gnyla

Hi! I have been dreaming about a 911 for years (hoping to buy 991.1 within next 3-4 years), and I figured I do not need to wait that long to own a 911, as 996 has gotten affordable and I've got some savings allowing me to actually buy one now. I see 996s are selling for around $25K, give or take, with relatively low miles for their age (40K-80K). I would be using the car as my daily driver. I commute about 40 miles one way, and I drive about 25K miles a year. This forum has a wealth of information and from what I gather, once IMS/RMS preventive work is done, these cars are quite reliable. I'd be looking to buy a manual transmission equipped car, even though my commute involves some stop and go traffic.

My question is, if I buy a 996 with about 60K on odometer (give or take 20K miles), can I count on this car to take me to 160K or even 200K miles without any expensive repairs, granted I do preventive work and stay on top of maintenance? My prior BMW E30 has been quite reliable (bought with 196K, drove to 240K), and my current 2011 BMW 328i has been quite reliable as well (bought with 23K, currently 166K).

Another question, I rented through Turo a 991.1 in Vegas few months ago and was intoxicated with the exhaust note (do not think it had factory sport exhaust because there was no button on center console to activate it). What are the options of getting great sound out of a 996?

I am presently watching the rennlist classifieds as well as bringatrailer.com too see what's up for sale, ready to make a move if right color combo pops up.

Thanks for any input on buying and enjoying a 996.

808Bill

Yes and no...There's one that's over 350K miles right now, others have grenade at 25K miles.
Many options!

mrdeezy

Yeah, I do diy all my own work and spent several thousand dollars just in parts the last few month. Every used car is different. Just the parts for these cars are extremely expensive. Every rubber part, brakes , suspension etc is all around 20 years old. So be careful.

jllphan

Lol, I guess it’s all relative. I find most parts for these cars to be pretty cheap considering they were $80-90k new. Definitely on par with my e46 BMW which was a huge surprise and a welcomed one at that. Having said that, some parts are indeed pricey simply because of the complex design of the car.

I personally wouldn’t buy a 996 with the intention of putting 25k per year on it. Seems once these cars get 100k on them they start getting needy. You could buy a 996 with 50k, do the 60k service preventively and drive it for two years without any major expenses. But then brakes, suspension and transmission services on top of all the random bits that go bad on a then 20yr old car will likely add up. I bought a c4s with 95k on it 1.5yr ago and have about $10k in parts alone getting it back to primo condition.

If you wrench yourself and that doesn’t bother you, go for it, they are great cars. I daily an e30 myself, so we sound like similar car dudes.

cds72911

Have you driven any 996?

The 991 are bigger, more luxurious, more comfortable, more modern, more reliable, and very different from the 996 in so many ways. They share a lineage, but are completely different animals.

Any vehicle could be a good commuter. What are your parameters for "reliable commuter"? A 996 in good condition could be a great commuter. It could also be a sucky commuter in the wrong conditions.

Second, you can't just pick a car (especially a Porsche) based on random factors like mileage, age or aesthetics and expect to know whether it is reliable. That'd be a crapshoot, as far as I'm concerned.

In my opinion, if you want a good one, you need to do the work and be patient (or lucky).

Some random thoughts that get repeated often, if you want to increase your odds of a good one:

• Read all you can here on Rennlist, other online sources and in all of the great books that have been published (they would have already answered the questions you asked).
  • Adrian Streather's 996 Companion book is awesome, but there are tons of great books, mags and websites.
• Be prepared to be an informed shopper. Know about the weak points, and evaluate them. Avoid asking uninformed questions.
• Go drive a few: there are so many variations in the condition and way they drive/handle, etc that you can't judge one by another.
• Narrow your wants and needs down. There are a ton of variants and each has its fans - 996.1/996.2, C2, C4, C4s, TT, GT3, GT2, Cup, etc.
• Be prepared to pay to get a thorough pre-purchase inspection from a good and reliable shop (ideally an amazing independent, I am not a fan of dealerships). Use it negotiate on price and to inform your planned post purchase spending.
• Find one with a good documented service history and receipts.
• Have cash in hand and move quickly if you find the right one. They can move fast, and cash talks (in my book).
• Set aside ~$5K for post purchase costs if you don't have documentation of maintenance items or evidence from a qualified PPI and don't do all of your own work (brakes, tires, suspension, fluids, filters, IMSB, AOS, RMS, etc.). You may not need it, but have it, just in case.

However, none of that can insulate you from the freak chance that something big goes wrong. These cars have some catastrophic failure modes, and if they happen, your reliability is out the door. For the cost of a rebuild on a 996, you could buy another used car. Not trying to fear monger, but I am suggesting that you go into it eyes wide open.

