Are 996.2 just not worth the risk now?
Discussion
Seen a nice low miles 40 jahre. I’ve been down the 996 rabbit hole and the consensus seems to be that even at 22 years old and with 30k miles, you run a vivid risk of bore scoring. My interpretation is that even assuming the car passed a bore scope with flying colours, you could still bump into this issue anyway.
Is this really the case?
I’m aware of Hartech and similar but paying for a rebuild on an engine is really not something I want on my bingo card.
I’d be doing 3-6k per year.
Thoughts?
Is this really the case?
I’m aware of Hartech and similar but paying for a rebuild on an engine is really not something I want on my bingo card.
I’d be doing 3-6k per year.
Thoughts?
Knowing what we know now about M96 engine maintenance and driving style, I think you will be fine - subject to you checking that the bores are clean at the point of sale.
For the record, bore scoring is more prevalent in the 3.8 engine, the tiptronic gearbox and in territories with lower octane fuel.
What is much more important on a 20+ year old 996 is that all of the other components have been refreshed - as these components alone can exceed the cost of an engine rebuild.
Purchase an enthusiast owned car with a strong service history and genuine proof of proactive maintenance and you ll be fine.
The M96 engine is an absolute peach of an engine when treated with respect.
For the record, bore scoring is more prevalent in the 3.8 engine, the tiptronic gearbox and in territories with lower octane fuel.
What is much more important on a 20+ year old 996 is that all of the other components have been refreshed - as these components alone can exceed the cost of an engine rebuild.
Purchase an enthusiast owned car with a strong service history and genuine proof of proactive maintenance and you ll be fine.
The M96 engine is an absolute peach of an engine when treated with respect.
Don't forget the issue of possible IMS bearing failure. That's impossible to predict and can't be diagnosed like 'bore-scoring'.
I had an early 996 C4 tiptronic ('99 car, which I had from 2002 to 2010 and 100k miles) which eventually had an IMS issue and engine failure.
At the time I couldn't afford to repair it so sold it to Hartech. They fixed it and ran it as a 'company car' for a few years.
I may have been unlucky and the high miles may have had something to do with it - no idea. 150k miles on the clock when it went 'bang', so I go a lot of driving pleasure from it.
I have a 997 gen 2 now and have driven a 993 and 991 - the 996 remains the better handling and steering car - nimble, light, precise. Even more so that the 997 (which I love!). 996's are lovely cars to drive.
I had an early 996 C4 tiptronic ('99 car, which I had from 2002 to 2010 and 100k miles) which eventually had an IMS issue and engine failure.
At the time I couldn't afford to repair it so sold it to Hartech. They fixed it and ran it as a 'company car' for a few years.
I may have been unlucky and the high miles may have had something to do with it - no idea. 150k miles on the clock when it went 'bang', so I go a lot of driving pleasure from it.
I have a 997 gen 2 now and have driven a 993 and 991 - the 996 remains the better handling and steering car - nimble, light, precise. Even more so that the 997 (which I love!). 996's are lovely cars to drive.
Gen 2's are mega cars, perfect halfway house between the 'better' and more refined 997 and the 996.1. I think borescore failure rate is somewhere around 7% for the gen 2, its been widely covered on the 911uk forum. The gen 1's suffer with cracked heads and 'D chunking' of the cylinder walls, whereas the gen is more prone to borescore/ ims issues, you take your chances on either.
I didnt even get mine bore scoped when i bought it and i didnt read too much into the horror stories either, there are good examples out there and you tend to pay more for them but they also tend to have had plenty spent on them over the years as well. I simply went to view it and fired it up from cold, smooth as silk, no smoke etc. Job jobbed. Like any 25 year old sports car, you need to go in eyes wide open, however.
I didnt even get mine bore scoped when i bought it and i didnt read too much into the horror stories either, there are good examples out there and you tend to pay more for them but they also tend to have had plenty spent on them over the years as well. I simply went to view it and fired it up from cold, smooth as silk, no smoke etc. Job jobbed. Like any 25 year old sports car, you need to go in eyes wide open, however.
16610LV said:
I have a 997 gen 2 now and have driven a 993 and 991 - the 996 remains the better handling and steering car - nimble, light, precise. Even more so that the 997 (which I love!). 996's are lovely cars to drive.
Agreed. The 996 I think is the best back road Carrera there is, I'm sure some will prefer the aircooled cars for the overall feel they can give, but the 996 is spot on, as you say, feels lighter and more nimble than the 993 and more raw than the 997.
I love my 997, and I won't sell it, but if I was starting over I would get a 996 again.
highway said:
Seen a nice low miles 40 jahre. I ve been down the 996 rabbit hole and the consensus seems to be that even at 22 years old and with 30k miles, you run a vivid risk of bore scoring. My interpretation is that even assuming the car passed a bore scope with flying colours, you could still bump into this issue anyway.
