996 Buyers Guide
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996 Buyers Guide - 2/26/2007 10:40:28 PM
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PorscheDoc
Posts: 2553
Joined: 4/24/2005
From: Overland Park, KS
Status: offline
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There have been a lot of member’s lately asking the same basic questions pertaining to buying a 911. I have decided to create a buyer’s guideline for the 911 models to help answer a lot of the questions that are being asked. I will edit it as needed, and also add sections for 993, 964, 930’s, etc as I have time. Hopefully this will alleviate the same questions from being asked on the board. Note, I will not include any financial information as far as purchasing prices, etc. It is quite easy to track how cars are selling on your own, and each region of the country/countries will vary anyway.
Pre Purchase Inspection: I can not recommend a PPI enough, unless you are a professional Porsche mechanic. Typically they run from $150-300, and is money well spent. A good PPI will include a printed document that covers inspection of all aspects of the vehicle. They will look for a lot of issues that I will talk about later. Typically the potential buyer will pay for the PPI. This information is solely for the buyer, and the seller should not have access to this information, since he did not pay for the inspection. Make sure you discuss this with the person inspecting the car, so that there are no misunderstandings.
Porsche 996: The 996 version of the Porsche 911 ran from 1999-2005. It was produced in a C2, C4, C4S, as well as the Twin Turbo package.
Upkeep: Every one will experience different labor rates depending on which dealer or independent mechanic you have your car serviced at. Some dealers are quite affordable, while others will charge $250 for an oil change. This will all depend on your area. A good independent Porsche mechanic can save you a lot of money. Make sure you budget maintenance into your overall purchase price of the vehicle. Also, keep in mind that a major failure with a Porsche can cost you a LOT of money, so you may want to look into aftermarket warranties, or Porsche certified vehicles which still have a warranty remaining.
Some of the more common failure/maintenance points:
Rear Main Seal: The C2 and C4’s engine is prone to rear main seal leaks. While the internet makes it seem like a huge deal, it is not as common as one might think. It is definitely something to look for when purchasing a 996 though. Cost of replacement can typically run upwards of $1500 since you replace the clutch while you are in there. The updated seal used is a 997 part number. Typically, if the engine does not show a leak at the RMS by 15k miles, then it will not likely occur. The RMS issue does not exist in the turbos, as the engine is the traditional flat six, split case design. I am sure they still occur on occasion, but not nearly as often. When should you replace the seal? When the oil drips on the driveway start to annoy your wife. Will it hurt anything? No, but a severe leak will obviously lead to decreased oil in the engine over time, and could lead to engine failure if you do not add the oil it is losing.
Clutch: Typically clutch life will be around 50-60k miles. This will all depend on the driver of the vehicle though. I have seen clutches go out around 30k miles, and some cars with 70k miles on the original clutch. Cost to replace is roughly $1500 for C2/4. For the turbo, expect around $2500-3000 due to twice the labor rate (18 hours), and a more expensive clutch.
Stiff Clutch Pedal: Typically a very stiff clutch pedal in the C2/4 is indicative of a bad throw out bearing guide arm. There is an updated arm and release bearing which will alleviate this problem. Again, you are looking in that $1500-1600 range to have it replaced.
Tires: Porsche put quite a bit of negative camber into the rear suspension, and along with the weight of the engine being over the rear tires, tire life is much shorter than a standard car. Typically 15k-20k miles out of a set of rear tires is doing very well. Due to the negative camber, the insides will wear out first, while the outside tread will still look good. Front tires will last longer, and typically you will get twice the life of the fronts versus the rears.
Brakes: At roughly 30-40k miles you will probably need at least brake pads in the front. They wear almost twice as fast as the rear pads, so typically you can get a set of rears to last per 2 sets of front pads. At 60k miles, expect to replace the rotors at all corners. To replace everything front and back, expect around a $1200 bill.
Oil Changes: Typically the engines will use a Mobil 1 0w-40 full synthetic oil. Usually it will take roughly 8.5 quarts of oil, and a paper cartridge oil filter (Mahle #OC128). Some dealers will charge $60, some will charge $250.