I wouldn't own a 996 as a primary vehicle, and if I did, it would be with financial means to either repair or replace it immediately should a failure occur.

I'd also want to make sure it met all of the driving conditions I'd encounter. Here in the US Northeast, I'd need a 4wd version with good winter tires if I were to dare try it as an everyday commuter. If you live someplace more temperate, that wouldn't be an issue.

I have a wife and two tall teenage kids - no way we could all fit in any 996 for more than an emergency short trip (luckily we have several vehicles, so this isn't an issue). Do you drive solo or with one other person all the time? Then it may be a good candidate for a daily driver.

My advice is for a reliable commuter, go buy a Japanese car - Toyota, Honda. Most of them are dead nuts reliable and reasonably priced to buy, own, maintain and operate. Pass them on to the next tier of owner when you get bored, or they start to wear. Treat them like a consumable.

Dennis C

I drove a 996 C4S as my only vehicle, daily driver for six years. I drove it in all conditions, including winter with a set of winter wheels and tires. It was reliable in the sense that it never let me down; it always started and got me wherever I needed to go. That said, it became increasingly expensive as the odometer rolled up the miles, and I eventually sold it with a little over 140K miles on the odometer. It looked great and it ran great, but it was just too expensive to keep. Towards the end of my ownership, it cost me over $5,000 per year in maintenance and consumables. Some years it was closer to $10,000. I decided to put that money towards a newer Porsche, and ultimately towards another vehicle. The Porsche that I have now is more of a pleasure vehicle, seeing less than 4,000 miles per year.

RSBro

What others have said- yes and no. I bought my 03 C4S with about 82k miles on the clock in early Dec. 2017. Jan. 2018 I had a major service done, Feb. 2018 had a full brake system done, and the rest of 2018 was smooth, not in once the next 10 months for an issue.
2019 though... so far...
- ignition/steering lock assembly replaced
- new battery
- replace transmission mount
- front axle CV boots
- water pump & thermostat replaced

Currently in the shop now for engine regular service, replace motor mounts and front hood struts. Will need new tyres later this year too. So yeah. It just depends. Mine is a DD now, but we're talking about a 17 mile RT, and I'm just under 90,500 miles. Hopefully this should get most everything up to snuff though as really the only major things I'd think that could possibly need to be replaced soon would be shocks/suspension items but hopefully not. However if something else major happens this year I'm going to look to sell it and just save the $ for a 997.2 instead of putting more into an aging car. If I were to do it again, I'd get a pristine 996 model with all the stamps, etc. but this was more of an experiment than anything to see if I liked the brand. Still cheaper than my grenade of an F10 BMW 550i though, whose engine components would literally 'melt' due to cooling issues from placing the turbo inside a 'hot vee' config. Apparently they fixed it now, but yeah, I'd never own another BMW because of that. Was a disaster!

Schnauzer

I bought my 2003 996 C4S in the fall of 2012 with 15,000 miles on the odometer. It was in good shape. Since then I have driven it 30,000 miles and spent $25,000 on it for maintenance (beyond insurance and gas). I have done two sets of tires, the IMS, AOS, RMS, both window regulators, front lower control arms, battery, engine mounts, water pump and, last month, a full clutch job.

The car has been totally reliable and a pleasure to drive. I enjoy a yearly extended drive around the northwest mountains but obviously don’t use it commute. I like the vintage of the car because it is relatively modern, fast and safe but still has a manual transmission and a normally aspirated engine. If anyone wants to trade it straight across for a new one, I am ready but, until then, I am happy with what I have.

The cost per mile has been high because I have it worked on by a good local shop and keep on top of maintenance. If I drove more miles, worked on it myself or bought cheaper parts, the cost per mile would be less but there is no getting around the fact that a 16-year-old, expensive German car costs a lot to own. If someone can’t afford this, they should be warned.

porschedog

I have been using my '03 as a DD 99% of the time (the GT3 sometimes gets to come out and play) for 10-ish years so far.

I did experience the dreaded IMS scenario a few years ago but NBD - it was fixed and its back on the road.

The costs and issues experienced are no worse and probably less than I've had with the SUVs I drove prior to the P-Car.

