New to this forum. Just bought a 2001 996 coupe with 30,700 miles, black, flared rocker panels, 18s, advanced technic, comfort, and supple leather in savannah beige. 2 new rear tires. $22,000.

PPI inspection passed with zero issues except a couple broken springs- center console and side console. Put it up on the lift over the weekend and it's all dry. No oil anywhere. So my question is, how much attention do you need to pay to the oil level? The book says to check it every gas fill-up. For real?

 

Can't say I check it every fill up, but quite frequently.

If you turn on the ignition but do not start the car it will do an oil level check for you. Takes a couple of seconds so you can do that every time. But still check the dipstick every other week or so and you should be fine. Also of course depends how often you drive it, mine is a daily driver...

 

I always do the timer countdown before I start. The level always seems to be at "5" on a cold start but is at "4" on a warm start sometimes. I assume that's normal?

 

Sounds like you got a good deal. I have been very tempted to purchase a 996 with the way these prices have been. Checking the oil level at every fill-up does seem pretty excessive. But I would probably check it every couple of weeks, depending on how much it gets driven.

 

Mine is clearly not consistent, and rarely matches the dipstick. Therefore, I stopped trusting the display on the dash and only check the dipstick every now and then.

and FWIW: I burn ~1quart of oil every 2.5K miles. Tracking the car every now and then and using Mobil1 0W40...

 

if your gonna track forget the 0W40... go with M1 5W50... better choice all around...