I was obsessed with Porsche in the early 2000s. So much so that my Dad took me to the Porsche shop on my 12th birthday. We were a bunch of poor council scum in there lmao. But this lady had just purchased a new Porsche and it had the exact same interior as yours. Same colour and everything. She let me ride in the passenger seat while she drove it around to the front of the building. Only thing I hate about new porsche's is they changed the front lights design back to circular. I prefer the light design on your car.
love the pure car chat. Sometimes feel car wow is now so mainstream and clickbaity that it misses what was so great about car buyer. This was just perfect and what i love about you as a car journalist
Mat Watson Cars you say that...but we’d all watch it and would like to see more about you and how you use the car. A lot of your followers like your reviews but most importantly you too. You’re the car friend we wish we all had 😂😂😂
Honesty, especially in the modern world and double especially on RUclips, is something to be cherished. This married with knowledge and passion makes for a really good video. Well played Mat. My oldest friend bought a first gen Boxster (220 bhp) last year. He’s tidied it up in terms of all the essentials but no more than that. What a lovely, analogue car it is to drive. It talks to you all the time and sings above 5000. It makes a lovely “whoahhhh” sound about 4500 rpm. No, not fast by modern standards but it’s much more deep-chested than you’d think and you have to DRIVE it. It’s so interactive and, certainly in the south east of the UK, fast enough. I live in London so haven’t owned a car in years. Driving it made me miss my old Citroen AX GT, all 800kgs of it. Those were the days when a service transformed your car. Carrying a passenger transformed it too, but not in a good way, power to weight wise.
This review is exactly what I have been looking for. All real world UK advice, even down the exhaust and how to get a better sound out of her. I'm looking to grab one of these in the next couple of months as an upgrade from my E46 BMW. Thanks again!
Hi Mat, love the 996 it's so underrated, my dad has a fastlift 996 Carrera and it went bang a couple of months back and has just had a whole engine rebuild, it now runs lovely and will probably go on for another 100K+ miles. Love the videos. 🙏👍
I've enjoyed every second of the video, it's very informative and honest! All the IMS stories on the internet are based on fear from the customer side and sales figures from the business side... Glad my 996 has none of the described engine issues :) BTW, my 996 has the optional "M030 Sport Suspension", that's just superb for daily driving. It's firm enough but not too stiff for driving through city centers.
I've owned a manual 996 sans sunroof since 2003 and it is a wonderful and hugely underrated car that sounds epic. Used daily. A new clutch and spark plugs at 40,000 miles but otherwise run without fault. I love the 996.
To fix the look of the Handbrake console area, take it out and rub off the coating. Clean it so no grease or dirt remain, then spray it with plastic coat. Most posh cars had this makes plastic feel soft touch. Yours looks like the dark grey colour as was my M6. Works a treat makes it look like new. Enjoy
@@MatWatsonCars that's what I thought. light coats and it's easy to peal off if you f¥¥¥ it up, needs about 4 light coats hang it from say a washing line (dont let the wife see) or string in garage. Also if you rub all the coating off you have a back handbrake area which ain't to bad anyway nothing to loose. To rub it off its friction a cloth your hand and maybe a little hit soap water so you on Have to scratch it back. The new coat just sprays on light coats give it 45mins to dry then same amount again it works and like a say it peals off if you screw up, that's what is on there. Trust me it worth it . Even just rubbing the old off will make it look better. BMW 1 series suffer the same on the window switches. Do it and see trust me. Enjoy
Love your no nonsense reviews and straight to the point. As you drive an array of newer cars it’s great to hear you champion the old analogue car where you have put your own money into ownership. I’m also a 996 owner and love these cars.
That is the first time someone has said something useful about Quaife and Wavetrac diffs, as well as the difference between the brands. Sir, I thank you very much.
I’m glad I never watched videos like this before I bought mine - would have scared the life out of me! Seriously though - good content as ever Mat. My thoughts - I agree, earlier models better (mine also 3.4). And in reality if you’re driving a 20 year old car with ten of thousands of miles on the clock it’s unlikely you’re going to have problems with things like the IMS bearing - will have happened already if it was going to happen. But ultimately these are 20 years old and classic cars now - you’re either brave or have deep pockets if you want to use one as a daily driver.
I had an early 996 back the late naughties. Had a problem that Porsche couldn’t fix, took it to Ridgeway Porsche - an amazing independent garage near Reading, and they identified a valve lifter issue in 5 minutes and fixed it in 2 days (engine drop out as on right side of the engine 😡). Great drive tho, really enjoyed it, and reasonably comfortable in the back for adults
The good ol' stories about the IMS bearing... Just replaced it on my 996 after about 170,000 km and the old bearing was, well, like new. Anyways... like your videos, Mat.
Great video. The engine failure is no joke. My 02 996.2 with the 3.6 just started the slapping. Oil filter has metal bits. Engine needs a rebuild. I’d highly recommend the bore scope and oil analysis before a purchase. I wish I knew this before I bought two years ago with 54K miles. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. In retrospect I wasn’t informed enough about what the risks were other than the IMS which is what I required before the purchase. I bought the car for US25K as it was low mileage and physically awesome condition. Now I’m staring at a US17K rebuild. Anyone who is looking into buying one of these, please heed Mat’s advice. I honestly wouldn’t buy one for more than US15K given what I know today. Better a bit of a beater and enjoy the drive versus the pretty. If you lose an engine, it sucks less to pay the consequences.
I bought my 99 996 C4 off eBay for £8k. It already had the gundo hack, BC Racing coilovers, expensive engine rebuild including uprated IMS and cylinder rings to prevent d-chunking and a new cylinder head. Sadly, the other cylinder head cracked and that was a £3800 fix. But now it’s mechanically awesome, even if it’s looking a bit untidy after 135,000 miles. My aircon doesn’t work, my indicator switch is broken and the heater control screen is unreadable but I still love it and drive it as my daily.
I have a 2001 996 C4 as my daily (a lambo LP560-4 Spyder as my fun car). Biggest failure on mine was micro fractures in 2 cylinders causing coolant loss, ended up with a £6k repair bill and fitted the ceramic IMS bearing, low temp thermostat + some other failure proofing while the engine was out. Also fitted a set of coilovers and they are bloody hard and you do feel every lump and bump on the road. My best mod was a double DIN head unit conversion with an Xtrons 7" android unit. integrated google maps is superb. Also well worth getting the I960 ICarsoft Obd2 Reader for about £70.
