fourwheelers Manual X50 996 Turbo
Discussion
Hello all,
I recently started a thread about potentially buying a 996 Turbo... and boy did that time come around
At the weekend, am thrilled to announce that I collected my very first Porsche, a 2004 plate 76k mile, manual, X50 equipped 911 Turbo (996) .. and when I say it out loud, it seems a little crazy. While i've wanted one a while.. I didn't ever think i'd lay my hands on one.
I love the car.. and all I can say is that it insane. That said, I have no baseline to compare it to. Closest to it is my R230 Mercedes SL500. Which being a V8 has plenty of torque and launches you fairly quick.. this car seems quick (a lot quicker) in a different way. The manual transmission is insane too, and I really do enjoy rev matching on every downshift.
At a high level, the factory spec is:
(I'm not overly familiar with Porsche options so please excuse any inaccuracies)
I paid £38,700 for the car, after a previous drop in asking from £46,995 to £39,995 the weeks prior. So I paid approximately 17.6% less that the asking price a few weeks ago. Partly due to a correction in the market and also works required on the car.
I am the 3rd owner and and there is receipted OPC history up to 2013 and then specialist from 2015 to 2022 ... Err, yea... there are a couple of gaps alright... but the mileage delta in those gaps didn't make it up to a full service.. So I guess it's debatable how big a deal that is. I was comforted by speaking with the specialist who knew the car and said it was a good one... just needed a few bits, which I will come to.
The car is in fantastic condition and has clearly not been abused (I think) by it's previous keepers.
My plan is to do a lot of maintenance on the car myself, but still have it serviced. I have a reasonably good setup for DIY and storage and am contemplating getting a lift in which will make maintaining this car much easier. I suspect i'll be getting the engine out every now and then.
Currently.. the car is stated to need, by specialist / seller:
Much debate about the need for N rated tyres versus some decent Michelins, while not N rated, are still a very good tyre. I'll be going for 225/40/18 up front and at the rear, 295/30/18. I'll shop around and see what's what. I need to see what the actual dates are on the tires and see what's what.
Regarding the RMS, people have recommended to just get the car driving again with some seal conditioner in the oil, to see if that helps the seal, as the car didn't drive much the past couple of years. Let's see how that goes.
Recent MOT passed with no advisory, so I wonder how bad the brake lines are.. I will get a look, and probably just do them.
Regarding the turbo actuators. Plan is to get the car up on stands, bumper off and have a look. Will fix replace any heatshields too, as needed.
I'm expecting to have a little bit of a rough time disassembling the flanges / turbo connections as I believe some of the bolts are rusted away. I need to do some more extensive research on methods and compare drilling vs welding on a nut. I wonder is it possible to get titanium / stainless bolts to prevent this happening in future?
That's it for now.. i'll keep you posted.
I recently started a thread about potentially buying a 996 Turbo... and boy did that time come around
At the weekend, am thrilled to announce that I collected my very first Porsche, a 2004 plate 76k mile, manual, X50 equipped 911 Turbo (996) .. and when I say it out loud, it seems a little crazy. While i've wanted one a while.. I didn't ever think i'd lay my hands on one.
I love the car.. and all I can say is that it insane. That said, I have no baseline to compare it to. Closest to it is my R230 Mercedes SL500. Which being a V8 has plenty of torque and launches you fairly quick.. this car seems quick (a lot quicker) in a different way. The manual transmission is insane too, and I really do enjoy rev matching on every downshift.
At a high level, the factory spec is:
(I'm not overly familiar with Porsche options so please excuse any inaccuracies)
- GT Silver
- Metropole blue leather
- X50 Power Pack
- Sport seats
- A lot of leather options, around covering speakers, fuse box, dash etc..
- Sport tips (No PSE)
- Upgraded ICE I think (Bose, nav, phone etc..)
