I just started looking at 911s and thought I would buy a last gen 911 or 964. As I am searching for cars, it seems like there are nearly as many 1999 and 2000 model year 996's out there with around 100,000 miles for about the same price. What is the deal? Are there a bunch of troublesome 996's out there? Is a major service required at 100,000 miles? I would expect a modern car to go well beyond 100,000 miles without a major service other timing belt.

 

The '99-'01 seem to be much lower than the '02-'04. I'm finding the latter to be holding their value pretty well still (I'm lookin' out for one too).

 

they're cheap because they are cheap compared to the older porsches that were not mass produced and quality was more manufactured by hand vs assemblyline.

compare the 996 with the 993 like BMW M3 E36 to M3 E30. One is more mechanically inclined vs one is more plush and automated. for what people get porsches for, the 996 is not anywhere near that. check out the diff between 993 turbo and 996 turbo, values drop really fast on 996.

 

There are alot of 996s vs other models. Supply vs. demand.

 

ditto supply vs demand

They're a great deal...I just got a 2004 and have definitely been struck with the perma-grin

 

Yeah they aren't bad cars, just cheap. Kind of like 951s.

 

No timing belt to worry about. Sometimes an engine, though.

In general, they are a great steal, and, in my opinion, a very under-valued car.

 

Sell ya mine for a good price

 

maybe if folks stopped letting them go for so cheap....

 

Is there anything to look out for on these? I've seen them as cheap as $17k, which seems crazy.

 

Not a lot of '97 and '98 911s were made. The production was upped greatly in '99 and also the economy was terrific. There were lot of young people making big money in the dot com arena and related fields. Lots of new 996s were leased, and special ordered with extravagent option packages. As I recall, production was at its peak and there was a waiting list for new Carreras and Boxsters. There were virtually no used 996 Carreras for sale and very few Boxsters, and anything you could find went for a premium.

I bought a mint '99 Boxster in '02 with less than 8k miles for my wife and a year later a '99 Carrera cabrilot for myself. Stll have them both and they have been very good vehicles. The Boxster has actually been more troublefree than my wife's '06 Lexus. My '99 Carrera is close to mint condition and I've thought about selling it a few times, but it's worth a lot more to me than what I could get for it in todays economy.

 

I know this may be a biased forum, but would I be better getting a 99-00 996 rather than a 87-89 911 or 89-93 964? This car will be a third vehicle and only driven on nice days during non-snowing months. I want something that I can autocross and possibly do some track days. I also want something that I can maintain myself. I may choose to bring it to a mechanic for larger stuff but I would like to have that choice. Any thoughts?

 

This is really a fallacy. The significant change in the production line techniques were introduced in '94 for the the start of 993 production. There really isn't a difference in the assembly technique of the 993 vs. the 996. If/when you go to the factory, you will see that everything is assembled "by hand" except the windshield. That is the only automated installation piece (placing the heavy windshield was considered a health issue for the workers). The engines are built by hand, too, but unlike lower production days, not every one is dyno tested (but engines are continually dyno'd on a spot-check basis).

Now, I do believe there IS a significant difference in quality between the 993 and earlier cars and the 996 and later "consumer" Porsches (not GT3, Turbo, etc). This is more because of materials and design, not hand vs. machine. I think the Boxsters and 996's introduced the age of "consumer" Porsches which were built more on par with a BMW (if not a bit cheaper material than a BMW). Porsche didn't become the world's most profitable auto manufacturer magically...

 

Agree with post above, it's about materials and design that are the heart of the issue. Production numbers don't explain the fall off the cliff 996 prices have experienced. But for the money it's a great car that carries some risk of ownership.

 

1) many have as 3rd car, those are first to go in a recession
2) engine failure issues drive price down.
3). No collector value. Air cooled models are muchore coveted fr this standpoint, cars too new for classic status
4) new anti-excess mentality has many Americans shunning "wants" over "needs" and a 911 gets hit there like Escalades and Hummers

Great time to buy though!