2002 Porsche 996 Carerra4

[HoTWire]

Okay, I think it is time I started a thread on this, seeing as there is a section for it to live in.

This is my Porsche 996, which I planned to buy, enjoy for a summer and then sell. That was five years ago. Turns out it is a really nice car to drive, who knew!?!!

I washed it on Friday, drove to a local car meet on Saturday morning, so it currently looks like this:







Originally I set out to buy a cheap S class Mercedes, nothing seemed to be aligning with what I wanted and what was available. Then wife suggested that I get a Porsche because it was unlikely to deprecate too much in the 6 months I planned to keep it.

I found the car at a dealer relatively locally, was all the right bits at about average market price. A test drive was had, all seemed okay, deposit paid and a week or so later it arrived at my house.

At 80k miles it turns out a 996 needs a big old service. Rubbers start to perish, water pumps are often on the out, some of the cabling can start to degenerate. Spent the best part of 6k in the first six months of ownership. This was not the plan.

On the plus side I had kind of already decided it would be sticking around for longer than six months. The next couple of years didn't need much doing, so the servicing/repair costs evened out.

The next big thing was a charging problem, which turned out to be the alternator back needing replacing. I did this work myself, which took months of doing little bits at a time. Ultimately I replaced the starter motor, the back of the alternator and the "Y-cable" that can sometimes burn out.

Didn't do much other than drive it for another couple of years, but it needs some love now. So the current things to do list:

Windscreen needs trim replacing/resealing due to buzzing noise at speed
Aircon has a cracked pipe so doesn't work (just hot air)
Black plastic is faded and needs reviving
Lights need a polish
Body work needs a good quality detailing and blemishes fixing
Small dent in front wing from crows dropping sticks
Adjustment knobs in dashboard snapped and need replacing
One cup holder a little broken
Wipers need replacing (I have them, I am just lazy)
Floor mat on drivers side always on the curse word
Loose exhaust baffle makes annoying rattling noise (not sure there is much I can do about that)

My original plan was to do one thing a month, but it is March and I've got as far as ordering wiper blades. So maybe this thread can keep me honest.

[HoTWire]

Mar 10, 2024 8:34:55 GMT HoTWire said:

Adjustment knobs in dashboard snapped and need replacing

One of the best things about owning a Porsche I've discovered is that you can get just about any part for them. This is a 22 year old car and I can get the little dial adjustment knobs that go in the dash new off the shelf
www.design911.com/p/porsche-986-boxster-996-instrument-cluster-knob-set-99664191100/

On the flip side some parts are crazy expensive, replacement headlights are shocking.

[redratbike]

i’ve always wondered how these would play out as a daily


looking at the price of boxster’s dropping again makes me want to dip my toe in the porsche pond water as a 911 is out of my budget

just saw one sell for £1250 running , driving mot’d there are a few others too £1850, £2250,2800,£3k

i know there are a lot of issues mainly engine as far as forum info goes , IMS , tensioners etc but at that sort of money is it worth taking the chance ?

[longman]

D911 have had a pretty bad rep in the past , cant comment on what they are like now..
I would always use Matt at Type911 , if its not on his website give him a call.
Plus your local OPC , sometimes they will surprise you with a decent price for bits.

[HoTWire]

Mar 10, 2024 13:26:28 GMT longman said:

D911 have had a pretty bad rep in the past , cant comment on what they are like now..
I would always use Matt at Type911 , if its not on his website give him a call.
Plus your local OPC , sometimes they will surprise you with a decent price for bits.

I used to us Rose Passion mainly. I just use Design911 to search for bits and get parts numbers really. Then I shop around at different places. That being said whenever I've used D911 they've been fine.

[DarrenW]

Mar 10, 2024 8:34:55 GMT HoTWire said:

Small dent in front wing from crows dropping sticks

That's the most random thing I've read on here for some time

Nice car. I love 911s.

