Awesome! These mods look sweet! Thank you for the input. I appreciate it!

 

In my view a 996 is not a good choice for anyone on a budget. If you are truly willing to spend $3,000 per year on maintenance (every year) and $15,000 up front, then you should be okay. Just take your time finding the right car. With $13k - $14k to spend you're looking at high mileage cars or very high mileage. Maintenance records will be important. I have spent over $15,000 in 3 years on my car getting it where I wanted it to be. But that included new wheels and tires, new suspension, new seats, lots of stuff. Also I have owned both a 944 and two 996s. The 996 is much faster. There really is no comparison between the two cars. The 944 will be much easier to work on the engine, much easier. If you do get a 944 spend extra on the turbo or a 944s.

 

Thank you so much for your input. I really am willing to spend $3k-$4k on maintenance every year. But what mileage in your opinion would be a no-no? I have come across a 169k mi example. He is asking $12.8k, which is well within my budget. If PPI confirms the good condition, and if the seller has good records, should I pull the trigger?

 

 

You can probably find a decent 1999 around your budget if you are a little patient. Mileage around 100k. The 99s have the advantage of the double row IMS bearing which has a low failure rate. As others have said, there will be expenses beyond the initial purchase price. My car matches your scenario. Following my purchase, I had to replace the alternator, motor mounts, change the oil, and a few other things. About a $1000 of "have to" items. I spent a few thousand on elective items in my first year of ownership. I will also be doing a engine out major in a couple of months including IMS Solution, RMS, AOS, chain guides, etc to the tune of several thousand dollars doing the labor myself.

I have never owned a 944 so I really can't compare them. I do know the 996 is a fun car to drive. I have no intention of ever selling it.

I highly recommend getting a PPI when you find your car. It is cheap up front insurance, costing a few hundred dollars and potentially saving you many thousands.

 

Thank you for your response. I will wait for the right car and will get PPI done.

 

 

I've had both cars, but it doesn't matter.

What will get you is some expensive repair that will put the car off the road. The reason is both cars have their ticking time bombs. The 944S Achilles' Heels are cam tensioner, timing belt, water pumps and exchangers, motor mounts, and a host of other little issues. The 996s have potential catastrophic engine issues, plus a lot of stupid things that go along with the increased use of electronics. Both cars are decades old and things degenerate. They will not be a good daily driver in Detroit. Get a Honda or a Hyundai first, then buy a Porsche as a toy.

The real problem when buying cars like these is not having deep enough pockets. My advice is this. If the car you buy catastrophically dies tomorrow and you can't walk away from it without serious financial loss, get another car.

The smart buyer pays cash out of disposable income and has enough of a reservoir of funds to take anything that an old used car could throw at them and not impact their financial wellbeing or even disturb their night's sleep.

I have owned sports cars since leaving high school and can tell you from personal experience that you will have a better life if you work on financial security first. Earn, save, and invest. Then when your coffers are secure, buy your toys and be happy.

If either of my Porsches explode today I will be upset, but it will have no other impact on our financial lives.

Lastly, the ticking time bombs are not the only thing to worry about. Normal maintenance is going to be expensive. Tires are not cheap and they wear much faster than your dad's car. I average $1,000 a year on tires alone. Mobil One is not cheap. The 996 uses 10 quarts for each oil change and you should do that twice a year in Detroit. Brakes are more expensive. Every normal little wear item on these vehicles will be more expensive than other normal cars. You will be surprised how it adds up.

That being said, Porsche ownership is not as bad as owing an aircraft, but think of it along those lines.

 

I agree with all of the comments however there are two things I would consider in your decision:
1) Any of my non 911 Porsche buddies all long for a 911
2) The 996 will be much better from a safety persoective with all of its airbags.

 

 

Just read through this thread and have two comments:

1. Budget
It seems to me the main issue on budget here is not annual maintenance costs but initial purchase costs. I've been shopping for 996s, and for around $19k the OP can get a sub-100k-mile 996 that doesn't immediately need $5k of work. You can buy a 996 for $14k, but there's no way you can be sure you won't immediately need to drop $5k on it. So I think the OP needs to feel OK about spending at least $18k up front. Otherwise he shouldn't buy a 996 right now.

2. Car
And this is why I would say if you don't want to save for a while longer but get a car now, then either get a 944, which will cost MUCH less up front, or if you want a flat-6 with the engine behind you, get a Boxster. But here I will also echo what others have said: the 944 and the 996 are totally different beasts behind the wheel. Both great, but nothing at all alike.

 

Thank you all for your inputs! My workplace would be less than a mile away, so a broken car would not cripple me. The only issue is the initial investment. I certainly will make my purchase when I can invest more in the car upfront. I really appreciate all the valuable advice. Thanks!

-AM

 

Hello all!
I found one 996 with 80k on the clock for about my budget. I'm working on stretching it. The vehicle skipped 60k service and has some issues flagged by PPI last year. The seller, who has had it for 5 years, says the car is in perfect shape to be a DD. History indicates a frontal collision, from a previous owner, with airbag deployment that seller confirms. He claims to have driven the vehicle for 10k with nothing but oil changes. The PPI is attached. Please assist me with your valuable advice. I greatly appreciate your inputs.

-AM

 

You've got lots of work ahead of you with that car. Even parts alone you should expect to spend a couple of thousand $$ to replace/fix all the stuff noted in the PPI. If you aren't doing the work yourself, little inexpensive things like the valve cover reseal (x2) are lots of labor which adds up fast. Then you will want to address the stuff that isn't listed and keeps you awake at night (IMSB, RMS while you're in there, maybe a clutch, since the labor is the costly part, etc.). The general advice around here seems to be spend more up front to get a better one.

 

The PPI is dated July 2017, so its almost a year old. You may want to get a new one. Assuming the car is in the same condition and nothing has been repaired, I would still consider this one. It is an early build (May 1998), which is a plus, and none of the items in the PPI would be a deal breaker for me. The suspension will be the most expensive item at about 3k to refresh. It is worn out, which is not unexpected in a 20 year old car. The rubber bushings are shot. The accident damage would not be a big deal if it is going to be your daily driver, provided it was properly repaired. The PPI did note a stray wire up front that would make me take a close look at the work that was done.

The bottom line is that you need to do enough due diligence to make yourself comfortable that you are not buying someone else's problem. Buying a 20 year old car is always a little bit of a crap shoot.

Be prepared to spend at least 5k on this one after you buy it. The good news is that you don't have to spend all that money immediately.