(First Posted 2/2/2014, I decided to rename it as Part I and run it as it originally ran, Part II will follow next week. Regular readers of this series will be shocked (shocked!) to hear that I still have this one in the stable).
I’ve wanted a Porsche since I was a little boy. At every auto show I would drool over the latest version. I’ve subscribed to and/or regularly read several different Porsche magazines since high school and spent much time daydreaming about the perfect color and specification of “my” car. During my college days, I used to get stuck at a light on the 101 Freeway in the middle of Santa Barbara that was right next to the old Grove Motors dealership and they would always have a 911 in the front window for me to enjoy while waiting for the light to turn green. I told myself that one day I would own one.
Well, college came and went. Eventually the lights on the freeway through Santa Barbara were taken down, the freeway widened, and Grove Motors torn down and relocated. I ended up further north and spent the next twenty years working, having a family, and sinking spare money into mortgage payments (and buying lots of other cars). But the Porsche dream never died and I always looked at the classifieds to see what was out there.
So imagine my surprise when one day in 2012 my wife looked over my shoulder as I was on Autotrader.com and said “Hey, that looks nice, I think you should finally get one.” I looked at her, she laughed and said I’d been talking about it forever; although I’d gotten close to realistically considering buying one several years before, we switched houses instead and the idea went to the back burner again.
To make a long story a bit shorter, the one I really liked (that she saw) was located in New Jersey. It was being sold by a private party, who I called. We talked for quite a while and the next day he sent me many more pictures and a copy of the full service history of the car. We came to an agreement, I sent him a deposit check and had him take the car in for a pre-purchase inspection at a shop different from the one that he used for service. The results were good, with no issues to report, so we were off to the races!
We booked flights to New York (since my wife decided she might as well get something out of this as well) and upon arrival, took the train to Madison, NJ where the owner lived. The owner picked us up at the station, took us to his home and showed us the car. It was just as he’d described. We looked it over and drove it for about an hour, and after that I gave him a check for the balance due and asked him to keep the car in his garage until the end of the week we were in New York City.
The car is a 2002 Porsche Carrera 2 (2wd), in Seal Gray with a black interior (the pictures seem to skew the color to the purple side). It had covered a total of 63,000 miles when I bought it but had a new factory engine installed at the dealer 5,000 miles prior due to a manufacturing defect that was discovered. The entire cost of that rather significant repair was covered under the warranty the owner had in place.
With the options that were originally ordered the original bill of sale was for just under $80,000. I acquired it for quite a bit less than a third of that. Seeing as a new engine for one of these cars currently (as of 2014) costs around $20,000 and that it was in excellent condition, I was quite happy.
After spending the rest of the week in New York, my wife flew home. I took the train back over to NJ, the seller’s wife picked me up at the station, took me to the house and then I left with the car. The first stop was the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles to pick up a set of “transit” plates for the journey home. I thought it would be a big hassle but upon explaining what I needed (I had researched this online in advance), the manager of the DMV took me into her office, did the paperwork herself, and gave me a set of temporary paper plates for a $5 fee. Easy.
Then I found Interstate 80 and started my 2,000 mile journey home. The car was easily as good as I had expected. I’ve driven a few 911’s over the years but it’s different when it’s your own car. It makes a glorious noise, the acceleration is fierce, and you can feel every nuance of the pavement under the tires. Visibility is excellent and the seats have a good range of adjustment, so it is easy to find a very comfortable position.
One of my favorite parts of the trip home was traveling through Pennsylvania. Besides fabulous fall scenery, there are a lot of toll booths. At first it was annoying to have to stop every now and then to hand over a dollar, then I realized that it gave me a chance at full throttle acceleration every time the gate swung up with nobody in front of me. Of course before merging back with traffic I had to slow down again but I’m sure I was grinning like an idiot the entire time, it was so fun.
I visited a couple of friends en route to show off my new car but was finally home after three days. On the front porch was the new booster seat I had ordered for my youngest while still in New York. I had researched which seats fit the small back seat of the Porsche and found that a particular Recaro fit perfectly and only cost $70. (Update 2018: I took the seat out last month, the little guy above now is nine and fits perfectly in the back seat without it.)
As you see, this is not a garage queen and I use it almost every day. I usually take at least one and on occasion all three of the kids to school in it, I take it grocery shopping, to lunch, or out for whatever reason I can come up with. The only days I really do not use it are when I am meeting a client or working on a foreclosed home.
With winter coming up fast I found another set of the factory wheels on Craigslist in New Orleans and had the seller ship them to me. I mounted a set of Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60’s on them and after installing them on the car, found that it is fantastic in snow and ice. While the front tires measure 225/40-18 for either summer or winter tires, for the rears Porsche recommends reducing the standard summer size of 285/30-18 to 265/35-18 for winter. That’s almost an inch narrower and along with the different tread pattern and compound, there is very noticeable difference when driving on dry pavement as compared to the normal summer tires that I use.
