Alright guys, I am in the Army and I'm transferring to Penn State in the fall. I will be a contracted ROTC Cadet there and 18 months from commission I will be using the USAA Cadet loan of $25,000 @ 2% to buy a new car.

I have gone over the E46 M3, the C5 Corvette and the EVO/STi.

E46 M3 is a special car, I considered it because it's great out of the box and would require little modification considering it does not respond to mods worth a damn anyways. However between the subframe failure issue, and the rod bearing recall issue I don't think it is special enough to justify supremely expensive repair and maintenance costs...

C5 Corvette I decided to rule out because though a great performer I can see myself getting annoyed with the rattles, chatters and plastic crap. Solidity just isn't really there even though it's rock solid reliable.

EVO is very tempting because it can be made to be sickly fast with very little money, I can use it for anything I want, DD... track time, snow time. The one thing that throws me off however is that it is not a car I can look out the window at or park on the beach at sunset and stand back and say mmm... that is... HOT! This is a killer for me I think, I will have M3, Supra and Porsche envy.

s2000 is just too slow...

Porsche 996. This is my perfect car... I THINK! Maybe you guys can help me out with this. The price of them is right. I can find one for between $20-25,000 with 75,000 miles or so on the clock. However I have some questions...

I understand this car is more expensive to maintain, but HOW much more? I see this as being ok because aside from cosmetics I doubt I would touch it so the money I WONT be using to modify that I would be using in another car can just go into the maintenance right?

-What goes bump in the night with these cars, what expensive issues come about... and when? I hear of the rear main seal issue being the reason why people can get 996 C2's so cheap. I fear it to the extreme I do not have cash lying around for a new motor.

-I see these cars for sale... MOST with 75-80k on them? What is the issue? Do people abandon these because things are going to start to crap out or break? Can I buy one with 75k and expect to run it like it's supposed to be upwards of 150k without huge gobs of cash?

-What am I getting myself into besides a great car. I want to know the unexagerated good, bad and ugly. People say these cars are "Rock solid reliable" like a "German Honda"... is this true or is someone smoking crack?

 

If you are borrowing the money to buy a $25K 996 then you may not be prepared to deal with the potential maintenance cost (or even an engine replacement). If you are living on a tight budget look at the Evo, G35 coupe, 350Z, etc.

 

my suggestions: you only live once, so get the car you desire most (and can afford). And most importantly, when buying a pcar (or any car for that matter) be sure to GET A PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection). When I was looking for my car, I ran into 2 situations where I didn't get the cars because the owners were concerned about the PPI...that should say something! Be sure to get it by a certified Porsche mechanic if possible.

Good Luck! I'm sure you won't be disappointed

 

I'd like to hear about maintenance, reliability, cost of ownership and longevity of these cars...

 

What about a current gen Boxster? I hate the 996 front end boxsters but the current gens look SWEET. But is it the same experience? Or is this the Porsche no one really cares about? I also am wondering if it's a chick car officially.

 

A Boxster S may be MORE fun to drive than the 996...its certainly EASIER to drive it fast...but the 996 is a faster car and gives you a scare when you get going..so extra adrenalin...lol...As far as reliability...I drove my 996 until it had almost 150k miles on it....BUT it had a new engine at about 60k...a small percentage of 996s can experience catastrophic engine failures....Mine had coolant and oil mixing inside the engine...so it was under warranty and so Porsche replaced the engine for free...great for me...Beyond that...if you get one that eithr has had an engine replaced or a lucky one that doesnt go..these cars are rock solid, very reliable and fun. Upkeep isnt that bad either...just stay on top of things. You wanna fix stuff BEFORE they fail. I would say look for a 996 with a replaced engine. Then you are good to go.

 

welcome to 6speed...I think you'll see some differences here vs bf.c

 

A car that has 75k+ miles priced at $20-25k is not going to be cheap to maintain. I have had my car for 3 years or so and all I can say that these cars need to be maintained with an open wallet. I've done (some under warranty, some maintenance): Tires, Brakes, RMS, IMS, coolant expansion tank, throw out bearing, lower control arms, etc, etc. You should be comfortable to budget $2-3k for annual maintenance (which is a little on the higher side) and hope that your engine will never grenade on you (which is not as common as some like to think).

 

These things scare me off entirely... not the maint part but the HOLY CRAP THIS JUST BROKE AND IT's A MILLION DOLLARS TO FIX. ie. ka-boom of flat 6

 

Buy a Honda Civic for now.

You will thank me.

I had Porsches before I was really ready for them financially and it took all the fun out of ownership. Your dream becomes your nightmare when the repairs start.

Wait until you're more financially secure


Sorry,

father TW nas spoken

 

Get the Porsche because you won't be happy. If you're worried about it breaking down buy an extended Warranty for peace of mind. Serious though, when you see a 996 on the road you're gonna say, 'Why didn't I just get one of those!"

 

You could always buy an aftermarket powertrain warranty. They usually run 2-4k depending on the model year and mileage. This way you don't need to worry about the engine going kaboom, but of course you pay the price upfront. Either way the wise course of action is to keep a few $$$ aside for unexpected repairs. If you don't have those $$$, don't get into it. Buy a beater for now, save the $$ over a few years and then get into a 996/997. Much better financially IMHO.

 

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.

 

I dunno, did you consider a 350z or drive one yet? Fairly responsive to mods and it's certainly an attractive car.

With that said, I'm looking at moving to a 996TT or 997.

 

A pcar boxster or 996 is expensive to maintain, reliable yes, but everything breaks.