Matt, glad I found your personal channel. I just wanted to say thanks for making cool videos. ALSO yesterday I drove my friends 17 gt4 (which has titanium exhaust, fancy low swirl intake, 3d printed header by bbi and a gt3 throttle body (all which work to bring up the torque curve)). It felt like I was driving a rocket with gears. At the end of the drive I was shouting “Oh yeah! This is DEFINITELY worth 40k more than my M2!”. tldr; I want a Porsche now.
Very cool video! I learned most of what you marked to look out for when I first started shopping for a Porsche 20 year ago. The IMS and a few other items are what made me switch to the 996 Turbo, and I'm glad I did. I love all of the 996 911's, but my tuned X50 is something I'll drive until I can't.
Mat, great to watch and very informative. I'm bloody glad I've got a quick modern Mercedes. I've had a couple of classic motorbikes in my time and I know I’m not a tinkerer. You seem to be a man at ease with under the bonnet, behind the wheel and in front of the camera. Keep it up - it’s great to watch. I'm still not buying a Porsche 🤓🤓🤓
Your Mercedes is quick and modern. It also will be dropping like a stone in value, making running costs on this 911 seem small change. And about as unconnected to the driving experience as this is connected. I know what I’d rather have, but that’s what choice is all about. Enjoy yours :)
I've owned a '99 996 C2 manual 6 w/ Euro suspension. They are a great value and a blast to drive on short, mid or road trips. 75mph in top 2nd gear!! Thanks for sharing all the info.
I know /exactly/ where you were driving somehow! the A40 from Oxford to Stockenchurch -- nicest piece of road around there... I often left the M40 to take that 'hill climb' road..
So to summarize, regardless of what batch of 911 996 it is early, mid, late they all have respective issues. Just choose whatever is acceptable to your heart and pocket
Matt at Renworks is an absolute gent I booked my mates gt3 in for a ppi which was carried out around filming on fvthe Car Wow shoot. Matt was kind enough to give me the time of day to discuss my 996 woes. Will be booking mine in soon to Matt Watson deffo need more 996 content
Thanks Mat. The 911 has always been one of my favorite cars of all times and with your video I feel more confident on what year to purchase. Here in the states, as I’m sure there, price fluctuation can be big for the 996. Like you said, it all comes down to how well it was serviced and taken care of by the previous owner. Now if I can only find one like yours with all the mods you did. Thanks again.
I've got a 99 996 C2 (we even have the same radio) and I'm in agreement about the brakes. I had a Boxster before and I put EBC pads in that and it was the best thing I ever did to that car.
I think I would have had the IMS bearing done when you had the gearbox rebuilt. As you had the flywheel and clutch replaced virtually all the labour would have been covered already as the IMS bearing would have been easily accessible once the fly wheel was off. I know the IMS bearing failure thing is a little overblown but it's still nice to have piece of mind.
Interesting to hear about the driver seat problem. The ratchet system on my 997 passenger seat failed after 7 years (out of warranty) despite hardly ever being sat on or used. Porsche wanted over £500 to fix it so just left it on the lower settings. Common issue is the air vent adjusters falling apart as mine did in the centre & drivers side. Again stupid money to replace.
Late to the party and you're probably several brake pads in since you made this video but I use my 996 for fast road/track and I've tried standard, EBC yellow and Brembo HP2000 pads. The yellow stuff pads gave the pedal much more bite and feel over standard but they were actually worse than the original pads for fade resistance. The HP2000 pads feel a lot closer to standard pads, not so much bite from cold as EBC but they get better with temperature. Fade resistance and consistency of brake effort has been the best of the three for me. I'm very happy with them.
I went from a 98 model to a 2002, one thing I really didn't notice any difference to was the throttle, felt more or less the same. The engine tho feels much stronger. Anyway I think we have much of the same philosophy when it comes to how we want our car Mat, nice video. And you made me long for spring even harder...
I have now owned my 997.1 C2S. Bore scoped good. Original IMS lol no issues. Did 2 oil tests and that was the end of my concern. Other than front strut mounts, engine mounts and failed catalytic convertor, smooth sailing. Instead of replacing the cat with porsche part $$$$$ i upgraded semi solid engine mount, x pipe 200cel cats. Upgraded to fister exhaust and DSC suspension controller....90k miles and she is rocking.
I think it's wise to put in softer (if not OEM) engine mounts if want to keep the IMS bearing happy and general engine health. But good to see there are no wear metals though!
@@afrog2666 It is rear engine. All the 911s since the 80s are rear, not mid. Boxsters and caymans are mid which does change the handling and the feel through weight distribution.
what are your last four digits ? Mine is 0116.Built 1/98. Daily driver,zero problems.Aux air blower is a little noisy on cold days and the gear box is a little stiff until she warms up. Love Love Love my car.
@@timatteberry3382 7287, comes with LSD :). My gear linkage needs a service to get rid of the notchiness. Going for short shift too. I like the car but the gearbox ratio is a pain, it's soooo long, the car would be so much more fun to drive with a shorter one. In the Alps when you exit a hairpin you've got to use 1st gear if you want a swift exit.
Oh just snapped timing chains for you double row guys then! For us single row guys at least there’s a cure for IMS. No cure for snapping timing chains yet.
