I wanted to make a thread to chronicle my ownership of this 996 C4. The 996 came out when I was a sophomore in high school, and I've always wanted one. I had a poster of a silver 996 turbo on my wall. Over the years I've owned probably dozens of VWs of all models. Last year I started getting serious about picking up a 996 so I sold my bagged Volkswagen CC and my wife's VR6 Swapped Cabrio and some wheels and other things to make room for one. My top choice would have been a 996.1 aerokit car but based on my budget I really wanted a 1999 model. I was looking for almost 6 months and had a pretty good pulse on the market when this 99 C4 popped up one Sunday night on Facebook Marketplace. I messaged the guy instantly, sent a deposit and made the 8-hour round trip to Northern Georgia to pick it up 2 days later late on a Tuesday night. Marketplace - 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe



The owner of the car was a man in his 70s that had purchased it about 3 months prior from Bring a Trailer. (1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 6-Speed for sale on BaT) He said he had owned several late 70s Targas and had wanted to get into another Porsche but at his age it wasn't as refined as his Audi, Mercedes and Saabs. I brought it home on a U-Haul trailer behind my TDI Touareg. Photos are in previous owner's barn and about halfway home on 85 North getting diesel.




The previous owner had the IMS retrofit done and clutch replaced with receipt, but there is really no maintenance history beyond that. When I got it back to Charlotte, I dropped it off at the local Porsche dealer for PPI (post-purchase inspection in my case). It turned up quite a few things but nothing particularly alarming. It passed NC State Inspection. I ordered a bunch of maintenance items and trim pieces that need to be replaced and took it out to put some miles on it and take it to our local Cars & Coffee. If you use Instagram my personal IG is bmoyer83 and the one for this car specifically is 996.journey.

Here's a photo of my 1977 Rabbit (thread: www.vwvortex.com/threads/1977-og-rabbit.7021106) I used to own and the CC I sold recently:

 

Also, for fun, here are some photos of me on a high school trip to London in 2000. I made my friends stop at a Porsche dealer to take photos - I am in the driver's seat in the first photo. Making fun of my hair is totally acceptable.

 

Nice 99 , congrats!!

BUT, why did the seller flip this 996 3 months after buying it on BAT for a $10,000 loss?

 

Great story, thank you for sharing. Congrats on your 996; really happy for you. Your story resonates, I'm sure, with many in this community. Wish you the best of luck and enjoyable driving in your 996!

 

He said he believed he had gotten caught up in the hype and overbid for it and wanted to unload it for what he thought it was worth because of the 113k miles and 0 service history.

 

The previous owner DID the IMS/clutch or just passed the paper along? Just interested.

 

Thank you!

He paid the selling dealer on BaT to do it - it's on the bill of sale. Seems dubious to me though because it sounds like a used car lot. I will need to investigate.

 

Agree...however, I have zero applied experience on BaT; I'm an auction gawker. Is the BoS descriptive; which IMS "solution" was applied; does it say LN or?

Awesome Rabbit BTW. My family had a very similar Cabriolet (after the rabbit; but not far).

 

It actually has the LN sticker/serial with the paperwork but I looked it up on their website and they didn't register it. To be honest I probably won't worry about it until I get an oil leak then drop the trans and see what the situation is.

Thanks on the Rabbit. We really enjoyed it. Both my parents had Rabbits when I was born. Ditto my aunts, uncles and Grandmother.

 

Someone buys a 996 on BAT for $32,300….
He pays the seller on BAT to install a replacement IMS bearing….
3 months later decides that a 996 is not not for him…..
He lists the 996 for sale at $21,000 because he thinks he paid overpaid at $32,300…

Okay

 

No evidence to the contrary but I guess time will tell.

 

Congrats, seems too good to be true but I want to trust 70 year old men as they are closer to God then younger men.

Got caught up in the hype? The hype is real! He is a bit of a dope but maybe $10k to him is like pennies to me.

You definately did well with that car at that price. I'm sure the engine is fine.

 

I considered not posting the purchase price I got it for but wanted to for posterity. Maybe one day I will be replacing the engine and can look back at this, then again maybe not.

 

Good score, I am happy for you. Maybe the seller has a lot of money (and as lived well), really didn't care about taking any sort of loss on the car and just decided to pass it on to someone who would enjoy more than he was able too. I mean it is possible. Hell, I wish some wealthy 996 Turbo owner would sell me his car at a ridiculous price. Hell, at this point in my life, if I was wealthy, I would pass along awesome deals like that just to see the look on people faces and the joy in their eyes. I think it would make the world a slightly better place (OK, at least I hope it would).

 

My friend, you have nothing to worry about. Well done all around. This purchase sounds like something I would do. Agree to price, hope in car immediately and pickup before they can change their mind.

We are all jealous