Thought I'd just document my first 12 months of Porsche 996 ownership – my first Porsche!
Always wanted a 911, but wanted one I could initially use every day (if needed) – my commute is short (circa 7-8miles) and I have access to another car and cycle (if I'm feeling energetic).
So I started looking in Feb/March 2017 in anger – I had been perusing classifieds for approximately 6 months before this. I knew I wanted a manual, and I knew I wanted a coupe. Other than that (and the odd bold-coloured interior!) I wasn't fussed. Mileage ideally was sub 100k but again, depends on history etc. My budget was up to 18k, however I wanted to pay as little as possible!
Must've looked at around 5-6 cars and disappointed by all of them. Went to look at number 7, and it was lovely – but I hesitated, left it a few days and it went. Lesson learnt.
Then in June of 2017, 1 day before going on holiday, I found an ad which seemed too good to be true. A 2003 996.2 C2 manual, in silver, black leather and non-sunroof. 0991 car. Mileage was 69k. Price was advertised at circa 16k. Much to the wife's dismay, I jumped in the car and drove the 88 miles north to look at it that evening (I should have been helping to pack).
When I arrived it looked lovely. Exterior – fine. Interior, minimal wear – perfect. Read the extensive history – lots of OPC then Porsche specialists in the Yorkshire (Sheffield) area. All read perfectly. IMS had been done, borescope checked at 67k – lots of expensive invoices and receipts. It looked like it had been taken care of. Then it got interesting.
Exhaust was blowing, manifold looked like it had been at the bottom of the sea. Drove it and it rattled, and knocked and made all the horrible suspension noises that you don't want to hear. There was what looked like a power steering leak. A/C didn't work. Cooling fan front left side didn't work. Brakes were, well terrible (corroded as usual). Everything was telling me to walk away. But I couldn't help but think there was a good car underneath albeit with a few consumable suspension component needing changing! The dealer saw my enthusiasm disappear and told me to make him an offer given the work required. I did some quick maths in my head and spat out 13k. As expected, he quaffed. But – didn't say no...after a short period of me totting up all the bad things and pointing them out to him, I alternatively offered him the asking price if he sorted them all. Again he quaffed. Long story short, we settled on a very attractive price and I felt like Mike Brewer. Kind of.
I collected it a few weeks later, and drove it back. Other than the brakes, the suspension, the rattles, the vagueness etc etc it just felt wonderful. Probably just from looking at the dial arrangement and my head saying 'you're in a 911, you're in your 911". Queue ear to ear grin for the 3.5hr drive home.
I then took it to Cavendish Porsche for their multi point inspection. Got a long list of relatively minor things and some not so (but not hideous) things. Luckily having a friend in the motor trade and being reasonably competent with spanners I set about putting right all the bad things as well as getting Cavendish Porsche (who are brilliant!) to do some of the non-DIY or jobs I didn't want to do!
So far between myself and Cavendish we've/I've sorted...4x new coffin arms, 4x new tuning forks, removed and repainted both roll bars and re-installed with new measured superflex bushes, 4x new drop links, full re-alignment at Nottingham Alignment (used to do all of Notts OPC cars), new Pagid pads and discs all around with braided lines and fully rebuilt hard lines back to the cylinder, race-spec fluid, stripped and re-painted the inner arches front and rear, replaced all of the coolant hose clips for stainless due to corrosion, changed the small vent pipe from the reservoir due to a leak, fitted the Hartech LTT, coolant flush and change, new cooling fan resistors, new condensers and re-gas new rear heat shields and DesignTek Predator Exhaust, new SS Manifolds, removed and coated the existing Cats with a specialist aerospace grade aluminium paint, new coil packs, coil pack heat shields, new spark plugs, ITG foam filter and a DesignTek Cold air indiction kit and airbox bung and a full service with Miller nanodrive oil and all fittings/fixings changed to Ti6/4 (except on the suspension components). As you can imagine, I'm on first name terms with the parts chap down at Notts OPC.
It now sounds, stops and drives – well brilliantly. As it should have been. It's had a professional mop to make the paintwork looks fantastic and an interior valet and been sealed so it's easy to keep clean. The engine bay and underside again has been steam cleaned and scrubbed (by me!) and certainly doesn't look new, but has wiped a ton of horrible grease and grime off it. with all the new stainless pipework and coated Cats, it looks in good shape. No build-up of road grime! Interior wise all I've done is swap out the standard CDR unit and replace with a Becker 7820 sat nav unit which is very retro-cool – I plan on changing the speakers to focal units shortly.
And that's it. So far! Its currently sat sporting a fetching Thule roof rack and box (stupid I know) but this will mean when we go down to Cornwall in August, this will take me, the wife and my two kids comfortably. Can't wait!
I was meant to be going to the classic Le Man but unfortunately due to a snapped Achilles, that's not happening and she's been laid up in the garage since April! Attached a couple of pics which I've remembered to snap every now and then! I always think when I've done a job...I should have taken a photo!
Next up, dampers and springs – need to start researching but likely to be a bilstein or koni 'kits" (or M030 from Carnewal) and have a used shifter mechanism to play with to remove the standard slop in the box, new underbody plastics – few are damaged, retrim of steering wheel, handbrake and gearknob (by Jack @ royal) – and most likely lots more!
