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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
For starters the PPI itself is horrible. The level of detail sucks. But at the very minimum it does indicate the car needed thousands of dollars in work 10 months ago. If you can get this one for $15k, it still might be a good car with some additional funds invested. You would be wise to have your own PPI performed by a Porsche expert you have chosen. Also have a sales agreement IN WRITING that is contingent upon an acceptable PPI if you are concerned about paying for the PPI and the seller selling the car to another party.
Thank you so much for your input! I am waiting for another car that was owned by a long time PCA member. I will soon post it here if everything checks out. I appreciate all the help!
I don’t agree with all the pessimism in terms of annual repair costs that we will see on a 996. I bought one three weeks ago after combing through cars.com, Craigslist and Autotrader for about three weeks, looking at every 99-2004 996 in the country.
I found a 2000 with 88,000 miles that had been maintained by a Porsche Dealer in Newport Beach until 2003, and then for 15 years by a German mechanic with a PhD, who did everything the car needed including IMS and RMS, water pump, etc. etc. The owner had two Ferraris and this Porsche as his daily driver.
The car had had new leather seats, all new carpet, brand new 19 wheels and Conti Extreme tires, all new brakes, the paint looked great, it had been garaged since the beginning, and basically babied. The car looked like it was 5 years old and felt smooth, rattle free, and refined. All the others felt 15+ years old in one way or another.
I paid $18,000, spent $1600 for a beautiful new top with a glass window even though the original top was in great shape other than a plastic window that needed to be replaced.
I dont expect to spend $5,000 per year on this car. I drove five others and they were all rough and showed different degrees of wear and tear that worried me. The best one I turned down was beautiful but the PPI came up with $5,000 in leaks and mounts that needed addressing and it didn’t have the IMD done. The guy wanted $18,000 and would not budge.
You can find a 996 that was well cared for and not abused. You just have to get lucky.
And have the cash in hand at that moment.
Last edited by MBH911; 05-22-2018 at 11:54 AM.
Reason: Spelling
I don’t agree with all the pessimism in terms of annual repair costs that we will see on a 996. I bought one three weeks ago after combing through cars.com, Craigslist and Autotrader for about three weeks, looking at every 99-2004 996 in the country.
I found a 2000 with 88,000 miles that had been maintained by a Porsche Dealer in Newport Beach until 2003, and then for 15 years by a German mechanic with a PhD, who did everything the car needed including IMS and RMS, water pump, etc. etc. The owner had two Ferraris and this Porsche as his daily driver.
The car had had new leather seats, all new carpet, brand new 19 wheels and Conti Extreme tires, all new brakes, the paint looked great, it had been garaged since the beginning, and basically babied. The car looked like it was 5 years old and felt smooth, rattle free, and refined. All the others felt 15+ years old in one way or another.
I paid $18,000, spent $1600 for a beautiful new top with a glass window even though the original top was in great shape other than a plastic window that needed to be replaced.
I dont expect to spend $5,000 per year on this car. I drove five others and they were all rough and showed different degrees of wear and tear that worried me. The best one I turned down was beautiful but the PPI came up with $5,000 in leaks and mounts that needed addressing and it didn’t have the IMD done. The guy wanted $18,000 and would not budge.
You can find a 996 that was well cared for and not abused. You just have to get lucky.
And have the cash in hand at that moment.
Woah! That's a beautiful Porsche! I certainly have learned that patience will serve me well. I will take my time to look all around the country for the best 911 my money can buy. Thank you so much for your input. I appreciate it.
Woah! That's a beautiful Porsche! I certainly have learned that patience will serve me well. I will take my time to look all around the country for the best 911 my money can buy. Thank you so much for your input. I appreciate it.
-Abhishek
My pleasure. Honestly, I wanted a Silver one with black leather interior more, but this one was too nice to pass up. I didn’t want to wait any longer for the right one to become available and this black one had such a great story behind her that I jumped on it.
If I grow weary of maintaining a black car I can always sell it and find another one. Time will tell.
MBH911 - awesome purchase but you found a unicorn. Not may 996s around for under $20k with this history "I found a 2000 with 88,000 miles that had been maintained by a Porsche Dealer in Newport Beach until 2003, and then for 15 years by a German mechanic with a PhD, who did everything the car needed including IMS and RMS, water pump, etc. etc. The owner had two Ferraris and this Porsche as his daily driver.?"
Most are like the 5 others you drove (83% of your small sample size) which do need thousands in deferred maintenance, even the "second best" one. You are certainly correct that when a fully documented and fully maintained vehicle comes around for under $20k it sells fast to the first buyer with cash. Enjoy!
MBH911 - awesome purchase but you found a unicorn. Not may 996s around for under $20k with this history "I found a 2000 with 88,000 miles that had been maintained by a Porsche Dealer in Newport Beach until 2003, and then for 15 years by a German mechanic with a PhD, who did everything the car needed including IMS and RMS, water pump, etc. etc. The owner had two Ferraris and this Porsche as his daily driver.?"