Even though it does not have AWD, it does have stability control (defeatable) and with the engine in the back, there’s plenty of traction assuming I don’t do anything stupid. The stability control is fairly relaxed, i.e. it does allow a bit of “fun” before kicking in, but when turned off, the car will do wonderfully balanced power slides at will in the snow.
Porsches have always had an extensive options list, it’s very possible to go crazy and double the price of the car. Mine was outfitted in a more normal way but still had well over $10,000 worth of extras. Its options include PSM (stability management), the 18” Turbo Twist wheels, aero side sills (can you believe those cost $1,750 new? I like them but would not have paid for them new), “Comfort” leather seats with heat, power, memory, and lumbar, and a few other incidentals such as the painted center tunnel cover.
The one option it does not have that I wish it did is a rear wiper. The angle of the back window is so shallow that if you aren’t moving quickly enough, it can accumulate water and snow. I’ve since acquired yet another set of wheels, in this case a set of the factory lightweight wheels that were a different option and new for the 2002 model year, so an entirely appropriate modification.
Porsche had some issues with this generation of 911 (996 as it is known internally and within the Porsche community). The worst one is the Intermediate Shaft Bearing which in some of these cars has been known to fail catastrophically, ruining the engine in an instant. Porsche upgraded the bearing several times over the production run. In all but the latest iteration, the bearing can actually be swapped out without taking the engine apart and is now recommended as a service part.
It appears that cars that are not used regularly (i.e. very low miles), are not full with oil to the top mark, and those that are driven at low revs are most susceptible. My car had been a chronic oil leaker since new, the rear main seal had been replaced several times and then during the last change it was realized that the bore for the intermediate shaft was out of round by 0.07mm, resulting on another leak and necessitating a whole new engine as it was not a correctable issue.
Based on when my replacement engine was built, it has the latest and largest bearing that is considered to be much more reliable than the older ones, however it is not replaceable without engine disassembly. Early cars of the next generation (997 model code) also had the engine with this newer bearing until Porsche completely redesigned the engines for the 2009 model year, eliminating this trouble spot entirely.
A new replacement engine from Porsche in this case means a remanufactured one as they are no longer made new. All work is done at the factory in Stuttgart, but the real beauty is that it ships with ALL ancillaries in place. So the water pump is new, the alternator is new, all hoses and belts etc. Basically everything that bolts to the engine is included, meaning that many of the items that wear out over time are now new again and I won’t have to worry about them relative to a car of similar age with original engine and ancillaries.
That being said, just before I left on last summer’s now annual father-daughter road trip I heard a noise when I turned on the A/C. Not having time to deal with it, I dropped it off at the local Porsche mechanic who diagnosed a bad pulley and replaced it along with the main belt while he had that apart. Problem solved.
I had originally thought maintenance would be difficult as the engine is crammed in the back with a relatively small opening. This is not so. When I was doing research before buying the car, I noted that Porsche had made ease of maintenance a priority on this series. It is easier and cheaper to do most things on this compared to older 911s (well, except for changing the coolant which the older ones obviously do not have, being air cooled). Oil changes are extremely easy, the filter cartridge housing and drain plug are accessible even without lifting the car! You can do it while on your knees next to the right rear corner of the car.
If you need good access to other parts, removing the airbox (2 bolts) gives you excellent access to the entire front of the engine. From underneath (by either using ramps or jackstands) you can access the transmission end of the engine and if you need to get to something on top, while tight, access is often helped tremendously by simply loosening the two engine mounts at the back of the car, which can give you a couple more inches of space.
I replaced those engine mounts myself recently as I noted a bit of shaking of the passenger seat while idling as well as a gearchange that seemed a bit stiffer than it used to be. Replacing them really could not be any easier, I did it in under an hour total and if I had to do it again could do it in half that time. It solved both issues, the car shifts much smoother now and shakes less.
Parts are expensive at the dealer but can be found for much less money with a little bit of sleuthing. A good example is the secondary air injection pump. They do go bad (mine currently has a bit of a squeal at startup), and Porsche will charge you over $1,200 for a new one. However, online you can find the same exact item made by the same supplier for $300 if you are willing to throw away a yellow Bosch box instead of a silver Porsche one. The same goes for many other parts. The OEM supplied equivalent (usually the exact same part) is often readily available, and always at significantly lower cost.
Additionally, as with many cars and especially ones owned by enthusiasts, there is much online help as well. That same secondary air injection pump that I mentioned just above can actually be taken apart and the bearing inside replaced for under ten dollars with a little bit of time and some common tools. The whole procedure is documented step-by-step with photos of the entire assembly sequence online, along with practically anything else you might want or need to do to the car.