Always wanted a 911, but wanted one I could initially use every day (if needed) – my commute is short (circa 7-8miles) and I have access to another car and cycle (if I'm feeling energetic).
So I started looking in Feb/March 2017 in anger – I had been perusing classifieds for approximately 6 months before this. I knew I wanted a manual, and I knew I wanted a coupe. Other than that (and the odd bold-coloured interior!) I wasn't fussed. Mileage ideally was sub 100k but again, depends on history etc. My budget was up to 18k, however I wanted to pay as little as possible!
Must've looked at around 5-6 cars and disappointed by all of them. Went to look at number 7, and it was lovely – but I hesitated, left it a few days and it went. Lesson learnt.
Then in June of 2017, 1 day before going on holiday, I found an ad which seemed too good to be true. A 2003 996.2 C2 manual, in silver, black leather and non-sunroof. 0991 car. Mileage was 69k. Price was advertised at circa 16k. Much to the wife's dismay, I jumped in the car and drove the 88 miles north to look at it that evening (I should have been helping to pack).
When I arrived it looked lovely. Exterior – fine. Interior, minimal wear – perfect. Read the extensive history – lots of OPC then Porsche specialists in the Yorkshire (Sheffield) area. All read perfectly. IMS had been done, borescope checked at 67k – lots of expensive invoices and receipts. It looked like it had been taken care of. Then it got interesting.
Exhaust was blowing, manifold looked like it had been at the bottom of the sea. Drove it and it rattled, and knocked and made all the horrible suspension noises that you don't want to hear. There was what looked like a power steering leak. A/C didn't work. Cooling fan front left side didn't work. Brakes were, well terrible (corroded as usual). Everything was telling me to walk away. But I couldn't help but think there was a good car underneath albeit with a few consumable suspension component needing changing! The dealer saw my enthusiasm disappear and told me to make him an offer given the work required. I did some quick maths in my head and spat out 13k. As expected, he quaffed. But – didn't say no...after a short period of me totting up all the bad things and pointing them out to him, I alternatively offered him the asking price if he sorted them all. Again he quaffed. Long story short, we settled on a very attractive price and I felt like Mike Brewer. Kind of.
I collected it a few weeks later, and drove it back. Other than the brakes, the suspension, the rattles, the vagueness etc etc it just felt wonderful. Probably just from looking at the dial arrangement and my head saying 'you're in a 911, you're in your 911". Queue ear to ear grin for the 3.5hr drive home.
I then took it to Cavendish Porsche for their multi point inspection. Got a long list of relatively minor things and some not so (but not hideous) things. Luckily having a friend in the motor trade and being reasonably competent with spanners I set about putting right all the bad things as well as getting Cavendish Porsche (who are brilliant!) to do some of the non-DIY or jobs I didn't want to do!
So far between myself and Cavendish we've/I've sorted...4x new coffin arms, 4x new tuning forks, removed and repainted both roll bars and re-installed with new measured superflex bushes, 4x new drop links, full re-alignment at Nottingham Alignment (used to do all of Notts OPC cars), new Pagid pads and discs all around with braided lines and fully rebuilt hard lines back to the cylinder, race-spec fluid, stripped and re-painted the inner arches front and rear, replaced all of the coolant hose clips for stainless due to corrosion, changed the small vent pipe from the reservoir due to a leak, fitted the Hartech LTT, coolant flush and change, new cooling fan resistors, new condensers and re-gas new rear heat shields and DesignTek Predator Exhaust, new SS Manifolds, removed and coated the existing Cats with a specialist aerospace grade aluminium paint, new coil packs, coil pack heat shields, new spark plugs, ITG foam filter and a DesignTek Cold air indiction kit and airbox bung and a full service with Miller nanodrive oil and all fittings/fixings changed to Ti6/4 (except on the suspension components). As you can imagine, I'm on first name terms with the parts chap down at Notts OPC.
It now sounds, stops and drives – well brilliantly. As it should have been. It's had a professional mop to make the paintwork looks fantastic and an interior valet and been sealed so it's easy to keep clean. The engine bay and underside again has been steam cleaned and scrubbed (by me!) and certainly doesn't look new, but has wiped a ton of horrible grease and grime off it. with all the new stainless pipework and coated Cats, it looks in good shape. No build-up of road grime! Interior wise all I've done is swap out the standard CDR unit and replace with a Becker 7820 sat nav unit which is very retro-cool – I plan on changing the speakers to focal units shortly.
And that's it. So far! Its currently sat sporting a fetching Thule roof rack and box (stupid I know) but this will mean when we go down to Cornwall in August, this will take me, the wife and my two kids comfortably. Can't wait!
I was meant to be going to the classic Le Man but unfortunately due to a snapped Achilles, that's not happening and she's been laid up in the garage since April! Attached a couple of pics which I've remembered to snap every now and then! I always think when I've done a job...I should have taken a photo!
Next up, dampers and springs – need to start researching but likely to be a bilstein or koni 'kits" (or M030 from Carnewal) and have a used shifter mechanism to play with to remove the standard slop in the box, new underbody plastics – few are damaged, retrim of steering wheel, handbrake and gearknob (by Jack @ royal) – and most likely lots more!
