Introduction
Darren Rungasamy
The 996 Targa offers the best of open air motoring with structural rigidity.
There were fears that the new 1997 water-cooled 996 had damaged the 911's character and deployment of performance. All were proven to be completely unfounded. By overhauling the outmoded methodology, Porsche had brought the 911 into the modern era and opened the market to a new appreciative audience. In 2002 the 996 underwent a significant upgrade, which saw an electronic throttle, and a more rigid body with external cosmetic improvements on top of the increase of the engine capacity to 3.6 litres. In the same year the Targa was released, recognised as the rarest body style in the series – only ~5,152 were produced. The novel sliding panoramic glass roof and rear glass hatch which gave access to the storage compartment, made it the most user-friendly 911. It offered the strength and classic outline of the coupe, with the freedom of the cabriolet.
This 2003 manual 996 is finished in "Midnight Blue" with a black leather interior. Sold with a detailed maintenance and service history since new, there is also evidence of over £17,000 spent since 2016, with a new steering rack fitted on 04-02-2025. It has only covered ~59,901 miles, last serviced only ~500 miles ago, it comes with 2 keys, its full owners wallet with booklets and a current MOT valid until 03-09-2025, the 996 is also ULEZ exempt.
This listing was written from information supplied by Darren after meeting Andy the owner, and having visited and photographed the vehicle.
Secure Auctions
We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.
Full Transparency
8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.
Vehicle Delivery
We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.
Secure Auctions
We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.
Full Transparency
8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.
Vehicle Delivery
We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.
Auction Closed
Register your interest for similar cars.
This car didn't meet its reserve price and may soon be available as a private sale - please contact us for more information.
REGISTER SIMILARAsk Questions
Hello there, has the IMS bearing been replaced (do you have evidence of this either pre or since you have owned the car? The Targa please provide some narrative about its operation or lack of operation. Many Thanks Christof
Hi Christof,
Andy has answered these questions in previous comments below.
Hope this helps.
Thanks,
Colin.
Good morning. A couple of questions; has the engine been bore scored / assessed? Does the roof have any rattling or leaks at all which are very common on these Targas and could you give more information about the roof operation button not working very well? Many thanks, Charles.
Hi Charles, to my knowledge no the engine hasn’t been bore score assessed. All I can tell you is that there is no unusual sound coming from the engine (as you should be able to hear from the video footage of the drive). The roof has no rattling noise of any leaks that I can detect – in fact a replacement of all seals was done a few years ago (before my time) and seem to be holding up well. As for the opening operation, I had an issue 3 or 4 years ago where the roof got jammed in an open position and wouldn’t close. I brought it to GTOne who spent some time looking at it and got it back working, albeit no longer one smooth opening at the press of the open button, but instead need to keep pressing the button in (say every 2 seconds) – the roof opens and closes up perfectly well but yes it takes 5-6 repeat presses of the button to open and same again to close. The alternative I was told was to leave it in for a full diagnostic, an extra spend I was happy to do without at the time but may well be worth doing in the future. Hope this helps!
Hi. Has the IMS bearing been updated. Thanks. Alan
Hi Alan, I’ve been told it has, but was done before I took ownership of the car. I’ve asked GT-one to give me confirmation of this as can’t find any mention of this in paperwork. I will follow up once confirmation received. Best, Andy
Hi Andy
Did you manage to get confirmation of the IMS. Lovely car.
Hi Alan, my apologies for slow response. Open and honest, no I can’t find documentation to this effect, and I can’t get hold of previous owner so for now I can’t confirm either way (as mentioned I had verbal confirmation but appreciate that is worthless). Will see if I can bring it to a garage over weekend for an inspection. Will keep you posted of course on any updates.
Vehicle Location
Twickenham, London
Delivery Calculator