As I mentioned, my car is a 2002 which was the year that Porsche introduced several major changes to the line relative to the first few years. Most obvious is the front end; previously it shared the lights and front end with the Boxster. Starting in 2002, the headlights look like the Turbo model’s and the bumper was redesigned to allow more air into the radiators and brakes.
The engine was enlarged from 3.4 liters to 3.6 liters, the exhaust is louder and sounds better. Inside, the car gained a glovebox and cupholder and the buttons on the dashboard were not glossy anymore, giving them a higher quality tactile feel.
Does this house in L.A. look vaguely familiar to the U.S. audience? Hint: “Here’s the story, of a man named…”
Besides the power and handling, one of the things that I enjoy is the fact that it gets excellent gas mileage. In July, my daughter and I decided to go to the west coast. We visited friends in the San Francisco area and then drove down the coast to Los Angeles. After a few days in each place and in between at my alma mater on California’s central coast we headed back home.
On the first day of the trip we made it all the way to Reno. Our average speed for that leg was 74mph, and the fuel economy readout indicated 27.5mpg (around town I average around 20mpg). The car has enough luggage space as well. We were able to fit my daughter’s carry-on sized roller bag, my large duffel bag, and a case of O’Dells finest beer for my California buddies in the surprisingly deep front trunk, or “frunk,” as it is known. On the way back we also filled the back seat with groceries from Trader Joe’s, which we don’t have here (yet).
The engine in the car is a 3.6liter flat-6. It produces 320 horsepower at 6800rpm and 273 lb-ft of torque at 4250rpm. In my car’s case, that power is routed through a 6-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels only. With a curb weight of right around 3000 pounds, it is extremely responsive to the throttle pedal and has a very strong mid-range, although it’s no slouch at any speed.
I get a little thrill out of the rear spoiler as well. Normally tucked down onto the engine cover, it rises once you hit 75mph, then it stays up until you get below 25mph again. I can just see the top edge of it in the rear view mirror when it is up. There is also a manual override button in the footwell in case you want/need it up at other times, such as when in traffic on a very hot day and a little more air is needed in the engine bay.
That being said, I’ve never had a problem with the engine cooling or warming up properly. I have used it in temperatures as low as zero degrees Fahrenheit (last winter here in town) and as high as 120 degrees (driving through Las Vegas this past summer), and it never missed a beat.
About a year ago (as of the first posting of this), a friend of mine that belongs to the local Porsche club invited me to attend their “Eiskhana,” which is an autocross held on a frozen lake just outside the town of Georgetown on this (east) side of the Rockies. The lake surface was completely frozen with a bit of powdery, patchy snow across it but no traction whatsoever. The course that was laid out with cones included many turns, a complete circle and a slalom near the end just before the finish straight.
Attendees included about fifty different Porsches of all types, front engine, rear engine, 2WD, AWD, old, brand new–basically the gamut–so I was very surprised and delighted to find that I finished in second place of all the Porsche entrants, not just in my class (2WD with snowtires), but even those with AWD and/or studded tires! I was just using the Blizzaks. However that does not mean that I was carving around the course, it was more a matter of trying to anticipate which way the car was going to rotate and when to apply throttle or brakes.
My fastest run was with the stability management turned completely off, and I know at one point, I was traveling completely backwards while I was in gear, with the wheels spinning in the forward direction. It was a lot of fun and also instructive as to how the car would behave in a no-grip situation in a completely safe environment with nothing to hit and nobody to bother.
Frankly the car is exactly what I was expecting. I was not completely sure if forgoing AWD would be the best idea, but it turned out great. The only time snow is an issue is when it is too deep, however in that case the AWD version would have the same problem.
It has been very reliable (I’m knocking on my wooden desk right now), is comfortable to drive, gives me a thrill every time I look at it, and as far as I am concerned, is a fantastic value. If anything happened to this one I would be looking for another one immediately, which is about the highest praise anyone can give their car.
I am glad that my 42nd vehicle is one that has brought me much joy, but as it is the most recent one I’ve bought (15 months and 12,000 miles ago) it is also the one I have to end this series with. I’ve very much enjoyed sharing my car history with all of you and have had a lot of fun reading the comments (good or bad, appreciative or incredulous as they may have been). Like the man said, “Every Car Has A Story.” I’ve enjoyed telling the stories of my 42 “extended test drives” as you’ve called them and reliving a lot of memories. Thank You!
Updated July 1, 2018 – Alright, here’s the exciting news: I still have this car! At going on six years of ownership this is the longest by a couple of years that I have ever owned a car. Come back next week for the rest of the story…
Got to hand it to you, JIm. A car like that as a daily driver?.. Even in the snow,and salt.!
As soon as the salt hits the roads, my daily drivers become garage queens. But, to each his own. If you enjoy driving it everyday, why not?
+1…Hats off to you for driving this puppy thru the winter time. Because you are doing with this car, what should be done, and that’s driving it.
