Current or previous 996 GT2 owners
Discussion
Hi, I'm new to the PH forums area so hopefully I'm doing this correctly....
I'm looking to buy a 996 GT2. I currently own a 993 (which I'll be keeping) and have previously owned a 996 turbo and 997 - so know a reasonable amount about Porsche cars generally, although I'm far from an expert when it comes to the mechanicals. Obviously the 996 GT2 is a specialised car, so I'm probably putting in more research than previous purchases, to make sure I buy the right one for now and also when it comes time to sell it on
I'm hoping current or previous owners of the 996 GT2 might be able to give me a steer in relation to the importance they placed on the following when they bought their car. No specific order;
1. The reports from the control unit in relation to number of ignitions, hours running, band 1 and 2 recordings etc.
2. The number of owners the vehicle had
3. Mileage
4. Whether it had major parts replaced which might therefore help theirs and future owners wallets moving forward e.g. ceramics replacement etc.
I'm obviously already hot on the usual stuff like Service History (receipts not just stamps and avoiding gaps), feel of the car driving it, original panels etc.
Thanks in advance!
I'm looking to buy a 996 GT2. I currently own a 993 (which I'll be keeping) and have previously owned a 996 turbo and 997 - so know a reasonable amount about Porsche cars generally, although I'm far from an expert when it comes to the mechanicals. Obviously the 996 GT2 is a specialised car, so I'm probably putting in more research than previous purchases, to make sure I buy the right one for now and also when it comes time to sell it on
I'm hoping current or previous owners of the 996 GT2 might be able to give me a steer in relation to the importance they placed on the following when they bought their car. No specific order;
1. The reports from the control unit in relation to number of ignitions, hours running, band 1 and 2 recordings etc.
2. The number of owners the vehicle had
3. Mileage
4. Whether it had major parts replaced which might therefore help theirs and future owners wallets moving forward e.g. ceramics replacement etc.
I'm obviously already hot on the usual stuff like Service History (receipts not just stamps and avoiding gaps), feel of the car driving it, original panels etc.
Thanks in advance!
Hi,
I have never owned a GT2 car but can offer some advice on some of the questions..
The ecu data is very important and if you would like to get a copy and post up or email me I could take a look at it for you.
The parts that are prone for replacing on a GT2 are:
There are loads of GT2 owners on here and they will be able to fill in the blanks.
User Slippydiff has had 2 of them so he will be able to help out if around..
I have never owned a GT2 car but can offer some advice on some of the questions..
The ecu data is very important and if you would like to get a copy and post up or email me I could take a look at it for you.
The parts that are prone for replacing on a GT2 are:
- Front coolant and air-conditioning condensers.
- Dampers and springs.
- Turbochargers are getting seriously corroded now and want inspecting.
- Gearboxes require regular rebuilds and maintenance as they do take a hell of a beating !
- Limited slip Differentials.
- Clutch.
- Ceramic brakes if fitted.
There are loads of GT2 owners on here and they will be able to fill in the blanks.
User Slippydiff has had 2 of them so he will be able to help out if around..
I've just gone through this process after selling a 993 Turbo and buying the Castello GT2. Price spread on cars seems to be £40k - £70k, based on mileage and gen 1 or 2 model 996.
Number of owners can vary a great deal on these, they were close on £120k new and some were purchased by speculators in the first couple of years of the cars life looking to make some cash, which didn't always work out ;-).
I tend to always buy on condition and history combined with mileage. GT2's are approaching ten years of age, so most of them will require the usual 996 issues looking at already mentioned, particularly rads and condensers plus a good check of the brakes if still on the original ceramics.
The type 1 and 2 logs can be useful, but Porsche can't warranty cars that are 10 years old or over so read the information in the right context. Mileage is a personal thing, I was looking for a low mileage car so that limited the number of available cars to look at and also put me into the higher priced cars, however that doesn't mean that the higher mileage cars aren't a good buy.
