I love my 996.

[DT]

I’ve been a lurker here for a few years now so I thought it was about time for my first post, to share my 996 experience and spread a bit of the 996 love. I’ve had my Mk1 C2 manual coupe (Bluey) for a year now and I can unreservedly say I love it.

Perhaps a familiar story, I came very close on a few occasions to buying an air cooled 911, unfortunately house renovations took precedence and by the time I was done the air cooled market had gone mental. So I started looking for a nice 968 CS or a last of the series S2 944, but I procrastinated too long and the same thing happened. I’d always avoided the 996 because a lot of what I'd read to that was point was derogatory, but every time I saw a nice original coupe on the road I thought wow what a nice looking car. So I began to glance at the 996 classifieds, never thinking I’d actually buy one because all the bad talk had become so ingrained. But then I thought, I don't know if I'm ever going to buy anything because every Porsche model I’ve researched has this or that inherent problem, in addition to years of potential neglect or misuse. I’d restored a few Italians and some Frenchies, but they were all low initial investment so not a lot to risk. Did I have the balls to splash 30k plus on a plaything that could cost a fortune to keep on the road? My budget didn’t stretch to an impeccable example so my only option was to take a bit of a risk. 

I knew I (or a PPI inspection) would find a reason not to buy pretty much every car I was interested in, so I did what every middle-aged man with arse-clenching mortgage and unfinished house renos should do and bought a 996 sight unseen off ebay. I did enough due diligence to work out I wasn’t dealing with a Nigerian, and that the car hadn’t been stolen or written off, then I pushed the button on the internets labeled ‘Push This Button if You’re an Idiot’.  

So what did I end up with? As luck would have it something pretty awesome, although it did take a bit of work to fully reveal the awesomeness. Bluey came as an Ocean Blue Metallic March 1999 build 996 with poached headlights and 89k odd clicks on her original engine. She came bone stock with no options, right down to the vinyl roof lining and 17” twists but she did have Gemballa lowering springs and a Gemaballa deep sump. She even came without a skerrick of a service history, apart from the previous owners insistence it had been regularly serviced at Porsche dealerships in Vic and NSW - yet to be verified. I hear you all running screaming for the hills but the whole experience has been very liberating. No ball and chain paper history and some tasteful mods, woo hoo lets get stuck in with the spanners!

First thing was the brakes were sticking. So I learnt 996's have a tendency to get blocked drains in the scuttle. Over the years if left unchecked leaves and crap eventually block the drains and the scuttle fills up with water. On early 996’s the booster pushrod boot doesn’t extend/seal the entire pushrod which means water can leak into the brake booster and turn it into a rusty, seized mess. Apparently, if you’re really unlucky, enough water can get into the booster to feed up the vacuum line and hydrolock the engine, fun times!

Fortunately booster replacement is relatively straightforward. Replacing a squished hydraulic clutch line most definitely isn’t. I had a very squished section of the blue alloy line, the section that runs from the LH scuttle, through the LH front wheel arch and under the car to meet up with the rear section. It looked like a simple job but was akin to re-plumbing an air-conditioning unit through a bird cage, down a hole, covered in brake fluid…whoever designed the connectors I’d like to bonk on the head. Of course this meant the entire clutch/brake system needed to be bled, so it was a good opportunity to flush the entire system.

Next was replacing the aftermarket Gemballa deep sump (so deep in fact it appears to have been used as a road marking remover), at it’s lowest point it was wafer thin with a slight crack that was weeping. I replaced it with a new FVD sump with the X51 style baffles, a lovely bit of kit and a lot shallower than the Gemballa unit. 