As you so aptly point out, “the car will do wonderfully balanced power slides at will in the snow. ”
This is Fahrvergnügen at it’s finest. Enjoy every mile.. 🙂
Thank you both Glen and Mikey. Winter driving in this is fun. And fun is the whole reason for owning it. It’s a car, not an irreplacable artifact. Heck, in real terms it’s not even worth that much money (I’m no 1-percenter, just a regular Joe with a mortgage and kids to feed and the sense to put a little money aside just in case…)
I’ve always sort of assumed that the reason the automatic spoilers on various performance cars have a manual engagement switch is — aside from maybe cleaning dead bugs off of the wing — to give owners an alibi in the event J. Law attempts to point to the raised spoiler as prima facie evidence of speeding.
A friend of a friend had an intermediate shaft failure with a Boxster, leading them with a rancorous “never, never again” attitude toward the brand. I don’t honestly recall if the dealer and/or Porsche ended up agreeing to foot the (harrowing) bill, but even if they did, I don’t think it made the owner any happier.
Yep, the IMS thing was bad for a lot of people. If you were out of warranty and did not have a good relationship with the dealer (i.e. used them for service) you’d often be out of luck. That being said there are numerous stories of the factory helping people out as well. I don’t mean that the factory necessarily owed the out of warranty owners anything but with the scope of the issue could have bought a lot of goodwill vs. what you have now in some circles.
They did seem to cover it up though to some extent at least and the class action finally brought a lot of things into the open (and some people were compensated for their expenses). Porsche will not let their dealers disassemble and fix an engine, all 996/986 problem engines were replaced whole and the bad engine returned to the factory. I assume this helps the factory figure out the failure points better.
The takeaway is that even though Porsche is marketed as an everyday usable car, it is still basically a handbuilt car (the sportscars anyway) built by a small company (now part of a much larger one) and not a Corolla. Buying something like this requires some research and due diligence in advance. Porsches have generally always improved with every year, some models are great when new, then get a bad rap where for a while it is a bit of a gamble and then are great again when the problem parts have worked themselves out or been corrected. Early 964’s with their leak due to a no-gasket design and problem flywheels, 996/986 with their IMSB issue – over time the problem cars are fixed or weeded out and older cars have been corrected or people know what to do to protect their investment.
Believe it or not even the General did something similar. The first time my Fiero (I was young) had an engine fire I was told that Fiero engine fires were not common and since I had 14,000 miles on the clock the warranty was expired. After I paid for the repair there was more reports of Fiero fires from oil leaking and collecting in an area above the exhaust manifold and after a hard stop it would spill on the manifold and burn. The second time it happened I pulled off the road, grabbed what I could and waited. This time it put itself out. GM replaced the engine and reimbursed me for the first fire. When that engine developed a cracked block GM applied the purchase price to any GM car I wanted.
I’m glad you got a Porsche that the “engine issue” that Porsche was forced to own up to had been addressed. A lot of people got it stuck to them by Porsche before the class action was settled. You obviously knew your Porsche stuff and went into this with eyes wide open which makes for a happy and enjoyable union. May you have many happy Porsche driving years ahead
Interesting story again Jim, thanks. I used to see a GT3 from this model daily driving the same few back streets with some monster speed humps, they certainly are practical.
$20k-ish is a very good price too- will have to check what they go for here but new price would have been $180k.
Congratulations on your Porsche Jim! I’ve sincerely enjoyed your COAL series and am sad that it’s over (for now 🙂 ).
From every automotive review I’ve heard, they’ve always said that the 911 is the most livable sports car for everyday driving. You’ve seemed to exemplified that claim. That’s a great 911 too. Great color. An excellent choice!
I could go on an on, but will end with a quote I recently heard regarding one’s car: “Better to collect dirt than gather dust”.
I’d always read the same thing and am happy to have verified that claim. That relatively recent Porsche “Everyday Magic” ad campaign with the lady dropping the kids at school, then a car being at Home Depot etc is absolutely true. My friend here in the neighborhood that I did the Eiskhana with has one as well and used his to bring home a BBQ from Lowe’s over the summer using the racks on top. Quite a sight! He drives his every day as well although it is the much rarer and more desirable 40th Anniversary edition. They are comfortable, easy to see out of, docile in traffic but great fun whenever an opportunity (or a roundabout) presents itself.
And I like your quote as well!
Jim – I have a 911 40th myself. I manage the Registry of these cars, and just came across your posting about your friend who owns one. Granted it has been nearly two years since you posted that, if he still owns it I’d like to make sure he and his car are listed in the Registry records. If you see this post I’d appreciate it if you or he would email me at 40jahre911@gmail.com. The Registry website is on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/40jahre911. Thanks very much.
Jim, that was one great read. More informative of the 911 then any major magazine’s road test of this car that I’ve ever read. Enthusiastic while remaining objective to the pitfalls that await the unwary owner. That cross country trip must have been a drive never to forget!
