Wanting to buy my first 996 carrera / c4s / turbo
 

Hello all and thanks for reading this. Hopefully I can get some good information from the collective wisdom here. I am currently deployed to Afghanistan and when I get back I'll need to buy a car because I sold mine before I left. I should have about $19k saved up when I get back and I've been considering dropping a $9k down payment (saving $10k for an emergency fund) on either a 996 (1999-2001 models), maybe 996 (2002-04 models), 996 c4s, or 996 turbo. I am a single soldier and live in the barracks so I have no bills and am currently debt free, so making a big monthly payment on a car isn't a big deal to me. I have heard a lot about the 99-01 carreras having an issue with the rear main seal leaking (which is actually a problem with the machining of the block?) and to have a PPI if I'm going to buy one of those. I'll have a PPI done regardless of what I buy. Anyways as far as base 99-01 carreras go I was thinking of something in this range: http://goo.gl/Y5MCW

But what I truly like is the c4s because of the wide body look, the vents on the rear bumper, the front headlights and fascia are an okay boost but I am not totally against the fried egg style of the 99-01 carreras. But I've found that most good (from my amateur view) c4s's are about 30k-35k.(http://goo.gl/dHGB6) If I'm going to spend that kind of money I figure I might as well go for a turbo like this one: http://goo.gl/E4Nkb

Then I saw one of the ads on autotrader for a 03 turbo that had needed a new engine block and quoted it costing 21k (15k for block, 5k for install, 1k for tuning).. and this I can definitely not afford and it made me question... what would I be getting myself into?

So I'm wondering: would maintenance on that first 99 carrera be much cheaper than on the turbo that I linked? Is there any reason I should get the c4s rather than go all the way with the turbo? Is it likely that I would ever need to replace a transmission/block/major component? I'm a helicopter mechanic in the army so I'm pretty knowledgeable on mechanics and could do some work myself with a manual and tools.

Well sorry for the long post, and just for the record I obviously don't own any of those cars in the links so I'm not advertising them, just using them as a reference. Thanks again for reading this, and any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Andy

I should add that I've been in love with Porsche 911's since my dad took me for a ride in one from a dealership that he bought cars from on my birthday in 3rd grade.

Then you should buy a 911 :)

not one of those water cooled fangled appliances .. :)

If you want one of those you should go to the modern appliance section under watercooled ( 996 )

This forum is for your beloved 911 ( up to 89 )

Welcome to Rennlist and have fun :)

oh... well I just wasted a lot of breath then. So, given my situation you think it'd still be doable to get like a 86-88 carrera?

Stay safe over there.....

Any Porsche will have some risk in that major issues will be expensive to fix. The good news is, the major problems aren't all that prevalent. Don't forget the IMS bearing problem on the 996's, that makes the leaking RMS just a nuisance like a runny nose. If the IMS bearing goes, you will spend many thousands of $.

If you like working on stuff, anything up to '98 is more DIY-friendly, IMO.

Please check out the 996's for sale on our website: www.globalautosports.com

Thanks, I will stay safe (and sane!! it's a pain in the butt working 12 hr shifts 6 days a week!)

I definitely like working on stuff myself and I always figured that older models would be more diy friendly. I first fell in love with the 930's. The wide hips and whale tail, whats not to love?

I understand running the risk of paying big bucks for a major component going bad but what about more common maintenance on an older model. Say I get one with 120k miles on it, has had all regularly scheduled maintenance and has all the records and a PPI. So it's in good condition. Is it likely that I will be spending big bucks on fixing stuff? I mean do you owners commonly spend several thousand dollars/yr fixing problems? or is that unlikely?

If you're looking at a car from the 80s, chances are you're going to have to replace all the rubber in it at some point. Maybe not on purchase, but sometime down the road. They're reliable cars, but rubber only lasts so long.

As long as the PPI from a reputable shop comes back clean though, you should be pretty safe. There's always the chance of something going wrong, but you should be pretty protected from the major issues. I think most people budget around $1000 a year in maintenance. Mine has been significantly higher, but I'm in the process of restoring pretty much every bit on the car.

Andy, on the one hand as you realize, a 24+ year old car is bound to have items that need attention here and there. When I bought mine, it had good service records showing excellent care by an enthusiast owner. It passed a PPI that showed only $500 worth of "fixes" that didn't require immediate attention. In 5 years and 45k miles of driving - my primary driver for work during the 1st 4 years - the only non-wear item that needed attention was a minor oil leak. Otherwise, it's been dead reliable.

Some people have more issues to deal with than others. Except for tires, I've spent more money maintaining 2 used Toyotas than my 911. YMMV.

FWIW, many Porsche owners buy and sell 911's of various generations so I think you are wise to start out lower on the price scale to get into 911 ownership and move into more expensive toys later. I was 993 shopping when I bought my 911 as a temporary car and now it feels so much a part of me that I can't let her go. I still have my eye out for the right 993 to buy as a 2nd car but the 911 is staying for a long time to come.

Best of luck with your search. Be careful out there! :cheers:

Thank you for bringing me back down to earth a little. An 80's 911 was my original plan, and I'm back to it. Otherwise I would've allowed myself to be spending 30-35k on a newer one. I'm shooting for the $14-18k range.

Well, it appears "fate" brought you to the "wrong" forum!

downtownab...welcome to rennlist, bust most importantly, thanks for your service and godspeed.

Hi Andy,

First,...I want to thank you very much for your service. As one vet to another, I can tell you that your contributions to our country do not go unnoticed.

Without knowing more about you, its difficult to make specific suggestions, however I'd recommend staying away from the 996-997 cars due to some mechanical issues that can be VERY expensive to repair and the depreciation from that is staggering. The Twin-Turbo has a totally different power train, however these are not cheap to repair.

I would recommend looking at an air-cooled model of your liking; '84-'98, depending on your budget and reserves. All of these are great cars with the ability to maintain them well into the future.

Thanks Ed, Michael, Steve, Salukijac. Steve what branch were you in?

Today I ordered 2 books on Amazon (which for me is a pretty solid indication that I'm going to buy a 911, because I wouldn't spend 45 bucks on books for nothing) I grabbed 101 projects for your Porsche 911, and the gold plated Porsche. Excited for them to get here in the mail and start reading up.

Also pick up Peter Zimmerman's book. Thank you for service and stay safe. My nephew just returned from Afg Xmas day.