I went to my cousin's house and test drove his 07 Cab 4S stick. I never thought about owning a Porsche, but the drive was just too awesome and I am thinking about buying one for weekend drives. Please help a new member like me on some questions:

1) I am thinking about buying a 02~ 996 RWD coupe manual, will that drive much different than the 07 4S in terms of power & feel?

2) How is the reliability on these cars? I went to the library and checked out the old Consumer Report. These cars are said to have much worse than avg reliability record. How do you owner feel about the accuracy of the report?

3) Which years are good years or more reliable? Is 02 a good year? I am thinking about paying $23K for a <70K mile car.

4) What are the common problems?

5) What do I look for when I test drive for signs of problem?

6) Other than the oil change & air filter change(I currently do these on my cars), what are common maintenance items @ what intervals?

 

I would say there are no good or bad years. Each car will depend on it's history of owners. Which ever car you buy you need to get a PPI from a shop you trust and have researched. The more details the old owner can give you the better. A second sets of keys with be $200.00 plus dollars. Nothing is cheap with these cars. If you drive it daily then you will be buying rear tires every year($400-$600 a set). Can you do your owner maintance? Sure. No harder to work on then most cars. You just won't be able to run to the local parts store to pick up parts in most cases but with some planning and the internet. You will be OK. I would buy the newest car you can afford and have 1-2K saved for an o s#!t fund.

 

I'm looking for exactly what you are. 2002-3, Carrera or Targa, <50k miles, manual. Yes, there are some issues with these cars. Best years are the more recent 997s--which consequently are more expensive. The MKII 996 (2002 up until the 997 switch) cars are *better* than the 1999-2001s, but still can be a challenge. Most common issues are the RMS and IMS, which have been quite well addressed in previous threads here, as well as on some other Porsche based forums. Doing the preventative IMS maintenance, (Flat6/LNE) is good peace of mind and I plan to do it to whatever I purchase, if it's not been done already. The hardest thing for me is to put the emotion aside and not settle. Since its not going to be your daily driver, you have the luxury of looking until you find exactly the right car/right price, etc.

There are others on this site that have, just today, forgotten more than I know about these cars... so I'll stop here.

Enjoy the search!!

 

+1.

PPI+Extensive Records should have you in a good place. Save up and get the LN IMSr done if it hasn't been. I recommend this for ANY naturally aspirated 996.

Set aside 2-4K per year for maintenance. Cost of ownership: Its no honda, (but its no ferrari either. Thank goodness.)

Good luck!

 

Good advice from all above. Best time to do the IMS upgrade is when the clutch is replaced and/or do clutch when upgrading IMS ... just last week, my brother had his clutch replaced on his '03 996 and I failed to convince him, in time, to do the IMS upgrade as well... the mechanic at the dealer told him "IMS looks fine" (banging head with hammer emoticon here) ...

 

Oh man! That is so frustrating! I hope thinks work out for your brother.
I need it done and my car is sitting for a couple of weeks until I have the money. Too risky.

 

What ever happened to if it anit broke don't fix it? I think the IMS issues is an issue but it is blown up just like the Ford spark plug blow out. Does it happen? Yes. To every vehicle? No. A large number of vehicles? No. I also believe it is still too early to say the current fix is 100%. The numbers are just too small. Just my 2 cents and I am no expert.
Buy a car that has been serived and buy a car that has been driven.

 

Maybe doing the IMS job alone is overly neurotic, and I doubt I would ... but if the clutch is out anyway, it's definitely time to replace the IMS.

 

Going back to the first post, i have found that the 997 is nicer, but it is also newer and more expensive. I too began looking for a 2002 cpe and as you can see wound up with a 2004 C4S Cab. I find it awesome and am very happy with it. Yes, I have had problems, minor for a Porsche, but heartily recommend the 996. From what I have read and seen, the 996 is not in as much in demand as the 997, but at this point it is a bargain for a Porsche and again an "awesome" driver. The advice to get the latest model you can afford is right on and hold some cash to the side, because I guarantee that you will find something to spend it on (whether you want to or not).

 

If you need a rebuild because of a failed IMS. I promise I won't say, "I told you so".

From your previous post about telling a new owner to keep 1-2K set aside for "Oh Sh*t" money has me questioning your credibility.

My research on IMS failings as well as the numerous design flaws that can potentially lead to catastrophic failure on ALL M96 engines is not based entirely on empirical evidence or, like in your case, assumption and speculation.

I love the 996 (owned mine for almost 7 years) but no one should mistake the 996 for a Porsche from the 60s 80s or early to mid 90s.

No fiction here, just sharing advice based on data.

Take care!

 

It is a used car. Stuff happens. Will a PPI tell how much life is left in the clutch, wheel bearing, or AOS? No. I would just want a new owner to have some funds set asside to replace all tires at once if needed. If the money is there then is will be a lot easier to deal with. I was just trying to say most people express problems on these forums and not success stories.
So these 80s gear pop out was not an issue. Rocking your car to get it back in gear was a non issue? Jesus we still have the 2nd gear pop out issue today some 30 years later. All MFG have issues. Porsche would not be rated among the top MFG in the world if they were a crappy company.
I just dont want someone getting in over their head with a repair that cant afford.
I would love to see REAL data that say engine failure to IMS and only IMS. From my research no one has any. Porsche was paying a lot for cores so no one was taking them apart. Was Porsche trying to hide something?? Who knows.
Share your data.

 

3) Which years are good years or more reliable? Is 02 a good year? I am thinking about paying $23K for a <70K mile car.
Probably do-able

4) What are the common problems?
Leaking coolant overflow tank. A real pain to replace.

5) What do I look for when I test drive for signs of problem?
Coolant on the ground at the back left.

6) Other than the oil change & air filter change(I currently do these on my cars), what are common maintenance items @ what intervals?
Cablin filter - ichange it bi-annually. Tires as needed.

 

Maintenance shedule is basically the same as most cars. 30k,60k, 90K, and etc filters, plugs and fluids. Oil 3k to 5k. Some do 10k.
I would want to drive the car with the engine and trans cold. That way you can see if smoks or idles bad. Also do it pop out of gear when it is cold. Check oil cap for yellow sludge. If present then the car has not been driven very much or to the point the engine get warm enough. Check oil for water and check coolant for oil. Look for signs of leaks. Too clean of an engine or underside could be a warning sign too. Look at the tire wear. Should be some what even unless they have it set up for the track. Check every button to ensure EVERYTHING works. ie. windows, sunroof, truck, boot, gas lid lock, and radio. Electrical issues can be tough to troubleshoot. Look for sign of water under the driver and passenger seats. If you see ANY sign of water here walk away.

 

fu$k the IMS mania/paranoia.just buy and enjoy...when is something happend you will deal with that.
I'm so tired of IMS issue being everywhere where mentioned 996 reliability.I think is just way to overdramatized issue.....(just my opinion).

 

AMS: Life expentancy(at what milage should change?) How much is it at dealer? At private shop part(is there good aftermarket?) & labor?

IMS: (same questions as above)

Clutch life expectancy?

What's PPI? LN IMSr?

I have a 01 530i I do the oil change, air filter & spark plugs. It is so reliable & easy to maintain. I wish the 996 is as reliable.