Porsche 911 (996) Tiptronic - good? Paging TDM!

we've had a few at work and never had a problem with the autos. personally i don't like them i prefer the proper manual box has a nice feel. still it's not the only pricey thing! check the brake discs as people let the pads get a bit low so they tend to need new front discs and i think there about £1500 not sure if that's a pair or just one mind.

Serious suggestion, especially in the current economic cimate....

Stick 20k into the mortgage and spend 5k on a the mintiest 944 he can find.

Having been in the postition a couple of times to do the same kind of thing myself, there is a longer lasting 'feel good' factor in knowing you own, or nearly own your house than you could ever get out of a car.

Is that if they're the Carbon Ceramics? Prices for normal discs don't seem to be anywhere near that looking around online?

Cheers for the info though dude, good to know they don't all come through with dead boxes heh! He's geared up for pricey parts/repairs. Conveniently this place -

Is very local, and has a brilliant reputation (also, LOOK at the stocklist! Although no Carrera GTs at the moment - they had 3 at one point, including a red one and a blue one), and their fixed servicing prices are more than reasonable for such a machine IMHO.

He can't go wrong: the car is expensif but built like a tank (please=20 don't hit anything because the wallet is ther first top explode).

If maintenance is done and the car cared for, you will be hard pressed=20 to find things that reveal 6 years of age.=20

Mechanically the car is engineered for its topspeed, so the safety- margin is Theutonically high. Interior (and leather) is of a quality=20 that very few equal. Been in a new Jaguar XK recentely... brr: maybe a=20 monday after holidays car.

However let him prepare when he enters the car for the first time at a=20 Porsche dealership to receive an invoice of around 3000 UPK for=20 maintenance the former owner "forgot": brakes, brakefluid, gearbox oil=20 and a few other bits and pieces while not forgetting tires.

Other than that he will have a pristine car, reliable, fast and he can=20 either play with the tip-tronic of be still fast in automatic mode.

The only thing which annoys most Porsche drivers (the 996 is no=20 exception) is that when driven "semi-spirited" the tanc is very small=20 and will need filing up every 200 miles.

The 911 is good, very good indeed. Later models always better than the=20 former but... the price is there and for that price it has to be good.

Oh yes: 4 KUPD for remplacing a tiptronic gearbox at Porsche? Hmmm...=20 seems awfully cheap to me. For safety and peace of mind: urge that=20

10kmiles of warranty are given on engine/gearbox-combination.

On the other hand: if he want the prestige of a super-sportcar, the=20 practicality / daily usability of a 911, combined with Honda Civic=20 maintenance-cost: Honda NSX... but the "buy-it-now"-price of a 2002 NSX=20 will be in the 996-range or above. :-)

Tom De Moor

He can't go wrong: the car is expensif but built like a tank (please don't hit anything because the wallet is ther first top explode).

If maintenance is done and the car cared for, you will be hard pressed to find things that reveal 6 years of age.

Mechanically the car is engineered for its topspeed, so the safety- margin is Theutonically high. Interior (and leather) is of a quality that very few equal. Been in a new Jaguar XK recentely... brr: maybe a monday after holidays car.

However let him prepare when he enters the car for the first time at a Porsche dealership to receive an invoice of around 3000 UPK for maintenance the former owner "forgot": brakes, brakefluid, gearbox oil and a few other bits and pieces while not forgetting tires.

Other than that he will have a pristine car, reliable, fast and he can either play with the tip-tronic of be still fast in automatic mode.

The only thing which annoys most Porsche drivers (the 996 is no exception) is that when driven "semi-spirited" the tanc is very small and will need filing up every 200 miles.

The 911 is good, very good indeed. Later models always better than the former but... the price is there and for that price it has to be good.

Oh yes: 4 KUPD for remplacing a tiptronic gearbox at Porsche? Hmmm... seems awfully cheap to me. For safety and peace of mind: urge that

10kmiles of warranty are given on engine/gearbox-combination.

On the other hand: if he want the prestige of a super-sportcar, the practicality / daily usability of a 911, combined with Honda Civic maintenance-cost: Honda NSX... but the "buy-it-now"-price of a 2002 NSX will be in the 996-range or above. :-)

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Good to know :-) Cheers Tom! We're hoping the fact there is no rush whatsoever, means we can find one that doesn't need that initial £3k bill hehe!

rofl!!!!! of course you have Steve. You keep telling yourself that and eventually you may believe it yourself!! :-)

Rest assured: the initial 3 k-bill is a mathematical certainty and that's when you are in no rush/ are lucky etc. The bill will be worse if the buyer falls in love with the car before he bought it.

