Like the title says, I'm thinking about selling my S4 and CLK and buying a low mileage 996tt. I'm hoping to find them around the 40k mileage range. What should I look out for in this car, like things to go wrong, things that should have been fixed, etc etc.

Are these cars reliable? I know Porsche has been using turbo's for years, but this was the first generation of the turbo'd watercooled 911. I appreciate all information!

Thanks in advance!
-Stephen

 

As with any cars they have issues over time and miles. The 996tt seems to be very reliable overall for what you get!

Be sure to get any car you plan on buying inspected by a Porsche expert with experience with the car you plan on buying. While they are reliable, some things are expensive to fix.

 

I see that your car is modded, have you had many issues while it was stock or while it was modded. Or were the issues directly related to the modification of the car?

 

I have only had a few minor issues with the car (window regulator, airbag module). No issues after the mods once they are settled out. Most of the mod issues is getting them installed. I do a lot, but for the heavy lifting my local indy does it. He has gotten busy so my stuff waits...

Of course, the clutch is an expensive issue when you start adding power. I am on my 3rd clutch (stock was first) due to more HP and the clutch not being able to keep up. Could be worse!

Luckily, I am pretty well done with mods for now. I think! ;-)

 

I'm not going to suggest you 'do a search'...

But I will point out that the singular discussion you may evoke here, with 5 or 6 members is nothing compared to the 2300 other threads over the years asking precisely the same question. So do yourself the favor...

 

When all the questions have been asked, someone will put together a 96tt buyers guide worthy of a sticky.

 

Driver side window regulator, leaking rear hydraulic spoiler lifter and now a potential sticky sunroof issue but that might be to some of my 4x4ing I do in the dirt when I go off on the track and get engulfed with dirt now and again.

Other than that, car has 20k miles it is an 03 and I added the pwr mods at 8k miles with zero issues on any MAJOR items. I think these cars are pretty damn well built and bulllet proof as long as they have had regular maint and been loved real hard after a beating.

It is my second 996tt, first was a Turbo S cab. I have had Vette C6 Z, Srt 10 Viper, F430 but this is the one I kept when it was time to go on a toy diet over the past 2.5 years. Good Luck and enjoy!

 

Simply put, it's the most reliable 400+ hp supercar you will find for the money.

 

base your purchase on the condition of the car... miles do not mean everything..

there are plenty of beat up 996's out there and then the cleaner examples

i was dead set on low mileage but then bought a car with 40k based on condition and the cpo warranty!

 

Bought my 996tt with 44k miles a year ago. Had a PPI done before I bought it. I hope that these issues don't arise again. Keeping this car is getting super expensive.

What I've Fixed Over The Past Year - ~$12000

Driver side window regulator
leaking rear hydraulic spoiler
sticky sunroof
leaking coolant expansion tank
broken water pump
catastrophic coolant hose fittings leak
broken headlight switch
broken climate control module
broken ignition switch
broken shifter cables
slave accumulator

 

Look on the classified section, probably some the best sorted options out there with well known histories. I would buy off this board in a minute.

I've only had to get a new coolant expansion tank as it began to slowly leak. Then there is the mod budget- exhaust/tune/brakes/suspension, then there is the tracking budget...

Good luck- you won't be sorry!

 

If you are comfortable fixing the relatively easy stuff yourself, you can cut your repair bill about 75%. I have changed my plugs, coils, coolant tank, fuel filter, oil, oil filter, air filter, MAF, exhaust, head unit, speakers and amplifier. The most expensive so far has been replacing the stereo components - not really an urgent fix. The rest probably all together adds up to about $2,000 over the last year - parts only - I did all the work myself.

 

Wow, sorry to hear - I bought my car with 25k miles, and with 37k on the clock, the only thing I had to replace were the leaky DVs throwing the CEL($200 including labor). Outside of that, oil changes, a set of tires and a 30k service, which I did myself.

 

if you do all of the work yourself, cost of ownership for this car is rather inexpensive. I just sold an 04 audi S4, it was much more expensive to maintain/fix than my 996. I will never own an Audi again. My alternator went out on it, and i had to remove the whole front end to get to the alternator, then NO one sells a remanufactured alternator for it, (audi wanted $1200 for the damn thing) luckally a local guy repaired it for $65, then i was good to go. If i were to have taken it to Audi for this job it would have been almost $1800.

 

These things all started to fail one by one and instead of replacing many of the components, I upgraded.

- Slave Accumulator is being replaced by the EVOMS GT2 Conversion. Might as well do a LWFW and Clutch at the same time right?

- Coolant Fitting Leak. Might as well do the Torque Solutions welded kit right? Hell, if we're in there, might as well do the engine and tranny mounts too right? Coilpacks, plugs, and billet K16's all going in now as we speak.

The prices will add up in parts even if you do the labor.