- 18" Sport Techno wheels
- Aero kit (Front spoiler removed)
- No PCCB thankfully (wouldn't have bought it, frankly)
- Sunroof
- Lot's of silver/alu look trim in the car too, which were all options, I believe.
I paid £38,700 for the car, after a previous drop in asking from £46,995 to £39,995 the weeks prior. So I paid approximately 17.6% less that the asking price a few weeks ago. Partly due to a correction in the market and also works required on the car.
I am the 3rd owner and and there is receipted OPC history up to 2013 and then specialist from 2015 to 2022 ... Err, yea... there are a couple of gaps alright... but the mileage delta in those gaps didn't make it up to a full service.. So I guess it's debatable how big a deal that is. I was comforted by speaking with the specialist who knew the car and said it was a good one... just needed a few bits, which I will come to.
The car is in fantastic condition and has clearly not been abused (I think) by it's previous keepers.
My plan is to do a lot of maintenance on the car myself, but still have it serviced. I have a reasonably good setup for DIY and storage and am contemplating getting a lift in which will make maintaining this car much easier. I suspect i'll be getting the engine out every now and then.
Currently.. the car is stated to need, by specialist / seller:
- Leak at rear main seal
- Exhaust flanges corroded
- Turbo heatshields corroded
- Turbo actuator arms corroded
- Brake lines along the floor have some corrosion
- Tyres out of date
Much debate about the need for N rated tyres versus some decent Michelins, while not N rated, are still a very good tyre. I'll be going for 225/40/18 up front and at the rear, 295/30/18. I'll shop around and see what's what. I need to see what the actual dates are on the tires and see what's what.
Regarding the RMS, people have recommended to just get the car driving again with some seal conditioner in the oil, to see if that helps the seal, as the car didn't drive much the past couple of years. Let's see how that goes.
Recent MOT passed with no advisory, so I wonder how bad the brake lines are.. I will get a look, and probably just do them.
Regarding the turbo actuators. Plan is to get the car up on stands, bumper off and have a look. Will fix replace any heatshields too, as needed.
I'm expecting to have a little bit of a rough time disassembling the flanges / turbo connections as I believe some of the bolts are rusted away. I need to do some more extensive research on methods and compare drilling vs welding on a nut. I wonder is it possible to get titanium / stainless bolts to prevent this happening in future?
That's it for now.. i'll keep you posted.
...don't worry, I'm not stalking you.
Rear tyres are now a problem with this age of Porsche - 295/30 and 285/30 are now not a popular size, so there's very little choice.
(I always look at Camskill to see what tyre/sizes are available, but I don't necessarily buy from them.)
As this is a common problem, I'd do some internet searching and see what most current owners fit.
IMO and IME N-rating is of no consequence or effect on normal use type tyres. If I was getting Michelin Cup I'd probably get N-rated. Otherwise, not.
Rear tyres are now a problem with this age of Porsche - 295/30 and 285/30 are now not a popular size, so there's very little choice.
(I always look at Camskill to see what tyre/sizes are available, but I don't necessarily buy from them.)
As this is a common problem, I'd do some internet searching and see what most current owners fit.
IMO and IME N-rating is of no consequence or effect on normal use type tyres. If I was getting Michelin Cup I'd probably get N-rated. Otherwise, not.
- ETA when I looked on Florian's website, I noticed the rear Sport Technos are available in 10J or 11J, and as we don't know who put them on your car I'd check which you had before buying tyres, just in case that influences your choice.
Edited by Orangecurry on Thursday 22 December 12:42
Orangecurry said:
...don't worry, I'm not stalking you.
Rear tyres are now a problem with this age of Porsche - 295/30 and 285/30 are now not a popular size, so there's very little choice.
Keep up at the back! Rear tyres are now a problem with this age of Porsche - 295/30 and 285/30 are now not a popular size, so there's very little choice.
The best road tyre available full stop (MP4S) is now available in 295/30/18.
Behaves almost like a Supersport/Cup2 on track and almost as good as a PS2 on road.