996s are great cars that are amazing value at the moment. Things to look out for when buying are: 1. Corroded radiators and air conditioning condensers, leaves and general crud gets in the front and sits round the rads and Rots them. Make sure they are in good condition. If the air con doesn’t work properly when you test drive it it is more likely to be rusted condensers than just needing a re gas. 2. Clunking noises over bumps can be a sign of worn bushes which is highly likely on a car of this age. It’s very common for them to need new coffin arms and trailing arms. 3. Check the seems on the exhaust back boxes these often rust through and can mean you need a new exhaust (both sides as they are sold in pairs) to get through an mot. Not to expensive for standard exhausts or aftermarket ones but a Porsche original PSE switchable exhaust is £3,000 just for the parts. 4. Rust round the wheel arches is common on cars driven all year round as mud and muck gets stuck behind the wheel arch liners and holds moisture there causing rust spots. 5. Don’t worry about a small amount of mayo type substance on the oil filler cap, in most cars it’s a sign of a blown head gasket however on the 996 the long filler pipe causes condensation and a small amount of mayo to form on the cap in cold weather or on cars not driven much. Still be weary if there is masses of it but a small amount is normal especially in winter. 6. A small amount of oil spotting under the engine Ian normally just the RMS and nothing to worry about, expect to get through about a litre of oil a year between services. Puddles of oil under the car are a bigger issue so walk away if you can see them. 7. Cloudy headlights look terrible but can be fixed with a kit from Halfords for about £30. Toothpaste also fixes it short term but because it doesn’t reveal the headlights they go cloudy again much quicker afterwards so just by the kit with the spray sealer to finish it properly. 8. The side blisters on the seats are prone to wearing out and looking shoddy from 20 years of people getting in and out. A kit can be bought from the leather repair company for 50 to fill the cracks and redye the leather, it’s very easy to do on black interiors other colours it is harder to colour match. As the video states look out for bore score either with a proper inspection or look for sooty exhaust tips on one side. Also change the IMS baring when you change the clutch doing both at the same time saves a lot on labour costs. It’s very uncommon for them to brake but it does happen so best to do it when you are already in there taking the gearbox off to do the clutch otherwise don’t worry about it, it’s not worth paying for it to be done by itself as the chances are so low.
Great video! Love your videos about your 996. The tiptronic isn't actually awful. Maybe not as fun as the manual, but in Manual mode it is still great and also the gearbox is more reliable. I have a 98 C2 Tiptronic in the exact same colour combination (blue/savannah) and I love it! No modification except removing the resonator in the airbox and blocking the bypass to increase the sound.
@@dragospahontu Come on. The bore scoring is proper shocking design. They kept boring out the engine from a smaller 1, what do you expect? Shit design.
I love my 2002 996 convertible. The engine is superb in response and performance. And the sound is great, even without alteration. I made the opposite choices from yours: as this car became my daily driver, I made sure the suspensions were soft enough (but not sloppy) and I chose the Pirelli P0s for the same reason. I was tempted but Michelins Pilot sport 4S but found them to rigid for my typical drive. I bought this car with 93K miles on it. I am close to 107K miles and never had a big problem. I replaced the clutch and the infotainment system to have Apple CarPlay and a bluetooth phone capability. But that's about it! Love this car. I know I'll sell it someday and it will break my heart.
996s are great driving 911s. Yes interior quality is not great, headlights are not classic looking and there is the relatively rare IMS bearing failure problem, but drive a properly set up example and it is pure bliss. I have had some extreme 911s and they get old fast when driven on rough roads. Best to keep them stock and avoid things like aftermarket exhausts, poly suspension bushings, rigid engine mounts, coilovers, massive wheels. If you want to firm things up get the M030 springs/shocks/sway bars. Factory sport exhaust mufflers (or Foster modded factory mufflers) are a nice upgrade if you want a bit more exhaust noise.
great video again, thanks Matt. Best comment :”cars like this will not be built again”. So true!Love my 996.2 C2 manual. Done the essentials: IMS, RMS, flywheel, water pump (clutch had been done just befor I bought it), and also fitted new suspension (H&R blue/B8Sports), which transformed the handling and stance. Great stablemate added recently: Z4 M Coupe. Even more analogue and raw, and yes, cars like these will never be built again. Also have 20V ur quattro and JDM ITR DC2. Best of all worlds! Love to see you review the Z4M Coupe....and the urq and DC2 have been a far better investment than property. The M Coupe will be also. You can’t drive property!!
With clean oil those engines are bulletproof. The dealer told me my engine was totaled( they wanted $15,000) but I drove it for more then 3 years after . One day the coolant tank blew up in traffic, had no choice but to drive while the car overheated to the max, rpms didn't function anymore; turned the car off in my driveway and it stayed on for several minutes. Next day, changed the oil, replaced the coolant tank and the engine was fine. Car was perfect. Only replaced ignition key , clutch, coils and plugs and coolant tank
Hi Mat, I have an early one just like yours and I agree on pretty much everything you say except for the brakes. The standard brakes are up to the job on this thing usually. So if you are sure your flexi hoses have been replaced (they should be, may as well go braided), then make sure you use the original spec discs and pads. Sebro discs and Textar pads are the OEM supplier so get those and save on Porsche tax and replace the fluid with ATE type 200. After that you should have very decent brakes. The often misunderstood thing about the braking on these is that they are very under assisted by design. This means you do need to press the pedal hard relative to other cars of the time, especially later cars! This is all to keep the braking control and feel in the pedal when you are threshold braking. You’ll appreciate the extra feel and control when on a track day, but when doing a gentle stop the perception is that you have to push the pedal harder and people often think it means bad brakes. If you do all the above and still think there is an issue I would have the calipers reburbished by someone like BiggRed and that should be an end to it. Failing all that, swap with me and compare in a CarWow style braking test! ;-)
There’s a lot of misinformation out there about the 996 (Porsche specific magazines as guilty as anyone) but you’ve got your facts right Mat about the real technical details and actual risks involved with them - nice one! They’re not that quick in a straight line compared to modern stuff (had an BMW M140i up my ass today) but the modern stuff doesn’t give you the same feel behind the wheel. Speed is meaningless without that. Give it another decade and as long as there isn’t some horrendous large engine petrol tax by then they’ll defo be worth more than they are now. Nothing else like a flat six 911 👍
paul j Glad you said that as I thought I saw the thumbnail while Xmas drunk then couldn’t find the video later, while Xmas drunk. And then today here it is. Your post returned my sanity. Ish.
Matt Watson is back on his personal channel... If you can put more of your mother on car reviews too. We need more frequent content on your channel because I think he's one of the best car reviewers on RUclips!!! 😃👍💯🚘🎄☃️
Nice car Matt, I remember when you first bought this car, it was a roller coaster ride. I ended up getting a 997 instead. I highly recommend you upgrade into one of these. It's the sweet spot for all 911.
Fantastic video. First, I also own an older 911 (991.1S) and I'm interested in mods for my car as well. Most importantly, an actual car video that doesn't involve an endless explanation of the infotainment system. Thank you!
