So, i'm getting pretty bored of the car i own now and i started looking for something new. I had my eyes set on a few '06 cayman-s's, maybe a G37 coupe, or a 370z, possibly an IS-F. All of which are around the $50,000CDN mark. I found a low mileage '01 996tt automatic (auto is not my preference, but this car is like $10k cheaper than the cheapest 6spd in my area) for sale in my area for the same price. so far all i know about it is it was imported from dallas and has the carbon trim package and an aftermarket stereo. i'm going to go look at it later today.
my question is) how feasible is it for a young guy to buy an '01 996tt automatic as a daily driver? cars like a g37 i wouldn't worry about because i'd have a warranty, plus its probably not expensive to maintain anyway. should i stay away from a 996tt because the maintanence costs will kill me, or is this a good purchase?

i can afford to initial purchase price, but can i afford the maintanence? I figure if maintanence is around $2k/year i'd be okay. not including usual things like replacing the brakes, tires, oil etc.. Is that realistic? I dont plan on modding the car at all unless something breaks (ie diverter valves, or silicone hoses)

 

Good questions. I'm in a similar state of mind asking the same questions about the cost of using a 996TT as a DD. If I were you, I'd check around town to see if there is a good Porsche or German car mechanic. Avoiding dealer prices on a non-warranted car has worked for me with my Jaguar (the cost is approx 50% less).

 

I had on '01 996TT Tiptronic as my daily driver.
I bought it from the original owner with 35,000 miles after 6 years. I used it as my DD (only car) for 2 years and put 25,000 miles on it.

I replaced front brakes once front tires once and rear tires 4 times. Got oil change every 5,000 miles and performed major service at 45,000 miles and 60,000 miles.

I always used a trusted independent mechanic.
This car was as cheap to keep on the road as a VW Passat.

I'm now on my second TT (2002 Tip).

No other car has this kind of performance and image for that kind of money and with that level of reliability.

 

The good news and the bad. The good news is that things rarely break on these cars, if they are well-maintained and preventative maintenance is done. The bad news is that things, when they do break, tend to be expensive. Also keep in mind that you'll need new rear tires every 10k miles, which, for PS2s, are >$400 USD for just one rear tire.

I wholeheartedly recommend the car as a DD, though. For a period of about 12 months recently, I did zero repairs on the car beyond replacing my old-style (recalled?) yellow coolant tank. The charge would normally have been about $500 (130ish for part, 3-4 h labor), but because the dealer took so long to do it, the labor was waived. Not bad for one year. But if the engine, transmission, or suspension ever have any issues, one could be out some serious change. My radiators are still going strong, and hopefully will for some time. The car needed a new clutch & flywheel when I bought it, and I overpaid for it. Between that and a 30k service, I was out nearly $6000 USD. Can't remember the last repair I made, other than that coolant tank.

Not trying to scare you off. I have one, I love it. You will too

Assuming, that is, you buy a manual. The cars aren't scarce - spend the time looking for a good one (with the right transmission!), and don't worry about finding one in your immediate neighborhood.

 

Good comments, but make sure you contact your car insurance carrier for a quote too. I'm surprised how expensive the car costs (relative to my other vehicles) to insure, so I'd hate for you to overlook that expense in your planning phase. Good luck!

 

With State Farm, my insurance for my 01 TT is $40.00 per year cheaper than my wife's 08 Lexus RX400h and only $63.00 per year more expensive than my 02 IS300 Sportcross.

Waterpump parts was cheaper for the 996tt than my IS300(stock or the current V8 in it). If the shop is honest, labor on the Lexus would have been higher as I changed the WP in less than 2 hours on the Porsche. The only thing that even remotely *scares* me on the cost of the car is the engine.

Find a good mechanic and stay away from people who like to throw parts at cars or seem too busy to care. The local dealer here charged a battery and reported no problems 3 times over the past 6 months for a "hard/slow start" description. The car cranked fine, but was slow to build fuel pressure (see my writeup for that). 3 times they charged 1 hour diagnostic labor.

 

i better check into insurance.. i'm 24 with 1 accident and 1 speeding ticket on my record. My rate on my IS300 isn't great, so i'll have to see how much worse the 911 would be. in any case i'm going to go test drive the car today and see how she drives.

 

Not to get your hopes down, since insurance carriers are all quite different, but I also have an IS300 as my DD and the 996TT costs about 2.5x more to insure. I also have one accident and one ticket on my record currently, and thus cannot switch since I actually get a much better rate staying put (due to my years of safe driving leading up to said ticket and accident). Good luck.

 

I have no tickets/accidents and my insurance with travelers is $15.83 more per month with a TT on it instead of the 2001 GS430 I just sold for 10k...

 

This car is a great daily driver. Given it's athletic performance, I quickly came to the conclusion that I always felt trapped in traffic and that traffic is not really this car's calling. Mine has been a third car for several years. I drive it to work if I want to, but not driving it daily makes it that much more fun.

 

Really Steve? My 01TT replaced my 96M3 and insurance for it only jumped about $13 a month. not too bad IMO. I was prepared for it to double, but defiantly glad it didn't: )

To the OP, I'm sure its been said somewhere, but just in case, make sure to do a thorough PPI, and as someone said once in another thread like this, search, don't get emotional, take your time! As a buyer all the power is in your hands with the current economy. Use it to your advantage. Good luck.

Justin

 

...and I have to ask, did the TT make you do it?: )

 

MY TT is only 43 a month from a insurance perspective, which makes it less then my other two cars, I agree with most that the 996 is pretty tough and you shouldnt be afraid of driving it, however if something breaks could you pay 5k? if the answer is yes, then you probably could afford almost any scenerio the tt could through at you other then engine replacement which is substantially more.

 

your insurance rates may drop significantly once you hit the 25yr-old mark, i know mine did. I'm 27 with 1 speeding ticket on record and paying about $175/ month with a $500 deductible.

As far as using the vehicle as a DD, it seems very doable. From what I've been reading- these engines are pretty much bulletproof as long as they're maintained properly. There was one I saw out on another forum with over 220k miles on the clock and still running strong.

 

Well, I bought my 52K mileage 04TT Tip Cab in December. I've put 8,000 miles on it in less than 6 months -- driving it every day. Rain, shine or snow. I think I missed about 5 days that my wife took it!

I have had zero repairs. Just maintenance, which was an oil change.

My only issue is a rear wing problem (common). I don't care that it doesn't go up, but the red light annoys me!