Faults:

NONE - Perfect! We bought our 2003, Porsche CS4 with low miles. The IMS, RMS, and clutch were replaced. The car drives like a dream and is built like a BEAST! Well-made and I've never had a car built like this Porsche. BMWs have peeling plastic, windows that fall down, and the windshield wiper fluid holder cracked! None of those problems with Porsche!!!

General Comments:

The car is Power Plus! Love the manual and won't ever go with an automatic! A car this old and it looks and drives brand new!!! Perfect condition! The previous owner babied and housed this BEAST in the garage. The outside looks brand new and shiny!! I love the egg lights, the all leather inside, and the car is itching to be driven like a DEMON!

Get the IMS, RMS, and clutch fixed, not replaced... and enjoy driving a wonderful machine. Quit griping about these problems and get a car much cheaper than a Porsche anywhere... and this car will increase in value. Trust me.

Faults:

Voltage regulator.

Window regulator.

Starter motor.

Replaced clutch.

General Comments:

I wrote a review a few years ago about my 993. It was awesome. However as life goes, sometimes you are up and sometimes you can't have a toy any more.

Several years later, back on the up, it was time to get another 911.

So a 993 was out of my budget... gutted.

So a 996 was the choice, and fortunately I landed on a low mileage 4S which has been a thrill every time I get in it. With every option including a switchable sports exhaust, it makes a different sound to the 993, but louder and it really does roar when getting close to the red line. Turbo wide body/suspension and brakes gives it a hard ride, but it just comes alive once you get going, and with technology included and 4 wheel drive, for me it's a far better ride than the 993. I love the look of it, and from behind it really does look the part.

Just come back from a major service today and cost me £500. That really was everything done, and potentially that's it for 2 years, although it will be pampered again in 12 months.

Went to Bruges a couple of months ago, and didn't miss a beat, and I'm off to tour France next month and can't wait.

For me the 996 4S isn't the sweet cute 993, but now with a few years under her belt she has turned into a real beauty, rare, a head turner and user friendly, so no hidden surprises. Going up in value, this will be a classic to hold onto.

I would highly recommend, and the manual is superb if you get the choice.

Faults:

Front radiators and A/C radiators replaced.

Rear tyres.

Bonnet resprayed (stone chips).

General Comments:

Rotten front radiators (very expensive to change), and A/C radiators also leaking, including coolant lines.

Amazing performance.

Factory X50 model with 450bhp with DMS remap to 525 BHP.

Interior a bit cheap.

Immaculate, so fear of parking in car parks - it's a toy really; you need another car unless you want it trashed.

Faults:

All the below issues occurred with 6 months of owning the car:

1) Mysterious clanking noise accompanied by engine failure light - cost me 3K to diagnose and fix (including compression tests). Further research online pointed to an impending RMS issue.

2) Gearbox/synchro transmission problems. Popping out of 4th gear. Estimated to cost $8K-$12K to repair.

3) Alternator went bad.

4) Fan belt went bad.

5) As part of general maintenance, I replaced the oil and filter, front/rear brake pads, shocks and tires.

General Comments:

I bought the car off lease and it had all the records. Unfortunately I ended up paying approximately $7,000 in repairs in 7 months.

I thought I was done when the shifter started popping out of fourth gear. I had a 997 shifter installed, along with having the gear oil changed in hopes of solving the problem. Unfortunately it ended up being a gear box, and/or transmission issue. I later found out from numerous blogs and forums online that this issue is very common with the 996. I was quoted $8,000 to replace and install a new gearbox and $12,000 to fix worn synchros in the engine/transmission. That would have made my total repairs $16,000-$20,000 for less than 7 months of ownership. No thanks.

I unloaded the car. What a waste. Stay away from all 996. I heard that the 993 and all previous iterations of the car are great. Unfortunately this was my third Porsche (1984 944, 2000 Boxster, 2003 911) and once you drive a Porsche you are hooked. I am now looking at purchasing a 1985 911. The 3.2 911 Carrera series from 1983-89 are supposed to be the most reliable Porsche series ever. Wish me luck.