I sold my E46 M3 and bought a 996 Turbo (Because, why not?)

"Rows His Own" (RowsHisOwn)
08/17/2014 at 23:29 • Filed to: Porsche, 911, 996, 911 turbo, turbo, 996 turbo, San Diego, manual, save the manuals, california, socal

So about 6 months ago, I picked up my second E46 M3 (or third technically, but I don't count cars that I buy specifically to flip) .

It was on my list of 'dream cars' to own. Alpine White, imola red interior, and on gorgeous BBS LMs. Except it was an SMG, and I modded it so quickly that I ran out of things to do that were of a reasonable cost-to-effect ratio. In other words, I got bored fast. So I sold it. For a very nice sum, too. E46s seem to be a hot commodity, but if I were to buy another one, it would most certainly have to be a 6 speed ZCP model.

After a bit of searching, and a lot of coercing the wife, I found a nice 996 Turbo in good condition, with similar miles and a great price. I found a few others, but this one stuck out in my eyes as the best candidate. Mildly modified, but nothing really notable that would set the car apart as the previous owner's. Lowered on Bilsteins, HREs, and fitted with some wannabe GT2 wing. It also has smoked tail lights, which I hate with a burning passion. Easy enough to knock down the price a good bit to replace or refinish them properly. I've already addressed the wheels and the wing, with help from my shop, Aristo, and the always mighty Techart. Those will be on the car soon.

All that being said, the car has managed to exceed my expectations. The PSS10 coilovers aid in eliminating that gross, floaty suspension feel that tends to plague AWD 911s, and helps to diminish the lingering hint of lift throttle oversteer. It's still a very nimble car, and it has no trouble putting the power down to the fat 315 section rear tires. The BBI race exhaust and ported headers add a nice boost of power, not to mention a fantastic amount of noise from an otherwise timid sounding motor. I will never claim to be a purist. Our cars are just too much of an expression of our personalities. I love seeing modified 911s, Lamborghinis, or anything for that matter. So expect to see posts in the future with bigger turbos and lots of crazy supporting mods. But don't expect it to be stanced and slammed and ruined. Keep an eye out for me if you live in San Diego!

DISCUSSION (40)

PS9 > Rows His Own
08/17/2014 at 23:37

K-Roll impact in 5...4...3...2...

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Rows His Own
08/17/2014 at 23:39

FUCK YEAH!!! :D

NEED MORE PICTURES, VIDEO, REVIEW!! I NEED THAT FUCKING CAR IN MY DRIVEWAY NOW!!!

AM3R > Rows His Own
08/17/2014 at 23:40

More pictures of the the E46?

As someone who almost bought a 996 instead of a E90, I'm glad to seen more people picking them up. Such bargains!

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > Rows His Own
08/17/2014 at 23:40

you said a lot of words and numbers and models that I don't understand... But good lawd that's a pretty vehicle

Nibby > Rows His Own
08/17/2014 at 23:41

I request a review of your new toy. Congrats!

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > PS9
08/17/2014 at 23:47

Called it. :P

Rows His Own > AM3R
08/17/2014 at 23:48

I almost bought an E90, AW on black, but I was looking to make stupid amounts of power. Plus I just wanted to have something other than a BMW for the first time since I was 16. http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php… There are some. The rest are on my flickr account.

Rows His Own > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
08/17/2014 at 23:49

I'm guessing you've predicted some sort of massive exodus to the 996?

Rows His Own > Nibby
08/17/2014 at 23:51

There will be one coming. I think between shows and work, and people wanting to see the car, I've driven like 1000 miles in 2.5 weeks. It's absurd

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Rows His Own
08/17/2014 at 23:51

Haha nope! I'm responding to to PS9's "K-Roll impact". :)

He knew I'd be the first to respond on a post like this. Congrats! :D

AM3R > Rows His Own
08/17/2014 at 23:54

Yeah if my goal was stupid amounts of power I'd go force induction too. It's crazy expensive with the E90... I'm talking an $11k supercharger kit to get a 10.6 second quarter mile.

What do you have planned for the 996?

Rows His Own > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
08/17/2014 at 23:56

Oh, thank you! I'm not entirely sure why so many people give the 996 hate. It feels just about like any other late-90s german car on the inside. It's very simple and intuitive, so far as I've seen. And good lord, it has some flipping cold AC haha. Expect to see a video, and possibly some track footage as well, soon.

Rows His Own > AM3R
08/17/2014 at 23:59

Right now I'm looking into turbo upgrades, but there are so many options that it's just ridiculous. Everybody jumps straight for the kits, but theyre usually just easy bolt ons all grouped together and then marked up like mad. I want to do a legit build, nothing cookie cutter. 11k would put me north of the 600AWHP range with ease, reliably.

Zach Campbell > Rows His Own
08/17/2014 at 23:59

Right choice IMO on going with the Porsche. Not only will it most likely be more reliable than the E46, I believe it's almost the perfect daily. Fast, reliable, all-weather capability, exclusivity, and it's a freaking 911!

I could rant for days on why I love the 911, but I'm guessing you've probably already heard most of what I'm going to say. So, I'll just leave it at this: great purchase of a beautiful car. I can't wait to see what you have in store for it!

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:00

*K-Roll inserts shameless plugs here* These should help with the love-hate relationship of the 996 if you're curious. :P

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/oppo-i-have-a-…

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/k-rolls-porsch…

Desu-San-Desu > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:07

What the hell do you do for a living? o.0

Rows His Own > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
08/18/2014 at 00:16

Great reads. The 996 was new when I was only 6 or 7, so it was always modern and cool in my eyes. Regarding the tail light center in the last articles, buy a C4S and yank the front diff. It's actually a stupid easy job. Then you get the fatter hips too, plus RWD!