I thought so too when I got one of these, I have the exact same colour - turns out, 'Sally' was a 996 Mk 2 (slightly different headlights are the giveaway)
911s are just fun to drive and you captured that. I watched loads of helpful reviews like this before I bought one. Best driven on Sunday morning about 0600.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I have a similar 99' 911 in the same blue and tan color configuration with 55k. It's been a garage queen for a number of years but with all the 996 interest, it's inspired me to drive it again and perhaps do a few upgrades. Cheers!
Had a my99 almost the same spec, loads of things went wrong, almost monthly something trivial would break, the radiators and air con at the front rotted out, the coolant expansion tank expanded and blew coolant all over the place, the coolant cap also burst at a different time, the oil air separator diaphragm gave up, causing clouds of oily smoke, the rear brake balance pipe that goes up over the engine blew out leaving me with no brakes, it ate rear tyres 4000-6000 miles a time, the ignition barrel ate itself leaving me stranded unable to start the car, the light switch broke on the dash again leaving me stranded in the dark, the exhaust cans rotted out and needed replacing, the water pump gave out, the fuel pump gave out, again leaving me stranded, mine was an auto C2 no traction control no sunroof and the full electric seats and grey leather but other than that almost the same car, I never got around to modding it in 5 years (09-14) because was always spending out on dodgy, for all that I drove it 40k in 5 years and when it was going it was a great car, driving around the Scottish highlands three years running was a joy and thankfully the breakdowns were all close to home and also then near to a specialist I used for repair, the engine was never an issue, all the other stuff was
Tim Pavy I hated my 996 C4S ..similar experience to you and topped off with IMS failure ..low miles and full dealer history ..and oil regularly checked for contaminants ....
I thought over to buy a 996 or an m3 several years ago. After a while I bought instead a c32 amg and I am happy with the C in Summer (cheap to buy, repair it myself, low cost for spare parts) and could be driven fast ( now 247k km).
Nice review Mat, thanks a lot! The sound of your exhaust is brilliant! I love it. Another thing is that the looks is great like this, true Porsche design, very clean.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Mat in real life is actually Mat in geek mode constantly.
What I love about the exhaust is that it doesn't pop and bang like a broken 2 stroke
My car was built on 1of 98 vin 00116. I absolutely love it. Daily driver. Zero problems. Bone stock. 110000 Miles.
I was obsessed with Porsche in the early 2000s. So much so that my Dad took me to the Porsche shop on my 12th birthday. We were a bunch of poor council scum in there lmao. But this lady had just purchased a new Porsche and it had the exact same interior as yours. Same colour and everything. She let me ride in the passenger seat while she drove it around to the front of the building. Only thing I hate about new porsche's is they changed the front lights design back to circular. I prefer the light design on your car.
I've always hated that they went back to the 'beetle' headlights after this. The 996 generation has always been my favourite
@@big_bicep_bill7594 i also agree that the 996 headlights look really good, but the regular 911 is just so legendary my god its all so nice
0:40 - Does it have Android Auto and is it better than BMW's iDrive?
He says that mercedes mbux is better than I drive becuase it has android auto 😂
Why would it have that at 19 year old probably Idk
-TJ- the MOST important thing is rewinding satellite radio though
Nope but i think it has a Motorola radio :)
Joe Owen r/wooosh
Mat..your the best out there...simple...and no atrocious music...hat off to you....deserve it all mate!
It’s so nice for once to hear positives about 996. I love mine ! I’ve been tracking it for the last 6 years. Such an underrated 911 👍👏👏
Mine would go pop on the track
Mat Watson Cars 🤣 I doubt it Mat! Happy New Year 🥳👍
love the pure car chat. Sometimes feel car wow is now so mainstream and clickbaity that it misses what was so great about car buyer. This was just perfect and what i love about you as a car journalist
No angry people in the car park?!
Not this time.
Oh yeah, the last time an old hag
Blood Carver yeah last time that woman was funny.
I was thinking the same thing haha
@@MatWatsonCars Matt please do an in depth review of the mercedes Benz X class please I request you on carwow
Do a “living with a 996” video? Take it to supermarket, gym, motorway journey, wash it etc.
It's easy to live with. So would be boring
Golf
Mat Watson Cars you say that...but we’d all watch it and would like to see more about you and how you use the car. A lot of your followers like your reviews but most importantly you too. You’re the car friend we wish we all had 😂😂😂
waclosh VW Polo
Is it scary to drive on WET ROADS? No stability control and soooooo much rear overhang with heavy engine back there. Tailhappy? WAGS TAIL EASILY😄
Honesty, especially in the modern world and double especially on RUclips, is something to be cherished. This married with knowledge and passion makes for a really good video. Well played Mat. My oldest friend bought a first gen Boxster (220 bhp) last year. He’s tidied it up in terms of all the essentials but no more than that. What a lovely, analogue car it is to drive. It talks to you all the time and sings above 5000. It makes a lovely “whoahhhh” sound about 4500 rpm. No, not fast by modern standards but it’s much more deep-chested than you’d think and you have to DRIVE it. It’s so interactive and, certainly in the south east of the UK, fast enough. I live in London so haven’t owned a car in years. Driving it made me miss my old Citroen AX GT, all 800kgs of it. Those were the days when a service transformed your car. Carrying a passenger transformed it too, but not in a good way, power to weight wise.
thanks
This review is exactly what I have been looking for. All real world UK advice, even down the exhaust and how to get a better sound out of her. I'm looking to grab one of these in the next couple of months as an upgrade from my E46 BMW. Thanks again!
Hi Mat, love the 996 it's so underrated, my dad has a fastlift 996 Carrera and it went bang a couple of months back and has just had a whole engine rebuild, it now runs lovely and will probably go on for another 100K+ miles.
Love the videos. 🙏👍
I've enjoyed every second of the video, it's very informative and honest! All the IMS stories on the internet are based on fear from the customer side and sales figures from the business side...
Glad my 996 has none of the described engine issues :)
BTW, my 996 has the optional "M030 Sport Suspension", that's just superb for daily driving. It's firm enough but not too stiff for driving through city centers.
