You have a stunning 996, Matt. I had a 997.2 C2S, it was my childhood dream to own a 911..... unfortunately I entrusted a so called porsche specialist in Wellingborough to do some modifications on it and to cut a very long painful story short, they ruined my car. The owner fobbed me and other customers off with excesses and lies while he got his friend to set up another limited company with virtually the same name and then transferred all the assets over. About time myself and others realised what was going on it was to late, my solicitor told me that the company is worth nothing now, its disgusting what he's done to you but I see this a lot with limited companies. They now carry on in the same location using the same Facebook and Google pages from the Liquidated company giving everyone the illusion it's still the same company but in a court of law they are classed as a completely different company. He's been disqualified from trading but he's on there website as the owner/technician. If you use a specialist make sure you check companys house as Google and Facebook pages can be very misleading. I'm a big believer in a leopard never changes his spots, he's done this to me and other customers and he will do it again........ I have a post on the Porsche UK maintenance and servicing group on Facebook showing the damage and going though all the lies he said to me, you are more than welcome to read it. I'm ten's of thousands out of pocket and my health has been badly affected from the hell he put me through, I wouldn't wish this on any porsche enthusiast out there, do your due diligence before leaving someone near your pride and joy.
Sad to hear, I have a gen 1 997, the .2 being my dream car. Easy for me to say, it's just a car and it's just money, both can be replaced. I've put more $ into my 996 than I'd ever get back were I ever chosing to sell it... What could go wrong, has... But I still love the car. U even got to laugh at some of me experience with the car. Recently, debris fell off a truck in front of me doing almost $5000 worth of damage, the VERY SAME DAY I was bringing the car home, a woman who'd had a few too many rear ended me... THE SAME DAY!!! And I still love this car, maybe even more than my 997 which has half the miles and zero issues (knock on wood)
Hi Mat here. Check if your car was damaged with a 10% discount with Car Vertical here: www.carvertical.com/gb/landing/inf/watson?a=watson&b=38b26e3a&voucher=watson Or just head to Car Vertical at a later date and use the Watson10 discount code!
MAN.....YOU HAVE THIS 911....YOU ARE A ARTIST////////////// THATS PURE MECANIC EMOTION WITH THOSE////OLDE///// MODELS. I LOVE THE CLASSIC PORCHES ....THEY ARE TIMELESS MACHINES. MAT......YOU ARE THE BEST THANK YOU///////
I think a solid 8.5/10. I always like the Dark Blue Metallic with a Tan interior combo. Also driving a 997.1 I can confirm that the way these things drive is something you gotta experience yourself. Especially in their base form, Carrera 2.
@@Jjm2024-u3t I've had mine (2006 911) for about 5 years now. So far I've done a battery cable, a hood strut, shifter linkages, water pump, rear tires and oil changes. Honestly it's been very good.
I own a 1999 996 6 speed cabriolet with 60,000 miles. The IMS has been upgraded it has an OHLINS racing suspension and it has been supercharged and has a ;large front end intercooler . Bought it at a fair price in 2009 with 36,000 miles here in New England and then came the IMS upgrade and all the other improvements ....It is just awesome !
I would say interior = 7 Exterior = 7 Drive = 9 I nearly bought a 996 4S in the same exterior color, but with the brick red interior (can’t remember the name of the color). It was a beautiful combination in my opinion. But I would be perfectly happy with your interior. I was watching when you bought the car, and was so excited for you. Great job Mat, and I’m so glad you’ve kept it these years.
He’s really good on camera, I think he should get involved with more videos please? I rate your 23 yr old Porsche a solid 8/10, I think the mods have helped, and I’m tempted to get similar on mine now.
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Nice one matt! The color wouldn’t be my first choice but i love that you love it. the stereo upgrade is wicked. Value for money can be disputed tho. It‘s really hard to estimate the suspension upgrade via video. I‘d be curious to know how you would describe it vs. the original and vs. the kw coilovers. Also love the exhaust upgrade. I wish we had a guy who does that in berlin as the boxes are quite hefty priced.
He’s really good on camera, I think he should get involved with more videos please? I rate your 23 yr old Porsche a solid 8/10, I think the mods have helped, and I’m tempted to get similar on mine now.