No worries anymore re tyres.
OP, I commented on your car search thread too.
Great result and it sounds like you’re enjoying it.
ETA - Nebpor beat me to it.
Indeed OC, I was just being cheeky. 
We are both right then and up until maybe 6/12 months ago you would be even more righterer
, as the PS4S still wasn’t available in these sizes, so I totally get where you’re coming from.
Thankfully Michelin came good for us 996 owners, although as said above, they can be a bit thin on the ground.
I’m still on PS2s on my 996 GT3. Fine for road use, but admittedly they’re old tech now.
We are both right then and up until maybe 6/12 months ago you would be even more righterer
, as the PS4S still wasn’t available in these sizes, so I totally get where you’re coming from. Thankfully Michelin came good for us 996 owners, although as said above, they can be a bit thin on the ground.
I’m still on PS2s on my 996 GT3. Fine for road use, but admittedly they’re old tech now.
nebpor said:
225 is factory on a turbo and I’d always go for a narrower wheel to help turn in and feel - don’t see a need to go wider TBH
Turbo needs all the help with turn-in it can get and it’s not like it’s ever sending much power that way!
I would have thought wider fronts would give more front end grip and that would improve turn in. So not sure how narrower fronts would improve turn in.Turbo needs all the help with turn-in it can get and it’s not like it’s ever sending much power that way!
Gorgeous. I stumbled into used Porsche sales by accident in a different life, these were the first ever 'quick' car I drove by myself. I remember pulling over into a layby at the start of a lengthy NSL stretch, at that point I think the fastest thing I'd ever driven was a 230 bhp Z4. Gave it absolute beans all the way through first, second and third and distinctly remember the turbos coming on song and being astounded at the pick up! Quick, comfortable and sure footed. A fantastic package. Prices will only go one way.
Jimmy No Hands said:
Gorgeous. I stumbled into used Porsche sales by accident in a different life, these were the first ever 'quick' car I drove by myself. I remember pulling over into a layby at the start of a lengthy NSL stretch, at that point I think the fastest thing I'd ever driven was a 230 bhp Z4. Gave it absolute beans all the way through first, second and third and distinctly remember the turbos coming on song and being astounded at the pick up! Quick, comfortable and sure footed. A fantastic package. Prices will only go one way.
Down? Had mine 10 years, barely moved.
911's have such a huge midrange, which make them brilliant road cars. These are cars which don't need a big headline figure to be fast, and modifications should aim to keep that driveability, which is why mine is only 1000hp.
Hey everybody...
It's been a minute, heh! About 6 odd months anyway..
Not a massive amount to update here, but I kept meaning to come back and keep the thread alive.
Myself and car have been doing well.. I've put about 2k miles on it since purchase I think and enjoying every bit of it. Just a few points on the experience so far and plans for the future.
1. Car is amazing.. I love how concise it is.
2. Turbo actuators still kind of seized although not as much. Initially, boost would hit 1.5 Bar which was pretty insane tbh, doesn't seem to make that much now, unless you completely thrash it.
3. I've put a set of Michelin PS2s on it all around - couldn't get PS4s at the time.
4. Overdue a service now, by a few months :grimace.. but it's booked in for July 31st, when I'm back with it.
What has gone wrong.
1. The rear brake / tail light socket developed a fault where the spring contact on the brake filament snapped, and shorted the rear brake light circuit (no brake lights)... this was highlighted to me when I pushed the brakes, I would get an ABS warning. Initially, I thought it was the plunger socket on the pedal, but I took the switch out and tested it. All fine. Then I went to the fitting and noticed the snapped contact. Removed it and still no lights.. turns out the contact shorted the wiring and broke the fuse, which when replaced resolved the issue. That clusters brake light is still non operational. It's about £150 for that cluster loom, so when I return to the car I am going to see if I can open the socket and replace the spring contact from a generic socket.
