I am about ready to write a big check for a small car if my offer is accepted. It will be my very first Porsche 911 series ever!! I will be saying goodbye to my very trustworthy 968. I have my heart (an wallet) set on buying this 1999 C-2 Coupe, Black over Seal Grey plush leather, loaded with aluminum trim, 34,000 miles. Asking price is $43,000. Would any of you more experienced 996 owners be apprehensive about a '99 with 34k miles? It drives out really well except for a clunk sound in the back on bumps, probably a loose strut mount or something. I've been told it has not been tracked. Absolutely beautiful car. I'd post a pic here but I don't know how. Anyway, if anybody has an opinion, one way or the other, I'm all ears...eyes.

Thanks,

Jim

 

Is it under warranty?

 

Jim,

You should have that suspension noise diagnosed and subtract the price of the fix and alignment from the asking price. You may want to consider an extended warrantee. Did the owner perform the 30K service. Otherwise, you should subtract this cost from the asking price. Otherwise, a well maintained '99 C2 should give you many miles of smiles.

 

43k is too high. Keep looking, there are a glut of 996 right now. Especially 99-00 model years. Check that noise out could turn out very expensive!!

 

Thanks. yes, part of our deal is that the noise gets diagnosed and fixed. I did not know about the 30k service. And no warranty applies to this car.

 

See Warranty direct for coverage. No affiliation.

 

I checked out the Warranty Direct site and tried to get a quote. They cannot provide quotes for cars that are already past the manufacturer's original warranty period. I appreciate the thought and the lead.

Jim

 

Jim, chances are you will wind up replacing a rear main seal on the car, sooner or later, and perhaps more than once. I bought a 99 C2 cab from a Porsche dealer with 27k miles and the seal leaked at 33k miles. The case was found to be in spec, so they replaced the seal instead of the entire motor, but chances are it will leak again -- they all seem to, even the 2004s. I would recommend finding a certified car if you really want a 996 ... there are many out there at Porsche dealers, even if you have to go out of state to get one, and the peace of mind is well worth the $1600 or so it costs for the warranty. 99 coupes are down in the mid 30s now in the Northeast, so you're paying a premium as it is for the first model year and not getting any dealer warranty on it. That kind of money should get you into a 2000 car at minimum, with the attendant improvements. And with the 997 released, I'd expect prices to drop a bit and probably fall further once winter sets in.

If the seal leaks and the Porsche dealer finds the engine out of tolerance and wants to replace it with a remanufactured engine, I'm skeptical that any aftermarket extended warranty would cover that. They might pay for the seal and labor to replace that, but I doubt they'd pop the $9k or whatever the going rate for the remanufactured 3.4 is now.

Just my opinion ... I sold my 996 to get back into a 993 because the car, as good as it was, left me a little cold, but I'm a longtime aircooled 911 guy.

Vic
95 C4 cab

 

Thanks for the words of advise Vic. I have heard about the RM issues invovling a small percentage of the cars but I can sure see your point about have some peace of mind with a warranty. Great points! Beautiful car on your avatar Vic.!

Jim

 

Recently purchased a 99' 996 coupe with about 28k on it w/certified porsche warranty for 40k. Car is bone dry underneath and runs great 30k maintenace was not done so I paid for that. Love the car, body immaculate, tires new, brake pads look new. No complaints probably would have paid another 2k if necessary but warranty was a required piece of mind. Your deal sounds a little pricey w/o a warranty.

 

43K sounds like a high price. you should be able to get that car for 40K. and that includes having the 30K service complete (if it hasn't been done) and the suspension noise fixed. just my opinion...

 

Get the "clunk" diagnosed and fixed. Negotiate the deal to the best price you can get and enjoy. I wouldn’t let the mileage discourage you. Problems arise with cars with low mileage also (sometimes more often). As for prices. You are looking so you have a better idea of prices than most of us do. When I got sold my 993 and got the 996 four months ago I was expecting to find a 996 “cheap” after reading this board. I found some inexpensive ones, but they were cars with questionable histories (evidence of accidents) or limited options (it seems there were many 99’s with limited options) or just not the color combos I wanted. The cars with the options I wanted were much more difficult to find and the cost was considerably more than what everyone here thinks is a good deal. Whether the price you are getting is a good deal depends on the options and other factors. The location and proximity of the car also factor into the cost/savings. Fore example, saving $1000 on a car on the east coast vs. a local car, then paying $900 to ship it won’t net much of a savings. When you find the car that is right for you get the best price you and enjoy.

 

I bought a 99 996 on eBay last Jan for $33.5K; had 75K but a new engine with only 7K. Has been trouble free; now have 80K. If the overall condition is good, go for it whatever the miles. But should be able to get what you're looking at for under $35-40K based on my observations

 

Brian is right. I recently sold my '99 with 31k miles for $41k. The car was in excellent condition and still looked showroom new (no door dings, scratches, etc) inside & out. I was the original owner and it was very well maintained. The chatboard crowd would have told me that it was worth a lot less based on wholesale values for beaters, etc. I had no problem selling it and the new owner loves it. Both of us think it was a very fair price, despite what the chatboard experts will tell you. Bottom line...if you find the car that is right for you and it checks out mechanically, buy it if you feel the price is right.

 

You can still get insurance (extended warranty) from the Ford owned Easycare. Very reliable company.