scoobyc

iTrader: (2)

Im doing my usual gonna change cars circle.

I was pretty much set on a 997 911 c2s manual until i googled "997 911 reliability"

Holy crap. Chocolate engines it seems. One rebuilder claims to have done 1000 engines in the last few years.

Still, i will do probably 4k a year, 2 of them in the alps so hopefully not an issue if i get some checks done in advance.

Worth the risk??

22k budget so at the low end of the market.

RS Grant

I've looked at these before, was set to leave a deposit on one but buying a 25-30k car that will more than likely need a ~10k rebuild at some point was a gamble that I didn't want to, or could afford to take so I backed out once I realised that my ***** don't swing low or large enough for that.


Cheers,
Grant

scoobyboy1

iTrader: (16)

Biggest car let down Ive ever been in the 997 Carrera 4, lad at work bought a convertible one last year, and I had never been in a Porsche and it was one of those cars on my bucket list, He gave me the keys and let me have a little drive, and I was really let down by the Porsche experience or maybe I was expecting too much.

The car had a Auto box with tiptronic(change gears on the steering wheel) I was expecting a lot for how much these where brand new, Dashboard looks old and for £22k id rather look else where like Audi RS4/M3/C63 AMG of some sort.

Think i need a drive in a GT3/RS/Turbo S to get me excited about a Porsche again!!

scoobyc

iTrader: (2)

fair points. i think ive come to the same conclusion. I had the same conclusion with a 996.

Now looking at tuscans.

streakybacon

I owned a 2006 Carrera with the 3.6 engine and manual gearbox. Bought it in 2011 with 25,000 miles on it. I had done a lot of research before purchase and agonised over Bore Scoring, IMS failure, RMS failure etc. Ultimately I wanted the 911 experience and took the plunge with a contingency fund in hand should it go wrong. Hence the C2 and not C2S because at the time they were quite a bit more money and a couple of specialists I spoke to stated the 3.6 was a sweeter revving engine and less problem prone. Never regretted it and enjoyed every drive for just over 3 years. Only costs were servicing and new tyres which it needed from day 1. A new Rack due to leak that Porsche contributed towards. Loved every minute of it.
If you have concerns save a bigger budget and aim for a Gen 2 car which came in 2009 ish. The DFI engines are completely different and don't appear to harbour all the previous problems.....yet !
Go to a specialist like RSJ, 911Virgin, Harbour Cars who have good rep and try one and see if its for you.

Peedee

iTrader: (4)

I'm no Porsche expert, but if you want the Porsche experience, instead of spending such a big amount on a low-end 911 C2S that could cost you a lot more to fix, why not buy a nice Cayman? 22k can get you a nice example with reasonable miles and from what I've heard, one of the best driving experiences going.

RS Grant

I'm by no means a Porsche expert either, but I also considered these until I found out that the Cayman S engines were prone to failure too!! This was a few years ago though so ~25k is likely to buy a pretty fresh (probably facelift?) example which I'd hope has a later updated engine by now.

Just thought it worth mentioning that a degree of care should be taken when looking at these too.


Cheers,
Grant

ScoobyDoo555

I've got a 996 Carrera 4 (manual ) - with 3.4 engine. This was the precursor to the 997 engine (it just got bigger through the ages basically) - the 997.1 engine had the same issues (bore score, IMS issues) - EXPENSIVE when (not if) it goes wrong.

I bought my 3.4 with a full inspection and it still ended up with a bore score (v rare for my model), and yes, it was 5 figures to get it fixed.

The only "Carrera" engine that does away with most of the problems is the 997.2 (last gen prior to the current 991)..... or a Turbo/GT car.
This also applies to Boxsters and some (iirc, not sure) Caymans.

That said, get one that's had the Hartech treatment (be wary of steel liners being put in the cylinders - imho not a good option), and you'll get a great car that also has resale-ablility due to the Hartech name.

Don't got for Tiptronic - they suck all the enjoyment out of the car (as somebody pointed out earlier).
The other things to bare in mind are the rads and a/c condensors rot due to the front-mounted design. Installing mesh behind the ducts in the bumper will fix it, but not until you spend £500+ on parts to get the rotten rads replaced.

Brakes can be pricey as are tyres. Suspension will start to be a consideration and can be another 4-figures.

The point I'm getting at is that the cars are relatively cheap to buy now, but still have a super/sports-car running costs.

In the last 12 months, I've had 4 new tires, new exhaust system (not through necessity, just wanted a new noise ), all new discs and pads, coilpacks and plugs, and a major service.
I've still got some arbs to sort out too.
I've done most of the work (not the service) myself and the parts run in to a few £kkkk.

£25k will get you into a Carrera easily, but you need to go in with your eyes WIDE open. An extra £10-15k will get you in to a Turbo (just), but you'd need that as a slush fund with a Carrera anyway.

Personally, I'm glad I didn't get a Turbo. Why? Well yes they are devastating movers, but they lose the N/A sound, and imho a bit boring. I love my C4: it's got a load of grunt as Hartech also fettled whilst the engine was being fixed. New exhaust as given it a great noise and it handles really well. Carreras are also going up in value (well, the 996 is ) as people are beginning to realise that the nails are slowly being whittled out and good cars are commanding a premium. I could sell mine tomorrow for about 25% more than I paid for it 3 yrs ago

Get yourself over to 911uk.com - ignore the beards and the people who haven't actually driven and RUN one. Get some cold hard facts.

FWIW, I was thinking of what to replace mine with. I'm struggling to think of a replacement: aside from a 997 Turbo (big money), not sure. It could end up as a weekend toy rather than a current daily driver.

Dan

http://hartech.org/