Is a 996 the car for me?
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Joined: Feb 2008
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From: SoCal
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Situation seems tough, I am feeling the want of a 996 with maintenance reflection of a Honda....Not gonna happen. If maintenance is a major financial concern, I would wait....
Remember, owning a 996 goes far more than mechanical issues, take into consideration that 996's love to wear down the rear tires naturally, I get about 8,000 to 10,000 miles until having to replace them (Average or $350 per tire). Also, regular maintenance, if you don't do your own oil change, be ready to spend $180 to $300 on dealer oil service.
But you can't beat the driving experience....All worth it
Remember, owning a 996 goes far more than mechanical issues, take into consideration that 996's love to wear down the rear tires naturally, I get about 8,000 to 10,000 miles until having to replace them (Average or $350 per tire). Also, regular maintenance, if you don't do your own oil change, be ready to spend $180 to $300 on dealer oil service.
But you can't beat the driving experience....All worth it
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Joined: Dec 2007
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From: Dallas
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i've only had mine for a short time and i'm already considering a TT. Love the handling but i'd like a little more grunt.
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Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Chained to my Laptop....
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First off, if you are considering a pcar you are obviously a man of good taste 
I have a 2002 C2 and it has been my daily driver for well over a year now, love it. Car has been very reliable and I've taken several long road trips. The only REAL money I've spent on the car thus far is on upgrades
..other than that, brakes ($1000), one set of rear tires ($600) and new interior alarm sensor ($220).
I think they are overall reliable cars, but if something does break they are one of the more expensive cars to fix.
I suppose this purchase also depends on how handy you are with basic wrenching. Oil changes, brakes, plugs are all things you can DIY if you're so inclined and will save you $ on the routine stuff.
Price - $25k seems a bit low to get into a decent pcar IMO. I'd suggest waiting until you can put together $35 or $40k comfortably, you'll have a lot more purchase options available.
If you do decide to go full on and buy yourself a pcar- Do get the PPI before agreeing to buy. It is $200 or so well spent. Also be sure to post any cars you find here for the members to take a look at. Great place to get collective expert advice and "sanity check".
Good luck on whichever direction you decide- I love USAA loans and car insurance
I have a 2002 C2 and it has been my daily driver for well over a year now, love it. Car has been very reliable and I've taken several long road trips. The only REAL money I've spent on the car thus far is on upgrades
..other than that, brakes ($1000), one set of rear tires ($600) and new interior alarm sensor ($220).
I think they are overall reliable cars, but if something does break they are one of the more expensive cars to fix.
I suppose this purchase also depends on how handy you are with basic wrenching. Oil changes, brakes, plugs are all things you can DIY if you're so inclined and will save you $ on the routine stuff.
Price - $25k seems a bit low to get into a decent pcar IMO. I'd suggest waiting until you can put together $35 or $40k comfortably, you'll have a lot more purchase options available.
If you do decide to go full on and buy yourself a pcar- Do get the PPI before agreeing to buy. It is $200 or so well spent. Also be sure to post any cars you find here for the members to take a look at. Great place to get collective expert advice and "sanity check".
Good luck on whichever direction you decide- I love USAA loans and car insurance
I am glad you made it over here from e46, but I must say please do not start posting your childish and overly repetitive threads here, it's a much different world over on the 6 and people too. Good luck with your decision and please stay safe out there.
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Altoona, PA
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Maintenance is pretty cheap for the 996.
Brakes are easy to get and replace with a large range of pads to choose from.
Plugs and coilpacks, at around $50 a cylinder these have been my largest maintenance cost in over 3 years.
Consumables can be expensive, tires for example. I get through a set of rears per year and they typically cost in the range of $400 each for the rears.
You need to drive these cars for them to remain in working condition. I've seen too many garage queens that develop leaking seals.
I've also seen many tracked 996's that run clean and strong.
Mine is a daily driver and was supercharged 2+ years ago. I drive it hard and so far it's been very reliable. It has 80k on it now pulls very hard in 3rd and 4th (that SC is a real kick in the pants)
As for oil changes, I get my own filter from AutoZone for ~$20 , grab my favorite oil and take it to the nearest jiffy lube. I've done maybe 10 oil changes this way over the past 3 years or so and been very pleased. I do the same with my ferrari too !
:-)
If you're only spending $25k on a 996 you're looking realistically at an older, higher milage machine. My advice would be to get it looked at by a knowledgeable mechanic and then start a repair fund and throw in $100 / month or so independent of oil change / tire costs... a true repair fund.
Also, find yourself a good independent mechanic and try and stick with them. The Porsche garages will bleed you dry.
996's are not so rare, there are many mechanics out there who've worked on them before. I'm lucky enough that the guy at the end of my street has a series of porsches and is also smart enough to work on my fcar too.
Im my opinion the 996 is the worlds best daily driver sportscar.
I'd say go for it now while you can. You never know what might happen later.
Brakes are easy to get and replace with a large range of pads to choose from.
Plugs and coilpacks, at around $50 a cylinder these have been my largest maintenance cost in over 3 years.
Consumables can be expensive, tires for example. I get through a set of rears per year and they typically cost in the range of $400 each for the rears.
You need to drive these cars for them to remain in working condition. I've seen too many garage queens that develop leaking seals.
I've also seen many tracked 996's that run clean and strong.
Mine is a daily driver and was supercharged 2+ years ago. I drive it hard and so far it's been very reliable. It has 80k on it now pulls very hard in 3rd and 4th (that SC is a real kick in the pants)
As for oil changes, I get my own filter from AutoZone for ~$20 , grab my favorite oil and take it to the nearest jiffy lube. I've done maybe 10 oil changes this way over the past 3 years or so and been very pleased. I do the same with my ferrari too !