[HoTWire]

Mar 10, 2024 11:16:00 GMT redratbike said:

i’ve always wondered how these would play out as a daily

i know there are a lot of issues mainly engine as far as forum info goes , IMS , tensioners etc but at that sort of money is it worth taking the chance ?

This is essentially my daily driver, I work from home though so it isn't like it gets used every day, but it is what I take to the shops. The dog just about fits in the back, but we'll usually use the other car for dog based trips.

Generally speaking IMS and stuff shouldn't be an issue any more, it was always a small percentage and at this point either they would have gone, or they will have been replaced with a better bit.

I budget about £1,500 a year on average for servicing and bits (but then I get garages to do my services and stuff). I've very much enjoyed my experience with it (garage bills not withstanding), and reckon a good Boxster would be a pretty decent way to have some Porsche shaped fun. I'd avoid very very cheap, or if it is cheap I'd look for a full service history. Service history above all other things is the import part of buying something like this (even better if it is all main dealer, but that is now rare at the age and even more unlikely in a cheaper car).

[HoTWire]

Exciting news! I changed the wipers after making this thread. It took me less than 5 minutes. Hopefully all the rest of the things will be as quick and easy.

[Davey]

Mar 11, 2024 13:10:07 GMT HoTWire said:

Exciting news! I changed the wipers after making this thread. It took me less than 5 minutes. Hopefully all the rest of the things will be as quick and easy.

Renowned for their ease of spannering. in for the ride! Love an economically unstable decision for a daily(ish.)

[HoTWire]

Mar 11, 2024 16:26:03 GMT Davey said:

Renowned for their ease of spannering. in for the ride! Love an economically unstable decision for a daily(ish.)

I'm quite lucky that at the time the Maserati GranTurismo was a bit out of my reach. Or I would have made a very poor life choice hahah

[Davey]

Mar 11, 2024 16:28:11 GMT HoTWire said:

Mar 11, 2024 16:26:03 GMT Davey said:

Renowned for their ease of spannering. in for the ride! Love an economically unstable decision for a daily(ish.)

I'm quite lucky that at the time the Maserati GranTurismo was a bit out of my reach. Or I would have made a very poor life choice hahah

There was/ is a V8 Quatraporte at the very bottom end of my budget locally... Could I risk the financial ruin just for a noise. Dangerously I probably could.

[HoTWire]

Mar 11, 2024 16:31:41 GMT Davey said:

There was/ is a V8 Quatraporte at the very bottom end of my budget locally... Could I risk the financial ruin just for a noise. Dangerously I probably could.

To quote someone cleverer than me: "A £15,000 down payment on a £10,000 a year subscription"

[Paul]

Welcome to the club! Here's my 2004 C4S that I've had 4 years



Like you I realise whenever I drive it that it's actually a lovely drive...my problem is I park it in the garage, plug in the battery tender and then leave it there because it's too much of a faff (lazy, I know) to open the garage, unplug it, drive it out, close the garage and bimble off.

The Porsche tax is real though - I took the cd holder out of mine to replace with a tray - literally an empty piece of plastic - for the price of £70.

Mine had had a partial rebuild of the engine and the IMS done before I got it - and I did the AOS during one of the many lockdowns - so other than unsurprising MOT stuff (a corroded brake line, blown rear shock - thank you potholes - tyres and the like) mine's been pretty low maintenance.

Moved up to 5w50 oil in mine because it does like to burn it (and there are plenty of FB forums where owners will make you feel bad, insisting there's doesn't use a drop between changes) but when mine comes out it usually gets driven hard tbh.

[HoTWire]

Mar 11, 2024 19:26:09 GMT Paul said:

Like you I realise whenever I drive it that it's actually a lovely drive...my problem is I park it in the garage, plug in the battery tender and then leave it there because it's too much of a faff (lazy, I know) to open the garage, unplug it, drive it out, close the garage and bimble off.