Glad to hear your "bearings" are okay mate 😂 Another great video, only you can pull that interior off 😉👊
I've owned a manual 996 sans sunroof since 2003 and it is a wonderful and hugely underrated car that sounds epic. Used daily. A new clutch and spark plugs at 40,000 miles but otherwise run without fault. I love the 996.
Great vid to watch to brighten up my Sunday morning with a hangover.
To fix the look of the Handbrake console area, take it out and rub off the coating. Clean it so no grease or dirt remain, then spray it with plastic coat. Most posh cars had this makes plastic feel soft touch. Yours looks like the dark grey colour as was my M6. Works a treat makes it look like new. Enjoy
I'd get that horribly wrong.
@@MatWatsonCars that's what I thought. light coats and it's easy to peal off if you f¥¥¥ it up, needs about 4 light coats hang it from say a washing line (dont let the wife see) or string in garage. Also if you rub all the coating off you have a back handbrake area which ain't to bad anyway nothing to loose. To rub it off its friction a cloth your hand and maybe a little hit soap water so you on Have to scratch it back. The new coat just sprays on light coats give it 45mins to dry then same amount again it works and like a say it peals off if you screw up, that's what is on there. Trust me it worth it . Even just rubbing the old off will make it look better. BMW 1 series suffer the same on the window switches. Do it and see trust me. Enjoy
Mat, there I was thinking you were a casual salesman. You know your stuff, thank you for an insightful video
Love your no nonsense reviews and straight to the point.
As you drive an array of newer cars it’s great to hear you champion the old analogue car where you have put your own money into ownership.
I’m also a 996 owner and love these cars.
I love that you are the same cool guy in the official carwow videos and your own ones.
I Germany we have a guy called Qualmedie. Very funny in his own RUclips videos, trash in his TV show...
That is the first time someone has said something useful about Quaife and Wavetrac diffs, as well as the difference between the brands.
Sir, I thank you very much.
I’m glad I never watched videos like this before I bought mine - would have scared the life out of me!
Seriously though - good content as ever Mat.
My thoughts - I agree, earlier models better (mine also 3.4). And in reality if you’re driving a 20 year old car with ten of thousands of miles on the clock it’s unlikely you’re going to have problems with things like the IMS bearing - will have happened already if it was going to happen. But ultimately these are 20 years old and classic cars now - you’re either brave or have deep pockets if you want to use one as a daily driver.
I had an early 996 back the late naughties. Had a problem that Porsche couldn’t fix, took it to Ridgeway Porsche - an amazing independent garage near Reading, and they identified a valve lifter issue in 5 minutes and fixed it in 2 days (engine drop out as on right side of the engine 😡). Great drive tho, really enjoyed it, and reasonably comfortable in the back for adults
The good ol' stories about the IMS bearing... Just replaced it on my 996 after about 170,000 km and the old bearing was, well, like new. Anyways... like your videos, Mat.
Great video. The engine failure is no joke. My 02 996.2 with the 3.6 just started the slapping. Oil filter has metal bits. Engine needs a rebuild. I’d highly recommend the bore scope and oil analysis before a purchase. I wish I knew this before I bought two years ago with 54K miles. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. In retrospect I wasn’t informed enough about what the risks were other than the IMS which is what I required before the purchase. I bought the car for US25K as it was low mileage and physically awesome condition. Now I’m staring at a US17K rebuild. Anyone who is looking into buying one of these, please heed Mat’s advice. I honestly wouldn’t buy one for more than US15K given what I know today. Better a bit of a beater and enjoy the drive versus the pretty. If you lose an engine, it sucks less to pay the consequences.
K swap it
The colour of that interior reminds me of a old prosthetic limb. 💪🏽
That’s being generous, reminds me of something altogether different: 💣💥🚽
Hahaha 😂
lol 555 true 🍀🍀🍀👍😎👻👻👻😱
😂😂😂
I bought my 99 996 C4 off eBay for £8k. It already had the gundo hack, BC Racing coilovers, expensive engine rebuild including uprated IMS and cylinder rings to prevent d-chunking and a new cylinder head. Sadly, the other cylinder head cracked and that was a £3800 fix. But now it’s mechanically awesome, even if it’s looking a bit untidy after 135,000 miles. My aircon doesn’t work, my indicator switch is broken and the heater control screen is unreadable but I still love it and drive it as my daily.
that bypass valve made it sound like a 3 cylinder, still sounds cool.
Sounds fucking awesome a 3 cylinder would never sound that good a 3 cylinder would sound like a chevy aveo with open headers
I have a 2001 996 C4 as my daily (a lambo LP560-4 Spyder as my fun car). Biggest failure on mine was micro fractures in 2 cylinders causing coolant loss, ended up with a £6k repair bill and fitted the ceramic IMS bearing, low temp thermostat + some other failure proofing while the engine was out. Also fitted a set of coilovers and they are bloody hard and you do feel every lump and bump on the road. My best mod was a double DIN head unit conversion with an Xtrons 7" android unit. integrated google maps is superb. Also well worth getting the I960 ICarsoft Obd2 Reader for about £70.
Mat you're a bloody legend. Happy new year! I've been looking for a 993, more expensive but the look is to die for!
Probably the best looking generation in my opinion
@@stichupman No doubt!
And to pay for
Matt, glad I found your personal channel. I just wanted to say thanks for making cool videos. ALSO yesterday I drove my friends 17 gt4 (which has titanium exhaust, fancy low swirl intake, 3d printed header by bbi and a gt3 throttle body (all which work to bring up the torque curve)). It felt like I was driving a rocket with gears. At the end of the drive I was shouting “Oh yeah! This is DEFINITELY worth 40k more than my M2!”. tldr; I want a Porsche now.
Love the mods you done! The only thing i'd change is the solid engine mounts to medium polly but what a great car
Very cool video! I learned most of what you marked to look out for when I first started shopping for a Porsche 20 year ago. The IMS and a few other items are what made me switch to the 996 Turbo, and I'm glad I did. I love all of the 996 911's, but my tuned X50 is something I'll drive until I can't.
Mat, great to watch and very informative.
I'm bloody glad I've got a quick modern Mercedes. I've had a couple of classic motorbikes in my time and I know I’m not a tinkerer. You seem to be a man at ease with under the bonnet, behind the wheel and in front of the camera. Keep it up - it’s great to watch.