Body work and paint can be an issue, but lots of owners want the car to look like new, so many will have had paint, the thing here is to work out if it's been done for cosmetic reasons or if panels have needed to be replaced due to damage, for me cosmetic paint is a non issue as it potentially saves me money. Check the spot welds and things like that to determine if the panels are original.
I'm sure other owners will be along to post thoughts, the 996 GT2 is a great car that needs to be driven with a level of respect but the performance is something else, even compared to the 993 turbo with 430 upgrade that I sold.
Number of owners can vary a great deal on these, they were close on £120k new and some were purchased by speculators in the first couple of years of the cars life looking to make some cash, which didn't always work out ;-).
I tend to always buy on condition and history combined with mileage. GT2's are approaching ten years of age, so most of them will require the usual 996 issues looking at already mentioned, particularly rads and condensers plus a good check of the brakes if still on the original ceramics.
The type 1 and 2 logs can be useful, but Porsche can't warranty cars that are 10 years old or over so read the information in the right context. Mileage is a personal thing, I was looking for a low mileage car so that limited the number of available cars to look at and also put me into the higher priced cars, however that doesn't mean that the higher mileage cars aren't a good buy.
Body work and paint can be an issue, but lots of owners want the car to look like new, so many will have had paint, the thing here is to work out if it's been done for cosmetic reasons or if panels have needed to be replaced due to damage, for me cosmetic paint is a non issue as it potentially saves me money. Check the spot welds and things like that to determine if the panels are original.
I'm sure other owners will be along to post thoughts, the 996 GT2 is a great car that needs to be driven with a level of respect but the performance is something else, even compared to the 993 turbo with 430 upgrade that I sold.
Edited by unclepezza on Wednesday 18th July 13:26
Edited by unclepezza on Wednesday 18th July 13:31
Not owned one (yet) but from when I was considering one, the challenge actually seemed to be in finding a nice, standard example with no known accident history. I would be nice to select from a list of cars based on miles and service history etc. but in reality I think you will be ruling cars out due to people knowing of their history rather than anything else.
Afternoon,
Great to hear that you are considering the purchase of a 996 GT2. You may want to consider how limited or unlimited your budget is and how long you intend to keep the car for.
A Mk1 car would be prefect if you want something available in the near future, these can be identified easily as these were cars manufactured between 2001 and early 2003, production of Mk2 cars started in late 2003. A Mk2 car is much more difficult to get hold of, there are supposed to be 16 Mk2 2004 cars but that number includes late registered Mk1 cars.
Secondly, have you considered whether you want a Clubsport or Comfort model? An original Clubsport car can also be difficult to get hold of as there were only 16 produced for the UK market, these cars can be identified with the M003 code present on the sticker located on the underside of the boot lid. Many other cars have clubsport seats, some of which were fitted to comfort cars from the factory and others being retrofitted.
Once you know what type of car you want, you can begin the search which can be exhaustive. To make it easier I would call about the cars you are interested in and request information on their service history. Full Porsche Service History is not very important, rather the frequency of services which should be completed every year. It is not uncommon for many low mileage cars to have service history gaps, this should not pose many problems apart from the fact that seals and gaskets tend to seep when a car is left stationary for a long period of time. Once you are happy with the service history of a car would then consider viewing the car.
The challenge is finding a car that is straight. From the original 129 UK cars only 105 remain, about 20% of these cars have had some sort of previous accident damage however minor. It is not always obvious which cars have had repair work carried out until you get to the stage of paying for an inspection which is highly recommended.
If you are fortunate enough to have found both of the above can you consider the issues which you list. Personally, I would only look for a car with Ceramic Brakes fitted, though on early cars this was not an option. They are costly to replace but the driving experience is much improved and if the car is looked after they almost never need replacing.
The number of owners is not always a good way to judge a car. Due to the fact that they are a weekend car, some owners sell them after a short period because of infrequent use. You will have a similar problem with Mileage – just depends on what you prefer as you should understand there are premiums to be paid for low mileage cars. As for the DME data, I would not consider the over-rev data as an accurate reflection of how the car is driven. Instead, get in the car and take it for a drive – the differences between a good and bad car will be evident.
