although the actual incidence of such problems is probably rarer than the reports would suggest, if it does let go the results can be catastrophic. That said,
engines can be rebuilt with an upgraded intermediate shaft to prevent the same thing happening again.
Another issue concerns the engine’s Lokasil bore liners and thin cylinder walls which can lead to distortion and the bores to stretch oval and eventually crack, necessitating an engine rebuild. Early telltale signs of a problem include oil/water contamination and a thick ‘mayo’ deposit on the underside of the oil filler cap. Again, we are talking worst scenario here, and the vast majority of engines will easily exceed 100,000 miles without any major problems.
An uneven tickover is most likely to be caused by duff Variocam solenoids, while flat spots or general lack of acceleration will probably be a faulty air mass meter. Meanwhile, any rattles from the engine are likely to emanate from the water and power steering pump belt idlers, which can make an awful noise when worn. If it’s not that, suspect tappets.
Leaf debris in the air intakes can cause the radiators to corrode, while the feeder pipe to the radiator header tank can also fracture. Coolant reservoir leaks are another common 996 foible.
Running gear
Apart from the occasional coil pack failure, Porsche electrics are strong. However, on older cars it’s likely that window regulators may begin to fail, and when they do, replacement can be an expensive affair. Dash clocks can also fail on the 996, and these are around £250 secondhand.
Getting the suspension set-up spot on is critical on the 996 if you want to enjoy its rapier sharp handling. Common problems include leaky dampers, worn balljoints/front suspension arms, worn rear anti-roll bars and past their best front antiroll bar links. The need for
replacement won’t be difficult to identify, uneven tyre wear, groans and nasty clunks over uneven road surfaces being the most obvious clues.
Watch too for whirring from the front wheel bearings, which can also take quite a hammering on the 996. They are two-piece sealed items, so you can’t check for play in the usual way when they let go.
As you might expect, 996 stoppers are strong and generally trouble-free, although discs and pads can wear quickly if the car is driven to its full potential. The discs themselves can also crack and warp, and corrode on the inner face of the disc, so it’s worth carrying out an inspection using a lift so you can get a better look.
What to pay?
Early 3.4 C2/C4S start at £10,000, though we’d be happier spending £12,000£13,000 on one with a totally clean bill of health and comprehensive history file. Post-2002 3.6-litre cars kick off at around £14,000, though low mileage cars will be a few grand more. There really won’t be much difference in price between a like-for-like coupé and convertible. It’s the race oriented GT2 and GT3 that make the real big money and for these you’ll need at least £70k in the kitty. The 996 Turbo and super rare Turbo S will be £25,000-£30,000 and £50,000 respectively.