Ownership Verified: 2000 996 C2

Tcdoe

Active Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2004
Messages
286
My now ex-Megane RS, being a Renault, started to depreciate a bit too much to my liking. Plus another winter is soon upon us and I wanted something fun I could drive all year long. I tried selling the Megane for a while, but as it wasn't going too well I looked into trading it for something else at a dealer. At first I looked at WRX STI's and Evos as I've long wanted to sample some of Japan's finest. They would've suited both my all-season and track driving needs. I was however worried that they'd be a bit boring when not using every last drop of performance. Also their interiors are pretty horrible. Ultimately the plan fell through due to none of the STI/Evo-dealers wanting the Renault enough to make a reasonable deal. Time to broaden my horizons.

I've always wanted a 911, ever since I was a kid. The 996 however has never been particularly desirable to me. I've never really loved the styling and I've always gone with the ever so popular "it's not air-cooled so it's not a real Porsche"-opinion (although the newer water-cooled ones somehow are?), even though I'd never driven one. It's not ugly, but it's also just not as cool as the older ones. As I continued my online search I suddenly found a 996 Carrera 4 and realised that it actually ticked all the boxes (fun to drive, AWD, less depreciation). I started searching the Internet for 996 ownership experiences and once I got past all the "not a real Porsche"-bashing it became apparent, that the 996 is a rather enjoyable car to drive. In fact it's even supposed to be better than the older ones on a all-year-round daily basis. Easier to live with and more comfortable to use. The idea of finally getting that 911 started to grow on me, even if it was a 996. I tried to make a deal on a few AWD Carreras, but once again they didn't really appreciate my trade-in. By this time the 911-fever was so bad I started considering the RWD cars too. According to various forums it too should be ok in the winter (I'm talking about a proper "-25 degrees centigrade, 30cm of snow on an icy road"-winter, not a British "well it rains a bit more"-winter) as long as you have proper winter tyres and PSM. Right, that's settled then, 996 it is.

I found a recently imported dark blue C2 for sale at the local Porsche dealer. At first I wasn't that interested in it since it had practically no extras, but I thought I'd take a look anyway since the dealer wasn't too far away. Also the pictures in the ad did no favours for the exterior and interior. Once I got to the dealer and saw the car outside in the bright sunlight I couldn't believe it was the same car as in the ad. Further examination revealed that the car did in fact have a few crucial extras not mentioned in the ad. Namely PSM (necessary for relaxed winter driving), Litronic-headlights (Porsche for Xenon/HID) and the M030 sport suspension. I took it for a test drive and found a few issues but the dealer promised to sort them all out (which they did) and also do a large service before the car is sold. I also complained that the steering wheel is a bit too large (I'm too tall for many Porsches), so the dealer suggested we throw in a smaller and neater 3-spoke steering wheel. It took an official Porsche dealer to fully appreciate the words "RS" and "Cup" in my Renault's name. He made me an offer and I promised to think about it. Think about I did, a lot. It's funny, I didn't expect to like the car very much, much less wanting to buy it. Later that night I crunched the numbers and somehow the deal just made sense financially, even though I was swapping to a car ten years older and more expensive. A large part of the decision was the fact that the car had been inspected, serviced and was being sold by an official Porsche dealer and I would be getting a one year warranty on the engine and drivetrain (there has been a number of engine breakdowns, but the issue is largely exaggerated). The following day I went back for a more thorough inspection of the car and when I found nothing alarming I signed the papers. Fast forward a week and the keys were finally exchanged. I have now driven about 900 kilometers and I've been grinning like a fool for most of them. This car I wouldn't mind keeping a bit longer than the previous ones. I've already ordered a few parts and made some modifications.

Pictures of a dry, clean car coming soon. It's been raining almost every day since I got the car and I've been too busy driving it to take pictures when it's dry.

996_1.jpg


996_2.jpg


996_3.jpg


IMG_4085.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's time to begin the modifications. First up was the new steering wheel which was included in the deal. It just arrived from Germany today and once I found out about it I rushed to the Porsche dealer to get it swapped over. It's slightly smaller, so there's a bit more legroom, but not as much as I would've liked. Looks 2000% better than the old one though. Will have to get a GT3 Centre console delete kit for more (right) legroom. May also consider swapping seats or modifying seat rails.

Steering wheel before:
IMG_4088.jpg


and after:
IMG_4092.jpg


Another part I had ordered right after signing the papers were new knobs for the original cassette player. I intend to keep this player as it's a good quality Becker unit and I don't listen to CD's in the car anyway, so there's no point in swapping for one of those. There's no way I'm getting a flashy aftermarket Pioneer headunit or the like. OEM all the way. I'm planning to add a Solisto aux-input box later which emulates the original CD-changer. I can connect and charge my iPhone thru that. Anyway, the knobs on the cassette player had worn and melted in some strange way. They were really icky and sticky. Luckily eBay.de offered a solution, but at 46? for two small knobs (ha!), they weren't exactly cheap.

Next up and already ordered are some new engine mounts. On these cars the engine-gearbox assembly is actually suspended from the engine mounts, opposed to resting on them as on most cars. This causes the engine mounts to stretch and wear (sometimes even 10mm), which in turn leads to all sorts of vibrations and thunking sounds, difficulties shifting and general looseness. Rennlist often recommends swapping fresh mounts as the first modification for any 996. I've already ordered them from Pelican Parts (for less than half of what they cost here) and they should hopefully arrive by the end of the week. Should be a simple 15 minute swap.