Inevitably I read the forums too much which led to crippling paranoia and I found I was checking fluids every five minutes and changing underpants with the slightest fluctuation in the frequency, cadence or timbre of noise from the engine. So I boroscoped the cylinders (all good), replaced the water pump and put in an LN low temp thermostat and did a complete coolant flush/replace. New coolant reservoir cap, new engine mounts, LN spin-on oil filter adaptor and magnetic drain plug. After all this I still seemed to be losing a little coolant and I noticed there was a slow oil leak and oil misting below the Air Oil Separator. So without any knowledge of when/if it had ever been replaced I took a deep breath and decided to replace it myself. Not a fun job by any stretch but it is possible (on a mk1 at least) to replace the AOS without removing the plenum and intake manifold…you do need skinny arms, a lot of patience and an innovative vocabulary. Great thing is replacing the AOS solved the slight coolant loss and the oil leak, and after much research and agonising over which oil to use, a change of oil to Penrite HPR5 5W 40 full synth/full zinc stopped the oil misting under the RMS and cam covers. Next up was replacing the perished suspension bump stops, new spark plugs, serpentine belt, servicing the idler bearings, replacing the gearbox oil, petrol filter, battery and headlight globes, pheweee.

After 5 months of fiddling and fettling I realised I needed to drive it before I replaced everything ‘just-in-case’ and started cleaned the engine with a toothbrush. She passed roadworthy with flying colours and I’ve since put on 4000 odd utterly awesome k’s. For the first few hundred k’s my senses were on high alert for evil portents but I soon relaxed, the sheer solidity of the car, it literally feels/sounds/drives like a new car and the peace of mind of having completed a good list of preventative maintenance, meant it was hard even for me, a natural born worrier, to worry. After countless hours of reading about IMSB failure and finding only a few nuggets of really informed opinion (from Jake Raby and Baz at Hartech) regarding the early dual row bearing cars, it’s now way out on the radar of worry.

After a few thousand k’s I felt the standard exhaust and intake were a bit dull for my liking and I thought to hell with it, in for a penny…so on went a Cargraphic Exhaust and a version of the orange cap intake mod with silicone intake hose and BMCF1 panel filter. Wow, what a huge difference these made to the character of the car. Now when I squeeze the go pedal it’s like having a big, scary, wild animal on a treadmill in the back seat - previously it was like having Rocky Balboa, air-punching on a rocking horse.

Bluey came with the original 17” twists but I love the look of 18” turbo twists on a non-aero Mk1 996, particularly with the car tastefully lowered, so another impulsive ebay purchase and I was the proud owner of a nice set of genuine 18” turbo twists. I also love the 996 interior, maybe I’m one of the few or maybe it’s the colour combo on this one, maybe it’s the 3 spoke wheel with the gold crest, maybe it’s the smell of the leather or maybe I’m just nostalgic for roundy, blobby 90’s design, whatever it is, I love it. I managed to find a replacement, near perfect, Becker stereo (the original was kaput and had the typical gooey knobs) and fitted an auxiliary jack for my iPhone. Funny thing is I’ve since found all I want to listen to in my unpopular 911, are my unpopular CD’s. So I filled up the CD storage units, so all the little indicators are showing red (love it) and I take great pleasure fumbling around changing CD’s and nearly crashing - just like the good-ole days!

So I’m the very proud owner of a 996. I love tinkering with it, I love cleaning it, I love reading about it, I love talking about it, I love opening the garage and staring at it. But most of all I love driving it. I often find myself taking Bluey for a quick spin and an hour or so later I’ll be on a favourite section of twisties, window down, sunroof open, huge grin on my face. Out of the corner in second, feed the power in and feel the shove in the back for the straight, hard on the brakes before the next corner, find the apex, feel the transfer of weight, straighten up, feed the power in and storm to the next corner with that spine tingling soundtrack…repeat, repeat, repeat…

Do I love my 996, yes I do. 

DT

[tazzieman]

Quality post!

The car fault paranoia is usual; I would think that after Italian and French cars you'd be pretty laid back about various foibles. 

Porsches are bulletproof as we all know  Over engineered etc. If , horror of horrors , they break - you fix them! Old cars new cars it's all the same.

As for service records , who needs 'em  Just never drive your car in the rain!

[micknine01]

Great first post. I feel like I went down the same road of all the horror stories holding me back from my first p-car. Now I have been at it a while I can (touch wood) found them to be pretty reliable with minimal issues. As for ppi's, they always seem way to dramatic, I would much rather go look myself, or just hit "buy it now" if the seller seems genuine. 

Enjoy! 