FWIW, the three Z cars I owned prior to going down the Porsche path had Zero downtime or issues. But only the 240Z came close to the exuberance I experience every time I crank up my P cars.

motoo344

I don't know if I would want to simply based on your location, roads in the NE suck.

dkraige

I don't think this is the right car for what you're talking about. It's not the same as an E30. An E30 is basically like a pickup truck; everything is very simple and 5x stronger than it really needs to be, and pretty much everything is DIY-able. It was also an extremely high-volume production car, and has pretty low specific power output. The 996 is relatively lower volume, higher-strung, more complicated, expensive car, that can be expensive to service. Yes, a lot of the consumables are pretty cheap, but there are a lot of big parts that, if they break, effectively total the car from a value perspective. It's almost 20 years old at this point, so not only is it a low-volume, expensive, high-performance car, it's an OLD, low-volume, expensive, high-performance car. If you're looking logically at what kind of car to buy to rack up a ton of miles on, this isn't it. I'm not saying don't do it. I drive mine to work most days and it's a totally reliable daily driver for me, but if we're honest and logical, this CAN'T be the smartest tool for the job. A 911 is an emotional purchase, NOT a logical one; it's just something people WANT. Nobody NEEDS one, and it's never the most logical tool for the job, unless perhaps the job is being a really low-cost dual-purpose street/track car with some cargo space, which is why I bought one.

Neto

I drive my car about 3-4 times a week, I consider it as a daily commuter. I do all the maintenance and have done mild repairs on it like oil changes, brakes, suspension work, clutch change, engine mounts etc, coolant/expansion tank, etc... If you dont do maintenance yourself, you will pay a lot. Purchase price is cheap but maintenance still stays as $60k car. Heck, even by doing an oil change yourself you are looking at a minimum $60 if you buy mobil 1 oil in walmart. Rear wheels will wear probably at around 20k miles. So far its been good to me, its very rewarding to daily drive it. but make sure you research on the potential issues on these engines before you pull the trigger. If you want a super solid car for daily driving I suggest you get a 996 Turbo but its almost double the 996 and maintenance doesnt get cheaper either. The engine of these cars are worth more than the body.

Aloha-boy

My oldest kid is going to drive soon and will be taking over my DD, so I started to look for my next car. At first I was in the market for a long range EV(used Tesla S or new Model 3) or TDI. Something I can take the family of 5 on road trips and also commute to work. Then the wife gives me the green light to get something to help with my mid-life crisis. I tell her I hope you're not messing with me, because I would get a Porsche Boxster. She tells me we need something that is a 4 seater. I tell her, well a Porsche 911 is a 4 seater. She says the magical words of "sure go ahead!" I wasn't even in the market for one. I reach out to the only friend I knew with a Porsche and he says his neighbor across the street has one, it's an '03 C4 Cab with 69k miles. I took it for a spin and instantly fell in love and bought it the next day. It had a laundry list of repairs needed and the price reflected it. Luckily I'm a little mechanically inclined and repaired most of the issues myself. Surprisingly, the 996's are really easy cars to work on, especially with the wealth of knowledge available online. I have yet to drive it to work(50 mile RT), so I'll report back when I do.

Good luck with your search...

gnyla

Guys, thank you for giving a valuable insight and sharing your personal experiences. This is very informative. Although I still work on my cars myself (as long as no lift or power tools is required), I now understand yearly maintenance cost of a 996, even if I do some work myself, compared to my BMW and wife's Cooper (which is quite unreliable but fun), will be noticeably more money. Driving a 911 daily is certainly an emotional decision, but rational part of me still asks whether I am willing to pay the cost. My wife of course, tell me, just buy and enjoy one. I am ready to pay the cost, but I am asking myself now whether I'd be better off buying something newer, use my savings as a down payment and finance the difference, because newer car will need less repairs just due to its age.

I agree, I should drive a 996 and not assume it will be similar to driving a 991.

I live in Yonkers, NY, commute up to Connecticut, drive to NYC sometimes for work. I destroyed 2 sets of 17" rims on runflat tires thanks to potholes. I have since, reluctantly, switched to 16" rims with regular tires, which pretty much solved the pothole problem, but the car certainly lost its sharpness when cornering.

I'd be more comfortable having all wheel drive given I sometimes drive in inclement weather and my AWD BMW never left me stranded even in a worst snow storm. I have an 8 y.o. kid who is fine in a back of a MINI, and I expect should be fine in back of 911.

I will read up on the materials you guys mentioned and will try to educate myself better on the cost of ownership, so that my emotional and rational sides could live in peace.

wyovino

There are commutes, and there are commutes. If you lived upstate and had lots of traffic-free miles it would be very different than living in the metropolitan area with stop and go traffic being a near guarantee. Doing most of the routine maintenance yourself is a big plus. Getting all of the major potential faults addressed at the start is mandatory. That being said, if you want to smile from ear to ear every time you head to work, and you can handle a certain amount of risk, a 996 might be the right way to go.

As far as snow, you can look for a C4 (all wheel drive), but remember that these cars are very low and traction might not be what holds you back.