svtgt

I was just looking for a widebody, the only reason for a 4 or 4s and maybe aided traction if I kept it through winter.

The 996 I drove sounded sickly. I've heard other 911's turn over and they sounded good but not like this one. Sounded as if it has a big cam lope and the exhaust was shaking. Didnt sound healthy for the V6.

When looking for a new car the country of origin didnt really matter.

Main critera. 300+ Bhp, RWD or AWD, Leather, prefferably a coupe.

The corvette is a cheap and fast perfomance car. The C5 makes great power stock, can be modded to 400+ cheap and fast, handles great (especially the Z06) and looks good.

996, 335i meet the above. The Cayenne S is a nice quick SUV the only other SUV id choose is the 400+ AWD Jeep SRT8.

The Mercedes arent coupes but quick and nice looking sedans.

Thanks for the compliment on the Mustang ill miss it.

Edit: in other news my Amazon Seller Account was terminated permantley today for unspecified reasons and $1,000 being held in limbo for 97 days until they feel like releasing it. Read up on it company problem thousands of seller complaints with good feedback no claims. I was undercutting Amazons in hour prizes making a killing and now im out of a store and my money from items shipped for three months. Very big brother ish... There is/was a class action law suit against Amazon for this on the grounds of anti-trust I thought, im pissed right now but I digress.

Black_on_black

These cars don't have V6s and won't sound like V6's, they have flat 6's and their sound is more throbbing building to warble at high rev's. Sport exhaust (porsche original) makes them sound quite different at low revs. Engines also rock a little at idle (nothing you can see, but you can feel it if you have a sensitive behind). Drive a few examples to learn what is normal and what isn't. What you desribe doesn't sound normal, but the Flat 6 sound and vibrations are different to other cars/engines, especially since it originates at the back.

svtgt

flat 6*** but it didnt sound like the other carreras ive driven or heard at dealerships or with private owners. If you look at the post it also had an RPM fluctation at idle.

The "muscle car" vibration, lope, loud stuff doesnt bother me as thats what I drive now , but this particular example didn't sound or run very good.

nick49

I'd recommend getting a Corvette. It sounds like you're really not a P-car guy, yet. Any of the other cars listed, and Porsche's as well can have very expensive repair issues as they age. To find the right Porsche may take months. My previous 996 took 15 months, my current one over 10 months. It's best to look at as many cars as necessary across the country, find the one, do a PPI and assess the results. Pass = fly out to check and drive the car and purchase if you love it. Fail = start over. This process can be expensive and take time.

As these cars age, the dogs will become more common, and the gems will be fewer and increasingly difficult to find. What you have to remember with an older 996 is you are still buying a $100k automobile or one that was slightly less. My '99 came in with a msrp of over $95k. When repairs are needed, think of fixing a $100k car, not a $15k one. It will be possible to find an exceptional example in your price range, but it may take several months of looking and the headache of shopping cross country.

Most that want a P-car understand that the rewards are in proportion to the conquest and will do most anything to find the one that talks to them. The searching can be and often is relentless. Are you ready for this? If so, welcome! If not, there are a lot of Corvettes out there, most likely where you live.
.

nick49

You can disregard my previous post, but I left it there to give you a perspective of what some of us go thru to find a nice car.

I read through this thread and now realize you only may keep a car for 6 months. I don't know if I could find what I wanted in a Porsche in that time. You have a list of cars that will fill your need. Just pick anything, in the next 3-4 years you'll have owned them all. GL with the hunt.

art c.

A Boxster is described by the Top Gear hosts as a car for someone who has "almost made it"
Get the 996 or better. I am still putting $ into my sub 20k 996 C4 tip, and wouldn't trade for a new Boxster

fronesis47

I'm not sure that $20K will get you a 987s (but if you've found one at that price, let me know, as I'm on it). $20K will get you a 02-04 986s and that's a fantastic car.

I think that for $20k you can find a 996 that has been well sorted out. I'd look for one that already has the IMS upgrade and lots of updates.

fronesis47

Oh, maybe I didn't understand the OP. If you are buying a car as a status symbol, then sure, definitely get a 911 (or hell, get a hummer or a escalade or something like that).

But if you are buying the car TO DRIVE IT, then the Boxster is a brilliant car, with handling dynamics that are in many ways superior to a 911.

I've owned two 911s and I could afford to buy a good used 997.

But I'm in the market for a 986 or a 987 because I want a car to drive, not one to prove whether or not I have "made it." Perhaps if that concerns you, you could instead get the car that you want to drive and then put a sign on it that shows how rich you are...

Apologies for my sarcasm but I just don't get the idea of deciding what car you want to buy based on what it communicates to other people about how much money you've made. People who buy Porsches for these reasons are the ones who tempt me NOT to buy a Porsche.

sjfehr

Hahahaha, the irony here is amazing. Good joke!

Mickey356

"IMHO, if you are looking in that price range, you better have $2-$3k in cash ready for repairs that pop up in the first 90 days."

It's these kinds of statements that make me wonder why PPIs are so important. $2-$3K in repairs in the first 3 months? What would a good PPI miss that would cost that much to fix?
I know it's always good to have money set aside for repairs, but I'd save the $300 for teh PPI and put in the repair fund if thats the "Norm".