Yeah mine lives outside for that reason, has a car cover though (although at the moment that is in the garage as I'm actually using it daily).

Mar 11, 2024 19:26:09 GMT Paul said:

The Porsche tax is real though - I took the cd holder out of mine to replace with a tray - literally an empty piece of plastic - for the price of £70.

I looked up the cost of replacement cupholders, nearly £250.

It is also the reason the car isn't lower, I really want to drop it an inch or so, then space the wheels a bit more, but doing it 'right' costs a fair amount, and it isn't the car for doing things the cheapest way possible.

[maf260]

Mar 11, 2024 16:38:53 GMT HoTWire said:

Mar 11, 2024 16:31:41 GMT Davey said:

There was/ is a V8 Quatraporte at the very bottom end of my budget locally... Could I risk the financial ruin just for a noise. Dangerously I probably could.

To quote someone cleverer than me: "A £15,000 down payment on a £10,000 a year subscription"

Maseratis aren't the money pit many would have you believe, you just need to follow the rules of most/all high performance cars when buying. I've had 5 and none of them remotely ruined me financially. Sourcing parts for the older coupes is becoming more of a struggle due to total lack of availability as Maserati are very poor at supporting older models. GranTurismos are becoming cheaper by the day and few cars beat them for the exhaust note and drama/experience when driving IMO.

[HoTWire]

Mar 12, 2024 15:15:44 GMT maf260 said:

Mar 11, 2024 16:38:53 GMT HoTWire said:

To quote someone cleverer than me: "A £15,000 down payment on a £10,000 a year subscription"

Maseratis aren't the money pit many would have you believe, you just need to follow the rules of most/all high performance cars when buying. I've had 5 and none of them remotely ruined me financially. Sourcing parts for the older coupes is becoming more of a struggle due to total lack of availability as Maserati are very poor at supporting older models. GranTurismos are becoming cheaper by the day and few cars beat them for the exhaust note and drama/experience when driving IMO.

My understanding from a friend who worked in a supercar dealership is that the GranTurismo is a great looking and sounding car, but spent a lot of time getting service/repaired (almost as much as McLarens (good old British build quality)).

I also understand that the 3200 is an absolute gem of a car. I looked at those too, just didn't find one in the spec I wanted before the 996 came up.

My first love is stupid Italian cars so I may well end up with something with a trident on it in the future.

[Davey]

Mar 12, 2024 15:15:44 GMT maf260 said:

Mar 11, 2024 16:38:53 GMT HoTWire said:

To quote someone cleverer than me: "A £15,000 down payment on a £10,000 a year subscription"

Maseratis aren't the money pit many would have you believe, you just need to follow the rules of most/all high performance cars when buying. I've had 5 and none of them remotely ruined me financially. Sourcing parts for the older coupes is becoming more of a struggle due to total lack of availability as Maserati are very poor at supporting older models. GranTurismos are becoming cheaper by the day and few cars beat them for the exhaust note and drama/experience when driving IMO.

Totally agree on the exhaust note. I used to work next door to a Ferrari/ Maserati/ General exotic specialist and dealer. I could listen to the V8's all day.

[maf260]

Mar 12, 2024 16:08:56 GMT HoTWire said:

Mar 12, 2024 15:15:44 GMT maf260 said:

Maseratis aren't the money pit many would have you believe, you just need to follow the rules of most/all high performance cars when buying. I've had 5 and none of them remotely ruined me financially. Sourcing parts for the older coupes is becoming more of a struggle due to total lack of availability as Maserati are very poor at supporting older models. GranTurismos are becoming cheaper by the day and few cars beat them for the exhaust note and drama/experience when driving IMO.

My understanding from a friend who worked in a supercar dealership is that the GranTurismo is a great looking and sounding car, but spent a lot of time getting service/repaired (almost as much as McLarens (good old British build quality)).

I also understand that the 3200 is an absolute gem of a car. I looked at those too, just didn't find one in the spec I wanted before the 996 came up.

