Why is the 996 market so soft?
 

Issues with the car?

It's the economy...

Built a large number of them and the market is thus soft. The 997 market will do the same when a new model comes out. I don't think they will go down much more than they are now. Amazing deal for a great car. I owned a 2001 996 that ran great with no issues and now have a 996 GT3 which will go down as a classic due to the uniqueness and the low number built.

Unfortunately the base 996 kinda looks like a sporty version of the Ford Taurus. I doubt the 997 will face the same very steep depreciation curve.

The 996 GT3... thats another story. Cool car.

The 99 and early 00 996s were not built as well as they could have been. The 02 would be the sweet spot for value as they bumped the engine up to 3.6l and provided more overall refinement. The 996 represents great bang for the buck if you can locate a car that has been maintained properly, looked after and has not been hit.

Cheers

DJS

The reputation of RMS failures has not helped.

What is RMS?
What are GT3s going for?

RMS is the Rear Main Seal. There have been reported failures on 996's and Boxster models. There is no real published data showing what percentage of cars have had the problem but it is not an insignificant amount. Generally the fix is to put in a new engine. Check out the 996 forum over at Rennlist for more info they seem to have more traffic on water-cooled cars than PP. GT3's and 996 Turbo's seem to not be affected by this problem.

996 GT3's tend to go for high $40's to mid $60's. This one looks nice for the price and has been for sale for a while.

I believe that car belongs to someone here.

oh boy, i see a 996 GT3 in my future...

Is it true that 996 engines (except GT3) are not really rebuildable due to the case design?

JB

I agree with the 997 statement above, it just looks much better then the 996 1st and 2nd gen.

The case had issues with water getting into them due to waterpump issues...

Some engines can be rebuilt but it is not generally cost effective. For normally less money you can get a factory rebuilt engine with warranty.

the 996s are amazing bang for the buck, if you drive one you will forever be spoiled and wont want to drive any antiques anymore

boxster is the same deal, if not more so, you can buy one for 10k or so and have a mid engined convertible with decent climate control and great handling

parts are plentiful and reasonable

the only guys who really rebuild any of the water cooled engines tend to be international
the domestic guys just buy another motor, as they tend to be cheaper the air cooled 911 motors

fwiw

rob

I'm not a fan of the 996 in general, but yeah, I can see getting a black GT3, post-facelift. It's about the only car I'd sell my Z4 M Coupe to get.

Alf,

Unfortunately the entire Porsche market is soft right now. And the 996 suffers from all of the image/reliability problems mentioned above. Also, they have a reputation of poor performance compared with the previous generation (993's) and the car that replaced it (997). So it's kind of like the unloved, ugly duckling of the late-model Porsches.
I've driven them all and I honestly can't fault the 996's. I will echo what some others are saying here. Great bang for the buck if you can find a good lo-mile C4S (especially with an aero kit) or a turbo. Make sure it has good records to go with it.
I personally love the 996 GT2's. I've honestly seen a few really nice widebody 996's recently on the road, and from the rear they still look awesome!
I've got a great 2003 996 GT3RS, It won the 24 hrs of Daytona in 2004, it's fully restored, 0-hrs on the engine, and I can't give it away right now! (figuratively speaking, I know there might be a few guys on this post who would beat a path to my garage door for free!)
Good Luck!
http://http://gallery.me.com/johnbri...lack&view=grid

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1265866328.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1265866383.jpghttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1265866501.jpg

Now that's a nice 996!! :cool:

I've been using my 2001 C2 Cab as a daily driver since 2004. It has been the most trouble free car I have ever owned. The car has clicked a little over 76k miles and aside from a recent faulty fuel pump ($270 and about an hour of my time), all it's ever needed was brakes (at 60k) and scheduled maintenance... oh and tires (rears every 18-20k). Very easy for the DIY. Great car and fun to drive.

I know the 996 and 997 are great cars but:

they are not air cooled and do not have the charisma and style of earlier Porsche 911's, as a day to day driver they are the best choice but as a second or third car to give you classic thrills at the weekend I am not so sure..............

havign said all that if I come into some money I would love a 997 GT3 paint to sample in rivera blue!