I'm still not buying a Porsche 🤓🤓🤓
Your Mercedes is quick and modern. It also will be dropping like a stone in value, making running costs on this 911 seem small change. And about as unconnected to the driving experience as this is connected. I know what I’d rather have, but that’s what choice is all about. Enjoy yours :)
I've owned a '99 996 C2 manual 6 w/ Euro suspension. They are a great value and a blast to drive on short, mid or road trips. 75mph in top 2nd gear!! Thanks for sharing all the info.
I know /exactly/ where you were driving somehow! the A40 from Oxford to Stockenchurch -- nicest piece of road around there... I often left the M40 to take that 'hill climb' road..
Yes, I recognised it to too, best going uphill but going down is fun too.
So to summarize, regardless of what batch of 911 996 it is early, mid, late they all have respective issues. Just choose whatever is acceptable to your heart and pocket
Literally sounds like you have a hole in the exhaust lol
Most 911s do sound like the exhaust is broke
When you put that crossover pipe you literally do have a hole in the exhaust 🤦🏻♂️
Haha yeah I was thinking the same. Sounds like crap.
he pretty much does
Thats just how flat 6s sound. My 911SC sounded broken right after the engine was rebuilt. Its just how they are.
Matt at Renworks is an absolute gent I booked my mates gt3 in for a ppi which was carried out around filming on fvthe Car Wow shoot.
Matt was kind enough to give me the time of day to discuss my 996 woes. Will be booking mine in soon to
Matt Watson deffo need more 996 content
AD08R Advan love Mat!
I run them on my C-Class Holy mother of Mary do they stick
I have a 2.7 Boxster similar, I find I just leave well alone.apart from regular oil changes. I’ve had no problems at all.
Yoo, welcome back and happy new year to all!!!
u too!
Thanks Mat. The 911 has always been one of my favorite cars of all times and with your video I feel more confident on what year to purchase. Here in the states, as I’m sure there, price fluctuation can be big for the 996. Like you said, it all comes down to how well it was serviced and taken care of by the previous owner. Now if I can only find one like yours with all the mods you did. Thanks again.
You have done everything I would have done if I owned that car. It sounds like it’s almost perfect now.
so you are the one of people who ruin their cars and spend money to do it. vibrations ruin everything!
@@StefanKrunic It's a weekend car, not a daily driver. The extra vibrations are a good thing.
you are right - it's awesome to drive when I get the chance.
I've got a 99 996 C2 (we even have the same radio) and I'm in agreement about the brakes. I had a Boxster before and I put EBC pads in that and it was the best thing I ever did to that car.
Thanks for the knowledge Mat, I’m shopping and this really helped me...👌🏼
I think I would have had the IMS bearing done when you had the gearbox rebuilt. As you had the flywheel and clutch replaced virtually all the labour would have been covered already as the IMS bearing would have been easily accessible once the fly wheel was off. I know the IMS bearing failure thing is a little overblown but it's still nice to have piece of mind.
That exhaust noise. Oh my heart!
Interesting to hear about the driver seat problem. The ratchet system on my 997 passenger seat failed after 7 years (out of warranty) despite hardly ever being sat on or used. Porsche wanted over £500 to fix it so just left it on the lower settings. Common issue is the air vent adjusters falling apart as mine did in the centre & drivers side. Again stupid money to replace.
Your exhaust makes it sound like you have piston slap. Especially on start up.
Late to the party and you're probably several brake pads in since you made this video but I use my 996 for fast road/track and I've tried standard, EBC yellow and Brembo HP2000 pads. The yellow stuff pads gave the pedal much more bite and feel over standard but they were actually worse than the original pads for fade resistance. The HP2000 pads feel a lot closer to standard pads, not so much bite from cold as EBC but they get better with temperature. Fade resistance and consistency of brake effort has been the best of the three for me. I'm very happy with them.
15:25 I live about 2 mins from there it was weird to see it in a vid
I went from a 98 model to a 2002, one thing I really didn't notice any difference to was the throttle, felt more or less the same. The engine tho feels much stronger. Anyway I think we have much of the same philosophy when it comes to how we want our car Mat, nice video. And you made me long for spring even harder...
"..and now, we are going to have drag race!"
Phenomenal cars and my ‘99 has been a joy to own. I love seeing more 996 content.
Comment number 911.
A Porsche with an average speed of 17 mph is like a dog who's been in a cage it's entire life
👍 good analogy
I have now owned my 997.1 C2S. Bore scoped good. Original IMS lol no issues. Did 2 oil tests and that was the end of my concern. Other than front strut mounts, engine mounts and failed catalytic convertor, smooth sailing. Instead of replacing the cat with porsche part $$$$$ i upgraded semi solid engine mount, x pipe 200cel cats. Upgraded to fister exhaust and DSC suspension controller....90k miles and she is rocking.
I put 18" wheels (from 16") on one of my cars, the difference in performance was astonishing, LOOKED amazing, drove crap!
So true. Sod the looks
My 17" rims looks good and performs good mostly because of the better grip on the back from the 245's
@@MatWatsonCars Wheel spacers might help the stance and handling
I think it's wise to put in softer (if not OEM) engine mounts if want to keep the IMS bearing happy and general engine health. But good to see there are no wear metals though!
I know what’s wrong. There’s no engine underneath the bonnet!
Lols
Syed Aydin Syed Halim no it’s mid engines
Could turn it into a BiMoto xD
@@Crazy254_ Is it now..
Here I was thinking it was rear engine, learn something everyday I guess :p
@@afrog2666 It is rear engine. All the 911s since the 80s are rear, not mid. Boxsters and caymans are mid which does change the handling and the feel through weight distribution.
Thanks for the info on bearings. I’m so happy my 996 is a ‘98 one now.
I drive it every other day, works like a clock.
what are your last four digits ? Mine is 0116.Built 1/98. Daily driver,zero problems.Aux air blower is a little noisy on cold days and the gear box is a little stiff until she warms up. Love Love Love my car.
@@timatteberry3382 7287, comes with LSD :). My gear linkage needs a service to get rid of the notchiness. Going for short shift too. I like the car but the gearbox ratio is a pain, it's soooo long, the car would be so much more fun to drive with a shorter one. In the Alps when you exit a hairpin you've got to use 1st gear if you want a swift exit.