That’s beautiful, man. Living the perfect car dream can be so satisfying. Just watch out for the texters and red-light runners.
Mikey, I don’t think they use salt in California. Do they, Jim?
I’m in Colorado and no, no salt. I believe they use Magnesium Chloride mixed with corrosion inhibitor. It’s rare to see rust here.
California by the way only uses sand but more often just close the road if there is too much snow.
Whatever it is they use, from the look of the street it doesn’t do sweet f.a.
Haha, no the city does not touch our cul-de-sac. But the main roads are completely dry (those driveway pix are from Thursday). That’s actually the one problem with the Porsche, once you get over about 4-5″ of accumulation it will just surf along and get high-centered so sometimes I have to wait a day or two for the neighbors to beat a path out of the subdivision.
I believe Jim now lives in Colarado. Not sure if they use salt there either . I however, live not too far from Madison, NJ where the car spent the first part of its life. We do use salt here as evidenced by my salt encrusted cars due to the snow storms of late with two more on the way!
Yep, the car does not seem to have been a winter car prior to my ownership. No rust found in the prepurchase inspection and everything seems good so far. My car is not perfect, it does have some rock chips and very minor paint blemishes (digital cameras are kind). Still absolutely excellent compared to the average 12-year old car but not showroom fresh. It makes it easier to live with on a daily basis not being as concerned about it this way. The cars I’ve owned that were totally perfect I was more concerned about.
Here in Southern Ontario the Salt trucks come out before the plows. If that Porsche spent its early years driving in salt, there is no way it would look that good.
Great article! Glad you like your 996 as much as I like mine
Great story and series. I’ve always loved the 911, and if the money (and parking space) was available there’d be one in my garage as well. I think I could even get my wife (not a Porsche fan) into it for a trip that might change her mind. It would have to be a fair-weather trip, though. As Mikey pointed out, the salt here in Southern Ontario would chew through that car in no time, no matter how good a winter car it may be.
There are a fair number of them in Ontario judging by the pictures I see on Rennlist etc. The bodies are galvanized and lot of components are aluminum. I’m sure it would still not be a hospitable climate at all but with some care and a good carwash nearby it could probably be done. Certainly nothing like the issues you see up there with Mazda’s and some of the early Korean stuff (anecdotally speaking based on other discussions here on CC, not my own in situ observations).
Jim,
Aluminum may not rust, but it sure as hell corrodes. Anyone who has owned a boat on either coast knows that aluminum components can be short lived.
That is true. I wonder if it is really straight Al or some kind of alloy depending on the piece. I had the wheels off the other day and was looking at the suspension components that are Al and they all looked perfect for example despite being pretty much bathed in whatever is on the road.
I am in the northern part of the province and the winter’s are just brutal on cars here. Even the best built cars will rust out here. The salt and sand damage is terrible. The roads are often so bad too that the any aggressive driving is usually out of the question for winter anyway. So, I don’t mind driving my 4×4 truck slowly.
Wonderful story. Cars are made to be driven, and why not drive your Porsche in the snow? Why not go on a road trip with your daughter in your Porsche? That’s so much better than the “don’t get a fingerprint on Daddy’s toy” approach that too many people have.
Once again, our automotive experiences have overlapped, although I have owned a fraction of the number of cars during the same time period. My Porsche 911 was a 964 Carrera 2 Targa, Guards Red. My high school dream car in the exact body style and color that I wanted at age 16. No options at all except for seat heaters, which was exactly the way that I would have ordered it if I had been the original owner in 1990, which I was not – I was the third owner of the car, which had only 41,700 miles when I bought it in 2008. Nearly perfect condition, except for the usual 964 oil leak from one of the cylinder banks. For me it was a second car that I drove only in Targa top-off weather, which was any time that it was not raining or snowing and could be in December, with the seat heaters and surprisingly powerful heater.
Unfortunately, I was overseas for half of the three years that I owned it, so aside from coming out on top in every “what kind of car do you have back at home?” discussion, I did not get any enjoyment out of it for much of the period that I owned it. I sold it in 2011 after realizing that although the car was everything that I thought it would be, since I lived in a traffic-choked area and lived nowhere near a racetrack, I was not getting enough enjoyment out of the car. It is one of the only cars that I wish I could own again, though.
Yep, it’s funny how we overlapped, I’ve known about your 911 for some time but thought it was older. I originally really wanted a 964 and was always on the lookout for them, when I finally made the switch to looking for the 996 I actually also found a 964 C4 that was a contender and was very torn. Right about that time (a year and half ago) one of the British 911 magazines had a big story comparing the 964 vs 996 and opining on which would be better for what. It was perfect timing and while the 964 is rawer and maybe more “genuine”, the 996 is much easier to maintain and better for every day (that was their conclusion anyway). Don’t get me wrong, in the 10-car garage of my dreams, there is also a 964 but I am very happy how things worked out.