"You'll find that a low mileage 4S starts at 23-25K, and inches up to 40K not infrequently (specifically at a dealer).
Take a look at Excellence's last 996 assessment (usually September if memory serves me right). In the 2011 issue, you'll find the 2002 C4S at a low of 23.5K and a high of 31.5K. You have to assume that the low end requires work, or at least money aside, and is high mileage."

Where can I get a 2002 C4S for $23500? And if this is the type of car you are going to put $2-$3K into in the first 90 days then aren't we really talking $25,500- $26,500? What is "high mileage"? It seems people don't really drive these cars like they would your "everyday car" mileage wise. You see 1999 996s with 115,000 miles on them; thats 8900 miles a year. Is that considered high mileage? I thought the avg mileage was 12-15K a year.
I haven't seen one listed for less than $30K and I've scoured every car selling site for 2 months.


I know these questions sound resistent, but some things written here seem somewhat contradictory. Just looking for clarification.

2K7TTMIA

IDK if it's been mentioned already, but a sub $20K 996's that are generally advertised FS, will pry need an interior "refresh". usually the seats are a little ( or alot) worn, dash may have some peeling or warping issues. interior door panels, steering wheel , shiifter, ebrake, etc. Exterior paint may be hard to find in excellent condition, or resprayed. Take into account that the seller is not willing to put any more money into the car to try and thus have it advertised it sub $20K. if the car has some upcoming maintenance items that will need attention, the seller should let you know if it would be due for clutch, brakes, coolant flush, radiators, etc. for the same reasons stated above.

The car you test drive may feel fine, but unless the seller can provide last time the service was done, it pry hasn't been done in a timely manner. If you happen to find a local seller that hasn't advertised their 996 for sale, those are usually your best bets for getting a great deal on one. my .02

morganabowen

I bought my 2000 C4 about a year ago, and paid $15K. Spent another $3K on a new clutch, CV joints and a replacement of all fluids and filters. Another two grand on wheels and tires and now I have the car I wanted I mean there is always something I want to do or buy for my cars, but that is part of my psycological illness for which I am receiving treatment

Peter 642

If there's a question about the Excellence numbers, take a look at them in the 2011 September issue, where a "low" C4S starts at $23.5K for an earliest model, and gets above $40K for a "newer" model. If a private seller is selling the car, expect to pay less; if a dealer is selling the car, expect to pay more. You are correct; it is very hard to find a C4S for under $30K, but that doesn't make it impossible. Take a look at the posts above, and you'll find that a C4 is simply cheaper than a 4S, by sometimes as much as $10K. I have no opinion on whether that's worth it, it's simply an observation.

We're talking the price of the car at purchase. No one can tell whether you will spend another few thousand dollars within three months. I didn't. So, perhaps you will not either. But since something could implode, you should have a few dollars handy, just in case. And no, a PPI is neither perfect nor useless; it gives you a good sense of major problems but no PPI is going to tell you whether your IMS is about to go kaput, or whether your radio button is about to get sticky, or whether your LCD screen on your AC console is about to "sundown."

I agree; people don't seem to drive these like a typical car. However if you drive the car every day as a daily driver then I'm sure you can put 12-15K on a car/year. If you lease a car, that's what the man in the suit will tell you. But since many of us (a) have another car; (b) don't drive it every day; it's not uncommon to see "low mileage" cars at 8 years of age with 30-45K on the odometer. A car with 115,000 miles on it seems to me to be high mileage, since relatively speaking there are plenty of cars with 30, 45 or 75K on them. In fact, I recently saw a car with 15K miles on it (2004), for a silly price. I wouldn't buy that. However since this isn't a Toyota or a Honda, I wouldn't expect "average" mileage.

fivepointnine

I have not seen ANY 996's regardless of year for sale for less than 20k (well there is one with a rebuilt title for like 17 or something) in my neck of the woods.

If anyone is putting down a 986 S then they have obviously never drove one, but I can understand the need for a rear seat.

I would not buy a 996 as a status symbol anyway, if that is what you are concerned with there are plenty of other flashy cars (vette's, maserati's, etc)

Steve2112

I paid a bit extra at the dealer for my 40th AE, but it came with 2 year CPO, and had 12,000 miles on it. 2 pervious owners with all paperwork - previous owners had bought several 911's from this dealer over the years and the salesman knew him well. The car was mint - not a scratch on it, and the interior was perfect except a missing Bose logo on the driver's side speaker which I decided to fix. $16 bucks for that little plastic piece!

The only issue I had during my 2 year CPO was the light switch was bad - the fog light functions did not work as they were supposed to - they put a new one in and it was fine. They also had to put a new battery in it 2 weeks after I bought it. I had a foot injury in late 2010 towards the winter, so I could not start my car up in storage much, and that brand new battery died (OEM). I don't have power in my storage unit for battery tenders. I ended up getting an Interstate battery, which is 5X better than the stock OEM battery IMO.

In 2009 I paid $46,000 for it - all 40th AE in my area were all selling for $44-49K at the time before the depreciation started getting worse several months after buying it, but I am happy with my purchase. I paid a premium and got a premium condition car owned by a Porsche lover who took great car of my future car when it was in his hands.