:-)
If you're only spending $25k on a 996 you're looking realistically at an older, higher milage machine. My advice would be to get it looked at by a knowledgeable mechanic and then start a repair fund and throw in $100 / month or so independent of oil change / tire costs... a true repair fund.
Also, find yourself a good independent mechanic and try and stick with them. The Porsche garages will bleed you dry.
996's are not so rare, there are many mechanics out there who've worked on them before. I'm lucky enough that the guy at the end of my street has a series of porsches and is also smart enough to work on my fcar too.
Im my opinion the 996 is the worlds best daily driver sportscar.
I'd say go for it now while you can. You never know what might happen later.
I looked at a E46 and wasn't that impressed. Really depends on what you want. EVO would probably be the best bang for the buck. I like the car but feel a little too old to be driving something like that. A 2% loan is very nice, wish I had that! Anyways, my theory (I'm 24) is that you only live once. You might have an opportunity to own a pcar down the road, however most people get married and have a family. In these situations sometimes it makes it impossible to own a pcar. I went ahead and jumped on the opportunity. I figured, if I didn't do it now, I might miss my chance for a long time. I'd personally look for an 02, they seem to have a lot less isolated problems. I'd just be prepared to pay for something. You will dish out more money for oil and tires, etc. Just ask yourself, worse case scenario can I afford _______. If so, I'd recommend getting a 911.
I've seen rebuilt transmissions as low as $2500 (with core). I priced it out just in case. I haven't heard of any transmission failures. The RMS isn't a huge deal. Labor will be more expensive for a clutch, but I'm sure if it was driven respectfully then you wouldn't have to worry about it down the road. I haven't seen many 996s over the 100K mi mark. Probably because if you bought it new for $80K you wouldn't drive the hell out of it. Like many temperamental cars, you hear great stories and bad. From my research they seem to be for the most part pretty reliable.
With that being said, mine is at the dealer getting a new engine (warrantied, thank god). They attributed a check engine light/fault being a defective camshaft.
With that being said, mine is at the dealer getting a new engine (warrantied, thank god). They attributed a check engine light/fault being a defective camshaft.
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Altoona, PA
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[quote=swift996;1794985]I've seen rebuilt transmissions as low as $2500 (with core). I priced it out just in case. I haven't heard of any transmission failures. The RMS isn't a huge deal. Labor will be more expensive for a clutch, but I'm sure if it was driven respectfully then you wouldn't have to worry about it down the road. I haven't seen many 996s over the 100K mi mark. Probably because if you bought it new for $80K you wouldn't drive the hell out of it. Like many temperamental cars, you hear great stories and bad. From my research they seem to be for the most part pretty reliable.
With that being said, mine is at the dealer getting a new engine (warrantied, thank god). They attributed a check engine light/fault being a defective camshaft.[/quote]
I doubt I will have a warranty, things like that scare me to death.
With that being said, mine is at the dealer getting a new engine (warrantied, thank god). They attributed a check engine light/fault being a defective camshaft.[/quote]
I doubt I will have a warranty, things like that scare me to death.
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Joined: Mar 2004
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i'd rather have a newer E46 M3 than an older 996, no question.
i trust in the reliability of the E46 M3 than the M96 996 esp in the 99-01s which is all you're gonna get in your price range.
i trust in the reliability of the E46 M3 than the M96 996 esp in the 99-01s which is all you're gonna get in your price range.
Keep in mind the up keep on a M3 is just as expensive as a 996. I don't know there are way to many moving parts in that engine and way too many electronic gizmos. I just see M3's having expensive repairs down the road, however they do seem to run strong for long. I could bash M3's until eternity, they to me are a refined Honda Civic. Handle about as good as a Mustang. They weigh too much, but they are a nice daily driver and the engine has a great power band. Just a bad chassis in my opinion. Don't worry about a warranty, just an odd isolated incident. This was triggered by a check engine light, and it was more cost-effective to replace the engine, rather then pulling the thing apart. They attributed it to a defective camshaft. I'm sure if it wasn't under warranty I'd drive it without an issue. They spent days trying to figure it out, probably couldn't so they said, hell there is a warranty, we will just replace it.
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Altoona, PA
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Keep in mind the up keep on a M3 is just as expensive as a 996. I don't know there are way to many moving parts in that engine and way too many electronic gizmos. I just see M3's having expensive repairs down the road, however they do seem to run strong for long. I could bash M3's until eternity, they to me are a refined Honda Civic. Handle about as good as a Mustang. They weigh too much, but they are a nice daily driver and the engine has a great power band. Just a bad chassis in my opinion. Don't worry about a warranty, just an odd isolated incident. This was triggered by a check engine light, and it was more cost-effective to replace the engine, rather then pulling the thing apart. They attributed it to a defective camshaft. I'm sure if it wasn't under warranty I'd drive it without an issue. They spent days trying to figure it out, probably couldn't so they said, hell there is a warranty, we will just replace it.
refined honda civic? handles as well as a MUSTANG? Whoa those are some fighting words, hope no M guys see that lol
Haha, nah, they are nice, but they just don't have the handling characteristics I demand of a car. I had a RX8 previous to buying the 911, and the M3 felt like a sedan compared to the RX8.
You can't drive the car then, or car's in general. I would imagine my GT2 with Moton's is among the top of food chains supercar wise in terms of handling, guess what, I still think the E46 m3 stock is fantastic, even in handling which allowed me to do 1:06 around Limerock in a bone stock E46 M3, which you probably know nothing about. No need for ignorant comparisons/opinions.