74 replies to this topic

[pete-r]

Regarding the turbo take no notice of the above post. The front radiators can be solved from rusting and therefore failing by a simple piece of mesh in front. The engine on the 996turbo and 997 turbo is called the mezger engine and is a masterpiece derived from porsches race engine, no stronger engine anywhere. As for turbos needed rebuilding, well that's no different from any turbo car.

Rubbish. If the rads are corroded already they can't be solved, they need to be replaced. Dazren on Pistonheads ran one for 6 years and cost £4K per year in break downs and repairs. The block is bulletproof but things will still break. http://www.pistonhea....asp?carId=2685 It will cost much more to repair than a C2. Fact.

Edited by pete-r, 08 February 2016 - 10:20 PM.

[Bennyy]

Regarding the turbo take no notice of the above post. The front radiators can be solved from rusting and therefore failing by a simple piece of mesh in front. The engine on the 996turbo and 997 turbo is called the mezger engine and is a masterpiece derived from porsches race engine, no stronger engine anywhere. As for turbos needed rebuilding, well that's no different from any turbo car.

Rubbish. If the rads are corroded already they can't be solved, they need to be replaced. Dazren on Pistonheads ran one for 6 years and cost £4K per year in break downs and repairs. The block is bulletproof but things will still break. http://www.pistonhea....asp?carId=2685 It will cost much more to repair than a C2. Fact.

So you get your info second hand and I've run a 996 turbo for three years and have had my 997 turbo over two years. If the bloody rads are already corroded you don't buy it or knock the replacement cost of the car its not rocket science. Typical Internet scare stories.

[pete-r]

Think your missing the point. Whether it's the rads, the gearbox, the clutch or anything else. Forget a single failure, the point is that a 996 will cost more money to run than a VX, a turbo will cost more money to run than a 996. I'm not saying don't buy one, I'd love one, but don't think it'll cost Golf money.

[Bennyy]

Yeah, your right but some people exaggerate some things.

[Captain Vimes]

There's plenty of high mileage 997.1's for sale... they can't all be that unreliable. Anyone owned one rather than just internet rumour? A good warranty from one of the specialists should provide piece of mind. There was a nice c2 at rpm technik up for £22k which looked perfect: http://www.rpmtechni...97-carrera-2-3/ Still no idea whether I'd actually want to drive it/own it. Need to get a test drive. Evora is lovely but out of my price range for a couple of years.

[coople]

I test drove a 3.4 911 a few years ago. It was a black 996 carrera 2 tiptronic. It had the full gt3 body kit and looked mega. Unfortunately I then drove it and the love affair ended immediately. It felt really slow and dull.... Yep I ended up buying a vx220 turbo instead as that put a massive smile on my face which the 911 didn't. I still like the 911's but it would have to be a 3.8 version. Don't waste your time with a 3.4.

[MartinS]

I met a guy once as he wanted to try a vx220 sc, he then let me drive his 911 Carrera (996 I think). Sharp steering but everything else was very underwhelming, and often horrid interior colours for some reason, very American in there colour choices.

 

Martin S

 

[fiveoclock]

All gen 1 997 and 996 can incur mahooosive costs. The RMS and IMS issues on a carrera are small costs compared to the potential issues on a turbo. Turbos can need rebuilding, radiators can rust/leak, the 4wd system can whine, brakes are huge money and PASM can go on the fritz. I once bought a boxster s from a guy with a turbo. When he got it the receipts showed the front rads had been replaced at a cost of almost 12k from an OPC. Read up on Mole on SELOC, he bought a nice car with warranty etc and in the last 18 months has spent £15k on it (£5k on upgrades admittedly). Eyes wide open!

And the other side of this is I have friend who paid £25k for a 55000 miles turbo coupe and has spent nothing on it in a year. You couldnt buy that car now for £28k. Regarding expenditure buying a 911 turbo is no worse than buying a DB9, Vantage, Maserati Spider/GranTurismo, Jag XKR/F type, M5/M6. All have the potential for a massive spend but it doesnt have to be that way if you buy right. I always think the secret is that if you can only afford the cheapest ones on the market then dont buy one because it wont be cheap.

[Stevie Dubyah]

996 turbo prices have been edging north for a while now.

Never driven one, but I would have thought that a low mileage one would see a healthy return over the next few years and that could be offset against the running costs.

 

Drove a 2009 911 (the boggo version) a couple of years back - compared to the VX it left me cold. You definitely need to get an extended test run to see if you'll like it.

[james_ly]

I would love to buy a cheap 996 3.4 and mod it to make a GT3 replica (stripped out, suspension, bodykit etc, stick with 300hp standard engine). The things that put me off are:

Cost to run, track days would be a lot more for instance.

Constant fear of engine rebuild (I'm bad enough thinking about VX issues)

Read on Pistonheads the other day of a £12k rebuild on a 911!

Most of them are silver, would take a while to find a nice one.

 

That said I haven't driven one and it might be a NEED car...

[p4cks]

Briefly... I owned a 996.2 and it was ruinous. Needed an engine rebuild (preventative, not because of failure) at a cost of £5k and I was lucky. Mine was 88k miles. My friend has a 996 C4S and his has just had a £12k engine rebuild from Hartech. Again not because of failure (bore scoring) but preventative. His has 22k miles. Someone else I know who has a 997.1 has just had a £12k rebuild because of failure (bore scoring) after 12k miles. Now if they were more fun to drive, or exciting in any way I could almost justify it. But, they're dull and woefully unreliable. The internet scare stories are there because that's real life and that's what happens. Every 996.1/996.2/997.1 will have had and will need an engine rebuild at some point in their life. They're a ticking bomb. In short; I wouldn't wish a 911 NA on my worst enemy.

[siztenboots]

3.2l 986 S MY2002 bought 2010 , 85k upto 120k

 

set of front pads + discs

water pump

new clutch and fork ( @110k on original )

2x rear snow tyres

2x rear summer tyres

2x front summer tyres

wheel refurb

softtop refurb

new battery

 

plus 9.5l of oil , filters at service intervals

 

[stu8v]

Most at work have had to have air-conditioning radiators. 3-4K servicing seems the norm....

[siztenboots]

my rads will need doing , front bumper needs a respray from hoon damage

[pete-r]

My second 986 had an engine failure, luckily a few months after I traded it.

[siztenboots]

My second 986 had an engine failure, luckily a few months after I traded it.

 

2.7l ?

[stu8v]

Air-cooled ftw

[jonnyboy]

Gen 2 FTW!

[pete-r]

My second 986 had an engine failure, luckily a few months after I traded it.

  2.7l ?

Was a 3.2. The first 986 I had was also a 3.2 and while the engine was ok the motor on the soft top failed and cost a lot to repair.

[Captain Vimes]

Based on the comments about driving experience they don't sound worth the hassle. I'll try and get a test drive in a 911 and an Evora at some point this year.

 

But for now I'll stop looking at classifieds for porsche's and start booking up some trips/track days for the VX.