Most are like the 5 others you drove (83% of your small sample size) which do need thousands in deferred maintenance, even the "second best" one. You are certainly correct that when a fully documented and fully maintained vehicle comes around for under $20k it sells fast to the first buyer with cash. Enjoy!
thanks man. Obviously there is no telling what will go wrong but this car is my happy place and I ain’t worrying.
I don’t agree with all the pessimism in terms of annual repair costs that we will see on a 996...
You bought a beautiful car!
The point of all the pessimism is to be prepared for the worst.
There really is no way to know absolutely what your car will cost over the years, particularly a car that is nearly 20 years old. It's simply prudent to have deep enough pockets so that a bad day doesn't become a miserable ownership experience.
Maintenance costs with these cars seem to be more luck thank anything. It's great if hasn't cost you anything. Mine cost an average $500 per month for the 1st two years of ownership and others have echoed something similar. The oldest of these are nearing 20 years old, you're going to start replacing stuff just due to time. They say there's nothing more expensive than cheap German car.
Worst case, be prepared to walk away with getting back $5 - $7K for your roller. Bore scoring is not the only thing that can go wrong with these cars. Not likely, but be sure you have a contingency plan - you said this is your DD.
Pricey stuff you should be prepared to address year 1 or 2 (may not happen, wouldn't be surprised if did) - cost these parts to get an idea of what it would cost: IMS, RMS, water pump, coolant tank, AOS, suspension, catalytic converters, suspension (at least shocks and bushings, potentially random other stuff) and add tires, brakes, clutch / flywheel if necessary.
$3K a year might do if you buy a high mileage driver that's been taken care of. But you should have reserves to absorb major snag if this is your DD. Realistically, engine rebuilds for most of these cars do not make financial sense - i.e. roller scenario.
Good luck, these cars are awesome for the money and entry price is low. But keep it real.
I don’t agree with all the pessimism in terms of annual repair costs that we will see on a 996. I bought one three weeks ago after combing through cars.com, Craigslist and Autotrader for about three weeks, looking at every 99-2004 996 in the country.
I found a 2000 with 88,000 miles that had been maintained by a Porsche Dealer in Newport Beach until 2003, and then for 15 years by a German mechanic with a PhD, who did everything the car needed including IMS and RMS, water pump, etc. etc. The owner had two Ferraris and this Porsche as his daily driver.
The car had had new leather seats, all new carpet, brand new 19 wheels and Conti Extreme tires, all new brakes, the paint looked great, it had been garaged since the beginning, and basically babied. The car looked like it was 5 years old and felt smooth, rattle free, and refined. All the others felt 15+ years old in one way or another.
I paid $18,000, spent $1600 for a beautiful new top with a glass window even though the original top was in great shape other than a plastic window that needed to be replaced.
I dont expect to spend $5,000 per year on this car. I drove five others and they were all rough and showed different degrees of wear and tear that worried me. The best one I turned down was beautiful but the PPI came up with $5,000 in leaks and mounts that needed addressing and it didn’t have the IMD done. The guy wanted $18,000 and would not budge.
You can find a 996 that was well cared for and not abused. You just have to get lucky.
And have the cash in hand at that moment.
Well, you’ve only had the car 3 weeks and spent close to $2,000. Just wait
Well, you’ve only had the car 3 weeks and spent close to $2,000. Just wait
.
Cute (pessimistic) reply. But I knew in advance I was going to pay for a new top to be installed, and the $1600 would included servicing the mechanical parts of the convertible.
Seems to me that the point of the pessimism
is to be a buzzkill.
Look at it this way. You get much more enjoyment out of your ride if you are prepared for the hard knocks.
I've owned sports cars for more than 40 years and have some experience with the financial disappointments. Having a car sit for long periods or sold off at a significant loss because you overreached is a bitter pill that I wish no one to swallow.
I've seen it all the time. I spotted a low mileage '87 944S sitting on a BMW dealer's lot for months. I test drove it and it was horrible. It looked nice, but severely forsaken. It had three different makes of tires on it! Obviously, the previous owner couldn't afford to keep it up and it became a nightmare, finally dumping it on the dealer.
I told the dealer when you are sick of it sitting on the lot to call me. They did another month later and I got it very cheap, drove it to the tire store, put on new shoes, then did brakes, fluid changes, timing belt, all the things that the previous owner neglected. Turned out to be a fine daily driver for years, but I had the cash reserves to make it right and keep it going. I've seen a lot of neglected Porsches in my day.
Your beautiful example is a sample size of one. Not everyone loses, but expecting the worse can leave you without the major disappointments.
05-21-2018, 11:42 AM
