996 daily driver, which one?

[chocolatelab]

OK, I'm done driving the van every day. I know its great for hauling stuff like surf boards and dogs but enough is enough.

I used Judi's Cayenne the last couple days and felt great driving something a bit more refined.

With 996's so cheap right now i cant think of anything better. I am looking at a 1999 996 and a 2002 turbo. The 1999 has 46k miles and the turbo has 105k miles.

I would most likely spend some money upgrading the carrera ( think IMS/RMS ) prevent medicine, exhaust, tuning so at the end they will price wise not be that different.

1999 is stick and the turbo is auto.

Which would you choose and why?

Thanks for your input.

[BRPORSCHE]

No question.


1999 911 C2 - All Maintenance Complete, Immaculate, Eisenmann Exhaust

Edit: Whoops! Didn't realize it had sold.

[porsche4life]

But that car is sold...

[LeeH]

This one:
2001 porsche 911

$18,950 obo Very tempting. Wonder if it's a salvage at that price.

[porsche4life]

Thats a freaking steal....

[porsche4life]

I would sure give it a thorough inspection...

[enzo1]

D chunks, slipped sleeves,IMS, RMS, Dunno....

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by enzo1

D chunks, slipped sleeves,IMS, RMS, Dunno....

But they are soooo cheap!
It's a crap shoot, I guess pray that you get a good one.

[enzo1]

Intermediate Shaft IMS Upgrade and Retrofit Kit for Porsche 911, Boxster, and Cayman models http://www.lnengineering.com/buyingausedporsche101.pdf

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by LeeH

This one:
2001 porsche 911

$18,950 obo Very tempting. Wonder if it's a salvage at that price.

Or this one:
Porsche 911 **CHECK THIS DEAL OUT**

[enzo1]

man, thats getting down there. Maybe spend a some money on preventative procedures and go with it...

[chocolatelab]

That one in scottsdale looks great!

So would you rather have spend 18-20 for normal 911 or 30 for 100k mile turbo?

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by AZ_porschekid

But they are soooo cheap!
It's a crap shoot, I guess pray that you get a good one.

Are ya feelin lucky punk? Well are ya?



Seriously though? For a DD, I would find a nice C2, fix the few issues and be happy. The turbo is fast sure, but it commands much more maintenance and more $$$

[HardDrive]

Is this really a question? 1999 996. Better yet, 2003-4 996.

Like any other 911, take your time, don't get emotional about the decision, get it inspected up and down, look for a solid owner(and/or an excellent paper trail).

Turbo with 105k.....lol. I guess if it had a paper trail going back a mile long, but......eek!.......isn't a used 996 turbo engine like 20K?

[Flieger]

The Turbo engine should be more robust and reliable, though. It uses the split case GT1 architecture derived from the venerable Mezger motor in the 911, water cooled in the 956, and also used in the GT3.

[enzo1]

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-996-997-forum/543614-if-you-think-ims-bearing-failures-all-myth-then-check-out.html

[David]

A lot of upgrades came out in '02.

[livi]

I have been researching the early 996 models and I would not hesitate to get one. A lot of sport scar for the money. However I have decided to go for a Boxster instead. I never had an open top car and I am very curious to try out what many aficionados apparently feel is one of the best drivers cars. Also it is a bit less money.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I've owned two 996s (2001 and the 1999 that just sold), as well as a 1999 Boxster. Frankly they have collectively been the best cars that I've owned. You get all of the Porsche performance and character in a comfortable and reliable package that is easy to drive daily. My '99 996 was my daily driver for the last seven months, other than scheduled maintenance and a few deferred repairs from the PO it was flawless. The 996/986 in my opinion are the best sports car deal going, no doubt in my mind.

The IMS, RMS, D-chunk, and slipped liners are not a myth, but from the substantial amount of reading that I've done I think they're overblown. Let's also not forget that every Porsche has its little issues, there's always the potential for something expensive to happen, even if the odds are slim. I say absolutely go for it, they're awesome cars and great daily drivers. If it were me I'd go with the regular 996, a 996TT with high miles has a lot of things to potentially go wrong. Plus it's a slushbox, that's just not right.

[speeder]

I'm going against the grain here, I would take the turbo w/o batting an eye. 105k on an '02 turbo is absolutely nothing unless they ran it w/o oil or coolant. That is the 993/GT3 based bottom end so you can forget about the RMS issue and think previous 3.6 w/ dry sump, etc... I would buy one w/ 200k on it if it checked-out and was cheap enough.

These are absolutely bullet-proof cars if known issues are dealt with. I don't know that the turbo even has any known issues, I've never heard of anyone having trouble with one other than too much HP and torque. The turbo is twice the car of the regular 996, especially the first gen 996. I had a very early '99 996, (built Feb. '98), it was the best car I've ever owned w/ 205k miles and beaten like a rented mule for all its life. And I'm a Mercedes diesel guy, so I doubt that anyone here is going to school me on durability.