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Back in a 996

nickpan

Well-known member
Joined
30 May 2016
Messages
88
After selling my 996.2 C4 in 2016 for the "far superior air-cooled cars", I'm delighted to say that I'm now back in a 996!

I'd sold my first 996 to buy a 993 C2 which never really lived up to all the hype IMO. Thinking I needed something more "involved", I picked up a 912 at the start of this summer which looked the part but that was about it.

So I've returned - this time purchasing a 2003 996 C2 coupe manual with 79,500 miles on the clock from a member of this forum.

Car is stunning in every way - meticulously maintained by its previous owner, an aeronautical engineer. List of items done recently include:

- COG suspension refresh
- Rear spoiler overhaul
- Full brake overhaul
- New IMS bearing
- New alternator
- RSS engine mounts
- Low Temp Thermostat
- Water Pump Change
- Mag Sump Plug
- Miltek Cup Rear Silencers & New Exhaust Tips
- DesignTek Cold Induction/Resonator Bypass Hose
- TRS 4" Underdrive Pulley
- Rear wiper delete
- Steering wheel / gearshift recovered in Alcantara
- 9Products Steering Wheel Extender

No big plans for the car at present. Replacing the battery tomorrow morning with a Yuasa as I don't have trickle charge facilities where I store the car and want peace of mind.

Visiting Minutia detailing on Monday to discuss a ceramic coat and possibly an under sealant as I plan on using the car all through the winter.

First trip scheduled for 1st week of December - destination Stuttgart via the Black Forest.

Despite not having an opportunity to drive her this week having picked up last Sunday night, I've visited her 3 times this week! I really like the Lapis blue under the lights.

It's good to be back!

Nick





 
Nice to hear your journey and how your logical answer was to get another 996. :worship: :thumbs:

Well done! :thumb:
 
Looks like a fantastic example! Enjoy :thumb:
 
Lovely looking car you've got there, welcome back :thumb:
 
Does look a nice colour.
Enjoy
 
Lapis is a great colour. Weird that so few specced them like that from new! Those wheels look sharp and the yellow calipers look cracking.
Rick
 
Paint already looks great, and the colours of the calipers set it off well :thumb:.

nickpan said:
I'd sold my first 996 to buy a 993 C2 which never really lived up to all the hype IMO. Thinking I needed something more "involved", I picked up a 912 at the start of this summer which looked the part but that was about it.
Would be interested hearing a little more about your experiences with the 993 and 912, in terms of how they didn't live up to your expectations. Main 3 factors for each car..?
 
Thank you all - I appreciate the very positive feedback.

The 993:

- Overpriced IMO; I bought at the top of the market sadly - £54k for a C2 with lots of miles but it did have a lot of work done to it so it drove well. My problem was it never ever felt 3 x the value of the 996 that I had traded in. In fact now that I'm back in a 996, i still believe the 996 is outrageously underpriced vs the 993 as I find the 996 to be a better drive on all fronts.

I tracked the 993 at Snetterton - good times - and the photos I have as a momento remind me of what a stunningly good looking car it was - but people's perceptions of looks change over time, so I didn't feel confident the 3x price multiple would last.

The 912:

OOOF - so good looking. Stopped people in the street. Photos at the traffic lights. The works. But my gosh is that little 1600cc lump underwhelming - and mine had been fully rebuilt. So then you start wondering why you've just sunk £50k into the car when it doesn't even drive like a Porsche?

So I've put aesthetics aside and gone for the drive. I happen to like the look of the 996 and actually think the later 991/992 generations are starting to look slightly 996 from the back! So in sum, I think their time as yet to come, and I'm happy to have bought back into the brand. 8)
 
Nice one. My 996.1 c2 is my only real experience of 911s. It's nice to hear some one who has had a few different 911's rate the 996 so highly. I'm all on for the driving experience as I don't actually think they're much to look at compared to the rest of breed.

The colour is first class though. Very nice
 
Good Morning All - a few updates on the 996 which I'll post separately.

Have completed 500 miles so far including a return trip to Dorset from London. First niggle encountered was a vibrating steering wheel over and above 60mph.

Thankfully, with an hour to spare whilst in Dorset on the Saturday, I made it to Kwik Fit, Yeovil where they quickly concluded the tracking was somewhat off. This did not surprise me given the amount of nasty speed bumps I had encountered in central London.

Pleased to say that £75 later, the car was perfectly aligned, driving straight with no more vibration in the steering wheel at high speeds. Phew!

I of course took the opportunity to take some photos of underneath the car. Dry as a bone!




 
I've often wondered about moving out of my 996 for a 993/964.
Your experience, having done it, is very interesting.
Maybe I'll stick with what I have for a while :thumb:
 
As I may have previously mentioned, my 996 had previously been owned an maintained by an aeronautical engineer so mechanically, it is pretty much spot on.

That being said, it is clear that the car had spent a lot of its life outside so it was starting to look tired in places... yellowing headlights, faded paintwork with lots of swirl marks. You know the story!

I therefore decided to treat the car to an early Christmas present at Minutia Detailing in Croydon, opting for an "Enhancement detail" which included a two stage machine polish and a Feynlab ceramic coat. I also had inner arches treated with Bilt Hamber Dynax UC to help fend off some of the salt headed our way this winter.

I left the car with Michael for a whole week and picked it up yesterday evening at 10pm...! No rest for the wicked! To say it looks incredible is an understatement. Michael's attention to detail is next to none and he's incredibly pleasant to detail with. All in all, I'm super pleased with the result and looking forward to taking the car to the Ace Cafe this coming Monday....!

Lots and lots of photos below. Enjoy :thumbs:

























 
That looks beautiful! I've recently bought a lapis blue 996 C4S too. Lovely colour but you can see every mark under harsh florescent garage lights. It makes me paranoid haha. I used "Revive" to come and polish it. I didn't get the option of a ceramic finish. Is it worth it do you think? I guess its primary purpose is to make it easier to clean?
 

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