Is this really the case?
I m aware of Hartech and similar but paying for a rebuild on an engine is really not something I want on my bingo card.
I d be doing 3-6k per year.
Thoughts?
I own a 40 Jahre 911 (Nr. 0711 of the limited edition) and am the manager of the Registry for these cars. I'd be happy to connect with you about your questions and put you in touch with an owner closer to you. The Registry website is www.40jahre911.com and you can email me at 40jahre911@gmail.com. If you let me know which car you're looking at I can see what records we may be able to share. I'm Ted by the way - nice to meet you.Is this really the case?
I m aware of Hartech and similar but paying for a rebuild on an engine is really not something I want on my bingo card.
I d be doing 3-6k per year.
Thoughts?
Thanks for the replies. Ted, I’ll be in touch if I buy the car. I had a 993 for a decade, which looked after me well.
Unlike many, I’ve always liked the 996, but never owned one. Largely as result of the scare stories.
Looking for my next fun car now and one of these has come onto my radar. I like low miles cars as they are always easier to sell when that time comes and the car I’ve seen looks great.
I’m well aware that there may be significant costs with other bits- brake lines etc but the issue that concerns me is bore score. The internet effectively says that it’s an inherent design flaw that all cars suffer with.
Some sites give the impression the cars are all ticking time bombs on a very slow timer. But the internet says a lot of things, hence this post.
Unlike many, I’ve always liked the 996, but never owned one. Largely as result of the scare stories.
Looking for my next fun car now and one of these has come onto my radar. I like low miles cars as they are always easier to sell when that time comes and the car I’ve seen looks great.
I’m well aware that there may be significant costs with other bits- brake lines etc but the issue that concerns me is bore score. The internet effectively says that it’s an inherent design flaw that all cars suffer with.
Some sites give the impression the cars are all ticking time bombs on a very slow timer. But the internet says a lot of things, hence this post.
highway said:
Thanks for the replies. Ted, I ll be in touch if I buy the car. I had a 993 for a decade, which looked after me well.
Unlike many, I ve always liked the 996, but never owned one. Largely as result of the scare stories.
Looking for my next fun car now and one of these has come onto my radar. I like low miles cars as they are always easier to sell when that time comes and the car I ve seen looks great.
I m well aware that there may be significant costs with other bits- brake lines etc but the issue that concerns me is bore score. The internet effectively says that it s an inherent design flaw that all cars suffer with.
Some sites give the impression the cars are all ticking time bombs on a very slow timer. But the internet says a lot of things, hence this post.
So - all M96 engines are susceptible to it on the basis of their design. The difference in 2026 is that all 996 enthusiasts are now well aware of this design flaw and it is possible to work around it. In the engine’s first 10 years of its life, I imagine owners stuck to the two year service intervals, didn’t keep on top of their cooling system, went off network and serviced the car with the wrong oil, pushed the engine when cold etc - and all of these factors can increase the chances of it happening.Unlike many, I ve always liked the 996, but never owned one. Largely as result of the scare stories.
Looking for my next fun car now and one of these has come onto my radar. I like low miles cars as they are always easier to sell when that time comes and the car I ve seen looks great.
I m well aware that there may be significant costs with other bits- brake lines etc but the issue that concerns me is bore score. The internet effectively says that it s an inherent design flaw that all cars suffer with.
Some sites give the impression the cars are all ticking time bombs on a very slow timer. But the internet says a lot of things, hence this post.
We know how to look after these engines today - and I think this gives owners the very best chance of avoiding the issue.
Non Mezger 996’s are cheap because of this risk - so if you’re prepared to treat the engine with care and maintain accordingly, they can be good deals. I should also note that 993s don’t have bore scoring stories associated to them, but can you find me a 993 that hasn’t had an engine rebuild by this point in time? It comes with the territory of classic 911 ownership!
I owned a 993 for a decade after owing a 996 for a few years, so the other way round!
Was definitely a step backwards into the 993 but I prefer classic cars, and at the time the 996 was too modern to be classic, if you know what I mean.
996 was measurably better than the 993 in every area but I just preferred the 993. Any appreciation I enjoyed personally was offset with the bills to keep it on the road.
A sorted 996 is just a great car, mine was the most basic of specifications but a lot of car for the money….
Was definitely a step backwards into the 993 but I prefer classic cars, and at the time the 996 was too modern to be classic, if you know what I mean.
996 was measurably better than the 993 in every area but I just preferred the 993. Any appreciation I enjoyed personally was offset with the bills to keep it on the road.
A sorted 996 is just a great car, mine was the most basic of specifications but a lot of car for the money….
