2000 911 Carrera 2 questions
 

I have loved the 911 style Porsche since around age 8 and now at 42 I'm looking at buying a 2000 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet. Anyone have a list of the top troubled areas I should watch for on these cars? This on has 78,000 miles and 5 previous owners.

Thank you,
Ron

5 previous owners should tell you something...
leaking intermediate shaft is one concern an that generation
Bruce

Ron,

You might get more responses on Rennlist. Try posting there in the 996 forum.

That said, as with any Porsche, records are important. Records will tell you how the car was maintained and what all has been done and perhaps hasn't been done to the car.

Take your time looking, study the car and potential issues well so that you make an informed decision.

Good luck.

Thank you, I'm new at this and thought the guys at the engine rebuild level of maintenance would likely be the most experienced and knowledgeable. I will try that out. Also, the car dealer said they don't have any records, they said it was against the law since the records would have personal information. My first thought was this was used car salesman hot air, but who knows in this day of the bed wetting whiners.

Take care,
Ron

Most of the talk on these forums is related to air-cooled cars, but there are several professional engine builders that contribute here, that would be able to rattle off what issues to look for in the 996 series. But if you want owners to chime in, Rennlist has a forum dedicated to the 996 so you should get more feedback not only on the engine and maintenance issues, but on the overall ownership experience.

I would not buy a 996 from a dealer unless they are the ones that maintained it can give you some sort or records. Yes there might be privacy issues, but they could easily mark out any names or other information that needs to be kept private. I say this from personal experience too. I bought from a dealer, no records, and now 10,000 miles later I discovered I need to do at least a teardown, if not a rebuild, to figure out why I am getting aluminum bits in the oil. So again, resist the temptation and impulse to buy, and do your homework. I would actually recommend to buy from a PCA member or from some private seller that you know has done the required maintenance and again, has records and receipts.

On the other hand, why are you looking at a 996? Have you thought about any of the air-cooled cars?

The intermediate shaft bearing is prone to failure in 996's. That being said LN engineering makes a great kit to switch it out to a upgraded bearing. Other than that, inspect the engine for leaks. cam covers, rear mains and intermediate shaft seals are big leakers. Other than that, its hard to predict the other common repairs like water pumps, coolant resevoirs. I would look at these parts and see if it looks as if they have been changed. Also see if it is still running green coolant, Porsche switched to pink around 05. Good luck. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Travis

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to give some input, I really appreciate it.

The answer on why I was looking at the 2000 year model—honestly, it could be ignorance, since I like the looks of all 911’s. My thought was the newer the car, the better the technology and design, and hopefully improved reliability with less maintenance and operating cost. With my budget around $25k, that is about as new of car I can afford.

Buy a nice Carrera and life is simple and the car is basic systems.
Bruce

I agree with Bruce. I would concentrate on the 87-89 carreras since they have the G50 which is easier to maintain good shifting qualities. The 84-86 are also good, but they have the 915 gearbox which can be equally as good as the G50 in terms of shifting, but seem to require a more experienced mechanic to get it right.

if its alaska
 

Then they probably don't have quite the selection that most of us have around us. Its is a buyers market, $25,000 will buy a whole lot more. My friend sold his 1999 coupe (with IMS Updates) 80K miles for $18.5k. Keep looking, and expand your search area!

996s have a lot to offer, but are harder to work on than earlier air cooled car. How much work can you do yourself? Do you have a good shop that you can trust? Find the best car you can afford. Maybe consider AWD to prolong the driving season.

Get a good PPI, the wrong 911 can get stupid expensive fast!

Yes, we do have less selection in Alaska and the AWD would definitely give me a longer driving season. I would like that, but it narrows the market even more. All this input has been helpful, I have been looking more at the 1988 911's. I'm getting to the point now, where I might just hold until next year, the season (in Alaska) is half over and it will give me some time to gain some more knowledge on the cars. The 966 is still at the dealer and they called me today, they lowered the price from $26,999 to $24,999, but again, no maintenance records and it has had 5 owners. I have a little maintenance know how, but would need to learn a lot. At this point I don't know any Porsche mechanics other than the local dealer and that would get expensive quick. Great big thank you to all that have been giving advice.