Oh just snapped timing chains for you double row guys then! For us single row guys at least there’s a cure for IMS. No cure for snapping timing chains yet.
Happy New Year, Mat!
And happy New y to this beautiful place called Mat Watson’s Club!
996s are great cars that are amazing value at the moment. Things to look out for when buying are:
1. Corroded radiators and air conditioning condensers, leaves and general crud gets in the front and sits round the rads and Rots them. Make sure they are in good condition. If the air con doesn’t work properly when you test drive it it is more likely to be rusted condensers than just needing a re gas.
2. Clunking noises over bumps can be a sign of worn bushes which is highly likely on a car of this age. It’s very common for them to need new coffin arms and trailing arms.
3. Check the seems on the exhaust back boxes these often rust through and can mean you need a new exhaust (both sides as they are sold in pairs) to get through an mot. Not to expensive for standard exhausts or aftermarket ones but a Porsche original PSE switchable exhaust is £3,000 just for the parts.
4. Rust round the wheel arches is common on cars driven all year round as mud and muck gets stuck behind the wheel arch liners and holds moisture there causing rust spots.
5. Don’t worry about a small amount of mayo type substance on the oil filler cap, in most cars it’s a sign of a blown head gasket however on the 996 the long filler pipe causes condensation and a small amount of mayo to form on the cap in cold weather or on cars not driven much. Still be weary if there is masses of it but a small amount is normal especially in winter.
6. A small amount of oil spotting under the engine Ian normally just the RMS and nothing to worry about, expect to get through about a litre of oil a year between services. Puddles of oil under the car are a bigger issue so walk away if you can see them.
7. Cloudy headlights look terrible but can be fixed with a kit from Halfords for about £30. Toothpaste also fixes it short term but because it doesn’t reveal the headlights they go cloudy again much quicker afterwards so just by the kit with the spray sealer to finish it properly.
8. The side blisters on the seats are prone to wearing out and looking shoddy from 20 years of people getting in and out. A kit can be bought from the leather repair company for 50 to fill the cracks and redye the leather, it’s very easy to do on black interiors other colours it is harder to colour match.
As the video states look out for bore score either with a proper inspection or look for sooty exhaust tips on one side. Also change the IMS baring when you change the clutch doing both at the same time saves a lot on labour costs. It’s very uncommon for them to brake but it does happen so best to do it when you are already in there taking the gearbox off to do the clutch otherwise don’t worry about it, it’s not worth paying for it to be done by itself as the chances are so low.
1:42 Get It Redone In Leather Or Soft Alcantara!❤️
Difference between the 3.4 and the 3.6 is the crank. You have the short stroke which is what makes it love to rev.
Bypassers : Dude it's just a normal 996 911 Carrera 😏
After hearing the exhaust note : Man that's one amazing 996 911 Carrera 😃😃😀
Great video! Love your videos about your 996. The tiptronic isn't actually awful. Maybe not as fun as the manual, but in Manual mode it is still great and also the gearbox is more reliable. I have a 98 C2 Tiptronic in the exact same colour combination (blue/savannah) and I love it! No modification except removing the resonator in the airbox and blocking the bypass to increase the sound.
Dude that exhaust note!! 😍
The sound is awesome!!!
My father got a 996 and i really love the sound! It is such an awesome note on the inside
I love the mods you've done to this Porsche. Just shows you are a true petrolhead and that you exactly know what your doing with it.
On the move that exhaust sounds epic. 👍
High performance filter reducing performance is no surprise, there was a video testing out various filters and the cheap replacements came out on top.
All these potential engine problems should have been picked up by Porsche in development.
This was a reliable car like most Porsches, but with time cars just deteriorate.
This car is over 15 years old.
...or to take responsibility for known issue and mechanical malfunction, free of charge
@@dragospahontu Come on. The bore scoring is proper shocking design. They kept boring out the engine from a smaller 1, what do you expect? Shit design.
@@grovsey3656 true that
I love my 2002 996 convertible. The engine is superb in response and performance. And the sound is great, even without alteration. I made the opposite choices from yours: as this car became my daily driver, I made sure the suspensions were soft enough (but not sloppy) and I chose the Pirelli P0s for the same reason. I was tempted but Michelins Pilot sport 4S but found them to rigid for my typical drive. I bought this car with 93K miles on it. I am close to 107K miles and never had a big problem. I replaced the clutch and the infotainment system to have Apple CarPlay and a bluetooth phone capability. But that's about it! Love this car. I know I'll sell it someday and it will break my heart.
Mat Watson has “scored balls”. Sounds painful that mate😜😂😂😂
Seriously though, great video, very informative 👍🏻
996s are great driving 911s. Yes interior quality is not great, headlights are not classic looking and there is the relatively rare IMS bearing failure problem, but drive a properly set up example and it is pure bliss. I have had some extreme 911s and they get old fast when driven on rough roads. Best to keep them stock and avoid things like aftermarket exhausts, poly suspension bushings, rigid engine mounts, coilovers, massive wheels. If you want to firm things up get the M030 springs/shocks/sway bars. Factory sport exhaust mufflers (or Foster modded factory mufflers) are a nice upgrade if you want a bit more exhaust noise.
I love that exhaust note
great video again, thanks Matt. Best comment :”cars like this will not be built again”. So true!Love my 996.2 C2 manual. Done the essentials: IMS, RMS, flywheel, water pump (clutch had been done just befor I bought it), and also fitted new suspension (H&R blue/B8Sports), which transformed the handling and stance. Great stablemate added recently: Z4 M Coupe. Even more analogue and raw, and yes, cars like these will never be built again. Also have 20V ur quattro and JDM ITR DC2. Best of all worlds! Love to see you review the Z4M Coupe....and the urq and DC2 have been a far better investment than property. The M Coupe will be also. You can’t drive property!!
please upload more here mate! keep up the good work
With clean oil those engines are bulletproof. The dealer told me my engine was totaled( they wanted $15,000) but I drove it for more then 3 years after . One day the coolant tank blew up in traffic, had no choice but to drive while the car overheated to the max, rpms didn't function anymore; turned the car off in my driveway and it stayed on for several minutes. Next day, changed the oil, replaced the coolant tank and the engine was fine. Car was perfect. Only replaced ignition key , clutch, coils and plugs and coolant tank
Matt dont lie you was playing peekaboo in the sunviser mirror 😂
Anyone who couldn't afford a porsche should get an alfa gt crash bang wallop.
