agodofgame

Alright guys,, here it goes. Ive wanted a 911 since I was 12. And have finally come to the point where I can afford a used one. I just got out of college and have been driving my POS for like 5 years now and finally landed my first good job with a solid paycheck. A guy I know well who knows the family happens to be selling his '01 911. It has some stuff like an aero kit etc.. but is mostly in stock config with less than 40,000 miles. He wanted 25k for it but for me he would cut me a deal. Heres the dilemma. Everyone I know, who doesnt have a 911 has told me that these cars are problematic, cost too much for repairs and are not a realistic everyday driver. I on the other hand believe it to be a very well crafted piece of machinery that if taken care of will last a long time. SO my question to you guys is A) should I get it?,, B) are the 01 911's reliable and worth the money? C) will this car if properly maintained (mobil 1 etc) last me a while. Anyway, its a slick looking one black on black garaged etc.. And of course I would have it checked out by a porsche guy I know of in town.. thanks in advance,, I am 22 and single,, I want to build up some equity, get a 911, build my wealth up before getting married etc...Not that it matters but I like the thought of being a bachelor and having my 911 along with me.

chsu74

These cars are not cheap to own but they are not terribly expensive either if you have a good indy.

tnj100

In the context of a $25,000 car, the 996 is pretty expensive to maintain. In the context of the $100,000 car that it was originally, it's not bad at all. Even with a good Indy, you're looking at a couple of thousand $ per year of maintenance.

soverystout

At 22, I would imagine the idea of buying a $22K car and then having to buy an engine for $15k can be pretty daunting. Make sure whatever choice you make it is smart and sustainable. Being only 10 years your senior, I sought out a car with a CPO warranty or I was going to make sure i budgeted for a really really solid warranty.

They are largely trouble free from my short ownership experience. Mine is not my DD.
A 40K mile car with a factory aerokit is easily worth what you would pay for it with the "deal" your getting. Just make sure it's the right "deal" for YOU.

Oh, and I thought I was fortunate to snag a 996 at 32 and here you go and get one at 22. One more thing. a good warranty for a decent length of time will cost you a couple grand.

Tippy

Great perspective.

Outside of normal maintenance expenses for me was ~$300 on a MAF sensor, ~$125 for idler pulleys, ~$125 on an air/oil sperator from what I can remember.

Did the work myself so if you have to pay for work, labor is pretty high.

I had 102,000 miles when I sold it.

Barn996

You sound like a good canidate for an MY01 911. If you have to do anything other than maintainance, it can be expensive as mentioned.Have your Porsche friend do a PPI to highlight any potential issues ie; brakes,MAF,RMS,IMS etc.You can spend less doing your own oil and filter, or find an Indy that knows Porsches. I have owned my 09' for 3 years now and have not (yet) had any big expenses, but i've only driven it 12k miles in 3 years.GL

tnj100

Everyday maintenance is still something to consider.

You're going to go through more tires than you do on your "POS" - and they're going to cost a lot more ($1,000+ for the set). An oil change, even at an Indy, is not a $39 Jiffy Lube job - at least a couple hundred bucks. New brakes aren't $250 at Midas.

I just had my hood and bumper resprayed to deal with some trivial stone chips - another $1500 (a repair I wouldn't have made to a $25,000 car).

And this doesn't even get into the potential multi thousand $$$ costs (engine, transmission, etc. issues) which are unlikely but possible. I'd budget about a $5,000 reserve fund for 'just in case' kinds of issues that might come up and render you carless.

chsu74

Brakes costs around $1200 just for parts when I did mine last year. I had a $10K budget to clean up the car when I bought my car with 66K miles. Ended up using $1.5K for service and spent the rest on mods the second year.

arr0gant

If you're going to buy one, and you don't have extra money to pay for the unlikely catastrophic failure out of your pocket, make sure and buy a 911 that an after-market warranty company (like www.warrantydirect.com) will cover - try and get at least a 2 year warranty.

Remember, with high-performance cars come expensive parts, maintenance and labor. Make sure you understand this going in.

All that said, these are some of the *best* "sports cars" for the money and also some of the most reliable. They can make absolutely wonderful daily-drivers.

GOOD LUCK!!

agodofgame

I understand it is an expensive car to maintain and I have done my research on this particular car. The owner is actually a porsche enthusiast who owns a few. He mentioned to me last night that he would be willing to go with me to a well known porsche shop or a porsche dealer and let them run a test on it completely which is like 150-200. Tires are fresh and brakes were replaced at 34000 I believe. Overall its been my dream to get one and this deal seems pretty legit. Of course I am going to have the techs look over her for a day or two to see if any problems exist. I will only use this car to go to and from work which is like ten mile each way. I am not looking to race it or anything just to take care of it and use it for around town and maybe a car trip or two. The interior is flawless and looks like its rarely been used, he actually still has the sticker for the car from a local porsche dealership from the day he bought it.. I called the dealership today and they said for 187 they will do a complete check of everything and tell me what they think before I buy it. The guy said that year is overall a good year and he had one. He said in general if you take care of it and dont abuse it, it will last for a while... thanks for your inputs, of course my mom thinks im nuts and wants me to get a toyota but I have to fulfill my dream. My dad was going to get one when he hot out of school but decided not too when his friends porsche conked out on the highway with them in it.. he got a corvette instead and never went to a porsche dealership again..

RockSS

As others have said this better than I can, these cars are not inexpensive to maintain. That does NOT mean that they are unreliable, but just more expensive than a new $25K econo. car. Heck oil changes are expensive and tires wear out quickly and cost lots $$$.

Remember that the purchase price is only the beginning, you will need to maintain it. Nothing makes me laugh and cry when I see a way cool expensive car run down because the owner can't afford to keep it up. There are lots of examples of this out there, don't be one of them.

Your mom's advice about a Toyota is pretty good advice for you. Heck, you are young and have plenty of time to get your dream car. I waited until I was 54 to get my first Porsche, and it was worth the wait!

RallyJon

Exactly. If you want to play the, "I own an $80k car (but I got it cheap)" game, the #1 requirement is that you can write a moderately big check for a repair that's out of proportion to the value of the car.

That's why 20-somethings buy GTIs instead of Porsches. They cost the same, but the potential variable cost can break ya'.

agodofgame

I know many people who have alot of money and many cars. None of them have ever gone over to a Porsche dealership and bought a new one. Im not trying to own an "80k dollar car and play a game" If I wanted to go buy a new Porsche I would, but based off of the depreciation rates on these its a dumb financial move and I would rather invest my money.

Marc Gelefsky

I think you missed Jon's point, simply put:
Make sure you can afford to maintain and pay for any repairs that come up.
Be prepared for the possibility of big bucks.

If that is not a problem, than go for it.

4Scargo

Do it - DO IT!!! If you are uncomfortable having it as a daily driver, buy a $1,000 grocery getter and have it for those nights and weekends. It's better than drugs! Maintenance, well, learn to change your own oil, figure out how to clean the MAF, change the O2 sensors, etc. It's a Porsche, a well engineered straight forward car, and not some anti gravity space ship. Have yourself some fun. Doitdoitdoitdoitdo