Rows His Own > Desu-San-Desu
08/18/2014 at 00:19

I'm a 21 year old in the military >.> But I've flipped quite a few cars, my wife works for a good bit of moneyy, and we choose to live under our means because rent is a waste of what could otherwise be equity. Also, I detail cars for a few hundred bucks extra a month. It's not too bad

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:19

Thanks! I looks a bit dated now, but modern enough not to be considered a classic; yet, it stands out to me more than a 997 or 991. Sometimes I think that a 996 is the only 911 I'll be able to afford out of college, but I think that 997s will have depreciated to the point that they will be in the $30k range permanently. That will be awesome if that happens in 4-5 years.

AM3R > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:20

That's what I love about turbos. Even just an ECU flash nets you another 100 crank horsepower. Going FBO will be insane, are you gonna run meth? 660awhp sounds awesome, is this gonna be a flip or are you planning on keeping it long term?

Desu-San-Desu > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:27

Ah. I tried to enlist, but couldn't get a waiver for my spinal curvature. Shame- the sign-on bonus would've been seriously sweet and I had my pick of any M.O.S.

Rows His Own > Zach Campbell
08/18/2014 at 00:30

The E46 was quite reliable when it came to small jobs, but it is notorious for expensive periodic upkeep, with valve adjustments, VANOS, and 120$ oil changes. I refuse to let my cars sit, so I will always have a fun daily. I can justify it, and honestly it's been absolutely fantastic as one. If I am responsible with the throttle, I can average 22-23 mpg combined on my daily routine, which is like 30/70% highway/city. I usually do about 60mph on cruise for long trips and average 29mpg. Mash the throttle and it drops between 10 and 14. Thanks for the kind words. I love it more than I expected, to be perfectly honest

Rows His Own > Desu-San-Desu
08/18/2014 at 00:32

I almost got an 80k sign bonus with TACP with the USAF, but pride bit me in the ass and i joined the USMC for zero bonus like a tard, simply because my father did too. Bad call.....

Desu-San-Desu > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:34

I've thought about trying again, though my father would probably hate it. He doesn't like the idea of me enlisting- he was drafted into Vietnam himself and barely survived. If I tried again, I'd probably go USAF.

Rows His Own > Desu-San-Desu
08/18/2014 at 00:38

It's always worth a shot. But if I had a redo i would have commisioned as an officer

Desu-San-Desu > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:41

How does one go about doing that?

Rows His Own > AM3R
08/18/2014 at 00:41

In Cali, yea I will. People get nervous, but if youre smart it's perfectly safe. I've already been looking at Garrett and precision turbos, with an EPL or promotive tune. 600 is my goal, more is always better. In the hunt for that sub 6 second 60-130 time. She will be my long term, though

Rows His Own > Desu-San-Desu
08/18/2014 at 00:44

basically have a Bachelors degree and meet physical fitness standards

AM3R > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:45

Good luck, definitely keep us posted. If you have a build thread going on rennlist I'd love to get a link. I'd keep it long term too. The 996 turbos are even more reliable than the standard Carreras.

Rows His Own > AM3R
08/18/2014 at 00:46

That they are. I dont know if i want to join rennlist. I hear they are quite snooty.

AM3R > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:48

I've heard that too, but the small amount of time I spent looking 964 and 996 posts changed my mind. I didn't see any snobby behavior but like I said, it was a small amount of time.

Desu-San-Desu > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 00:50

Ah. Yeah, the degree is the issue. I wasn't able to finish college, as I ran out of funds.

Rows His Own > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
08/18/2014 at 00:52

Honestly, I dont see normal 997s appreciating for a long long time, simply because they are very plush, a far cry from the more simple 911s of the past. I feel we will start to see more long term problems as they start to age. Especially the 997.2, which is LED loaded, and less proven, much like the early water cooled 3.4s. It's hard to predict though

Rows His Own > Desu-San-Desu
08/18/2014 at 00:53

As is the story with so many, unfortunately

Saracen > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 01:03

Very nice!!

Fellow San Diegan here, I will be keeping an eye out.

Big Bubba Ray > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 01:12

Totally random drunk thoughts from me.

The 996 was new when you were, let's say 7, and they debuted in 1999? (I could be totally wrong about the first production year).

So that puts your age at less than 23? Are my maths correct? If so, what the fuck am I doing wrong? (Age 22 here).

Rows His Own > Big Bubba Ray
08/18/2014 at 02:34

Yea, I'm 21, so 7 when the 996TT debuted in mid 2000. I enlisted at 18, used the money to flip BMWs for profit, bought an m3 I liked, kept it for a while, sold it for almost 35% profit, and then bought a 996. I also do detailing on the side which nets a couple hundred extra a month. And a working spouse. those all help. But some(most) of it is all just luck and timing. Plus 996 turbos can be had for quite cheap if you look hard.

Big Bubba Ray > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 03:09

Damn. I need to get the ball rolling with my life haha

Anyways, congrats on the 996. It's an underrated and beautiful car. Have fun with it!

Joseph Shaul > Rows His Own
08/18/2014 at 03:10

What's wrong with LEDs?

Rows His Own > Joseph Shaul
08/18/2014 at 10:02

led tail lights have a nasty habit of shorting out, ruining them entirely, or of deciding that random bulbs will not activate during some circumstances i.e. Being on while the turn signal is activated, but not while the brake pedal is pressed. Also early ones tend to have dead pixel issues, just like all other mid-early 2000s German cars. I'm not saying they're bad cars, just that older older cars with crazy amounts of LEDs have not done a good job at proving their longevity and ease of replacement