Which 996 is best

As soon as you sit inside you notice the extra space compared with an air-cooled , thanks to a wider cabin no longer sucked in between the wheelarches and a longer wheelbase. You also notice the very s interior decor with its curves and swoops, and the abundance of Boxster-like plastic mouldings that do cheapen the ambience a bit, although a link with past s remains with the centre-stage rev-counter.

An air-cooled has floor-hinged pedals, but here the clutch and brake are normal and only the accelerator is floor-hinged. As for two-wheel versus four-wheel drive, at a gentle to brisk pace they feel surprisingly similar with little sense of the push-on understeer felt in a C4. At higher speeds and cornering loads, a C4 feels terrific if less obviously flavoured than a C2.

So, too, will a Targa, although its slide-back glass roof is a lovely piece of design. As for the engines, a 3. And the Tiptronic auto? Less than any other generation, is one answer, but prices are rising even if they are unlikely ever to reach air-cooled levels.

Might they, though, one day overtake prices for later versions as buyers seek a return to relative simplicity? You never know…. The Hagerty Price Guide covers only the 3. A trawl of cars offered for sale bears out these figures, but a late 3. Trouble is, by then damage to engine bearings, the oil pump and more could well have occurred, even if catastrophic failure was averted.

Most cars will have had the bearing replaced with a better design of one by now RPM includes an extra oil feed, too , so look for a record of this.

Otherwise the is an encouragingly reliable and durable machine, but age and mileage will inevitably wear out the suspension. The 3. But RPM is starting to see some bodywork problems as the galvanising gets used up. The rear inner wings and arches are the first to suffer, and often there are corroded fixings and fasteners which add to labour costs when they thwart maintenance. The is a prestigious Porsche, of course, but even Porsche bought such normally-unseen parts on a budget, Daly observes.

The interior is robust and wears well, and all parts are available to remedy any shabbiness. Squeaks and rattles are common in Targas, and they are also prone to cabin condensation — more so than the cabriolet. Check for corrosion at the bottom of the air-conditioning radiator in the nose, too — the aperture fills with leaves and debris, and the dampness eats away at the bottom seam. Provided you bought a good car in the first place, of course.

An early 3. The first two were bought when five years old and the Turbo at 18 years old. I own a 3. All I have done to it is change the IMS bearing, periodic normal maintenance and methodically changing the oil at 3, mile or less. My has , miles on it. I purchased it over 16 years ago with about 5, miles on it. Tip offers a manual, clutchless shift mode or a fully automatic mode - great for urban driving.

All s come with power assisted steering and brakes, plus ABS. PSM offers a combination of traction control and differential braking for those situations where a wheel gets on the loose or slippery stuff. Child seats fit in front or back, but the Cabriolet can really only accommodate young children. The faster s are defined by the legendary 'Mezger' engine, which can trace its history back through Le Mans winners and all the 's remarkable plus years in production. The Mezger engine has turned the faster s into modern collectibles, with the GTs and Turbos experiencing attractive value stability.

The choice of will obviously be driven by your budget, but in some cases, also by your previous driving experience. For drivers new to Porsche and stepping up from a premium saloon say , it may appear that the first point to decide is whether to get a Carrera 2 or 4. In fact, for the large majority of UK driving it doesn't matter. The C4 isn't a Land Rover, but the all-wheel drive does add confidence to the handling in poor conditions. The trade-off is a slightly heavier car and the loss of some agility in faster corners.

The 3. Most sought after is the C4S, as it has the Turbo's 'big red' steel brakes and that more curvy Turbo style body. If you want the sports car experience, a manual transmission, 'facelift' C2 with PSM is a very complete package.

The Turbo is a fantastic all rounder for the more experienced driver who values long term collectability. Porsche's flagship model combines stunning performance with a high level of driver aids and practicality.

The GT3 is harder work as a daily driver, while the GT3 RS is a stripped out race experience that is now only likely to be bought by collectors. The rear wheel drive GT2 combines the GT3s raw chassis with extreme turbo power, but has no electronic traction aids. This is a Porsche that requires expert driving skills as it is both very fast and can catch you out when you are least expecting it. A well sourced Carrera should cost a similar amount to run as any premium sports saloon.

Brake wear depends on driving style, but typically should last K miles. You'll see the N-number embossed on the tyre sidewall as N1, N2, N3 etc depending on the version number produced by the given manufacturer.

The front tyres wear faster on a C4 than a C2, but typical life might be , miles. The mileage and condition will directly drive the value of any given model. For best resale potential, avoid any sort of customising and the solid colours Carreras especially.

The other basic requirement is a solid service history official or dedicated independent ideally offering annual services even the later models. The most frequently seen issue is leakage past the rear main oil seal RMS. This doesn't cause engine failure but might drip oil on your drive. Development has evolved much better seals and expert opinion would suggest only having it fixed when the clutch is changed. With the 3. Many experts came to the conclusion that if the engine reaches 50K miles, it's probably OK.

This is a very remote issue, but if it worries you there are stronger aftermarket fixes around. Cylinder bore scoring has become an issue on some MY onwards models, particularly where powerkits are fitted.

In summary, the so-called trending issues affecting the 3. All these specific issues have not affected the 'Mezger' engined models at all the GTs and Turbos. Always try to drive the car before you buy. These are high performance cars and the ride, handling and performance may not suit you for various reasons. If you don't have the experience to check the car out yourself, get a pre-purchase inspection expert to look at the car.

They will advise on all aspects of the car's condition, what needs replacing now and in the short term and whether the car is valued correctly. Considering a for track duty? Both cars are set up to be pushed to the limit from the factory, with big brakes, sticky tires, and working aerodynamics. There are also two special-edition s: a Millennium Edition based on the Carrera 4, of which only examples were built, and a 40th Anniversary Edition based on the Carrera, of which were built.

Though the Millennium car is rarer, the 40th Anniversary is the more appealing one to us, anyway , since it received 25 more horsepower over stock, a sportier suspension setup, and a limited-slip differential as standard.

Sign us up. The best part? More on that in a minute. Porsche has a reputation for reliability, but some people consider the an exception. What do we think?

You just have to know what to look out for before you buy. The shares much of its engine architecture with the generation Boxster , and both share similar weak points. Though fear of IMS failure may be a bit overstated in some corners of Porsche enthusiast internet, the issue is common enough that several companies offer stronger aftermarket IMS bearings to be installed preventatively. In rare cases, early Mengine cars can suffer from cracked cylinder liners and cylinder scoring.

Similarly, rubber pieces in the cooling and suspension system will likely be showing their age, so make sure to check those items as well before you buy. There are large forums online with all the information you could ever need regarding buying, maintaining, or selling your Porsche, with plenty of people willing to assist with whatever questions you may have. If you want to get the full experience, we recommend joining the Porsche Club of America and checking out what sorts of upcoming events they have in store.

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