One or two on here, and you 911Hillclimber , have got me thinking about getting a 'Sunday' car. One that is socially acceptable to my wife for days out. The SC is too hardcore for her arthritis.
With the price of a 996 being around £15K, it would be a good compromise of comfort and speed. Could also lob the westie in the back if necessary!!
I have heard about various problems, but some of them do quite high miles, so maybe not all bad
Any experience of them or opinions would be gratefully received.
hot66 wrote:Think Everyman and his dog ( no pun intended ) is looking for a nice early 996 c2 manual . Not the easiest of cars to find in good condition
So get a C4.
996 is a proper 911 no doubt, somewhere on the path between a dainty 901 and a humpfing 991. Its just that dice roll for engine failure isnt it, that would cost 2/3 the value of the car..or find a Hartech'd one.
Grayson Perry is way O/T, this not so much! 996s will be 'classics' soon.
1990 964 C4, 1999 Boxster 2.5
And..'89 BMW E30 325i Touring. '83 Mercedes 280E. '84 Citroen 2CV. '16 BMW i3 REx. '03 BMW R1100S. '99 Yamaha R1. '79 BMW R100 scrambler.
I bought 996 C4s just over a year ago and use it as a daily driver.
I was concerned about all the bearing failure and bore scoring stories, but eleven thousand miles on as it approaches 96 k I have nothing but praise for the car.
Buy carefully, make sure you have a service history and just use it for what it was designed for and find something more serious to worry about.
Nike Mk7s/Porsche
931 (to my daughter)
996 C4S (sold)
Aston Martin V8 Vantage (subtle beast)
Triumph Thunderbird Storm
sharp steering, resourceful brakes, limpet grip and a flat 6 to die for at 7500 rpm.
Bags of space, cosy cabin, simple controls and one computer.
35 mpg if you must, not in-your-face image. Your mum would like it, your mates want it.
The sensible choice and a bit of a devil if on your own.
73T 911 Coupe, road/hillclimber 3.2L
Lola t 492 / 3.2 hillclimb racer
Boxster 987 Gen II 2.9
hot66 wrote:Think Everyman and his dog ( no pun intended ) is looking for a nice early 996 c2 manual . Not the easiest of cars to find in good condition
Really? Who are these blind stupid people? I don't know any of them....
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Jason https://www.SweepingHand.co.uk
Rolex & Omega Watch Purchases & Sales
Thanks 911h, I thought the Boxster and 996/7 shared the same underpinnings and engines?
Jason, I have been watching ebay for the last couple of weeks and the decent ones don't appear to hang around too long and the price appears to be creeping up. Maybe it is early summer madness
keith fellowes wrote:Thanks 911h, I thought the Boxster and 996/7 shared the same underpinnings and engines?
The Boxster does indeed share many parts with the 996, I believe there is great commonality from the doors forward. The motors are, of course, turned round 180 degrees but suffer all the same issues as the 996.
I needed a daily driver when I took on a new work contract a year ago, so I bought a Boxster to complement my Carrera 3.2.
I found a 2000 Boxster S, 80,000 miles, ocean blue, full history, 17" wheels, nearly new P-Zero's (horrible tyres!). Cosmetically not perfect, but it's honest.
For £4,500 I got a 160 mph, 60 in 5.5 seconds, sweet-handling, awsome sounding, electric-roofed, practical pleasure machine. I borrowed a 2.7 981 when the Boxster was in for a service and yes, the new one is without doubt a better CAR, but the best SPORTS CAR? The 986, without a shadow of a doubt, for all the reasons 911hillclimber describes above.
The 'issues'? It's reckoned IMS failures affect under 5% of cars and 'D-chunking' is almost unheard of.
I've done 16,000 moles in 12 months and yes, I've spent some money keeping it up to scratch, but if you enter in to the world of 'cheap' Boxster's with both eyes open, you will get a great deal of pleasure for very little money...
Have run my Boxster (2001 986s) for 8+ years. Had a period when I didn't use it much because of work/company car.
Back in it for the last 12 months as a daily driver (2k/month) and it just works. Plus I track it - 2 in the last 8 days plus 800 miles of road use to/from work and family stuff. Easy peasy.
Here it is at Cadwell - all that stuff stayed in the boots for the trackday - no where else to keep it.
It also lacks all the nanny state traction/stability gubbins aside from ABS which means you do at least have to drive it when making progress. Have looked at more modern stuff but it doesn't really scratch the driving itch. Sure a 996 might be great but we don't need a 2+2 and I am not convinced it is the better all round car. Plenty go from Boxster to 996/7 and then return.
My Boxster is my first adventure to the world of Modern Porsches and they perhaps have a stronger effect on the soul as they are infinitely easier to live with than my 73 911 hotrod.
I first bought the Z4 (2009/ 201 bhp) which I think is a better made car and felt far more robust, but the ride was stupidly poor. It had a LOT of BMW extras, few I used, but the front and rear parking sensors I miss the most.
The 987 Gen II I have is sports car stiff but compliant on pot-hole impact and rides the road where the Z4 skipped about and forced you to drive slowly as a result.
I'd love to try the new Boxster as a car, but the loss of the 2.9L / 250 bhp/ 7500 red line/ 35mpg flat 6 would be a real loss indeed.
About to try my car on 95 octane in prep for the euro tour we are doing through France and Switzerland in a few weeks time.
73T 911 Coupe, road/hillclimber 3.2L
Lola t 492 / 3.2 hillclimb racer
Boxster 987 Gen II 2.9
Lovely looking car you have there and thanks for your comments. You, Chris Hak and Map have got me thinking and my planned visit to see a 996 was delayed today!
I know you took a bit of flak about a hairdressers car but I can appreciate the driving experience you all talk about.
I need to drive one
Thanks
, have got me thinking about getting a 'Sunday' car. One that is socially acceptable to my wife for days out. The SC is too hardcore for her arthritis. 