As an 02’ Carrera 2 owner (also lapis blue), I totally rate your a 9.5/10. And i would love to reapply your suspension parts list based on this video! Aesthetically, the 18”ers would honestly make this a 10/10. Gorgeous and thank you for this. Please come attend a cars & coffee if you are ever in the Boston USA area… there are about a dozen of us 996 enthusiasts here.
I have to agree with 18"ers. It is the only non stock item on my 996. I do like the blue but I am quite content with my green, it really stands out with my satin black 18" wheels.
The gasket under the bonnet badge shrinks with age, so if the badge is removed and refitted for any reason you will have to replace the gasket. On mine someone had tightened the badge down over the shrunken gasket and bent the badge as well, but thankfully I was able to bend it back into shape.
A 996 with manual transmison is my absolute dream car! Following you for a long time and really glad to hear that you are not gonna sell your car. In where I live it is very hard to get one of these cars as they are so rare in numbers and price tags are so high. Kinda makes me sad but it brings me joy to see you loving and enjoying this car and giving her a good treatment she deserves. Thanks for the good content.
I’d suggest anyone getting one of these drive it as the factory delivered first. Then decide if Porsche didn’t get it right. If your local roads are not the best it’s usually best to maintain it along factory lines. Completely stock these are great driving cars that you won’t have to worry about scraping the bottom off. The radio upgrade is a no brainer.
One thing you can do is thoroughly clean the front seats and dash wherever you soon the yellow baby waste colour. The reason it looks like that is because it’s dirty and needs to be professionally cleaned or steam cleaned. If you look at your back seats they are brand new and the original colour. You can get the front part of your car to look that good also just by cleaning it correctly
Hi Mat With the mods to the suspension, diff and exhaust, it seems like it drives, dampens and sounds better than when it was new. That means a 10/10 sounds more accurate for the driving experience rating.
Matt, never sell this car! Colour combo is cool - and way better than a boring black interior. This is the true Porsche experience without the exorbitant Porsche price.
You can get aftermarket units that match manufacturer styling. I know they exist for VW and Audi. Talk to your local car audio experts, if they are good they should know
How are the Ohlïns Matt? I have Bilstein shocks with lowered springs, and I have heavily considered the upgrade. I love seeing his reaction to driving it. The early 3.4L cars are a hidden gem!
I’ve owned a Zenith Blue 996 C4 for a few years now and love it. Mines has the hard shell colour coded seat backs and centre console. I also upgraded the nasty standard head unit to a double din Pioneer unit and moved the heater controls lower down. The rest of the car is standard. Poo coloured interior on your car isn’t for me but the rest of the car I think is great. 👍
You’ve done things to that car in exactly the way I’d have done them - totally discreet, nothing too extreme, everything lightly turned up to 11 but nothing detracting from the car’s usability. The infotainment update blew my tiny mind… nice one, Porsche. I had one of the first 996s in the UK when they came out - a ‘98 996 C2 manual in Ocean Blue with the same toxic waste colour interior as yours, so I can’t complain about that. Your car is lush - I’d give it a 9+.
Cracking car and colour combo. Also the type of 'clubman' sport type mods you've done, sound just about right for a very useable, 'spritely', road car - I've always done similar on my car's/hobby cars. Synthetic/poly bushes can go either way, but you've sourced a good brand. If it were mine, I'd get some of the paint defects sorted (sorry to hear about the roof a twat did similar to one of my motors once, took a dent removal team two days to sort mine, almost unnoticeable but a slight stretch in the metal and one wally put the OS sun-visor on back to front), I'd also swap (but put away in a box for refitting at resale) the steering wheel, handbrake handle, gear knob to black (to match the black accents in the dash and dial back the baby poopness of the interior). I think that those three items in black would add a touch more class. Doing that and paintwork? Would take your Porche from a 7.5/7.9 to a 8.9-9.5 rating imho👍😊😉
Variants of the 996 won EVO car of the year in 1998,99,2000 and 2003. The 992 hasn’t even managed one win yet !! People knock them but they are bloody great cars.
