My ownership experience was positive. I liked the car a lot as it was very civil. You could drive it to work, go to school, get groceries, go for a cruise, date night with your partner etc.
Under my ownership, the vehicle was generally trouble free. I had to replace the brake light switch which caused the ABS fault to go off and it was a real pain in the ass to replace because you had to have a flexibility of a 14-year old Romanian gymnast.
Outside of general maintenance like fluid changes and filter changes, they are very easy to maintain. You'll come across some examples where people will tell you the IMS is going to explode, your engine is going to explode, your transmission is going to explode, your mom is going to explode. I'm sorry, but a lot of it is unsubstantiated. You might get some odd ball leaks here and there, but remember, this generation of 911 is now 20+ years old. The 996 was one of the most reliable European cars I owned.
Yes, parts can get expensive. I've said this before, but the PCar tax is real. Porsche gatekeeps the supply chain tightly and local dealers can really dick you on stupid things. You have to find a mechanic you can trust and is willing to work on the car if you don't plan on doing maintenance yourself. There is nothing difficult or complicated on these cars, with the exception of you might need a PIWIS or Durametric scanner to perform some level of diagnostics. There is a lot of support and knowledge on these cars online as well. There are a few independent shops in the GVRD who can take care of you, but you'll need to find a shop you can trust. Some are more enterprising than others.
These cars have yo-yo'd from the depreciation curve. They can be had for low $20s to high $40s but have bounced back, so prices are all over the place and the nostalgia and COVID tax is real. What you really need to be mindful of is whether a car has had routine maintenance and a stack of receipts from an enthusiast. I have learned these cars
NEED to be driven. Low mileage examples are often a Pandora's Box. You never know if you'll get a gem or a complete disaster that will bankrupt you and really sour your ownership experience. Also, dealing with Porsche Canada these past few years has been a real pain in the ass and it has really annoyed me to another level. I would like to think of myself as a patient and easy going person. Porsche Canada has really tested me. If Porsche Canada was an actual real person, I would kick him in the nuts. Twice.
When I moved to Toronto, I sold the 996. I found a 986 Boxster S to fill the void and similarly, the car has been very reliable. I put in the time and money to maintain it, and it has been a rewarding experience. The only time the car left me stranded was a month or two ago where my shifter cable snapped, but that was on me because I heavily track the car and beat the crap out of it, so this was bound to happen.
Some people here cried and called foul on its reliability and said it was expensive and unreliable. Sure, it was expensive to replace the cables, but this was also a 20+ year old car that I heavily tracked. Emphasis on hard. Think about it for a second. How many people here are willing to hit the rev limiter on their motors? I'm sure very few, do. I've hit the rev limiter on my car so many times that the ECU has hit the dreaded 65,535. For peace of mind, I had the motor bore scoped, compression and leakdown tested. The numbers came back with flying colours. I have 155,500KM on the original engine. If you take care of these cars, it will take care of you.
I've been meaning to get back into a 996/997, but life's priorities have shifted as I went back to school. I would happily recommend anyone to get into a 996 given a solid maintenance history and reasonable mileage and general condition. For your JDM journey, I suggest you do more research on what you can expect should you import one. If you decide to sell yours, I'm always open to buying from a fellow enthusiast provided I can afford one.
Best of luck on your search!