My dad had the same dilemma several years ago. He already had the 996 when a really nice 993 came in at the dealer, black over tan–his favorite combination. It was nice enough that they actually put it in the showroom. When he asked a longtime acquaintance who was a mechanic at the dealership, he told him “Don’t bother, you have the better car already.” And that was that.
Your observed fuel economy matches that of my PT Cruiser. You are having infinitely more fun burning that fuel than I am.
I had to laugh at the picture of the booster seat. I have never seen one in a Porsche.
Great series Jim. I’m going to miss my favorite Sunday morning read.
Thanks! That booster fits the 4-year old perfect. It was only about $70 or so, and is MUCH better constructed than the Graco Turbobooster seats that we used for the other kids. Holds him in place much better and the head protection seems good.
Excellent read, and congrats on getting your dream car.
To those commenting on salt and rust, I can say I’ve been daily driving my 1987 944S for 22 years, including through all the salty winters here in Nebraska. During much of winter, my normally red 944S looks white! I’m nearing 200,000 miles on the car, and not a spec of rust. In a land where I see relatively new pickups with rusted rear fenders all the time, I’m thankful for Porsche’s use of galvanized steel. It really is some kind of magic!
I have a 2002 Boxster too (weekend and track car), but if I ever get rid of my 944S, I won’t hesitate to switch the Blizzaks over to the Boxster and use it for my daily driver.
Jim, what a very fitting end to this excellent series!
Thank you for taking us on your automotive journey, which has ended with such a fine car. To the extent I’ve gotten to know you through this series, a 911 certainly seems like a culmination of sorts, at least for now 🙂 Do keep us updated when you finally replace it.
From the very beginning, what made Porsches different from other sports cars was their ability to be used as a daily driver with the minimum of compromises. The 356 was vastly ahead of everything else in its time that way, because its suspension was so much more accommodating, along with everything else about it, including its reliability.
In Europe, 911s have always tended to be driven by its owners, and not kept as trophy items in the garages. Which is why Porsche was so aggressive in making them rust-resistant.
And of course, Porsche has stuck with that original concept all along, which makes the way Jim is using his as tribute to the whole point of that brand.
I’ve seen way to many guys buy a Porsche for the wrong reason, and it was obvious that they never fully exploited its capabilities, which in large part is being used, regularly. And which is how one gets to really know the car’s capabilities.
Its one of the reasons I don’t have a 911 or some other sports car; I just don’t drive that much anymore. But it’s great to see someone else living their dream. Enjoy! And thanks again for the terrific ride you’ve taken us on. You’re an excellent driver!
Thanks again Paul for letting me tell my stories to begin with. It’s always difficult to decide what aspects of the story will be of interest to the readership and what to include or skip over but in the end I realized that different people get different things out of each one so it sort of woks out for everyone. Some like the mechanical aspect, some the human story behind the car, some probably something else. As long as I’m not boring people it works.
My mom keeps telling me I need to print all of these out with the pictures and put them in a Shutterfly book or something to give to the boys when they are older…Now that I am up to date I will need to look into that more.
Thank you for the opportunity and I am looking forward to seeing a new regular series start next Sunday!
“From the very beginning, what made Porsches different from other sports cars was their ability to be used as a daily driver with the minimum of compromises”
Indeed having rear seats was the reason why they stayed with a rear engine, instead of converting to mid-engine.
I still have not figured out if I like a 911 or if I hate it.
Had two aircooled ones and cannot think why I would want to own another one again, apart from their appearance, their engine sound, the way they try to kill you and the practical way you can use a 911.
I like that Porsche !
But those two guys. They walk around and seem to be, well, a bit…confused…lost….
maybe even DESPERATE ??
Thanks for telling your story. It is very similar to mine :). I take my two boys to school everyday in my 996 targa c2… And now during winter I sometimes bring my cross-country skiis inside as well. With the targa that is really easy since the back window can be opened. It is just a wonderful car to drive (and practical too)!
Isn’t it great to have a practical car? 🙂
I love the looks of the Targa of this generation, someone nearby has a silver one with the red interior and it looks fantastic.
I need to take my daughter snowboarding in it, usually we take the VW but if I can get the boards in I think I will be doing that next time.
Sounds like you hit the lottery with the new motor. I’ve also got a 2002 Seal Grey but mines a Targa w/grey interior. My 4th Porsche but first 911. I agree those aero side skirts are pricey at $1,700 but not as outrageous as $1,350 for a carbon trimmed steering wheel and another $880 for carbon trimmed e-brake and shift knob. My Targa tipped the scales at about $90k. I love reading about someone who drives their car on a regular basis. My 911 will see 8-10k a year. While my 2007 BMWxiT will get me thru the worst winter months here in N.E. Good luck with your car I hope it serves you with tens of thousands of trouble free miles.