[Tit]

There's something special about the "base" water-cooled carreras.  They're all the good stuff, and none of the extra stuff you don't need.  A focused experience.

Plus the 996C2 has lovely clean lines.  You know when the designers were coming up with it, this is what they first looked like off the end of the pencil...pure.

Nice intro - had me looking at carsales for 996C2s!

[quasio]

It's posts like these that cause me to sway back to the "buy it now" button. 

I think i am in a similar position as you were before you bought the 996, always contemplating, hesitating, procrastinating about getting one, and totally missing the boat. Hopefully i won't miss the 996 boat.

 

 

[TrevMcRev]

I love this post! 

And I love that you love your 996!

They are such good cars, and not deserved of the slanging they get...

Imagine if the Internet was around when all these earlier air cooled cars were just a few years old and having all their expensive and premature fixes...they've all had known issues that cost a lot more to rectify than an IMSB upgrade.... Oh the slagging they would have gotten too?

Fortunately for some, because of that you can enjoy a far superior 911 at a hugely discounted price?

[TINGY]

Nice. Congrats.

[sandy468]

Fantastic first post DT, a change from a couple of others of late. 2107 YOT996C2! They are a very good car and a nice tight fast light back to basics drive, and with the right exhaust a 993c2 feel. I'm a fan! Hmmm 1500 words and not a spelling error nor a grammatical mistake in sight - Don't know whether you'll fit in here

[bear924]

One advantage of having a car with no service history, is that you can service it yourself and not be concerned that you are stuffing up resale etc. Nice looking car, didn't like the 996 when they first came out, these days I've developed something of a soft spot for them.

[LeeM]

Great post mate

 'It looked like a simple job but was akin to re-plumbing an air-conditioning unit through a bird cage, down a hole' 

 

[spiller]

Enjoyable read! Love the 996, love that it's the ugly dog that people with often far crappier cars and not necessarily Porsche turn their noses up to in a pool of their own ignorance. More for us!

As they say, enjoy in good health!

[Peter M]

DT,

Thank you. 

After weeks of the most bazaar and bickering posts on every topic except actually driving and enjoying Porsches, you have singlehandedly restored my faith in this forum.

Full marks for:

Not being self serving and putting shit on others and their car choices

Not mentioning resale/flipping/low balling/financial membership

Having a go and trying something new to you

Having a go and working on your own car

Not being a sheep and following the mindless crowd

Not just opening your wallet

Being articulate

Not being a cock

Being unashamedly excited.  The enthusiasm is infectious.

 

Thank you

 

[D2000]

Great write up. I'm with you on the interior, particularly from the driver's seat.  I wish I had full leather dash but even with the stock plastic I think it looks great

[tazzieman]

 Hmmm 1500 words and not a spelling error nor a grammatical mistake in sight 

  

He has read - and delivered!

[LeeM]

 

DT,

Thank you. 

After weeks of the most bazaar and bickering posts on every topic except actually driving and enjoying Porsches, you have singlehandedly restored my faith in this forum.

Full marks for:

Not being self serving and putting shit on others and their car choices

Not mentioning resale/flipping/low balling/financial membership

Having a go and trying something new to you

Having a go and working on your own car

Not being a sheep and following the mindless crowd

Not just opening your wallet

Being articulate

Not being a cock

Being unashamedly excited.  The enthusiasm is infectious.

 

Thank you

 

Very well said

[DT]

Wow, thank you everyone for your replies, some great comments there, I particularly liked this one:

 

Not being a cock

Thank you Peter for making coffee come out of my nose.

You've touched on something I deleted in my post but which is still peeving me, so I should get it out...even at the risk of sounding like a cock. I'm just back from a spin in my Clio 182 and I passed another RS Clio, a later model, a 200 and the guy gave me a big wave which I gleefully returned and continued up the road with a big smile on my face, thinking all's good with humanity.

In the 996 I've past at least a dozen 911's and a few Boxsters of all eras and cooling variations and I'm yet to get a single return of a wave. Mostly I get completely blanked, if I'm lucky I get a 'why the f*ck are you waving at me' face. I guess this may be due partly to the 996 still generally being held in low esteem or that a big portion (nobody on this board of course) of 911 owners own them predominantly to show they've got a crap load of money, not because they're just balls out good fun.

