Is it possible?

A base C2, nothing elaborate. Just some giddy-up and great handling. Outside of gas cost and insurance rape, Can I reasonably expect to drive one around daily without moving to the pour house....

advice, please.

 

Make sure you call around for insurance, you'd be surprised by how much the rates vary....... Before I bought the 996 my DD was an 06 SC430. Allstate was charging me about $250/month. I called a number of other insurance companies and they wanted around the same amount so I just gave up looking for a cheaper rate. After I went to the 996, my price quotes went up $50/month across the board. Miami is rated as one of the most expensive places for car insurance in the nation, so I sucked it up and payed the $300/month. Then about a week ago I called Geico after seeing one of their stupid commercials. My insurance dropped by 50% to $807/6months, and that's for maxed out coverage. That's about 30% less than the cost to insure my 05 LandCruiser lol. Affordable insurance isn't impossible to find; I'm 26yo with no tickets (that show up in FL DMV's system), no accidents, and my car is speed yellow/6 speed, so there is hope!

Also make sure you get direct quotes. I'm not sure how much it makes a difference, maybe someone else who is more knowledgeable about insurance can chime in here, but the quotes I got from agents that had their own offices were always higher than the quotes I got online.

As for other costs, a PPI should weed out any problem vehicles that you may encounter in your search, but I would hesitate to buy a car like this if you are on a tight budget and can't afford a surprise $1k+ repair bill. Honestly though, from my research it doesn't seem like those things happen very often..... Unless it's something MAJOR that requires you to tow it into a dealer or indy, you can probably fix most of the things yourself and source the used parts on Ebay or the forum classifieds for pennies on the dollar.

 

Btw, watch out for the mod bug. If you get bitten, well, forget about "repair and maintenance" costs. Those are nothing compared to what you can dump into these cars on aftermarket goodies.... Ask me how I know

 

Definately shop around for insurance...the 996 is actually pretty cheap to insure..
Even if everything checks out...make sure you leave room for regular maintenance...there are always things minor/major that needs to be addressed...and probably stay off this site....I probably spent 5x more on mods than maintenance which were quite a few with the miles racking up..

 

It's been my DD going on 7 months now

 

Whatever you do, don't read the threads and look at mod photos appearing on this and other pcar sites. The mod-996 virus will infect you. It will own your mind. It will make you use paypal and cc. There is no known cure, once you become infected.

 

Hey, i have a 1999 996 c4 with 98,000 that i drive as a daily driver. almost 90 miles a day. 45 miles to work and back.

 

99 c2 cab. driven daily from 40k miles to 110k miles, in about 3 years. at 108k engine went.. rebuilt and keep driving it. Insurance around $100/mo, state farm.

 

I split the daily driving between my 99 P-car and my 00 E55 AMG. 45K on one, and 75K on the latter. Both are meticulously maintained with a running budget of $3K. 2010 was tires, air filters, cabin filters, and oil/filter changes. 2011 should be only oil/filter changes. Nonetheless, be prepared for the unexpected, and the inevitable. 2012 will more than likely be clutch time for the P-car. Got's to pay if you want to play. Luckily, I am an older fart. And, I have both insured @ $150 per month.

 

Thanks all. I'll try not to mod it. My 02 wrangler is still stock, which is unfathomable in the realm of jeeps. I keep it that way to avoid problems, almost 10 years old and the only major issue was a clutch replacement @ 140K miles. bullet proof.

I'm looking for the same in a base 996, no frills.



What was the cost of the rebuild?

What are typical issues that arise? RMS/IMS what are these things? Would they have already happened on a 50K mile 996?

stock tire replacement intervals/cost, oil change interval/cost, ...and so forth. Sorry for all the questions, i just dont want to end up crying and feeling all dirty on the side of the road from being wallet raped.

 

rebuild was 8.5k out of the door.

typical things are.... none. the majority of the cars are just fine and do not break. If you want foolproof, get a turbo engine does not have the porosity issue that the regular c2's and c4s had. or, a gt3 it does not suffer from it either. Not sure if the 4S has same issue... anybody?

 

I have been driving a Porsche as daily drivers for since 1976. my first, and ONLY engine rebuild, was the first day of my first one ('72 911S). the only other MAJOR work was a turbo replacement on a 944 turbo. The rest over 35 yrs has been maintenance and replacement of failed parts. My audis, VWs and Fords all had the same problems over the same time.

I have been keeping strict records on my current one, 2002 C4S. Costs were higher in the first year as I was fixing all the small items the previous owner failed to do. Since then, other than tires, the only big item was a catalytic converter failure (i found a used one for $200) and dodged a bullet.

If you find one with a careful history from a careful owner, these things can run for a long time.

And the fun you get from it, is worth the inconveniences.
JB

 

my 996 was as reliable as a toyota or mercedes for that matter. no issue except an oil leak (RMS) that was fixed under warranty.

keep in mind that 911 engines will eventually go north of the 120k mi mark. don't expect it to last more than 150k miles without some major overhaul. (read $$$). so, i would not put tons of miles if you plan to keep the car for years.

 

I've been using mine as a DD rain/sun/snow for almost a year now. As long as you don't get a lemon, you should be fine. The potential issues are all posted here. It's luck of the draw - check the car out carefully and try to avoid any lemons.

 

Hey Tarzancoe just wondering where you got your engine rebuilt. I'm in Pomona with a '99 996. I don't need the rebuild now, but I just want to know for future reference. Thanks!