Yeah the options list is unbelievable. If you want colored seatbelts (besides black) it’s $500. Pure profit.
I really like the color and as I mentioned above I do like the look of the Targa as well. Considering how relatively few were sold it’s funny that two of you commented back to back.
Jim, you sound like my dad! He bought a 2001 Carrera in late 2003. It is midnight blue with gray leather, and has been his daily driver ever since. He drives it year-round, and has a set of snows mounted on repro Porsche alloys.
Its engine was replaced at about 63K miles due to a crack in the block, but the replacement engine was out of a newer model and as a local shop (not the dealer) did the work, the price wasn’t too nuts. In any event he plans to keep the car forever, so it didn’t much matter.
His has a ton of options: the same wheels as yours (since painted matching midnight blue), the “flying taco” spoiler, aero side sills (again, same as yours) leather dash and door panels embossed Porsche crests on the headrests, rear wiper and other stuff.
So, my dad’s toy is a Porsche 911, and my toy is a Lincoln Town Car. How ’bout that 🙂
Here’s the inside. His only regret is the gray interior; he would much rather have saddle tan leather.
I love the grey interior in mine. I like the contrast you get from the radio and instrument panel. I get bored with black, although saddle might be OK.
Well, saddle tan is his favorite interior color. I must admit the gray goes well with the navy blue paint.
I think if he had ordered one new, it would have been black with tan leather.
Nice car, glad to hear he uses it as well. I think they are going to be hitting the bottom of the depreciation curve soon and the nice ones will start to go up in value while the ones that are just kind of getting not cared for will keep going down. People are starting to realize these are fantastic bargains (with a few caveats).
Driving my dream car. I had the good fortune/misfortune to have a 924S as my first sports car. Wonderful experience, it treated me great, maintenance was reasonable (for a Porsche). Only got rid of it, because I’d never owned a roadster, and time’s getting a little short for long put-off plans.
Test drove a 968 convertible. Unfortunately, an automatic, and the transmission killed the car. Ended up trading on a Pontiac Solstice. Nice roadster, but after being used to a Porsche, well that’s the reason for ‘misfortune’ in the first paragraph. Nothing less compares. Once its paid off (this spring) I’m looking for at least a Boxster.
Nice write up, and great car! I give you credit for making such a “exotic” car into a daily driver and even driving it in winter. I am way too picky to ever be able to drive something that I really care about through one of our harsh salty, brutal winters. But you are truly fully experiencing the car under all conditions. I drove a 996 Porsche very similar to yours a couple of years ago and got to put it through it’s paces. Although I have driven faster and more exotic cars, it was near the top of my all time driving experiences. I am surprised a child booster seat fits so well in the rear, I remember the rear leg room being non-existent (although I do usually drive with the seat maxed out to the rear).
Again, great write up and very nice car!
Yes, I have to remind myself that there are plenty of faster cars out there now. Also, here at altitude it is a bit down on power obviously. Being back at sea level with it this summer was wonderful, the extra power was definitely noticeable. Maybe there is a Turbo model in my future somewhere. The bonus there (and the GT3 model) is that the engine is an entirely different architecture and does not have an IMS bearing to cause an issue although they probably have their own foibles.
If I have all 3 kids in the car the smallest with the booster is behind the passenger, the largest is in the passenger seat and the middle one (7 next week) is behind me and likes to have his legs crossed on his seat. I don’t have my seat all the way back but wouldn’t want to sit behind myself!
Not every booster fits well, the Graco’s don’t. But the Recaro does and you probably didn’t know but the seat base cushions are just velcro’d down to the platform, you can pop them off and get a little more wiggle room for the seat if needed. The seat backs also fold down flat in case you need a flatter cargo area for more beer or whatever I guess.
I’m extremely sad to see this round of COAL end, but man what a finish! I was so in love with the 996 when it was new, still am, and I think it’s a now ludicrously underrated design. It hasn’t aged at all – 911s could still look exactly like this and Porsche would sell them. Not that the current model looks all that different, and I anticipate 911s looking like this for a very long time to come. Maybe even as long as the original look stuck around!
I wish we could somehow get Jim to do actual test drives of classic vehicles, as opposed to the ones where he has to spend several thousand dollars for the privilege. I love your taste in cars and think you write remarkably balanced and thoughtful takes on them. It’s too bad there aren’t many folks willing to lend out their Corvairs and Gullwings for ice-autocross sessions and cross country roadtrips with the kids. How great would that be? But short of that happening, I hope (and assume) that you’ll keep writing here on non-COAL subjects. And I know it can’t be that long until another chapter gets added…
While we’re talking Porsches, who else among us refuses to call this car a “Porsh-uh” ? I know this is probably only an American thing and it is, after all, the correct pronunciation… but for whatever reason it just doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t do “Jag-yoo-argh” either. I’ve got no problem making myself sound like a fool pronouncing Lancia, Renault, Citroen, Innocenti, Skoda, etc. correctly – I even learned how to say “Zaporozhets” properly from a Ukranian, but even if I someday own one and get heckled by PCA members, it will always be a PORSH to me!
