Secular996

Hello all,

Firstly let me tell you... i just stumbled upon this car probably a week ago. I am a 24 y/o mechanical engineer @ Dmax ( turbo diesel engine for chevy/GMC) and never thought in a million years i could own not just a porsche 911.. but the 996.. one of my favorite body styles, for this cheap (18-35k).

I currently own a 475ish rwhp(or will be when i finish installing boltons and tuning) 06 E55 AMG. An 04 full bolt-on and dyno tuned 260rwhp 04 g35 coupe and have owned many cars before those but those are the only 2 i have ever tinkered with. I absolutely adore my G35 as it was my first "quick" car i ever owned and definitely the car that got me into cars. Its nimble, quick, and an overall fun car to drive but i have been prepping myself to sell it for about 6 months now as i bought this E55 AMG about 4 months ago. Basically, i found out that straight line speed gets boring and i want to get back into a smaller car that i can throw around the corners, daily, and just have fun with. YES, this is going to be my daily for all of the summer until i pick up a winter beater.

Moral of the story is... I am selling both the merc and the G and buying a MK2 996 911. Im looking for a car i can track occasionally, autoX occasionally, also daily, that isn't going to break on me(too much... its a 12-14 year old car, i do not expect there to be 0 problems) as i run my cars pretty hard ( but always take care of them). Here's my problem...

DO I GET...

C4S:
Awd, widebody, Love the sound of the NA motor, can be had with 50k or so miles for 30k or less, 3300ish lbs

C2: RWD, Non widebody, Still love the sound of the NA motor, Can be had for 18-25k with 50k or so miles on it, 2900 ish lbs..

OR

Turbo:
awd, stretch for money as most go with 70-100k miles for 35-45k, 3300ish lbs, much more hps

NOW... if i go with a NA motor (that sound though...) I will likely build the car from the ground up. Starting with suspension and mounts and end up either turbo or SC(i probably wouldnt do this if i thought i could get 350whp out of NA without spending hella money), exhaust, intake, MAYBE plenum & TB (after reading a few threads maybe not...im seeing that it leans out some of the cylinders in the higher RPMs but produces more down low power..Can anyone confirm?), and be shooting overall for around 400ish whp.

So the c2 is obviously very attractive because i have heard with the LW suspension, LWFW, LW wheels and a couple other deletes... you can get down to 27XX ish lbs.. at 400 whp would be crazy fun in a straight line or in the corners.. but the C4S draws me in with those hips... and the AWD would be extremely attractive for the winter if i am forced to drive it in the winter but shes so heavy..

Pretty much im 98% not going to go with turbo unless i find a bangin deal on one and cant pass it up when i am ready to buy ( 6 months or so from now )

Also, outside of the IMS and RMS problems... i cant seem to find any other big issues that stick out to me.. I've heard random stuff like scoring, leaking copious amounts of oil, etc.. but seem to be intermittent in the platform.

Requirements:
Manual, coupe, below 70k miles, color doesn't matter(except yellow... no.)

I would love to test one of these but there are almost zero around me within 100 miles and right now work is hot an heavy(13 hour shifts..6 sometimes 7 days a week) so i don't have the time to do it right now. just looking for opinions.

Thanks for all your help and guidance!

Cuda911

My $0.02:

Go for the turbo, if you find one for a good price and reasonable miles. Should be able to find a good one for 40k or so. Since you are used to high HP cars, you may be disappointed with anything less.

C2 - vs - C4: I prefer C2. Best bang for the buck out there.

Secular996

See but i feel like i could get the C2 or C4s to 400 whp for less than 40k... thats my only thing with the turbo... and honestly, im not really looking to go above 400. A reliable 400 whp is all im wanting out of this car.

No love for the widebody? and if i chose the c2 i could get a nice one with an aerokit for 18-25k.. say i picked one up for 22 got a used VF kit for 4k, exhaust 2k, intake 1k, and tuning ( not sure ) id still be sub 30k possibly.. and have a reliable 400 rwhp. Obviously before i do any of that id be doing fluids, filters, etc... looking to get one with IMS and RMS already done.

Secular996

Also, not expecting this car to be faster than my AMG. around corners... yes i would hope so.. straight line... not exactly(although 400 whp in a 27XXlb c2 would probably wreck my 40XXlb 475whp AMG). just looking for an overall fun car.

Atrox

Drive the na and the turbo they are two completely diff animals. The wide body is only on the c4s and turbo as well both being awd. (Exception gt2)

I went with the turbo after a handful on na test drives and have 0 regrets. I'm biased but, for the money/performance factor the 966tt is tough to beat.

cvega666

go drive both as above poster said!
996tt prices are on the rise thanks to the engine reliability, c2/c4s is not gonna get any cheaper methinks.

Secular996

Well like i said i have been looking for ones close (within 50 miles) to me but i haven't been able to find a whole lot and haven't had the time recently to really look. I am not looking for a speed demon... i would keep with the AMG if i was.. another 5k in that and ill have a low 10s car for under 18k all said and done. I am looking for the driving experience, the pleasure of driving a 911 that i hear about.

my question was: what set up would you guys go with given my circumstances and plans. At the end of the day, obviously, it will come down to which i enjoy driving more.

Atrox

^we are telling you to buy a turbo

cvega666

if I had the money I'd buy a turbo - they are on a steep climb price-wise.
I bought the 996.2 C2 because I believe they have reached the bottom end of depreciation. (I'm in the UK though)

jaetee

Find that C2 that was for sale for $30k with an already-rebuilt Jake Raby engine in it...

Done.

cvega666

I bought a quite leggy C2 and I am budgeting for a engine rebuild down the line. That's the only way forward (for me)

firstorbit

I have seen some C2's out there in the mid-high 20s with a supercharger kit already on them. You could look for one that's already built.

Don't forget that you get more upgrades with the turbo than just power. It has larger brakes, suspension, etc.

cvega666

no doubt about it, hourses for courses etc. THat was the right route for me - OP should choose a turbo i think.

FRUNKenstein

If you are thinking about trying to get a NA 996 up to 400 RWHP, then budget for an engine rebuild. If you are OK with 320 hp, then the NA 996 is a great car. Based on your plans, I'd get the C2 rather than the C4S. But, if you plan to pump up the horsepower more than about 15 or 20 hp, then I'd stay away from the NA 996. The exception would be to find a car with a Jake Raby (Flat Six Innovations) built engine. They have been fortified to handle the extra power (although probably still not 400 RWHP).

On the other hand, the stock 996tt starts at 415 hp. Bumped up to stock 450 hp with the X50 package. Either the base 996tt or the X50 model can easily and safely and relatively cheaply produce 500 hp, which will give you your desire RWHP number. If you don't want AWD, the 996tt system can easily and cheaply be converted to RWD. And then easily back to AWD later.

stan23

IMO, go drive both - also price insurance on both as I know you are a little younger than the standard 911 demographic.

Getting 400hp from the M96 motor will be costly! If you want power, start with the turbo! Most of us with the na is happy with the power as it suits the car just fine. That's probably why you don't see a lot of threads on trying to get more power from the na motor.