Porsche 911 (996) (1997 – 2004) Review
Porsche 911 (996) (1997 – 2004) Verdict
Porsche driving pleasure with precise, mechanical feel. Fierce performance yet docile enough for daily use. Solidly built.
Ugly. Understeer. Very expensive problems with oil/water contamination and Nickasil bore liners. Noisy drivetrain on four-wheel-drive versions. Iron discs rust.
Find out more about the Porsche 911 (996) (1997 – 2004)
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Model History
January 0001
Top-hinged pedals at last. 300 bhp 3.4 litre engine.
Lighter, more powerful 360 bhp GT3 with adjustable suspension by far the best.
Substantial UK price cuts in May 2000.
Incredible, 414bhp 190mph Turbo.
C2 and C4 revised again with 3.6 litre Variocam engine developing 315bhp for September 2001 (much better engine than 3.4).
Top speed 177mph, 0-60 4.8 seconds, prices from £55,950.
Turbo cabrio launched August 2003 at £96,130 does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, top speed 189mph.
May 2004 996 based 450bhp turbo S launched. 620Nm torque. 0-60 4 seconds, 0-100 9 seconds, top speed 191mph, combined consumption 21.2mpg. Prices: coupe £99,300, cabrio £105,030.
What to watch out for
Watercooling has proven to be a mixed blessing with lots of engines mixing their oil and water and needing to be replaced. Wet-sump 996s can suffer oil starvation when driven hard round corners. Can lead to problems with road as well as race cars. (Dry-sump GT3 and GT3-based Turbo not affected.)
Later 3.4 engines from 2000MY (engine number includes Y - not W or X which is 1998 and 1999) and 3.6 engines are OK, provided they have passed the danger mileage of around 25-30,000 when the bore liner issue tends to come out, though this was more a problem with the 3.4 and especially early cars.
Major Warning. Any mayonnaise-like emulsion or scum in the radiator header tank or under the oil filler cap, don't touch the car. It probably needs a new engine. Check rear brake discs carefully as they tend to rust on cars not subjected to regular hard braking. Steer well clear of early 3.4 996s with low mileage.
'Porous block' problem is actually broken or displaced 'Locksil' bore liners. Link to independent cure employing 'Silsleeve' steel liners with Nickasil coating at www.autofarm.co.uk/new.php3/silsleeve.html
Non ceramic brake discs prone to rusting if car not used regularly.
Most common serious problem seems to be engine Intermediate Shaft Bearing Failures.
An IMS failure is serious, potentially wrecking the engine. Autofarm will fit a modified IMS bearing to 1997 - 2005 M96 and M97 engines, together with a fresh clutch and dual mass flywheel, for £2,050 for a Boxster or standard 911 to £1,200 for the 4WD C4. Others whoi do this are Rutland Prestige and Zewntrum in Nottingham.
10-09-2012:Collapsible spare tyres can only be inflated and used once. Must then be replaced.
28-12-2012:Porsche 911 996 2001-2006 rated 8th most likely car built 1997-2009 to suffer expensive problems according to Warranty Direct December 2012 Reliability Index, with an index of 442 (compared with a rating of 6 for the best).
in data survey of Warranty Direct policy warranty claims. (Excludes KIAs, Hyundais, Toyotas and others with 7, 5 and 4 year warranties.) Most common faultds were electrical.
27-11-2016:It should be obvious, but avoid cheap tyres. One reader recently bought two Haida tyres which cost £42 each and put them on the rear of his Porsche 996. He found the rear end of the car was very loose and suspected that the weight of the engine is adversely affecting the tyre walls. The tyres are not N rated. He replaced the tyres with Porsche recommended N rated Coninentals and the handling has been dramatically improved.
