996 - 3.4 - which year is best ?

[Guest]

having had 15 faithfull years with my '86 carrera - have finally sold her with a view to buying a 996

can only afford 'mid 30's' - so is there a particular model year which is considered 'best NOT to buy' ie problems/upgrades etc

any advice appreciated !!!

mark giddings

 

[Rotorhead]

Probably the later the better. Quite a lot of minor improvements had been made by 2000, (although not the infamous main seals).

Obviously, the major milestone was the second generation 996 (Facelift/3.6/2002MY>). At the moment these are £45k plus.

However, there are some very nice 3.4s for under £40k. If you do your homework and search for a car with the right credentials (history, mileage, specification), you should find a really good example.

 

[oldtimer]

I have had no trouble with a Nov 97 car, now on 62k miles, much less maintenance than the 993 that preceded it. You will get a younger car for your money buying private, but apart from the facelift - which may be outside your price bracket - not much to differentiate. My tip is to get as many goodies in the spec as possible - especially satnav - as this makes it easier to resell, typical market for used 996s that you may be selling this car on to in the future is people trading up from lesser marques eg BMW / Audi and used to electric everything. Good luck !

 

[Guest]

Thanks Guys - further question - 'how' does one differentiate the '00' model year cars ie - visual/technical differences ?? +/or Chassis nos ????

mark

 

[Grant]

If it was my £35k I'd go for a 99MY C4, for the 99 MY Porsche introduced POSIPS side impact protection as standard, the cars also came with the clear front & rear lights (to further distance itself from the Boxter) & various other tweeks including a slightly louder exhaust system. The C4 was also the first 996 to feature Porsches fantastic PSM system (with upgraded engine management & electronic throttle) & this wasn't available on the C2 until later, which may be out your budget. C4's aren't much more than C2's at this age & you should find a decent specced model at your price privately.
You can tell the model year by looking at the 10th digit of the VIN number.....
W-98
X-99
Y-00 etc
Let us know if you need any other info.
Regards
Grant
Grant

 

[Guest]

Err, I think the years are a little awry -

Aug 1998 - March 1999 = S (the first 'split' year if I recall)
Mar 99 to Aug 99 = T
Aug 99 to Mar 00 = V
Mar 00 to Aug 00 = W
and so on

(may be out by a month, but I think it was Aug the switch happened)

The clear lenses / etc 99 MY were from late 99 - i.e latter S reg onwards.

Tony

 

[Guest]

Apologies grant - you were referring to the VIN Nrs!!!!