It's not going to happen in the next couple months, and I realize that things can change quickly with prices and all, but I'm seriously considering getting a used 911 as a second vehicle. There's no way I can afford anything recent, and I don't need it to be perfect. I can do some of my own work and have access to plenty of tools, etc. I've mostly been looking at '80 - '92 or so cars, because it seems that the air-cooled cars tend to be more reliable and are more easily worked-on, and cars in that range haven't climbed in value as much as the later 993 cars (I'm sure they'll get there soon).

The counterpoint, the 996 cars were maligned for a while and can also be had in that ~20k price range. They are "nicer" and more modern, but not as classic, and full disclosure...I need to drive both and compare. Haven't done that yet. However, I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are regarding cost of ownership between the two eras. On the one hand, you have in general more reliability/more ability to work on with the older cars, but they're also going to tend to have more issues due to their age. Does it balance out?

Sorry for that long-winded first question!

 

The 996 is generally regarded as the most reliable 911 ever made, but it does have its issues (just like every model). The main one is the RMS failing. However, if you can find a car with over 30k miles that hasn't had any RMS issues, it's unlikely it'll end up being a problem since if they're going to fail they generally fail in the first 30k miles. Occasionally they fail at higher mileage but it's rare. In your price range you're going to end up with a car with more than 30k miles anyway, so you could set your limit at 40k and be very safe. And once they fail, they will likely fail again, so stay away from any car that's ever had the problem. I'm not going to explain what the RMS issue is since you can search and find tons of info about it. The IMS bearing failures are less common but also something to stay away from / watch out for. Plus Porsches like to be driven and low mileage examples tend to have more problems than higher mileage examples anyway! Anything under 5k miles per year would make me concerned it wasn't driven enough.

The 993 prices are very stable and they're highly desirable since they're the last air cooled 911. They're more expensive than the 996 due to this plus the fact the 996 was produced in much higher numbers than any previous 911. The general rule is you should buy the latest model you can afford, so you should just stick to looking for a 996 when the time comes. Water cooled motors are in every car on the road for a reason (emissions is one big one, but reliability is a big one too).

In terms of working on a 911 (any model in the last 30 years), keep in mind many things require dropping the motor, so having a lift is key if you're planning to do more than simple work yourself to anything around the motor.

 

Wow...really? I've honestly never heard the 996 referred to as reliable...mostly I've just heard about RMS and IMS issues. Possibly because if they happen they're pretty catastrophic, so you tend to hear about them. Thanks for the info.

jds

 

The RMS is a pretty common issue (but still a very small percentage of cars), and the IMS a lot less common but still happens a decent amount, but other than that everything else on the 996 is very reliable. Like you said, it's something that's talked about a lot so I think the problem seems bigger than it is. Problems can always seem much more common than they really are if you read forums or even talk to people since people don't post on forums to say "My car works great and never has any problems." They're way, WAY more likely to post whenever they have a problem. Since everybody knows about it you can then find a car that hasn't had those issues during its life (and hence probably never will given its age and mileage) so you'll end up with a really solid car.

 

AC on any car prior to '89 will probably not be sufficient for South Florida.

 

Having owned a 996 and currently own a 930 this is certainly something to take into consideration. I love both cars and both are extremely reliable if you do your pre purchase homework. It's a tough call drive the prettier classic car with awful a/c and get sweat soaked everytime you drive her in the summer or enjoy the modern amentities of the 996 with cool a/c but be stuck with the dreaded teardrop headlights.

 

I'm in the same boat (looking at the 996) curious to see how this thread turns out.

 

I started with a 2000 911 Carrera Coupe (996) and fell in love with Porsche. 3 months later a bought a 1986 911 Carrera Targa (G series as they call them). I will always have to have a modern Porsche for the modern amenities and daily driver. But I do enjoy driving my '86 and the classic look is addicting, crazy addicting. There are a ton of 996's out there that are great deals in IMO, maintenance is not costly and will run for a long long time. I was pissed off at myself for not buying a Porsche 20 years ago. Both are great just buy one sooner than later and enjoy life that much more!