Before:
IMG_4086.jpg


After:
IMG_4089.jpg


We end with a general interior shot of a dirty car.
IMG_4095.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: haz
? Blue interior

? Leather seats

? OEM stereo

= Approved!
 
Nice! Yes, the 996 is not the best looking 911, it may not sound as cool as the 993, and everything, but fuck that shit. It's still a motherfucking Porsche 911, a better car than most of the hater crowd on the internet have ever driven. Have fun with it, although I think that shouldn't be an issue. And join us for Ringmeet 2014, to take it to its natural habitat :p

Oh, and: o7 General Interior Shot
 
Oh good, a JAFOB*! We didn't see any of those at the 'Ring at all, did we?

Nice car, have fun! :cool:

*Just Another Fucking Overgrown Beetle
 
Nice! Yes, the 996 is not the best looking 911, it may not sound as cool as the 993, and everything, but fuck that shit. It's still a motherfucking Porsche 911, a better car than most of the hater crowd on the internet have ever driven. Have fun with it, although I think that shouldn't be an issue. And join us for Ringmeet 2014, to take it to its natural habitat :p

Oh, and: o7 General Interior Shot


Very well said.

:thumbsup:
 
I love it. And I've always liked the 996...much more than the 997. In fact, I think I'm going to buy one at some point in the next few years. I would however spend a little more money on a bodykit. Some of the later model Carreras came with the Turbo front bumper cover:

i519fd64dd73b8.jpg

or alternatively - get a GT3 bumper cover.

And I also like the rear panel with the long third stop light:

i519fd7321d138.jpg

(I wouldn't want a crashed one of course)
 
Looks very, very sharp indeed.

How many kilometers? And is that steering wheel brand new? Looks good from both interior and exterior.
 
? Blue interior

? Leather seats

? OEM stereo

= Approved!

Ooh, the elusive and coveted public's approval!

Nice! Yes, the 996 is not the best looking 911, it may not sound as cool as the 993, and everything, but fuck that shit. It's still a motherfucking Porsche 911, a better car than most of the hater crowd on the internet have ever driven. Have fun with it, although I think that shouldn't be an issue. And join us for Ringmeet 2014, to take it to its natural habitat :p

Oh, and: o7 General Interior Shot

You, sir, get the idea! When one stops thinking like a raving Youtube commenter it's still a bloody 911, despite the shape of the headlights.

I'm thinking about coming along next year, but then again considering my fellow Finns (the ones driving their own cars) luck this year, that's probably the surest way to suffer that dreaded catastrophic engine failure.

Oh good, a JAFOB*! We didn't see any of those at the 'Ring at all, did we?

Nice car, have fun! :cool:

*Just Another Fucking Overgrown Beetle

Thanks, will have!

Very nice!
These are near the top of my attainable dream car list. Looking forward to hearing about an ownership experience from the horses mouth.

I will keep you guys posted. Fuel consumption for the first tank was 12,4l/100km. The damn thing is thirsty. Then again I've been flooring it at every opportunity. Then again I intend to do so in the future.

Love it, hope to get one one day.

No reason you shouldn't. It's a clich?, but you should enjoy the fun things in life while you still have the chance.

I love it. And I've always liked the 996...much more than the 997. In fact, I think I'm going to buy one at some point in the next few years. I would however spend a little more money on a bodykit. Some of the later model Carreras came with the Turbo front bumper cover:

(I wouldn't want a crashed one of course)

That would be the C4S model, released in 2002 along the MK2 996. The S came with the wider Turbo body and hence the same bumpers. It also had the same suspension and brakes. I don't know about your market, but over here they seem to cost the same as the Turbo, so I don't really see the point in getting one. I like the red panel between the lights as well.

Looks very, very sharp indeed.

How many kilometers? And is that steering wheel brand new? Looks good from both interior and exterior.

Thanks! It currently has 117k kms on the clock, which isn't too bad for a 13-yo. car. Yes, a brand new wheel was included in the deal. The exterior is really quite sharp for it's age. Will have to have a proper detailing session soon and take pictures afterwards.
 
Congrats!! I like the 996. Got the same dash layout as my 00 Box, except the cluster. Same OEM radio. Let me know if you want to know how to connect your iPod / iPhone to play your music etc. instead of cds..
 
Congrats!! I like the 996. Got the same dash layout as my 00 Box, except the cluster. Same OEM radio. Let me know if you want to know how to connect your iPod / iPhone to play your music etc. instead of cds..

Thanks! Our cars actually share quite a lot of parts. Front bumper, headlights, doors etc. I was thinking about getting this one. Do you have any experiences of it, or what would you recommend?
 
But it's not a 99.... I'm kidding. I admit, I love the 993s but I, too, have some time ago come to the realization that the 996 is also a good car (though I prefer the later variation with the "broken sunny-side-up eggs" headlights).

Congratulations on what by all accounts appears to be a great car. I'm very jealous. Points for you!
 
Last edited:
had a nice seal of awesomeness here but someone took it away...
 
Last edited:
Nice!

I personally wouldn't turn my nose up at any 911 that has a proper manual gearbox. (No Tiptronic or PDK for me, thanks!)

Okay, the fried egg headlamps are not my favorite styling feature; so if I had one I would just have to spend as much time behind the wheel, where they wouldn't be noticed anyway. Problem solved!
 
Can I just say, fckn love the colour. What is it?!
 
Can I just say, fckn love the colour. What is it?!

The color is indeed very sexy. Much more interesting than just silver or black. (Or white either tbh.) This could only be improved by a tan leather interior :p

Anyways great car, congratz.
 
Top