Now I know it's a bit much to expect everyone to wave back, but I'd be happy to work upwards from 1 in 10. So if you see a set of familiar poached headlights coming towards you with a guy madly waving at you, don't think 'what's this guy think this is waving at me in his lowly 996 coupe/cabriolet/tiptronic/Boxster', just give him a good hearty wave, it'll do his fragile ego the world of good. You never know, maybe one day the tables will turn and the lowly analogue mk1 996 will be turning its nose up at the gizmotronic 991!!

And for all those scrimping and saving car enthusiast procrastinators who are completely befuddled by the 911 market and freaking out about getting a 'cheap' 911, all I can say is the risk is worth it and don't feel sheepish about getting the spanners out, the majority of the stuff they need to keep them in good fettle is very DIY-able.

[firstone]

It's easy to love the one you're with in Porsche land. 

 

[WOKA]

Great write up and an equally great car.!  I started to read your post this morning, and thought fuck it, I'm taking the 996 today, rain or shine..  And didn't it rain here in SE QLD..!

I've now caught up on the thread and what a great read and what a positive response..  996's are a brilliant car and why we get snobbed is because us owners have realised them for the gem that they are, whilst the other mob regret their short sightedness.!  I passed a 997 on the motorway today, lifted my finger, not the middle one and as usual not a note of recognition..  Ahh well, I enjoyed my drive, he just probably fouled his plugs..!

Enjoy, get out and drive.!

[LeeM]

 @DT

 A smile on YOUR face is all that matters mate. Enjoy!

 

[Mike737]

Great write up DT. 

Don't give up on the waves, plenty of 996/997 owners will wave back. Boxsters, Cayennes, Macans and 991's you won't get much love from unless it's someone who's already in here. 

[ANF]

Great looking car DT, 996 one of my favourite 911s! With all these positive comments about your post I will have to put aside some time to actually read it

Welcome to the forum and keep enjoying your ride! I am still enjoying mine

[dan_189]

Nice write up, a subtle nod to you from a fellow 996 lover. 

[MFX]

Great write up, and I am always right behind anyone getting out there in the garage and having a go.

Also pics of the 105. Mine is sitting outside under a car cover quietly rusting away while it waits its turn, but it is always good to drool over a running one (none of my cars run  ).

[TINGY]

In the 996 I've past at least a dozen 911's and a few Boxsters of all eras and cooling variations and I'm yet to get a single return of a wave. Mostly I get completely blanked, if I'm lucky I get a 'why the f*ck are you waving at me' face. I guess this may be due partly to the 996 still generally being held in low esteem or that a big portion (nobody on this board of course) of 911 owners own them predominantly to show they've got a crap load of money, not because they're just balls out good fun.

Now I know it's a bit much to expect everyone to wave back, but I'd be happy to work upwards from 1 in 10. So if you see a set of familiar poached headlights coming towards you with a guy madly waving at you, don't think 'what's this guy think this is waving at me in his lowly 996 coupe/cabriolet/tiptronic/Boxster', just give him a good hearty wave, it'll do his fragile ego the world of good. You never know, maybe one day the tables will turn and the lowly analogue mk1 996 will be turning its nose up at the gizmotronic 991!!

996's are a brilliant car and why we get snobbed is because us owners have realised them for the gem that they are, whilst the other mob regret their short sightedness.!  I passed a 997 on the motorway today, lifted my finger, not the middle one and as usual not a note of recognition..

Great write up DT. 

Don't give up on the waves, plenty of 996/997 owners will wave back. Boxsters, Cayennes, Macans and 991's you won't get much love from unless it's someone who's already in here. 

You think you guys have got it bad wait until your in a lowly poor man's Porsche 944, no fucker wants to know you!

[LeeM]

  Sorry, who are you mate? 

There's a thread on Introductions somewhere. Maybe chuck a post in there to say gday :-)

 

 

 

You think you guys have got it bad wait until your in a lowly poor man's Porsche 944, no fucker wants to know you!