Porsche 996 Carrera 4 - am I mad?

[fatbaldbloke]

As I get older and more mature (no, ignore the last bit) I do wonder whether the 'busa is a tad excessive...  There's a 996 Carrera 4 for sale locally at what looks a good price, so I'm taking a look tonight.  For those of you with the knowledge, am I barking to consider one and all the inherent reputation of expiring engines and transmissions.  Bear in mind I only do 1500 miles a year in the 'busa and I probably won't do a lot more in the Porsche.

 

Advice and opinions gratefully received.

[TAFKARM]

A friends Dad bought a 996 C4S a few months back for £25k. He's just had a fairly substantial £9k engine repair bill from an indie. I can't remember the exact issue but ive text him to ask. 

Expensive if they go wrong thats for sure!

 

ETA: on a 55k mile car

 

worn crank

oval bores

scored pistons

 

£5.5k to repair

 

plus some preventative bits taking the bill to £9k. 

[evo97]

http://www.autofarm.co.uk/pdf/Total911_July06.pdf

Always had a soft spot for a 911 too. Unfortunately I've missed the boat on a tidy 964 as there now going up in value.

[XTR2Turbo]

Personally I would only buy a GT3 or Gt2

 

The rest of the range just won't feel special as a weekend toy.

 

If a slightly more comfortable replacement to Westy I would look at:

 

Morgan aero8

Elise / Exige / Evora

TVRs

 

etc

[Captain Colonial]

Depends how deep your pockets are!

 

I have known someone with a 996 and someone else with an older C4 - they both had their local indie on speed dial and got Christmas and birthdays cards from their garages.

 

Fantastic when they're working, pricey when you want them to work again.  It's your money - but I'd have the local indie do a full check on it before buying it.

[IanG1]

I concur with the above, couple of my mates have dabbled in Porsche ownership and both have been left out of pocket with hefty repair bills on low mileage cars. Servicing costs alone are excessive compared to what we have.

I have always had a 911 itch I needed to scratch but the experiences of these guys put me right off. This from a ex Ducati and Alfa Romeo owner so I was used to taking a risk or two LOL

[SteveD]

I had one wuv and tbh it was a nice car and went like a train but was uninvolving and uninspiring to drive and just didn't light my fire when driving it ,infact no it was boring , each to there own and all that

I would have another Porsche but it would have to be a gt3

 

if you do have one get a propa independent inspection on it ,especialy the engine ,get it bore scoped etc as it is a epidemic and as bad as they say on some engines which could end up a 10k bill easily

[Hellski]

I also have to concur what has already been said.  

 

I'm not a previous Porsche owner but had an R35 GT-R and can say hand on heart I'm now having more fun with my Westfield then I ever did with the GT-R.  Don't get me wrong, fantastic experience owning supercars if you've got deep pockets but, I personally was always conscious if something was to go wrong what would the cost of repair be, service bills every 6 months and the cost of 1 tyre was the same as a complete set on the Westfield with change in my pocket!!  Another major factor for me, I was also concerned increasing the milage which in turn would have an effect on the residual value, even with me treating it like a garage queen and only putting 2000 miles on the clock in just over 12 months I lost 10K plus running costs; no such concern with owning a Westfield

 

I know what it's like though if there's an itch to be scratched, it doesn't matter what others say you just go and do it, been there, got the T-shirt and the empty bank balance but if I was to win the lottery, would I do it again? Of course I would

[leemarkadams]

I have a porsche 996 (911) and have owned it for 3 years. Bought it with over 100k miles on the clock and now has 110k on the clock. Do you know what has gone wrong......nothing!

Yes there are scare stories but every car has their weak points!

[D7PNY]

I think these also have the issue with the intermediate shaft bearing as per the boxsters and caymens.

 

I considered a boxster for a while but rightly or wrongly, I was put off by the scare stories.

 

DAve

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

A client recently bought a year or two old cabrio from one of the indie specialists; we got chatting while he (the dealer) was doing the delivery, he reckoned one of the biggest problems with buying second hand 911's is the number of enthusiasts that absolutely scalp themselves to buy/lease them when really, they just can't afford it. As a consequence, a lot of the regular maintenance and preventative work either just goes by the way side or gets done on the cheap. Yet 'cause they're "enthusiasts" the cars get driven as hard, or harder, than ever.

 

Tended to mean these cars had lots of issues building and getting stored for later in their lives. He tried to steer clear when buying stock. Just meant he had to hunt that bit harder for the good stuff.

[M444TTB]

I've seriously considered selling up for either a 996 or a 986/987. The basis has always been that I'd get more use out of it. Eventually I realised:

1. Those extra drives probably wouldn't be 'fun' drives anyway

2. It won't be as exciting to drive

3. The opportunity to cost me a LOT more is significantly higher

4. Not using my Westfield much doesn't actually cost an awful lot

5. Using my Westfield doesn't cost an awful lot (upgraditus aside)

Final conclusion: Need a bigger house with double garage so I can have a 996 Turbo AND my Westfield

[fatbaldbloke]

Thank you chaps, I'm going to look tonight but I hear the message loud and clear.  I will feedback tomorrow....

[Wile E. Coyote]

I had one wuv and tbh it was a nice car and went like a train but was uninvolving and uninspiring to drive and just didn't light my fire when driving it ,infact no it was boring , each to there own and all that

 

I test drove one (a C4) and was left feeling exactly the same.  The track prepped 2WD at Palmersport was much more fun.

 

Might be tempted to try a 2wd S or GT2/3 at some point, but I just think there are other cars I'd prefer to have if I was spending that sort of money.

[fatbaldbloke]

Well, I've tried it.  I was already a little nervous that my pockets may have not been deep enough to keep it fed on parts and service, but it didn't matter...   As a couple of posts above said, I found it quite uninspiring compared to the Westfield.  Whilst I'm still of the opinion that as long as I own the 'busa my chances of a natural passing are slim, the Porsche was not a suitable replacement.  At least that particular itch has been scratched.