Hi Mat, I have an early one just like yours and I agree on pretty much everything you say except for the brakes. The standard brakes are up to the job on this thing usually. So if you are sure your flexi hoses have been replaced (they should be, may as well go braided), then make sure you use the original spec discs and pads. Sebro discs and Textar pads are the OEM supplier so get those and save on Porsche tax and replace the fluid with ATE type 200. After that you should have very decent brakes. The often misunderstood thing about the braking on these is that they are very under assisted by design. This means you do need to press the pedal hard relative to other cars of the time, especially later cars! This is all to keep the braking control and feel in the pedal when you are threshold braking. You’ll appreciate the extra feel and control when on a track day, but when doing a gentle stop the perception is that you have to push the pedal harder and people often think it means bad brakes. If you do all the above and still think there is an issue I would have the calipers reburbished by someone like BiggRed and that should be an end to it. Failing all that, swap with me and compare in a CarWow style braking test! ;-)
Wow that Sound is really amazing nice
There’s a lot of misinformation out there about the 996 (Porsche specific magazines as guilty as anyone) but you’ve got your facts right Mat about the real technical details and actual risks involved with them - nice one!
They’re not that quick in a straight line compared to modern stuff (had an BMW M140i up my ass today) but the modern stuff doesn’t give you the same feel behind the wheel. Speed is meaningless without that.
Give it another decade and as long as there isn’t some horrendous large engine petrol tax by then they’ll defo be worth more than they are now. Nothing else like a flat six 911 👍
I swear I watched this a few days ago
Lols
Me too... Wtff???
Not just u. It was taken down not long after it was uploaded. I finished watching it before it was removed. Now it's back again.
paul j Glad you said that as I thought I saw the thumbnail while Xmas drunk then couldn’t find the video later, while Xmas drunk. And then today here it is. Your post returned my sanity. Ish.
@@pydoeswhatever has it been re edited? I mean was something removed from the video? It will be interesting to find out why Mat took the video down
PCW exhaust is great. Had it done on my RS3 and will do in whatever car I get next.
Did you pay for any of the mods or say “hey im Mat Watson, youtube God” lol
K Uddin I was thinking this.
A lovely car you got there, Mat! Only thing I don't like is the modified exhaust-sound. For me, it sounds quite awful, tbh.
Matt Watson is back on his personal channel... If you can put more of your mother on car reviews too. We need more frequent content on your channel because I think he's one of the best car reviewers on RUclips!!! 😃👍💯🚘🎄☃️
Thanks
Nice car Matt, I remember when you first bought this car, it was a roller coaster ride. I ended up getting a 997 instead. I highly recommend you upgrade into one of these. It's the sweet spot for all 911.
did you go for a gen 2
Did you go for a gen 2 997 ?
Porsche's reliability has changed a lot isn't it
The 996 was the worst 911
Fantastic video. First, I also own an older 911 (991.1S) and I'm interested in mods for my car as well. Most importantly, an actual car video that doesn't involve an endless explanation of the infotainment system. Thank you!
You have the Sally from Cars movie 😆
I thought so too when I got one of these, I have the exact same colour - turns out, 'Sally' was a 996 Mk 2 (slightly different headlights are the giveaway)
Shrike200 ohh 😮
I had a 3.4 2000MY and had no engine trouble at all in the three years that I had it. A smart buy now!
When you buy a car like this its just waiting for the day you get super high costs.
But its fun while it lasts
Yeah faulty bearings, poor pistons and gears gone wrong all at under 50k miles in many cars..I'd pass it on this one.
Sometimes under use can be just as detrimental as over use and 50k in 20 years means this car has spent more time parked in a garage than being driven
Loading now It can also mean city driving miles. Whereas Medium age high mileage cars can have been on the motorway mostly
@@HypnOlli Just buy one with more mileage.. Problem solved. ;)
The early 98-00, 996's are very reliable. A small percentage have problems and that small percentage has kept the price on these down.
911s are just fun to drive and you captured that. I watched loads of helpful reviews like this before I bought one. Best driven on Sunday morning about 0600.
I swear I've seen this video before...
there was a mistake in it
Respect man. Good on ya
@@MatWatsonCars What was the mistake? :D
@n11 good luck with em child support bills
n11 his pullout game weak?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I have a similar 99' 911 in the same blue and tan color configuration with 55k. It's been a garage queen for a number of years but with all the 996 interest, it's inspired me to drive it again and perhaps do a few upgrades. Cheers!
Had a my99 almost the same spec, loads of things went wrong, almost monthly something trivial would break, the radiators and air con at the front rotted out, the coolant expansion tank expanded and blew coolant all over the place, the coolant cap also burst at a different time, the oil air separator diaphragm gave up, causing clouds of oily smoke, the rear brake balance pipe that goes up over the engine blew out leaving me with no brakes, it ate rear tyres 4000-6000 miles a time, the ignition barrel ate itself leaving me stranded unable to start the car, the light switch broke on the dash again leaving me stranded in the dark, the exhaust cans rotted out and needed replacing, the water pump gave out, the fuel pump gave out, again leaving me stranded, mine was an auto C2 no traction control no sunroof and the full electric seats and grey leather but other than that almost the same car, I never got around to modding it in 5 years (09-14) because was always spending out on dodgy, for all that I drove it 40k in 5 years and when it was going it was a great car, driving around the Scottish highlands three years running was a joy and thankfully the breakdowns were all close to home and also then near to a specialist I used for repair, the engine was never an issue, all the other stuff was
Tim Pavy I hated my 996 C4S ..similar experience to you and topped off with IMS failure ..low miles and full dealer history ..and oil regularly checked for contaminants ....
hmmmm they are scary cost wise... but nothing compared to depreciation
I thought over to buy a 996 or an m3 several years ago. After a while I bought instead a c32 amg and I am happy with the C in Summer (cheap to buy, repair it myself, low cost for spare parts) and could be driven fast ( now 247k km).
Nice review Mat, thanks a lot! The sound of your exhaust is brilliant! I love it. Another thing is that the looks is great like this, true Porsche design, very clean.