JoeyCapranica

1timearound

Thats a great point about my intended usage. It will of course be a second car and used on my days off as a run around, weather permitting. I guess what I'm thinking now is that I will use it sparingly-ish.

I honestly wasn't aware the IMSB had a shelf life. I attached the CARFAX, it might give some insight to the previous owners attention.

I know I'm not the only one who could be truly interested in this particular vehicle.

wsmc81b

Hey 1time,
Like you I am looking at a 996. As a data point 33k mile 2002 4cs and asking price is 30k, but a PPI showed a likely RMS leak, even though the IMS was just recently done. Make sure you have the car thoroughly inspected. I am arranging a second inspection, drop the pan, bore scope, camshaft alignment check ... basically an IMS pre-qualification.
The shop I am having the work done at has a 20k mile 996 up on a lift. Buyer just bought their "dream" car. After they bought it they took it to the shop. The engine is now out of the car and a new factory long block is on the bench ready to be installed. I saw the engine that came out of the car, the scoring on the cylinders was unbelievable. The "dream" turned into a nightmare.
Even with low miles, make sure you do your due diligence on the car. I am sure the person who bought the car at the shop was also "enamored" with it. I can only imagine how I would feel after getting the news that a low mileage vehicle would need a new engine, right after purchase! I feel sorry for the buyer.

Chris(MA)

For that money I would buy a roller 996 and have an engine rebuild by F6 with nickies etc. I think you would save around 8k and have a really nice motor with no worries.

NE1N-11

I just bought a '01 C4 with 12,500 miles (one owner, garage kept) for $21K. The IMS and water pump has to be done. It also needed new tires as they were original.

TexSquirrel

In 2017 I bought my 2006 Ford Mustang with only 19,000 miles.(1700 avg miles/yr)
Looking at the CarFax it had been driven only 300 miles some years.
It lwas 11 years old and looked like a brand new car.
I paid a premium and the car has been pretty reliable.
It now only has 24,000 miles on it, but is now stored outside because: Porsche!





So yes, sometimes I would agree with paying a little more.
But with an old Porsche, I would make certain to get a PPI that includes dropping the sump and scoping the bores before spending $30K.

mrjonger

I think the car will sell for close to asking. But if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't buy a low mileage car. A lot of things on this car need to replaced just due to age - there's a good chance many of these things have been replaced on a driver.

My 19K mile car has had the following things done after purchase (now at 37K miles): IMS Solution, RMS, Clutch & flywheel, water pump, coolant expansion tank, rectifier, secondary air injector, shocks and catalytic converters. On the bubble - frunk struts, window regulator, suspension bushings.

A lot (maybe all) of these things probably would have been addressed on a driver.

Low mileage premium + cost of deferred/overlooked repairs = not worth it. These cars are not going to be collectible anytime soon...I don't think buying a garage queen is worth it. I would follow Chris's lead - for that money, roller + 3.8 or 4.0 FSI rebuild. You'll just have to wait.

If you're looking to buy this car and you need to do IMS/RMS and other preventative maintenance - forget it, make the stretch and look for a turbo.

808Bill

Are you seeing this?
Who's "dumb" (as you say) for 996 owners pointing a newbie in the right direction? Buyer beware!
Great cars, just make sure you know what you're in for...

MikeinBloomfield

As someone who has done a lot of reading here and elsewhere about these cars, 14K miles would scare me. That's only about 800 miles a year. No car benefits from sitting that much.

And there are few known problems these cars have that show up as they are being used. I am thinking mostly of things like the coolant expansion tank. This appears to be a common enough problem, and this car hasn't been driven enough for it to have made itself known.

Other than that, this is a duplicate of my car. I love it more than any car I owned. My PO had the IMS done and the coolant tank, but other than that I have had very few issues. There is an opinion that early cars with the 3.4 have fewer overall issues, but that is just an opinion.

Battery Guy

Here is one more data point for you to consider. 2006 C2S with 13,000 miles sold on BAT for $45k yesterday, $47,450 with the buyer's premium. Not saying this is a good deal or a bad deal, but someone thought that car was worth that amount of money. Obviously a different car than a 2002, with different equipment, but at least it is similar mileage. Some people put a huge premium on low miles, others do not for the (many) reasons listed above. In my case I wanted something that was not so perfect that I would not drive it - cars to me are to be driven. If I had to worry constantly about it that would take the fun away for me.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...-carrera-s-28/

Daryll

gcthree

I do not think that 800 annual miles is unreasonable for a car that is carefully maintained. It's clearly not a daily driver, and I will be hard pressed to account for 1,000 miles per year on my car.

Is the price a bit high? Yes, but given the mileage, updated IMS, and care by the original owner....where are you going to find another like it? You'll kick yourself in the butt for letting the car you want get away for, say, $2,000 and then need to go through the agonizing process again knowing that the cars you'll find will not measure-up to this car. It's not like he's asking a $10k premium....

I do feel that these cars are beginning to be discovered and the values will catch-up to what you paid for it.

808Bill

There's still a lot of 996's out there! Take your time and get the one that checks all your boxes. Just don't strap yourself right out of the gate. Make sure you have a $5-7K cushion.

I just noticed that some idiot clipped my passenger mirror while parked away from anyone else, sure glad it's not a garage queen!

mrjonger

As stated, I wouldn't do it, but Battery guy brings up a good resource for comps. BAT has it's sales history - I think the car in mention probably would make the criteria to be sold there. BAT tends to generate higher prices then average. Some notes, 1999 models sell for a premium - particularly with Aero kit. 4S and Anniversery editions also go for higher. My opinion is that desirable options do impact price, but not as much on the super low mile examples. Here's a few I found after a quick search. Happy hunting. Either way, the 996 is a great deal for the money.

https://bringatrailer.com/porsche/996/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...11-carrera-39/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...11-carrera-27/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...911-carrera-3/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-porsche-911-12/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...11-carrera-25/

Agent Jester

808Bill

I know of a 1500 mile AE that's for sale right now $75k and it was sold 100 miles ago when the asking price was $55K, kind of crazy if you ask me. There's a nice AE for $21K right now with under 100K miles.