2. No audio system upon purchase. Usual MOST system antics. The CD changer in the trunk was blown in some way, so I just shorted out the fibre cable and we were back in business. I'm not worried as the CD changer is obsolete (+ still have in head unit). I hope to integrate a bluetooth gateway at some point, but right now I have no way to play music from my phone... boo..!
3. Engine squeal. I think the PAS reservoir is old type, meaning the pressure relief valve is squealing when you rev the engine. It goes away when you press the clutch. The clutch is also very heavy.... Considering the heavy clutch and the fact the reservoir is about £1k, and the clutch accumulator only about £200 I am going to change the accumulator and see what effect that has on matters - some people have reported it to resolve the issue.
4. I was aware of this - so not new - but the car does leak a little oil, from around the RMS area. So this will need doing. Thankfully the leaked oil is actually still clear so the engine is very clean. I have had to put a litre in the car, so that's a bit .... oooooh! I'm not sure if these burn or a litre leaked, but I suspect it's a bit of both.
I have a few other automotive projects on at the moment. That said, now that I have a two post lift installed, I should be able to progress through jobs a lot quicker.. before the end of the year, I would like to get the car up on the lift, resolve the actuators and also change the RMS and a few other bits here and there.
I hope to update this again soon, and next time, I promise to includes pics.
It's been a minute, heh! About 6 odd months anyway..
Not a massive amount to update here, but I kept meaning to come back and keep the thread alive.
Myself and car have been doing well.. I've put about 2k miles on it since purchase I think and enjoying every bit of it. Just a few points on the experience so far and plans for the future.
1. Car is amazing.. I love how concise it is.
2. Turbo actuators still kind of seized although not as much. Initially, boost would hit 1.5 Bar which was pretty insane tbh, doesn't seem to make that much now, unless you completely thrash it.
3. I've put a set of Michelin PS2s on it all around - couldn't get PS4s at the time.
4. Overdue a service now, by a few months :grimace.. but it's booked in for July 31st, when I'm back with it.
What has gone wrong.
1. The rear brake / tail light socket developed a fault where the spring contact on the brake filament snapped, and shorted the rear brake light circuit (no brake lights)... this was highlighted to me when I pushed the brakes, I would get an ABS warning. Initially, I thought it was the plunger socket on the pedal, but I took the switch out and tested it. All fine. Then I went to the fitting and noticed the snapped contact. Removed it and still no lights.. turns out the contact shorted the wiring and broke the fuse, which when replaced resolved the issue. That clusters brake light is still non operational. It's about £150 for that cluster loom, so when I return to the car I am going to see if I can open the socket and replace the spring contact from a generic socket.
2. No audio system upon purchase. Usual MOST system antics. The CD changer in the trunk was blown in some way, so I just shorted out the fibre cable and we were back in business. I'm not worried as the CD changer is obsolete (+ still have in head unit). I hope to integrate a bluetooth gateway at some point, but right now I have no way to play music from my phone... boo..!
3. Engine squeal. I think the PAS reservoir is old type, meaning the pressure relief valve is squealing when you rev the engine. It goes away when you press the clutch. The clutch is also very heavy.... Considering the heavy clutch and the fact the reservoir is about £1k, and the clutch accumulator only about £200 I am going to change the accumulator and see what effect that has on matters - some people have reported it to resolve the issue.
4. I was aware of this - so not new - but the car does leak a little oil, from around the RMS area. So this will need doing. Thankfully the leaked oil is actually still clear so the engine is very clean. I have had to put a litre in the car, so that's a bit .... oooooh! I'm not sure if these burn or a litre leaked, but I suspect it's a bit of both.
I have a few other automotive projects on at the moment. That said, now that I have a two post lift installed, I should be able to progress through jobs a lot quicker.. before the end of the year, I would like to get the car up on the lift, resolve the actuators and also change the RMS and a few other bits here and there.
I hope to update this again soon, and next time, I promise to includes pics.
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