Hi,

I've been browsing the forum for about a month now and felt it was finally time to introduce myself...

My name is Eric, I live in Indianapolis, and I make my living as a race engineer for Forsythe Championship Racing in Champcar (My Avatar is a pic of my driver Paul Tracy).

I've been a huge Porsche fan for as long as I can remember (959, 930 911's, 964's, Porsche GT1's at LeMans etc.). Suffice it to say, I've been wanting a 911 for about as long as I've had my license, and I think the time has finally come. My wife went back to school a couple of years ago and we decided to hold off on anything 'impractical' for awhile, but she is due to finish in May and now she's promised me that I can finally get my 'toy'...

Originally I thought I'd get a 930 Turbo to have as a weekend 'fun' car, but with the prices now quite reasonable on a 996, I've decided that I'm going to have 'fun' every day of the week. But being a new buyer, I have been struggling with some decisions am am hoping to get some advice...

I'm really looking at a 2001 - 2002 C2 (right price range), but I get my doubts when I read about the 996 not holding its value and not being a 'real' 911. I'm looking to 'mod' it with rims and either a GT3 style or RUF RGT-RS bodykit, as well as some performance upgrades. Is this a good idea for resale value? Is the 3.6 better/worse than the 3.4? Also, on these forums, I tend to read a lot about the 'negatives', i.e. like RMS leaks or engine failures etc. I guess I'm looking to hear more 'I love my 996 and think it's the greatest! It's totally worth it and they're built like tanks!' kind of stories. (To ease my mind I suppose!)

Anyways, I appreciate any help/advice you can give me (and any tips on great deals out there - I'm looking for a red/yellow/black one!).

 

Why are you already thinking of resale on a car that you don't even own??? If you want to hold value get a mutual fund. If you want pure exhilirated fun 7 days a week, then go get the 911. Rule of thumb is to get the newest you can afford and ALWAYS pay more for one that is better maintained. Never fall prey to the price that sounds too good to be true....it usually is. Several on this board can attest to that (Bob should be chiming in any minute now).

Those of us on this board didn't buy the car to think about future value, we bought it to enjoy it and spend every last dime modding the crap out of it. And mods are not something you get back in resale anyway. Life's too short to worry about the what if's. If I thought what I paid for my car sseveral years ago and what they sell for now was a concern to me I would be severly depressed. I'm not. Frankly, I don't plan on ever selling the car.

 

Buy a car you love. Drive the crap out of it. Every day. Clean it when it is dirty. Fix it when it is broken. Park it like you care. Ignore others' opinions on aesthetics. Take heed of others' experiences. Make friends with your service advisor. Forget about the car's value, it is toast as soon as you drive it off the lot, with any car.

The 996 is a fabulous, beautiful and fast car. It will make you and others smile every day. Let the purists rail, whatever their particular jones is, and there are a lot of purists and a lot of joneses. It will cost you way less over the life of the car than running an SRF for 3 seasons. Ask me how I know.

 

DO IT!! Leedav hit the nail on the head. You always wanted it, buy it, drive it, enjoy it.

 

Well thank you guys for that! I'm glad to hear these sort've responses - that's what I was looking for to be honest - to see that there are people who feel that the 996 is a great car irrespective of what the journalists or purists say.

Believe me, I'm not looking to buy one for to be a collector's item and you're right, I should buy one because I think it's a beautiful car and its going to enhance my drive to and from work everyday!

Thanks

 

Not to add more pressure but check this out.....

http://movie.eu.porsche.com/flash/en...sen_gb_dsl.swf


Get the newest Porsche you can afford. The 3.6 is worth it if you can get it (IMHO), but you can find nice 3.4's for about 10K less.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

Hey Eric, ask your boy PT!! Didn't he used to have a 996 Turbo?

Buy it - you'll love it so much you'll miss it almost as much as your wife, with all the time you guys are on the road.

 

i suggest you go for a 2002 and onward model, there were many improvments that year including the 3.4 -> 3.6 liter displacement chance in base carreras.

also there were many tweaks to the car, a better interior, a facelifted exterior. generally its a very good starting point.

don't worry about things you can't control depreciation, reliability, etc. overall, porsche's rating on these is better than 95% of whats out there.

the key is really to remember that its just a car, use it like it was meant to be used, and you will end up enjoying yourself much more in the long run.

when it breaks, fix it, etc. you will have much more fun than the guys that spend all week polisihing it and driving it 20 miles on sunday. the slaves to their garage queens are just preparing the car to be sold to the next guy.

 

The biggest difference between 01 and 02 is more than just the engine. It's everything from the headlight, fenders, interior, to exhaust. 3.6 will sound more aggresive (stock vs stock). It also looks better given the wider fenders and turbo lights. Its interior is also nicer with better material and good cup holders. I believe 02 is the best year 996 especially if you want to upgrade stereo or add Nav.

Most 02 are still under warranty and getting one that's certified would be a great idea.

Aside from RMS and tranny issue, I don't think there is any reliability issue w/ 996. RMS tends to be more popular than tranny failure but isn't too expansive to repair. Tranny will be big bucks but is a lot more rare. Bottom line, it's not a Lexus in reliability but it's on par if not better than other real sports cars.

For depreciation, I think it's good time to buy since you can still have a virtually new car (lo mi, 3 yrs old) for 2/3 of MSRP. Sure it'll continue to drop but it's already taken a big hit so you won't feel like losing 10k each year.

Time to start looking for a nice car for you. Write back and tell us what you find!

 

i agree that 02 is one of the best years for the 996.

facelifted to present spec, but without the annoying MOST bus

 

Get it, drive it, enjoy it, the BEST car I've ever owned!!!!!

 

Zd,
Will you leave it alone or reengineer it? Perhaps a "push to pass" button? AS

 

I agree with others - try to go for an '02 (improvements plus some warranty left). Typically mods don't add value, so for your wants I would suggest spending some time tracking down a car that already has a bunch of mods, even if that takes 3-6 months.

Get it and drive it like you stole it!

 

Hope PT has a better year this year than last! Unfortunately we won't be able to see you at RA this summer- haven't missed that race since it started except for one year. Who is PT's team-mate going to be? Can you tell us yet?????

 

Welcome. Sounds like you have an exciting job. I agree with those who say 02- for a 911, but I gotta tell you after I got my wife her pristine 91 964 I believe it's the best looking classic and can still be pushed and driven daily. It's all personal preference!