1999 911

Guys, I need help.

Do you think a 1999 911 6spd, is a good candidate for a daily driver? Are they reliable, will they last into the 1xx,xxx miles? Do they have any serious electrical problems I need to worry about?

Thanks,
Jim

 

definitely check rennlist et. al. for more detailed answers to your questions, but the 1999, being the first year of 996 production, was susceptible to some problems. they got them mostly sorted out for the 2000 MY, afaik. i owned two 2001 996s and never had any anomalous problems with them - though didn't take them to six digits of mileage.

doody.

 

There are several 100K+ mile '99's out there. As Doody says check out rennlist and 6speedonline

 

A used 911 is the best kept secret in automobiledom.
Buy it, drive the wheels off of it, and sell it for close to what you paid.
A 993 would be a better choice though.

 

No........buy a 2002+ if you have to have a 996.

If it is strictly a matter of price, and there is nothing wrong with that.......I'd rather have a higher mileage 993 instead of a 996 for the same amount of money.

 

Incorrect the 996 was released in the ROW in 1998, 1999 was the second year of production and also the first year for sale in the USA. You can buy a 1998 996 in Europe.

 

A higher milage 993 is the same price asa lower millage 996. Someone correct me if I am wrong here, but i thought that the 996 came out in 98 even in the US. I thought the 993 was 94-97.

 

U.S. = 993 - 1995 -1998 model years
996 - 1999 - 2004 model years

 

There were 2005 996s... C4S, GT3 and Turbo S.

 

Why is that?

Plus, what has been your experience with the 996 turbos?

Dale

 

Howdy Dale......!!

320 HP versus 296 HP engine (you really notice the difference).......a redesigned front end and different lights........and several small, but noticeable internal quality improvements thruout the car. Not knocking the earlier car per say......just making a suggestion.

996TT are great cars if you are into mods. AFAIK the only real issue with them is a bad transmission, usually around 40,000 kms....second gear goes and it costs $15K to replace the gearbo with a new one. This is normal if "aftermarket" short shift kits were installed, which is very common on those cars. So you have to watch for that.

We have car in our shop that we just had a client spend $16K on. Went from 400-600 HP......and damn....is the car fast. It took me almost an hour to pluck my eyeballs out from the back of my head after I punched it for the first time. $16K spent on a Ferrari gets you a carbon fiber shifter handle. And getting a 200HP increase is impossible unless you want to spend cubic dollars every 12 months.

 

In 1998 and 2005 you can get either models new in USA. The earlier 996's had problems with porosity of the aluminum engine case but that is a factory warranty repair. porsche is known to have replaced the entire engine for owners with that problem in the first 5 years of ownership and may have extended that to later second owners as part of keeping their reputation good. They are good cars on the used car market and being a Porsche 911 has quite a good record if not abused or not maintained properly. All new designs have teething pain issues. That's the reason why a 993 is much better choice than an early 996.

 

+1. 1999 is probably the nadir year for the modern 911s. Not sure they ever resolved the rear main seal issue with the 996, but there was a major mid-model update in 2002 (and the cabriolets got an improved top that year).

993 is the more desirable car ('95-'98)

 

The RMS fix is $800.....you use the Cayenne V8 seal.

 

Thanks for the info, it helps a lot.

Jim