I am not sure about the side to side motion if this isn't worn engine mounts. I have noticed these cars come in 2 versions: the smooth ones and the rough ones. I drove about a dozen cars before buying one and noticed a these differences car to car. The smooth ones start up, run and idle smooth. The rev smoothly, but they never seem to pull that hard. The rough ones will idle a little rough once the warm up. They almost seem to lope like they have a bigger cam with a shake at idle like they have a cam in them. These ones have a good kick of torque from 2500-3000 rpms and pull a lot harder. The shake doesn't feel directional and hence why I think there may be an engine mount issues with that car.

Speed in these cars is very deceptive. Due to the stable attitude of the chassis, the low amount of road and wind noise that penetrate the cabin; you seem to feel like you are always going slower than you think you are. This first time I drove one of these cars, I thought I was just driving 60 and I was actually going 80. 120 mph feels like 80 in most other cars.

I have a friend with a WRX Subie Wagon, he did about 1k worth of work and he keeps up with me. Those cars are BA.

Remember tho, P's get faster and faster as you learn how to drive them.

Hmmm most of my reading so far has suggested that the order of reliability is:

964<996=993<1987-89 Carrera 3.2

Issues get to be known for a reason, there are more than there should be.


I just read a thread on engine replacment on the 996's.... uuuuug scarey. I often wownder why Posche chargeing 70K for a car can't be top in class for reliability..... maybe they need some engineers from honda.

This is my only concern about buying a P-car. Since I am not a wealthy man, I would hate to have a sudden 10-15K bill to fix a car... :(

Extended Warranty for peace of mind

when I bought my 00' c4 I got 3 years 36000 bumper to bumper for $3000 from Fidelity Warranty.

Right now I'm having the front diff replaced

If you keep an M96 based Pcar past warranty, I'd say Extended is not a bad move to cover that engine & drive line....that's just my opin (flip it or Extend it).
Of course, don't put all Pcars in the same kettle........GT2, Turbo, GT3, 993, 964 are different breed.

I sold my 964 as well once the 993 came out and I've regretted it ever since. I had problems with my '96 since week #1. Exchanged it for a 996 and have been trouble-free for almost three years now; but when you consider how much money I lost going from a paid-for 964 through two more late model financed Porsches there is no comparison. Bang for buck the 964 can only be eclipsed by the 996TT or GT3.

Hmmm the prices on a 964 are within 6Kish of a 996, they are similar in weight and down by 50hp, while the 996 enjoys a stiffer chassis. I just don't see the advantage on paper at least. Then consider all of the known trouble areas on the 964 I just can't see getting into one and sleeping well at night.

Nothing wrong with buying a 2000 Boxster or Boxster S for your 1st Porshce. This way you can afford problems you may have. If you buy a Porsche (as well as many other exotics) you have to understand, it's NOT a Honda and requires more attention. Porsche, for what it is, is the most reliable and best daily driver out of all the exotics.

I will look at the Boxster, but from what I know they are way down on power to me. At least the 996 is at the same level as my subaru in acceleration, though both a 996 and 987 will kill it in the turns.


Plus the 996 rear seat though small, can still allow my whole family to enjoy a drive.

If you need the rear seat....forget the Box...it is a "sports car".

As a side to the comment about turns......Boxsters are a hoot.

Yea, but brute acceleration still makes me :)

Do you have an STI? That WILL, infact stick with a 911 in acceleration. Otherwise, a NON STI WRX is about as fast as a Boxster S.

Not without mods it won't. :nono: Sure the STI has 300 hp, but it's heavy and the AWD drivetrain produces more parasitic loss.

Additionally, in my experience driving an STI it loses a lot of steam after 100 mph (not super aerodynamic and it seems to be geared for lower speed acceleration). As speeds increase a 996 performance advantage only gets larger.

The thing about driving a WRX or an STI vs. a 986 or 996 is the way they develop power. In my experience driving the WRX and the STI they feel faster than they really are because of the boost and the power delivery. On the other hand the M96 motor in the Porsches is a much more linear motor (power wise). As a result they feel a little slower than they really are.

Don't believe me? Look up some magazine test of all three cars. Don't only look at 0-60 as the AWD Subbies can get off the line quick. Look at 1/4 mile and 0-130 times. Also look at 5-60 times as this is a better measure of real world off the line acceleration as it minimizes traction differences.

If you look at these figures the Porsches are just plain quicker and faster stock vs stock.

A 3.4 996 is a low 13 second car and the 3.6 is a high 12 second car. I have never seen a review of the STI breaking 13 seconds in the 1/4.

An STI can use AWD to claw to 60 in under 5 seconds like the 996, however it's 5-60 mph time is around 6.4 seconds vs 5.5 for the 996. 0-130 a 3.4 996 can get there in around 21 seconds while a STI takes over 24 seconds.

Throw in some corners and it gets even uglier for the Subies....

My Porsche 911 dream started in 1991. I was reading a Road & Track and they had a cool article about "Getting into a 911". At that time, they said a 1987 was a great value. $13k. As my career progressed with my income, I went up to the 964. An awesome car. Career progression, then I was looking at a 993. I went to the local exotic used car dealer and test drove an S2.
Then I thought about it a bit and looked at the 996. The interior sold me. They finally updated it to something that I could really enjoy as a daily driver.
I still want to add that 964 RS America, or a 964 C4 to my garage, but I love what I have now.
If you are patient and save up, you can get into what you really want. You are looking at low 30s. I’ll bet if you looked long and hard you can get that 996 for that price or close to it. Get a warranty too. I really am not a fan of them, but after having to get a new engine, the $2700 saved me from spending $9000.
If you get a Boxster, you will always regret not getting the 911, even though the Boxster is a great car.
Keep the Scooby if you can, fun cars and ‘cheap’ to upgrade (compared to a 996).

Run a Boxster through some twisties and see if that also makes you :)

It is worth checking out the mid-engined Boxster S at least. In terms of acceleration, it is not as fast as a 996, but a lightly optioned Boxster S (especially if put on a diet) will very close to a heavily optioned 996 (even moreso the heavier variants).

If you need those rear seats, though, drive one for the helluvit, then pass.