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I am completely new to Porsche and have spent the last 10 years having fun tuning turbo diesel trucks. I have also owned various BMW's over the years and just sold my M3 convt. Im looking for a clean unmolested 996 and want a simple breakdown of the different years pros and cons. I've spent a lot of reading about the IMS failures and so on but I cant find a precise simple difference of the 1999 to 2004. Please help me on what to look for and avoid on the models.
I am completely new to Porsche and have spent the last 10 years having fun tuning turbo diesel trucks. I have also owned various BMW's over the years and just sold my M3 convt. Im looking for a clean unmolested 996 and want a simple breakdown of the different years pros and cons. I've spent a lot of reading about the IMS failures and so on but I cant find a precise simple difference of the 1999 to 2004. Please help me on what to look for and avoid on the models.
Mine has 119k miles and I just got back from a track day last weekend. If I believed all the hype on these forums I would believe a 996 should never see a race track that it will disintegrate just driving by a track.
Some cars have issues, most don't. Most issues have already been addressed a long long time ago. If a car has 169k miles on it and something breaks....well... nothing lasts forever.
If you worry a lot and don't perform your due diligence or if you are financially stretching to by a 911...this car probably isn't for you. If you enjoy life...live and let live...own your decisions...take responsibility... and have a few extra bucks lying around.. you just might score an extremely great car for 80% off msrp.
Don't forget to carry a towel to brush the sand off your seat!
Last edited by ejdoherty911; 04-27-2016 at 08:26 PM.
if you don't know a good Porsche mechanic, find one who can do a proper pre purchase inspection. if I was to do it again, I'd look out for really sooty exhaust pipes, listen to the engine idle, listening for knocking noises, ask to see/be 1st start up of the day. If I liked what I saw, I'd go further and get the cylinders boroscoped to check for scoring. I'd take a close look at the cooling system and ensure the water pump was recently done. I'd inquire about the IMS and it's history also.
I would say read up on rennlist and check out the past and present posts, you learn a lot about the 996 from the members that own them, and there's always something coming up
I would not sweat it... so much after all its a Porsche. How much could you possibly anticipate getting away with before you drop some coins on repairs or upgrades, even if you purchased the cleanest unmolested one you could find?
Buy the cheapest 996 you can love then save the rest of your budget for maintenance, service and mods. If you like to tinker these are a blast (in a very sadistic way) to work on. The '99 is the sleeper of the bunch. You can find really good deals on them and they are a blast to drive. Alot more character than the BMW's I've owned. Maintenance history is important. If you can find one that has had the IMS, RMS, Clutch done recently that is a real plus. Plan on replacing the water pump and AOS every 3 years regardless of mileage. And take you time, the right one is out there.
You have a background of Turbo experience, go to the Turbo section and start looking no IMS issues there, if you still interested in Porsche Bastard child, there's no specific year with specific problem.
With any car the more miles the more parts that will need replacement, maintenance records are key, I was extremely lucky when I bought mine from a non Porsche dealership.
I didn't know about IMS, PPI, RMS, AOS, ATM, LOL, XXX, etc, I appreciate all the help I received from the forum regarding preventive maintenance, good luck with your quest
It's pretty much all covered in previous posts ^^^. If you plan on doing a lot of work yourself, budget for some extra tools and parts. If you plan on having someone else do the work, budget more (indy= 2x-3x $$...Dealer=3x - 4x $$$...if you're lucky). Read/Learn as much as possible BEFORE test driving/buying. Good luck
As stated, do your homework first, then start looking. My '02 C2 had just turned 100,000 miles when I bought it 3 years ago. Now has 153,000. It had more miles than I wanted, but I had been looking for 6 months and knew that I had found a solid prospect. Clean PPI and I made the plunge. I've never regretted the decision!
04-27-2016, 04:35 PM
996 Education please