Remember, stone chips and such like can be easily rectified with little cost, engine work, bushes, suspension issues are not as cheap to get fixed.
Hope this helps.
Great to hear that you are considering the purchase of a 996 GT2. You may want to consider how limited or unlimited your budget is and how long you intend to keep the car for.
A Mk1 car would be prefect if you want something available in the near future, these can be identified easily as these were cars manufactured between 2001 and early 2003, production of Mk2 cars started in late 2003. A Mk2 car is much more difficult to get hold of, there are supposed to be 16 Mk2 2004 cars but that number includes late registered Mk1 cars.
Secondly, have you considered whether you want a Clubsport or Comfort model? An original Clubsport car can also be difficult to get hold of as there were only 16 produced for the UK market, these cars can be identified with the M003 code present on the sticker located on the underside of the boot lid. Many other cars have clubsport seats, some of which were fitted to comfort cars from the factory and others being retrofitted.
Once you know what type of car you want, you can begin the search which can be exhaustive. To make it easier I would call about the cars you are interested in and request information on their service history. Full Porsche Service History is not very important, rather the frequency of services which should be completed every year. It is not uncommon for many low mileage cars to have service history gaps, this should not pose many problems apart from the fact that seals and gaskets tend to seep when a car is left stationary for a long period of time. Once you are happy with the service history of a car would then consider viewing the car.
The challenge is finding a car that is straight. From the original 129 UK cars only 105 remain, about 20% of these cars have had some sort of previous accident damage however minor. It is not always obvious which cars have had repair work carried out until you get to the stage of paying for an inspection which is highly recommended.
If you are fortunate enough to have found both of the above can you consider the issues which you list. Personally, I would only look for a car with Ceramic Brakes fitted, though on early cars this was not an option. They are costly to replace but the driving experience is much improved and if the car is looked after they almost never need replacing.
The number of owners is not always a good way to judge a car. Due to the fact that they are a weekend car, some owners sell them after a short period because of infrequent use. You will have a similar problem with Mileage – just depends on what you prefer as you should understand there are premiums to be paid for low mileage cars. As for the DME data, I would not consider the over-rev data as an accurate reflection of how the car is driven. Instead, get in the car and take it for a drive – the differences between a good and bad car will be evident.
Remember, stone chips and such like can be easily rectified with little cost, engine work, bushes, suspension issues are not as cheap to get fixed.
Hope this helps.
monthefish said:
EVOeng said:
monthefish said:
^^^informative post - thanks.
Are you sure about the 16 mk2's also including some late mk1's?
I was under the impression that there were 16 mk2's.
That is what I thought too, until I started my GT2 register.Are you sure about the 16 mk2's also including some late mk1's?
I was under the impression that there were 16 mk2's.
EVOeng said:
As for the DME data, I would not consider the over-rev data as an accurate reflection of how the car is driven. Instead, get in the car and take it for a drive – the differences between a good and bad car will be evident.
PCCBs are a bonus, but don't dismiss a car because it doesn't have them. The Alcon floating discs and RS29 Pagids will provide as good as (if not better) retardation, along with the knowledge that their replacement costs are way less.
The Clubsport package is good to have (if that's your thing) but again, don't dismiss a car because it doesn't have it.
I suspect the amount of cars that have had some sort of impact damage requiring replacement panels, will be higher than 20%. My local Porsche Approved bodyshop told me last summer that they saw numerous heavily damaged cars when they were first released. In my searches for the two cars I bought, I saw plenty of badly repaired cars that had had poorly fitted replacement panels.
As with any accident repairs, if they've been done properly to a high standard by an Approved Porsche bodyshop, there's not an issue. It's the cars that have been damaged on track, whose owners had no insurance cover, and thus had them repaired on the cheap, that are the issue.
As Mike and others on here (who drive these cars hard) will attest, these cars require ALL their suspension components, differential plates/preload, ride heights, corner weights and geo to be spot on. Anything less and they become hedge seeking missiles that are unpleasant to drive.
