Waynes_box

Ok guys sold my boxster last summer and am now looking to jump into the 996 scene. I have read and know about the IMS/RMS stuff that goes on. Not sure about pricing on these cars compared to the boxster prices so let me know what you guys think of this car that caught my eye since it seems to have some work put into it already...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/pts/2863964183.html

Waynes_box

Or what about this one...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2858370804.html

C4CRNA

Boy that Lapis Blue one is purdy!

OGWGFIW

Both could be good cars but I would go for the 2002. General rule is to buy newest car you can afford. This one appears to have nicely maintained without all the suspension mods the 99 has. IF I wanted those mods, I would want to do them myself instead of inheriting who knows what.

82_930

I also had a Boxster, really liked that car. The 996 does share much with the boxster (interior wise) but has a totally different feeling when driving.

Both 996's u are looking at are good cars... in general, the ims, rms problem does not affect cars from '01 and up.

The mods on the '99 are nice and expensive. Go check out both cars... and get the one that needs less money put into it (as all used cars will need something).

Peter 642

It sure is....It sure is.

I think what we mean to say is, you need to do a bit of homework. It's hard to post a few Craigslist "for sale" items and ask, "what about this one," even if that's exactly what you mean. Answer this first, then "search," then repost and you'll do better: how much do you want to spend? How much to you have to spend? How much extra do you want to save for catastrophic failure, or just simple maintenance? How old do you want the car to be? Mileage? Do you want an AWD car? A turbo? Do you like the MKI vs. MKII better? Extremely hard to tell from a few pictures, so you'll need PPIs and to drive them/get someone to look at them for you if you can't. Take a look at the price range for a 1999-2005 996 in Excellence magazine, or something similar if you can. The more info you have the better informed you'll be (I think that was obvious, right; informed...information....)

wyovino

Not true. I suggest more research.

ohioboxster

The '02 had the 3.6 L and the 99 has the 3.4 L. I like the looks of the updated headlight on the 02 as well. Man that blue is really a beautiful color though. I would buy the newest one with the lowest miles that passed an inspection. I just bought a 2002 TT 911, it was the lowest mileage, best serviced one I could find and afford. It had everything I wanted, it wasn't my first color choice but everything else fell in line. Good luck with your search. IMS used to keep me up at night, I was way more worried about it than I should have been.

82_930

I did a bunch of research... from what I found, Porsche had corrected the 3.4L issues by 2001... and many of the 3.4L cars that had failures received 2001 spec engines.

If I have been informed incorrectly, please let me know... I bought an '01 based on this info, lol

ohioboxster

IMS never went away

chsu74

This statement could not be further from the truth. Do you see motorsport teams racing with stock parts? There is enough knowledge and experience on this board to understand what the correct mods are if you do the research. Incorrectly installed parts on these finely tuned cars will result with disaster endings after a few miles not after thousands. Who goes out blindly spending thousands of dollars without research and the intent to screw their toy up?

I find mods highly attractive given how much they cost and performance they provide when installed on a prospective car vs paying new for them. Very similar to options on cars.

OGWGFIW

I gave MY opinion and it was clearly worded as such. Thank you for making my point even clearer though. The 99 has a highly modded suspension and figuring out the quality of those modifications could be difficult for somebody new to 996s. I made no general bash on mods. Work on your reading comprehension.

francars

Hey guys

The 99 is my vehicle for sale. I have decided to sell and test waters. Its good to see some of the feedback from you guys. Regarding the suspension, I purchased the PSS9s brand new last year from a guy in NY who never used. Car was aligned and lowered to GT3 by Porsche dealer and not ME.

I have gotten 2 responses (for 2 serious buyers) in past 72 hours. Both seem pretty knowledgeable on this model / Yr. They want to view this weekend so we will see what happens. I honestly did not expect quick responses, specially on CL.

chsu74

Unfortunately, you are clearly misinformed. US spec suspension is not optimal for the original handling design intent on 911 Pcars for years. PCNA had to raise suspension height to meet US DOT bumper law regulations to sell in the US market. That is why ROW suspension, X74 and PSS9s are considered upgrades from stock. It brings it back to "true" stock spec. BTW, Bilstein, manufacturer of the inferior PSS9s according to you, is the OEM suspension supplier to Porsche including 996s.


^ Clearly according to some people PSS9 suspension is a downgrade. Buyers who are more knowledgeable will benefit. GLWTS. It is a beautiful car.

soverystout

You need to do some more research. Your assessment is way way way way way way off. Quite a few 02-05 cars have had RMS issues and/or IMS issues.

You need to keep reading.