So true, the 996 is one of the great 911s. Obviously the engine is fragile but once the IMSB get replaced you should be good. I have owned 964, 993, 996, 997.1. Driving wise the 996 is the best. The air cooled cars look great and have loads of character but the engines don’t like to rev. It’s not exciting to wind out a 964 or 993. The 997 got heavier than the 996. the 997 PASM and variable steering make it much less pure and involving to drive. 991 is too big, 7 speed manual box is terrible as is the steering feel. 996 is the best as EVO’s period testing showed.
@@gregs8685 "991 is too big". My words. The size of the 991 and 992 strive away from the initial thought and feeling behind the 911 as a car. Not to say that they arent incredible and beautiful cars... they are. And they still are perfect 911 for the generations they resemble. Yet I like the smaller size of the old models better. Which is the reason why I'm looking into the 718 4.0 gts instead of a 992 (and looking into old 911 aswell obv)... Idk it just gives bit more of porsche 911 driving spirit.
You did well to get one for that sort of money. Lovely car, I was never a Porsche fan when I was younger but it’s the only 4 seater practical sports car I can get kids in but prices are crazy at the minute.
It's a personal thing but the body colour isn't the most desirable and as for that interior - what were Porsche thinking. Not to my taste but it seems solid enough. Looks & Interior 5/10, Mechanicals 9/10. Would have been good to try your specialist timing gear to check out its 0-60
Just sold my 996.2 carrera 4 convertible after just 4 months ownership. This generation just didn't do it for me. (bought a 2008 CL500 instead and I looooove it :-))
Hey Mat. Would you consider posting a list with some specifics on what your upgrades were. I am on my 2nd 996 and would like to replicate what you have done suspension wise. Everybody I speak to gives me different advice and I have yet to find an example I can drive to compare with mine. Yours seems well sorted So I suspect the products you have used would be a great start for my 996.
@@MatWatsonCars I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thank you. I'm a fan and subscriber who will always hit that like button! My Daughter Remi is also a great fan and plays your videos with her friends at school on their lunch break.
The interior really does match the exterior BUT yeah, that’s baby poo colour big time 😂 Top marks for the handling mods, for a Porsche technician smile like that after driving it, kudos to you Matt 👍
Great video, over all 8/10, but 10/10 for mechanical mods. However I need a dash that is dark, can't deal with the reflection in windscreen of lighter colored dash. Now if only you journalists would blast Porsche for selling 718s in 2022 without Android auto. Even a Dacia comes with it.
I actually like the egg headlights, really fits the shape of the car. CastleVania Symphony of the Night OST Baroque Guitar MV (Lost Cathedral) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KyBRZSNjIFs.html Gundam Unicorn Guitar Anime MV ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zy7aLeW6Ek8.html King of Fighters 15 Nameless theme Guitar MV ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-m97jSqxIg0w.html
Mat just change the interior color! 🤷🏻♂️ I love the fact Porsche gives you an option to upgrade your infotainment. Literally EVERYONE should offer that for there older models!!!
I really like it Mat. You have kept imperfect the bits impossible to keep perfect in a car that is not a garage queen, but a fun machine and you have improved what could be improved thanks to the technological progress of the last 20+ years, yet without giving it any fast and furious vibe. I definitely agree with that 9/10.
Mat, that Porsche is still in a mint condition. Exterior I'd give it an 8. Interior a 9, it's been burning gas and rubber for over 20 years for goodness sake! That guy is crazy to rate that interior condition 7/10 🤬
I'm not normally a Porsche fan of that era but boy, your example Mat, is absolutely proper. Nicely sorted. Easily another 20 years of solid driving ahead. Enjoy
Who sat on the roof and why? Anyway, can you see out of the car on a sunny day with that colour dashboard? I had a car with a similar colour and on a sunny day I couldn't see out due to the reflection of it on the windscreen. I would give your car an overall 9/10 considering its age. Great car:-)
Fantastic video really enjoyed that. Matt I know you probably read all the comments, but you should've asked them to knock up a set of Porsche UK number plates and fit them correctly for you. Those Halfords ones are letting the car down.
mat i love you and i love car wow i been always been a lover of ford, can you please do a drag race of a ford escape 2008 vs another cars i love escape 2008 please and i think a 9 of 10 because i think is good