I strongly suggest you have at least an hour long test drive along both dual-carriageways AND some twisty, challenging A roads (if the vendor will allow it) Don't be "seduced" by the big Hp and torque figures, many find that the novelty wears off and they're left with a car that whilst it's hugely quick in straight line, can leave something to be desired in terms of tactility compared with its N/A brethren. In short, make sure the GT2 is the car you want to own AND drive, not the car you think you'd like to own.
Ignore all the macho BS spouted on here, ditto the widow maker tag, a well set up and well maintained car with a sensible power increase is a pleasure to drive.
Supermono and I have both done higher than average mileages behind the wheels of Mk 1 versions. Whilst I've had my moments behind the wheel, it's never been the car that's the problem, it's ALWAYS the driver.
Feel free to ask on here about ANY car that appears on the market, as someone WILL know it (and if it has one, be it good or bad, its history)
Low mileage garage queens are very tempting (the Castello car being a case in point) but don't be put off a higher mileage car, often they've had more TLC and expense lavished upon them than a low mileage "high days and holidays" garage queen. My old Basalt black car currently for sale at 911V being a prime example.
http://www.911virgin.com/porscheforsale/424/996GT2...
Only use a recognised GT2/3 specialist for your PP inspection, there are several that are well known on here and all have excellent reputations, ask around or do a search and it'll be obvious which ones are favoured. Use one of them and don't be tempted to use an OPC to carry out your PP inspection.
I hope he won't mind me referring to his case, but a fellow PH'er asked me to view/inspect a car that he was considering buying last year. On the face of it, the car stacked up, but having given it a clean bill of health with regards to it's engine and panel originality, he's still encountered some considerable expense in bringing it up to scratch (tyres, dampers, suspension components, diff etc)
Irrespective of how shiny the paintwork may be, these cars are now over ten years old, their current lack of desirability (and the ongoing global financial situation) means that some of them will have fallen into the hands of owners who either haven't maintained them properly and/or own them purely to drive around in whilst basking in the glory of owning one.
If you find an average/sensible mileage car that hasn't got fairly recent invoices for air con condensors, radiators, dampers, coffin arms, brakes, tyres, clutch, exhaust heatshields, turbo retaining nuts, bolts, studs etc. Beware, the afformentioned WILL most likely need addressing sooner rather than later.
Edited by Slippydiff on Wednesday 18th July 18:42
Slippydiff said:
EVOeng said:
As for the DME data, I would not consider the over-rev data as an accurate reflection of how the car is driven. Instead, get in the car and take it for a drive – the differences between a good and bad car will be evident.
PCCBs are a bonus, but don't dismiss a car because it doesn't have them. The Alcon floating discs and RS29 Pagids will provide as good as (if not better) retardation, along with the knowledge that their replacement costs are way less.
The Clubsport package is good to have (if that's your thing) but again, don't dismiss a car because it doesn't have it.
I suspect the amount of cars that have had some sort of impact damage requiring replacement panels, will be higher than 20%. My local Porsche Approved bodyshop told me last summer that they saw numerous heavily damaged cars when they were first released. In my searches for the two cars I bought, I saw plenty of badly repaired cars that had had poorly fitted replacement panels.
As with any accident repairs, if they've been done properly to a high standard by an Approved Porsche bodyshop, there's not an issue. It's the cars that have been damaged on track, whose owners had no insurance cover, and thus had them repaired on the cheap, that are the issue.
As Mike and others on here (who drive these cars hard) will attest, these cars require ALL their suspension components, differential plates/preload, ride heights, corner weights and geo to be spot on. Anything less and they become hedge seeking missiles that are unpleasant to drive.
I strongly suggest you have at least an hour long test drive along both dual-carriageways AND some twisty, challenging A roads (if the vendor will allow it) Don't be "seduced" by the big Hp and torque figures, many find that the novelty wears off and they're left with a car that whilst it's hugely quick in straight line, can leave something to be desired in terms of tactility compared with its N/A brethren. In short, make sure the GT2 is the car you want to own AND drive, not the car you think you'd like to own.
Ignore all the macho BS spouted on here, ditto the widow maker tag, a well set up and well maintained car with a sensible power increase is a pleasure to drive.