I hate to inform you that imho the only way to escape it (as far a Porsche is concerned) will be buying it brand new. WHich also has certain financial implications.

Good luck 911-hunting!

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Hehe ah well, we'll hope to minimise the bill then ;-) Thanks again Tom.

Rest assured: the initial 3 k-bill is a mathematical certainty and=20 that's when you are in no rush/ are lucky etc. The bill will be worse if=20 the buyer falls in love with the car before he bought it.

I hate to inform you that imho the only way to escape it (as far a=20 Porsche is concerned) will be buying it brand new. WHich also has=20 certain financial implications.

Good luck 911-hunting!=20

Tom De Moor

Well, a Land Registry check would confirm the above for you.....

Dunno who the guy you're replying to is, but his messages don't get to me. Which doesn't appear to be a shame heh.

Boring sod.

PCCB = expensive bills if he ever needs replacement disks/pads.

For road use every day I'd say get a standard Carrera 2S on sensible wheels - driven with a slight regard for the law you'll never notice it's rear engine / rear drive, and on a track (or with complete disregard for the law) the 2is gonna be more fun than the 4.

Get some tuition on the first trackday...

Euh no... the Carbon disks on a 911 will set the buyer some 10000 UKP=20 back. Porsche warrants them 150 kkm.

Personally I do not think that carbon disks are the answer for braking=20 on normal roads. You press them and nothing happens. Suddenly they heat=20 up and the chick next to you (who of course forgot to put on the safety=20 belts) catapults into the front window. If you are unlucky the=20 windscreen cracks!!=20

And that when knowing that Porsche Ceramic brakes are among the=20 "easier" ones to drive.

Even for "normal" steel brakes Porsche asks -imho- very expensif prices.=20 For the 928 I was quoted (4 disks, pads and labor) the neat sum of 2.500=20 UKP. I ordered disks and pads at Pelican Parts (Yeah: use the US$ in yer=20 advantage) and was billed 800 US$ + 200US$ shiping /customs. Changing=20 disks /pads on a Porsche is a doodle.

Tom De Moor

Euh no... the Carbon disks on a 911 will set the buyer some 10000 UKP back. Porsche warrants them 150 kkm.

Personally I do not think that carbon disks are the answer for braking on normal roads. You press them and nothing happens. Suddenly they heat up and the chick next to you (who of course forgot to put on the safety belts) catapults into the front window. If you are unlucky the windscreen cracks!!

And that when knowing that Porsche Ceramic brakes are among the "easier" ones to drive.

Even for "normal" steel brakes Porsche asks -imho- very expensif prices. For the 928 I was quoted (4 disks, pads and labor) the neat sum of 2.500 UKP. I ordered disks and pads at Pelican Parts (Yeah: use the US$ in yer advantage) and was billed 800 US$ + 200US$ shiping /customs. Changing disks /pads on a Porsche is a doodle.

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Yea there are a few online places showing brakes to be not too horrendous.

Are they really *that* good? I've been tempted by them more than once and seeing that I don't really warm to my twin-turbo RX7 that much (it's been in the shop again for a few tweaks, I haven't seen it for several weeks and I don't miss it - bad sign), I currently consider trying one.

Well, that and an Alfa Montreal that's for sale locally, but I'll keep quiet about the latter.

With good reason, Senna.

Aye, one of the most 'unfortunate' deaths in sport IMHO. I say unfortunate as I can't think of a strong enough word right now heh. Such, such a shame that we never really saw Senna vs Schumacher.

Heh, I'm officially faster than both Senna and Prost over a distance of

1.5 miles. However before anyone throws themselves at my feet as the driving god that I undoubtedly am, I must explain.

They each had stupidly low Ferraris a Testarossa for Prost. I forget which one Senna had. Albert Drive in Woking which leads to the (old) McLaren factory is 1.5 miles long and lined with speed humps, even back in the 80s. So most mornings I would get to Albert Drive at about the same time as one or other of them and as they gingerly proceeded over the humps pass them flat out in my Citroen which didn't notice the bumps at all. Often I'd be in my office by the time they managed to get to the front door.

Heh.

Boring, as others have pointed out. Now is a great time to be buying a 911. The roads are quieter for one.