My first love is stupid Italian cars so I may well end up with something with a trident on it in the future.

The GranTurismo certainly was a drop down in quality of materials - interior parts coming unstuck, sticky plastics etc. One issue with the earlier cars is the variators - a costly job if it lands in your ownership. The other major issue is front subframes rusting due to a total lack of any rustproofing - a big job to replace as they like to rust in places not easily picked up. The good news is that this is all now common knowledge to be armed with if looking for one.

My first Maserati was a 3200 and it got me hooked. Very much a GT rather than a sports or supercar, the auto is the one to go for due to end float issues caused by clutch operation on the manuals. They're having a resurgence and nice cars are appearing for sale at stronger money. Parts availabilty is the challenge here - 8 suspension arms at c.£1k each have seen many leave the road permanently. The boomerang rear lights are sublime and the interior is fully-lined with real leather unlike later cars. 4200s are very cheap right now but shouldn't be overlooked because of it. The slightly primitive F1 gearbox is easy to get used to, it's an incredible amount of car for the money. The pinnacle is the GranSport where Maserati finally made the best iteration of the coupe. I had 2 - one for 8 years and enjoyed every minute.

[ChasR]

I did wonder when you would get around to putting up the thread.

Mar 10, 2024 18:39:38 GMT HoTWire said:

Mar 10, 2024 11:16:00 GMT redratbike said:

i’ve always wondered how these would play out as a daily

i know there are a lot of issues mainly engine as far as forum info goes , IMS , tensioners etc but at that sort of money is it worth taking the chance ?

This is essentially my daily driver, I work from home though so it isn't like it gets used every day, but it is what I take to the shops. The dog just about fits in the back, but we'll usually use the other car for dog based trips.

Generally speaking IMS and stuff shouldn't be an issue any more, it was always a small percentage and at this point either they would have gone, or they will have been replaced with a better bit.

I budget about £1,500 a year on average for servicing and bits (but then I get garages to do my services and stuff). I've very much enjoyed my experience with it (garage bills not withstanding), and reckon a good Boxster would be a pretty decent way to have some Porsche shaped fun. I'd avoid very very cheap, or if it is cheap I'd look for a full service history. Service history above all other things is the import part of buying something like this (even better if it is all main dealer, but that is now rare at the age and even more unlikely in a cheaper car).

The Porsche specialist I know said a similar deal about the issues a while ago. I used to dread over similar issues when I had the 944 Turbo, and the S2 did bite me, albeit it was a lucky escape. Your point about expenses and downpayments is pretty true.

A fair budget to have every year IMHO, but that goes for any car really, depending on the faults you want to live with.

It's funny, we all live with cars longer than we planned these days. Maybe when you got the car is when prices of most things began to go up. I do certainly miss the days of cheap E38s, and cars in general.

Mar 12, 2024 15:15:44 GMT maf260 said:

Mar 11, 2024 16:38:53 GMT HoTWire said:

To quote someone cleverer than me: "A £15,000 down payment on a £10,000 a year subscription"

Maseratis aren't the money pit many would have you believe, you just need to follow the rules of most/all high performance cars when buying. I've had 5 and none of them remotely ruined me financially. Sourcing parts for the older coupes is becoming more of a struggle due to total lack of availability as Maserati are very poor at supporting older models. GranTurismos are becoming cheaper by the day and few cars beat them for the exhaust note and drama/experience when driving IMO.

I can believe that. I suppose, there are some folks who don't spend a load on cars, or simply run them into the ground as far as they can, which can skew things.

Speak to Clio 172 owners for example, and there is a big swing of running costs, depending on:

-The quality of parts they buy
-What they are willing to replace : I knew of folks who replaced arms and exhausts every couple of year to avoid dealer costs. Madness IMO, but I can see why some folks did it.

[HoTWire]

Ticked over 90,000 miles on the way back from Volksworld today. Also reminded me I need sort the Aircon!