I'm thinking of getting a 996

Since I could spell car, I've always had a thing for the 911, and granted the vast majority of models are way out of my budget but the 996 Carrera is not one of them (and yes I know why - IMS, RMS, etc.).

With that said there are two black ones in Ontario that have caught my eye and I'm seriously considering taking a punt and buying one and flogging the 190E.

 

Check for bore score or at least have the owner check and provide a report. I owned a 1978 SC for 15 years and ended up reading a fair bit about 996s and their woes. In my very humble opinion the worst looking 911 of all but don’t let that put you off

 

I had a 996 ran like a watch it does have problems but look how many they sold.

 

It won't..

 

No,I’m sure but ignore the bore score potential.

 

It was the 3.6 996 and the 997 that were more prone to bore wear, the 3.4 less so (although not completely immune). I'm only looking at cars with full history, IMS, RMS and borescore visual completed.

And absolutely no cabriolet's, might as well paint 'mid-life crisis approaching' on the nose of it.

 

Some years ago I drove a Swedish? guys GT3 Clubsport 996 in Germany, was awesome but tricky to drive as LHD.

 

I still have to get agreement from the clerk of the course (wife) as there is also a kitchen renovation in the works and I strongly believe the 996 will not be considered as priority numero uno.

Nothing gone out of next year if it comes to it.

 

My understanding is all not all that had RMS/IMS issues ,my research indicates it a small percentage of cars that fail but having said that they built a lot of them so that tends to up the issue further,a lot of these cars in my country and the 3.6 appears to attract premium prices on the market ,high mileage hurts the values somewhat but those that use these cars a lot are generally servicing them more often and lots of warm miles certainly don't hurt them .
If I move from my current Porsche I would certainly look @ one of these (3.6) carefully.

 

You are correct in that the percentage of cars that that failed was in the region of 6-8%. Of those that did fail it was the later models post 2000 as they had the single IMS bearing as opposed to the dual.

Regarding the mileage, bearings if they were defective tended to let go on or before 50-60,000 kilometres.

Ironically higher mileage cars whilst not attractive to some are to others (I would be in this latter bracket) because if the IMS has not let go at 70/80/90k it is unlikely to let go.
With that said I would still target vehicles where it has been replaced as a precaution.

 

Two different types of engines in the 996 the 3.4 and 3.6 and then the GT2/3 and Turbo with these being a similar style to the Air-cooled and 'stronger'

But like you've said with higher mileage the IMS failure has been replaced as preventative maintenance or unlikely (but never say never fail).

I love the 996 its on my list to own, and i'd personally go pre facelift - for the sole reason manual bonnet and engine lid openers via a cable. The newer ones with the electronic buttons are a pain in the back side when the battery goes flat, there is a whole procedure to get the open with a jump pack and the fusebox pin.

Check spec as well, theres a bose or upgraded sound pack which puts speakers in the doors, as well as the dash and rear ones. These make a massive difference even if you plan to upgrade in the future you have the holes instead of a door bin. Paint on the rear quarter / c pillar near the rear wiper is a common thing as people drop or close the wiper on to the body - instead of window.

 

Well my good wife has put a halt to my 996 wanderings - 2023 kitchen upgrade first Monkey Boy! Then we can look at a Porsche in 2024. Needless to say Autotrader, Car Gurus and Kijiji Canada will still be looked at but that's as far as the adventure will take me for now. Bugger!!

 

I wanted a 996 too but decided to go for another Corrado in the end.

From my research the best one to get is the early 3.4 as it has less issues with bore scoring and a strong IMS.

I found this guide useful from a dealer and they also have a fixed price rebuild at £4k should it happen in your ownership (not bad to mind at ease considering it could cost you £10k private) https://www.portiacraft.com/buying-guide.php