Buying a used Porsche 911 (1998-2004)

History
Porsche's 911 recently became one of only a few vehicles to chalk-up one million lifetime sales. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing and, astonishingly, the 911 has periodically been under threat during boardroom battles at head office in Stuttgart.

Notwithstanding its ‘icon’ status and a history which dates back to the 1970s, from time to time, plans have actually been hatched to do away with the 911. Fortunately sanity has prevailed and the model - with a lineage back to Volkswagen’s original Beetle -just refused to die.

Yes the 911’s design has moved with the times, however change has sometimes been at a tortuously slow pace. For example, Porsche was an early adopter of turbocharging, but for several decades 911 buyers were hamstrung by inferior manual transmissions. And the first liquid cooled 911 did not appear until 1997.

In fact, those 996 versions unveiled in ’97 retained the familiar 911 shape but otherwise had little in common with previous generations. Bodywork, glass and the interior were all changed and power came from a new 3.4-litre version of the historic flat-six engine.

The first liquid-cooled Porsche Carrera came in a range of variants with the Australian entry-level model, a rear-wheel-drive coupe, stickered at $184,000. Porsche followed with all-wheel-drive and cabriolet versions.

In the Porsche tradition, the 996 was equipped with appropriate technology but the German giant eschewed gimmicks and gadgets (which could add unnecessary extra weight). Getting the tick were air-conditioning, power steering, sunroof, electric windows and door locks. Trim was leather and the front seats had power adjustment but lacked heating (which some critics found disappointing).

The 3.4-litre engine ran dry sump lubrication and fed both oil and water via an array of pipes from front-mounted coolers. Power was up by 11kW over the previous generation, there were new-design alloy wheel s and easier-to-cool brake rotors.

Those keen on open air motoring could secure a 996 Cabriolet for just under $200,000, but you needed $222,600 (before accessories and on-prad costs) for one with a Tiptronic automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive.

Topping the 996 model range was the bare-bones and now collectable GT3 model. These were pretty much track-ready specials requiring only safety equipment, numbers on the doors and perhaps competition tyres to be race circuit prepped.

New prices show the 265kW GT3 listed just $30,000 more than a basic 221kW Carrera. However these days it must be said the GT3 and later GT2 are the only 996 variations you could label as ‘good investments’.

Styling of the 996 did not earn universal praise and running changes saw some minor tweaks before the 2002 model year range arrived with both a significantly re-done front-end appearance and a more powerful 3.6-litre engine to replace the sometimes troublesome 3.4-litre.

The 2002 model year also marked the return of the 911’s acclaimed ‘Targa’ body-style and a new wide-body 4S Carrera which was sold in Australia as a coupe or cabriolet and remained in the lineup until 2006.

On The Road
You can mount a compelling argument there is no more practical sports car for Australian conditions than a Porsche 911. Success at the top echelons of international rallying underscored toughness and durability and continuous chassis and suspension improvements ensured later versions were more driver-friendly than the oversteer-prone originals.

Rather than its latter day popularity as a urban boulevard cruiser, owning a Porsche 911 should mandate regular excursions to enjoyable and challenging twisty roads.

Encouragingly, around half of the 911s sold in the 996 era were fitted with the six-speed manual transmission…suggesting many owners were legitimate driving enthusiasts .

Some current generation Porsche owners will be startled to hear the 911s of those days are capable of heading off bitumen and straight onto some well-graded dirt roads without concern for the welfare of car or its occupants' (assuming the driver is familiar with the handling characteristics).

But, if you are planning on using your Porsche 996 - like most 911s - in every day bumper-to-bumper commuter traffic, then you should consider an automatic.

The Tiptronic transmission is a fairly conventional four-speed automatic with a manual over-ride function achieved either by moving the gear selector into its manual slot or by pushing buttons on the steering wheel. However the button shifters haven’t been without problems and are ignored by many owners.

Handling is actually quite forgiving and on the road few drivers will discover the limits of available traction.

Those who take to a race circuit in a basic Carrera might hanker for meatier tyres. These cars are said to lack the pin-sharp responses of earlier 911s, which for the majority of owners isn’t a bad thing.

Ride comfort on anything other than a silk-smooth road wasn’t a forte of 911s from those years. Porsche could have softened the calibration for a smoother ride but reasoned doing so would have ruined the handing.

You will find the seats are supportive even by today’s standards, with plenty of adjustment for various body types and, despite a narrow interior, the dashboard is remarkably logical.

At today’s used car prices, owning a Porsche 996 as your only car and using it as a daily driver is feasible. You’ll need to cope with a miniscule boot (although the unusable rear seat doubles as a luggage platform) and, to keep your car pristine, get set for some hefty service bills.

Safety is a Porsche speciality but finding an autonomous assessment of the 911's crash-worthiness seems impossible. Independent assessment agencies such as ANCAP don't buy Porsches then wreck them, however there are sufficient on-line videos of people crashing 911s to demonstrate their inherent strength.

Cars of this series come with dual air-bags, later ones with side-impact protection as well, plus of course ABS anti-lock brakes and traction control.

Check Points
>> 3.4-litre engines used intermediate shaft bearings which couldn't be serviced and would burn their embedded grease, resulting in bearing failure which may see you requiring a complete replacement engine. There are no outward indications of imminent failure and prevention is the only solution. Installing ceramic replacement bearings is said to cure the problem so do not buy a 3.4-litre 911 without documented evidence of this 'fix' having been undertaken, followed by several thousand kilometres of trouble-free running.

>> Oil leaks, principally from the cylinder heads and main bearing seal, are a prelude to expensive engine problems.

>> Pre-purchase professional inspection by a Porsche is best but prospective buyers can initially check for any scum in the coolant or coolant in the oil . Look carefully for contaminated 'milky' oil under the filler cap (very hard to remove every trace), dip-stick and coolant filler.

>> Like any performance car, Porsches and people who drive them aren’t immune to crashes. Look at the panel gaps - especially boot lid to mudguards and around the doors. Front bumpers should be sitting properly in their location points and intakes for the radiators must be clean and undamaged. Look hard at the headlights for any sign of moisture or frosting inside. Authentic replacement lights are very expensive.

>> A Porsche with worn suspension or damaged components will vibrate and feel 'nervous' when cornering. Look for power steering leaks, collapsed bushings and tyre edge-wear. Sure suspension or steering repairs shouldn’t take a 911 you are considering out of the game, but knowing what faults exist will give you greater bargaining power.

>> The roof on a Cabriolet version must be undamaged and move easily when being raised and lowered. Make sure it will latch to the windscreen without excessive force.

Used Vehicle Ratings 
Design & Function: 15/20
Safety: 14/20
Practicality: 10/20
Value for Money: 15/20
Wow Factor: 15/20
Total Score: 69/100

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