Found a car I really like. Owner seems a proper chap as well. Hope to view later this week. I’m coming to this from an Emira which I really liked and had a good experience with. Sold it last summer when the stories about the factory closing and Geely pulling the plug surfaces.
I liked my 993 ownership more than the car- albeit the car itself was a special thing. Loads of rare factory options- C4 with (ice cold) AC, Technology wheels, extended leather )including sunvisors, hard backs etc. Met a group of really nice blokes who I stay in touch with to this day.
We all had 993’s once and were all over 911UK.
Back then the 996 was very much the poor relation and not much has changed. If you want a really nice 911 with spending well north of £40k it’s a 996 or early 997 or nothing.
I always liked 996, albeit for choice an early 3.4 manual with one owner and about 30k would have been favourite.
Let’s see how the viewing goes
I liked my 993 ownership more than the car- albeit the car itself was a special thing. Loads of rare factory options- C4 with (ice cold) AC, Technology wheels, extended leather )including sunvisors, hard backs etc. Met a group of really nice blokes who I stay in touch with to this day.
We all had 993’s once and were all over 911UK.
Back then the 996 was very much the poor relation and not much has changed. If you want a really nice 911 with spending well north of £40k it’s a 996 or early 997 or nothing.
I always liked 996, albeit for choice an early 3.4 manual with one owner and about 30k would have been favourite.
Let’s see how the viewing goes
highway said:
Thanks for the replies. Ted, I ll be in touch if I buy the car. I had a 993 for a decade, which looked after me well.
Unlike many, I ve always liked the 996, but never owned one. Largely as result of the scare stories.
Looking for my next fun car now and one of these has come onto my radar. I like low miles cars as they are always easier to sell when that time comes and the car I ve seen looks great.
I m well aware that there may be significant costs with other bits- brake lines etc but the issue that concerns me is bore score. The internet effectively says that it s an inherent design flaw that all cars suffer with.
Some sites give the impression the cars are all ticking time bombs on a very slow timer. But the internet says a lot of things, hence this post.
Unless you buy a car with the Hartech improvements in the rebuild, there is a risk. The risk is largely based on how you look after it and of course, how long you intend to keep it. If you are keeping it 10 years, you will have to accept that there is a fair chance you will need a rebuild. A couple of years, probably not!Unlike many, I ve always liked the 996, but never owned one. Largely as result of the scare stories.
Looking for my next fun car now and one of these has come onto my radar. I like low miles cars as they are always easier to sell when that time comes and the car I ve seen looks great.
I m well aware that there may be significant costs with other bits- brake lines etc but the issue that concerns me is bore score. The internet effectively says that it s an inherent design flaw that all cars suffer with.
Some sites give the impression the cars are all ticking time bombs on a very slow timer. But the internet says a lot of things, hence this post.
But remember that no engine lasts forever. They ALL expire eventually. The car is already 20+ years old.
If you buy a good car that otherwise wants for very little and has been maintained to a high standard then you will put yourself in the best position. Good luck!
I've owned my 2002 996.2 for almost exactly 2 years now. I bought it at 85k, with a good service history of 22 stamps in the book (on the 2nd service book) and a few owners more than I would have liked. I paid strong money for it at £20k. However, it has full Aero kit and many desirable options. It is a Carrera 2 with a manual gearbox. In the 2 years I have spent around £4k on preventative maintenance, if its been mentioned at service or MOT then I have had the work done. It has been very reliable with no issues other than flat batteries as it can go weeks without being fired up due to work commitments. I would happily drive it anywhere. However, I am putting money away for the inevitable eventual rebuild.
I've owned my 2003 996.2 for almost 3 years now. I bought it at 177k, with a good service history of many stamps in the book (extra sheets in the original book) and a few owners more than I would have liked. I gave £2k and a boxster for it, i valued it around £11.5k. However, it has full Aero kit and many desirable options. It is a Carrera 2 with a manual gearbox. In the 3 years I have spent around £4k on preventative maintenance, if its been mentioned at service or MOT then I have had the work done. It has been very reliable with no issues not even flat batteries as it lives on a ctek, can go weeks without being fired up due to work commitments. I would happily drive it anywhere. However, I am not putting money away for the inevitable eventual rebuild, it will just get scrapped.
highway said:
I ll bookend this thread. Seller revealed his ask which was north of £45k. Lovely looking car with the IMS done, PCCM and low miles. But none of these are worth north of £40k to me.
I ll turn my attention back toward 991 I think.
I know these GT Silver Jahre cars are the limited edition top of the 996 Carrera tree, but for £45k I would want it from an OPC or Paragon or the like with a bulletproof warrantyI ll turn my attention back toward 991 I think.
Edited by pitchinginaporsche on Thursday 26th March 13:05
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