86 v 911 (1998 - 1999)

[Orange86er]

With some smart shopping the price would be the same. Looking at the water cooled engine... 996.

What would you do?

Can anyone with experience of both comment?

[n2oinferno]

I have no experience in either yet. That said, maintenance and parts prices on a 14-15 year old Porsche would steer me in the direction of the 86. If you're paying the same for both vehicles, make sure you take into account that the Porsche just might need thousands of dollars of work in the near future.

[norsamerican]

The cost to maintain that porsche is astronomical. Take it from someone who has a family friend that is a world reknown Porsche mechanic aka Mike Callas. Not to mention you wouldn't want to daily drive the 996 if you expected it to hold any kind of value. What 996 did you find that was comparable to the price of the FRS? Any 996 that is less that 40K is going to have alot of miles, wear & tear, and probably need alot of maintenance work.

[Turbowned]

996? Ewww.

[EAGLE5]

I decided against the 911 because of maintenance costs for a daily driver. If you're just talking weekend cars, it becomes much more attractive. If you want to spend the money to put an LS1 into a 4WD 911, then it's awesome.

[WolfpackS2k]

Originally Posted by norsamerican

The cost to maintain that porsche is astronomical. Take it from someone who has a family friend that is a world reknown Porsche mechanic aka Mike Callas. Not to mention you wouldn't want to daily drive the 996 if you expected it to hold any kind of value. What 996 did you find that was comparable to the price of the FRS? Any 996 that is less that 40K is going to have alot of miles, wear & tear, and probably need alot of maintenance work.

you kidding? You can find dozens of 996s for sale for $30k or less. 996 TURBOS are going for mid 40s now. they're reliable cars though...have won several awards in Germany for that exact quality. however when something does have to be replaced it will not be cheap.

As to the overall driving experience its pretty rewarding and considerably faster than BRZ/FRS around a track. People hate on the styling (I'm not really a fan either) but it's the last lightweight 911 Porsche made before they starting porking them up

[norsamerican]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

you kidding? You can find dozens of 996s for sale for $30k or less. 996 TURBOS are going for mid 40s now. they're reliable cars though...have won several awards in Germany for that exact quality. however when something does have to be replaced it will not be cheap.

As to the overall driving experience its pretty rewarding and considerably faster than BRZ/FRS around a track. People hate on the styling (I'm not really a fan either) but it's the last lightweight 911 Porsche made before they starting porking them up

Where did i mention that you can't find them for that price? I said they will have alot of miles. Reading comprehension >you

Also the 2000-2002 models are pieces of crap. The only reason they are cheap is because they are crap and anybody who knows anything about Porsches would never consider one.

There's a reason that these models are cheaper than all others. They were poorly made and full of problems. They are the most sold Porsche's around. They are simply the bastard children of the 911 series.

Lets not forget that if you cannot pay cash for these cars you 99% percent of the time wont get one. A bank isn't going to give you a loan for a car 10 years or older, especially if you have no collateral.

The only 996 i would ever consider is a turbo and that is if someone was twisting my arm. I would only ever get a new 997 or a 993.

My advice OP is to do some serious research into these models. THere is alot of preventative maintenance and maintenance intervals. Everything parts wise and maintenance wise is expensive on these cars and if you're looking to resell the porsche in the future nobody is going to want to buy one that was worked on in your garage. Unless you're a certified mechanic.

[chulooz]

996 are quality


$30k+ upfront, $10k from behind... bent over.

[zoomzoomers]

996's are good cars. Some of the percieved issues come from the conversion to water cooled from oil. Generally, the 996's were not liked by Porsche die hards due to the fact that the 996's looked very rounded and looked very similar to the Boxsters (aka poorman's porsche). Hence the good prices. A buddy of mine bought a 996 Carerra and spend something around $7k converting it to a twin of a 997 GT3/GT2. Looked simply awesome for like 1/3 the price. Nobody could tell unless you got in the car or opened the hood.

[WolfpackS2k]

Originally Posted by norsamerican

Where did i mention that you can't find them for that price? I said they will have alot of miles. Reading comprehension >you

Also the 2000-2002 models are pieces of crap. The only reason they are cheap is because they are crap and anybody who knows anything about Porsches would never consider one.

There's a reason that these models are cheaper than all others. They were poorly made and full of problems. They are the most sold Porsche's around. They are simply the bastard children of the 911 series.

Lets not forget that if you cannot pay cash for these cars you 99% percent of the time wont get one. A bank isn't going to give you a loan for a car 10 years or older, especially if you have no collateral.

The only 996 i would ever consider is a turbo and that is if someone was twisting my arm. I would only ever get a new 997 or a 993.

My advice OP is to do some serious research into these models. THere is alot of preventative maintenance and maintenance intervals. Everything parts wise and maintenance wise is expensive on these cars and if you're looking to resell the porsche in the future nobody is going to want to buy one that was worked on in your garage. Unless you're a certified mechanic.

My mistake. "A lot" of miles to me means 100k plus (since all I've owned are Hondas ) but you can find 996.2 (2002+) 911s for under $30k with 75k~ish miles on them, a not unreasonable amount. I would agree with you regarding the money situation though; it would be a lot harder to finance a car of that age.

They're not crap though. The RMS issue was pretty serious but its well known so you'd have to be an idiot to buy one without knowing if it had already been taken care of. Saying the 966 is a crappy Porsche still makes it better than most of the sports cars out there.

Of course, unless I needed a rear seat a used Cayman S makes much more sense

[norsamerican]

I agree with you but it all boils down to personal preference 10 yr old car with 70k miles, for 30k or new car with factory warranty, for 30k. Not to mention the parts on that 10 yr old car will fail sooner, cost more to buy, labor charges are higher, and its going to need maintenance more often than a new car. If someone has that kind of coin to toss around then more power for him.

Before buying my BRZ i was really close to purchasing a Maroon 993 C4 out of orlando with 40k on the clock. But then again i wouldn't drive it daily.

OP my opinion is think of the future when it comes to car buying. Figure out the overal costs of ownerships for the duration of owning the car. Weigh the costs against other cars. Don't get a Porsche because its a Porsche get it because you can afford all associated costs.

[NorseLegend]

Honestly, and I'm sure I'll get a bit of flak for this, if I was going to get a Porsche, I would do one of two things, either A; Get a new Cayman, or B; get one of the older 964s and go with the RWB style. I love how they look.

But honestly, you really do need to look at all of your personal finances, and see if you would be able to afford a new clutch, or some other Porsche component, should it fail. Just make sure you'd be able to balance your budget and afford the costs, should it arise.

[dem00n]

Is there a bad Porsche?

I sit here thinking, even that little 914 was a good car.

Sure we say 928, but that thing is turning into a cult classic.


Hrmmm.

[Turbowned]

The 928 is a piece. The 1st gen Boxster is a piece, and the 996 911 (non-turbo) is also a piece.