Porsh is closer to correct than Porsh-uh because it’s more live che in Chevrolet than shu in shut up.
tino
jim nice article,its great to read about the 996 away from some of the porsche forums,although the forums are packed with useful knowledge and a great way to learn about the car,they can also be full of alot of incorrect advice,(ims,rms issues)these cars are meant to be driven,and not garage queens,i also own a 2003 c2 and if taken care of its a bullet proof vehicle,the only problem i see is all the upgrading possibilities with these cars,if you get that fever it can get expensive LOL! any way thats really part of the fun.enjoy the car,and if i could recommend you should hook up with the local porsche club and do some drivers ed events,were you will be able to explore the capabilities of the car that you wouldnt be able to do on the street,warning this can be addictive,but will also make you a better driver in the long run.
Your COALs were fantastic Jim.
I really enjoyed it but i think it would be cool to get a timeline to see what car you have owned during the same period of time. it would be interresting i think.
A timeline would be fun, I wish I had the graphics chops to do it, I wonder if there is a program for it?
I am late again, but could not get through Monday without telling you how wonderful this series has been. Sorry that it is over. I guess you just need to buy some more cars. 🙂 Hopefully, we have not seen the last of your great contributions.
I can’t say as I have ever been bitten by the Porsche bug, but I am at least getting to understand it a bit after getting a few rides in the 1985 911 Carrera owned by a friend. A structure that is tight as a brick and a visceral, mechanical feel to the vehicle always resonate with me, and those traits seem to be a Porsche hallmark.
I am happy that you have found your “automotive home” and even happier that you are enjoying the experience.
Thanks for all the stories Jim. Amazing automotive journey. Love your Porsche, and you are using it as intended. You’re probably the coolest dad at the school.
Great Brady home pic! When I was in LA a few years ago we did the same thing – photo op! The neighborhood was used to it apparently….
Where were you driving in Pennsylvania that has “lots of toll booths”? I’m just curious, because I live here and I’ve never experienced that. That’s more Jersey Turnpike-type stuff.
Oh-oh, did I screw that up? It was all I-80 westbound and I believe it was around a dollar each time. Probably at least a half-dozen. Then the same thing again in Illinois but more money there… It could be that you are right, the first day I made it to Cleveland, kind of a blur I was having so much fun!
Jim very sad to see this series come to an end. Your Audi Ur-S4 article was one of the best ever at CC, right up there with Paul’s on the 60s Continental and Corvair. I learned so much from reading that and have a new appreciation for Audi quality from that era. Thanks for sharing your stories.
Fantastic. Best headlights, too. Not the fried egg nor the startled ellipse.
Jim, what a pleasure to re-read this Porsche saga – I love the color of your car and how much you’ve enjoyed using it over the years.
I know you are in Colorado – have you met Heidi and Franny, also in Colorado and who own, among other cars, three Porsches? They feature their 996 on their YouTube channel from time to time. Franny is an engineer who does her own maintenance and mechanical work and I really enjoy their videos. Here is a sample. Their series on the 356 that has been in Heidi’s family for over 50 years is a real pleasure and confirms what Paul wrote about characteristics that make it a good daily driver.
Thank you, come back next week for Part II. And thanks for the video, I was not aware of those two before this, they are great! That’s the same color as my car and they are right, the 996 Turbo is still a bargain (comparatively speaking).
Great to hear you had (and are still having) such a great time with this car. Nice to see a dream come true.
Like a lot of other commenters, I love the picture with the child seat in the back. Saw a Nissan GT-R with one about a year ago and could only think “Now that’s cool.” Lucky kids. Of course, I got to ride in a Beetle, which is almost the same as a 911. Kinda. Sorta. Sigh.
Just like my neighbor’s, but his is turquoise. I envy you both ))
I had a ’99. I loved that car. Totaled, when a semi tapped me from behind. Poor thing was Wirth only $20,000 at that point. She had given up all her crumple zones for. me, though she looked and drove pretty much fine.
It was non-stop fun banging that car through traffic and pusher her limits – which could be flet. And I used her like a truck. I carried lumber, a rolled up 8 x 12 carpet, potting soil, dogs, cats and a new ladder in that car. I loved that car.
Now we’ve got a ’17 Carrera S. 420 horsepower, and I can barely tap the accelerator before I’m in ticket territory. It’s possible to hit 100+ without quite noticing, which is going to get me in trouble. The car is serene at 90. It’s blue, full-leather interior is gorgeous, and it has every modern convenience. And I don’t love this car.