Hi,

My life's dream has pretty much been to own a porsche turbo for the last 10 years.

I'm finally getting closer to a financial position where it would be possible to step into a 996 - especially since the 996 is depreciating a bit with the arrival of the 997.

I always wanted the turbo for the ~400+ hp and driving experience.

However, I recently learned that there are a couple of supercharger kits out there for the 911 C2/C4/Targa that put them into Turbo territory for ~$10,000.

Is a C2 with a SC going to be a more affordable point of entry for me? I know, its not the same as a Turbo but just wondering what people think about going this route. I may be able to get a more pristine example of one of the less expensive 996 models and then just upgrade it over time - interior and exterior also.

 

Don't do it your engine will blow up!!! JK... WE at Rennlist love to chat about 996 engine catastrophes

The turbo has a completely different engine block, same as GT3, etc. So for my 2 cents if you go with a 996 and was worried about price I would keep it pretty stock engine-wise. A low price 996 is about 30-35, while a low price turbo is around 60, if you look at 10 for the kit then possibly another 15 for engine replacement if they screw it up, I would bet my money on the real deal, not to mention the myriad of upgrades the turbo has, such as suspension, brakes, etc. that round out the car to be the devilish driving machine that it is, it would be cost prohibitive to do all of that aftermarket for most people.

Anyway, best of luck, in my opinion they are all fun as hell to drive.

 

1.-i never trust any kits for any car.
2.-do you have a mech/shop you can trust 100%?

 

It dependes what you call affordable, there are guys who had ferraris before and just got Porsches and they seem to them to be very affordable in comparison.
if you want to spend $50k+ go with the turbo, if not get a Carrera and leave her stock.

 

There is always the option of buying an older Turbo? Or, a nicely modded 951 for 1/3 the price of a C2.

 

Definitely agree. I'd invest more in the exhaust, handling, and stopping, and not worry about the HP, if you're concerend about keeping it cheap. Porsches have down through history have been under-powered compared to other marques, and they let their strengths rule the day.

 

You may be able to get to similar stock turbo power levels with a supercharger and probably even improve the torque curve a little (torque should build more rapidly with a SC, while turbo will generally make more peak power).

However, I'd recommend you get the turbo out of the box. You can find 996TT's in the high $60's now and with it you are getting a completely engineered package for that power level (brakes, transmission, AWD system, etc.).

If you mod the 996, you are moding an engine and software not designed to run w/boost and (IMHO) you are setting yourself up for potential problems.

 

I should clarify, I already have a ~350hp turbo VW Jetta that I built (and still am working on) myself.

So I am not really a stranger to the realm of adding a kit to a car or rebuilding an engine.

I'm in my 20's and have lots of time to work on the car, that would be half the point I guess.

I would be looking at 70K for a turbo but I'm in Canada so actually much more.

It would be more like... 45K for a SC C2 or Targa?

 

Again....if you are buying a Porsche for HP wars, its a losing battle....Porsche is about the WHOLE package...not HP numbers...So a 996 is not really designed to run 400+ HP...a TT is a different engine designed for that HP....996 rebuild kits are not really readily available...so they replace the engine when things go bad....thats 10-15k....I would say drive a stock 996, and see if its what you want...If you want High HP...a 944 Turbo is a bargain...can be modded, parts are less expensive and readily available.....I have seen people with 400+ HP out of their 944 Turbos....that being said I have a stock engine and have done suspension mods and wheels and audio upgrades, etc....ths is an amazing car and FUN.....take it to the canyons and you will see what Porsche is all about....

 

As much as you know how to work on cars, YOU can not work on the internals of the engine yourself unless you get all of the tooling from Porsche. You can not duplicate the tooling either unless you have blueprints. Get the TT, S/Cing a 11.3 compression motor is never good.

 

... the comment about an "affordable price point to ownership" made me smile.

With Porsche it's not about the entry pricepoint, it's about the longterm maintenance and upkeep. You have to be able to pay to play. There's no such thing as an inexpensive Porsche. Many get into ownership without realizing the potential for rapid escalation of expenses. If you cannot afford to drop a couple of thousand for a dealer visit, then maybe a Porsche is not for you.

 

Sadly I own a VW so I am used to dropping a thousand on a dealership visit haha.

Jokes aside, the whole "pay to play" argument has in my experience often (but not always) been the refuge of those who simply need to justify that they paid.

I believe that recently there is becomming a pathway to inexpensive porsche ownership, starting with used porsches like the boxter and 996 C2. These cars were made and sold in mass quantity (compared to how things used to be) and are fairly reliable and affordable due to depreciation.

You might not see it as being "worth it" yet, but eventually it will be "worth it".

I'm not at all interested in a horsepower war by the way, if I was I wouldn't be interested in a porsche.

 

Great...buy one, dont worry about HP and enjoy one of the greatest sports cars made....

 

a few thosand is not out of the ordinary on a pcar

 

And more catastrophic failures can be more like 5-10k....