Tune-ups: Tune ups are done every 15k miles, with major services done at 30k, 60k, and 90k miles. Minor services can range from $500 for an oil change, pollen filter change, air filter change, and inspection of the vehicle. A major service will include the aforementioned, along with spark plugs, and a much more thorough inspection of every aspect of the car. A major service can easily run over $1200.
Engine: Intermediate shaft failure. I like to call this catastrophic engine failure, because it will require a new engine. Some of the C2/4's have had serious failure due to the intermediate shaft failure. Is it all that common? Not really, but it still does occur on occasion. This is where a warranty will save you, as it will typically run well over $10k for a rebuilt engine to be put in the car. Porsche dealers do not even try and fix the engine, they are boxed up and sent back to Germany where they are inspected. Porsche will install a remanufactured engine which should not suffer the same fate.
To be continued…….
< Message edited by PorscheDoc -- 2/26/2007 10:49:23 PM >
_____________________________
Doc Wilen
I Stayed At A Holiday Inn Express Last Night
Imagine Auto
86 951: 295WHP/275RWTQ. 2670lbs
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RE: 996 Buyers Guide - 2/27/2007 4:16:25 PM
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ladams1
Posts: 105
Joined: 1/31/2007
Status: offline
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well done and helpful.
Thank you for taking the time to pull this together.
Lee
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RE: 996 Buyers Guide - 3/8/2007 9:31:09 AM
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jlowe
Posts: 10
Joined: 3/8/2007
Status: offline
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good stuff doc...thanks. i just bought a 2003 911 with the tiptronic transmission. the car has 67,000 on it and its going in for an oil change, tune up and overall inspection next week (as well as getting new tires). are there any benchmarks or concerns with the tip at this mile level that i should look for?
thanks.
j.
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RE: 996 Buyers Guide - 3/8/2007 1:06:20 PM
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PorscheDoc
Posts: 2553
Joined: 4/24/2005
From: Overland Park, KS
Status: offline
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Obviously you want to check the brakes at that mileage. Surely the pads at least have been changed. Check for the RMS leak, but unless it is leaving puddles on your driveway, I wouldn't worry about it if they find a hint of a leak. Spark plugs, etc should probably be done unless you have records.
_____________________________
Doc Wilen
I Stayed At A Holiday Inn Express Last Night
Imagine Auto
86 951: 295WHP/275RWTQ. 2670lbs
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Ca Emissions Question - 3/19/2007 9:16:46 PM
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Ant Mo
Posts: 1
Joined: 3/19/2007
Status: offline
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Help Doc! I live in Ca and found an 02 911 in Tx I want to buy. We can't find any proof on the engine cover mentioning it's clear for Ca! Are all 911's good to go in Ca or how would I know this one is?
Thx,
Ant Mo
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RE: 996 Buyers Guide - 3/20/2007 1:07:22 PM
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jjb996cab
Posts: 16
Joined: 8/3/2006
Status: offline
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PorscheDoc - Do the intermediate shaft failures typically occur at the same time (ie. first 25,000 miles, over 100,00 miles, etc)??
Thanks.
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RE: 996 Buyers Guide - 4/10/2007 2:08:25 AM
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freewill07
Posts: 1
Joined: 4/10/2007
Status: offline
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Thanx for the helpful info
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www.mvarea.com
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Dealer Rate in Your Area? Please help thanks! - 5/23/2007 1:02:25 PM
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Miracle
Posts: 35
Status: offline
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My dealer wants to charge a large sum to drive 10 minutes to my home to program the key.
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RE: Dealer Rate in Your Area? Please help thanks! - 6/8/2007 2:41:13 AM
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4G64T
Posts: 4
Joined: 6/8/2007
Status: offline
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How prone is the 996 TT to RMS failure?
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RE: Dealer Rate in Your Area? Please help thanks! - 6/10/2007 8:02:36 AM
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2001911tt
Posts: 11
Joined: 3/21/2007
Status: offline
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thanks porsche doc - I just bought a 2001 996 tt with 3400 original miles. All I've done is change the oil and have the car inspected. They hooked it up the computer and found the car had experienced 6500 stage I driving incidents and 10 stage II (where the car is pushed to limits). So far, I think I've increased the cars stage II experiences, but the mechanics told me the car is still in a break in stage, essentially. It's a beautiful car and very well maintained, or should I say, unused! thanks for your guide.
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