Supermono and I have both done higher than average mileages behind the wheels of Mk 1 versions. Whilst I've had my moments behind the wheel, it's never been the car that's the problem, it's ALWAYS the driver.
Feel free to ask on here about ANY car that appears on the market, as someone WILL know it (and if it has one, be it good or bad, its history)
Low mileage garage queens are very tempting (the Castello car being a case in point) but don't be put off a higher mileage car, often they've had more TLC and expense lavished upon them than a low mileage "high days and holidays" garage queen. My old Basalt black car currently for sale at 911V being a prime example.
http://www.911virgin.com/porscheforsale/424/996GT2...
Only use a recognised GT2/3 specialist for your PP inspection, there are several that are well known on here and all have excellent reputations, ask around or do a search and it'll be obvious which ones are favoured. Use one of them and don't be tempted to use an OPC to carry out your PP inspection.
I hope he won't mind me referring to his case, but a fellow PH'er asked me to view/inspect a car that he was considering buying last year. On the face of it, the car stacked up, but having given it a clean bill of health with regards to it's engine and panel originality, he's still encountered some considerable expense in bringing it up to scratch (tyres, dampers, suspension components, diff etc)
Irrespective of how shiny the paintwork may be, these cars are now over ten years old, their current lack of desirability (and the ongoing global financial situation) means that some of them will have fallen into the hands of owners who either haven't maintained them properly and/or own them purely to drive around in whilst basking in the glory of owning one.
If you find an average/sensible mileage car that hasn't got fairly recent invoices for air con condensors, radiators, dampers, coffin arms, brakes, tyres, clutch, exhaust heatshields, turbo retaining nuts, bolts, studs etc. Beware, the afformentioned WILL most likely need addressing sooner rather than later.
Edited by Slippydiff on Wednesday 18th July 18:42
As everybody knows mine is a leggy car and has an absolutely amazing history, and drives lovely.
Standard car original PCCB's standard suspension albeit the first owner (famous GT car driver had it set up properly so no frightening understeer)
The power thing you do get used to but sometimes you forget and then it gives you a subtle reminder that there are no driver aids thus not taking the beast for granted.
My car is in stunning condition no dings and all panels are original.
Apparently its not been on a track, there is no evidence to suggest it has (rash on windscreen/headlights) but to be honest its a racing car so not bothered if it has.
The miles certainly don't show, its a comfort and the interior is as new!
It drives a lot better than some of the low mile garage queens i've driven too, and has had no daft re-maps etc. Standard car.
The only downside to the car and the only reason i would sell (as i firmly believe they are sleepers in terms of values) is the lack of rear seats which does limit the amount of times i use it having a young family
LaurasOtherHalf said:
re the 996 & 997 GT2.
do these cars have any motorsport heritage or were they a simple marketing exercise?
Pretty much none whatsoever. Still awesome cars though do these cars have any motorsport heritage or were they a simple marketing exercise?
Good day yesterday Jon, many thanks for inviting me along . You've done a fine job sorting the car out. Just needs a decent soundtrack and the steering tactility of the Manthey car and you'll have it fully sussed
jfp said:
Crimp a Length! said:
Seriously considering creating a website for this vehicle or GT Porsches in general
Any ideas/structure for content would be really appreciated.
Lots of hot naked women on it, and no stupid posts about flat batteries, inconsiderate Porsche drivers and all the usual crap spoken on PH....Any ideas/structure for content would be really appreciated.
Porn is what we want Ed, and lots of it. Some nice shots of GT1's 2's, 3's would be good too.
Crimp a Length! said:
jfp said:
Crimp a Length! said:
Seriously considering creating a website for this vehicle or GT Porsches in general
Any ideas/structure for content would be really appreciated.
Lots of hot naked women on it, and no stupid posts about flat batteries, inconsiderate Porsche drivers and all the usual crap spoken on PH....Any ideas/structure for content would be really appreciated.
Porn is what we want Ed, and lots of it. Some nice shots of GT1's 2's, 3's would be good too.
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