Have I finally found a car? -- please help me make sure I'm not making a mistake
03-12-2012, 08:35 PM
#16
fronesis, you have been searching for a couple months right? I know I have said this before but it can take a long time to find the right 996. Many times it takes a year or longer. If this car fits what you want thats great and go for it but if you really want a car with 50 - 65k then continue to look and take your time. I was also looking all over the country and it took me 1 1/2 years when the right one finally appeared about 30 miles down the road from me. Believe me when you find the right one with no stories attached you will know it and you will be much happier and better off after you buy it. Good luck and keep the questions coming.
03-12-2012, 08:36 PM
#17
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Fronesis47, you don't want a BMW.. Been there done that and went back to the p-car. Had a Boxster and tried an m3 only to find out I missed the p-car. Both are nice cars but nothing feels and drives like a p-car... Funny the guy I made an offer to a few weeks back for $23k on his 02 never called me and responded to my emails.. Maybe he sold his too.. I guess the search continues.. Maybe a cayman in my future but prefer the carrera..
03-12-2012, 08:46 PM
#18
+1000. I started "dreaming" back in 07 and did not start looking in earnest till last OCT. Luckily for me, I found my car thru autotrader and it was the first (and only) car I checked out. Had everything I wanted (and more) plus it was only an hour away from me.
03-12-2012, 10:12 PM
#19
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Fronesis47, you don't want a BMW.. Been there done that and went back to the p-car. Had a Boxster and tried an m3 only to find out I missed the p-car. Both are nice cars but nothing feels and drives like a p-car... Funny the guy I made an offer to a few weeks back for $23k on his 02 never called me and responded to my emails.. Maybe he sold his too.. I guess the search continues.. Maybe a cayman in my future but prefer the carrera..
fronesis, you have been searching for a couple months right? I know I have said this before but it can take a long time to find the right 996. Many times it takes a year or longer. If this car fits what you want thats great and go for it but if you really want a car with 50 - 65k then continue to look and take your time. I was also looking all over the country and it took me 1 1/2 years when the right one finally appeared about 30 miles down the road from me. Believe me when you find the right one with no stories attached you will know it and you will be much happier and better off after you buy it. Good luck and keep the questions coming.
I owned a 2000 M coupe, and it was a fantastic car, but it took me little time to get rid of it and move FORWARD to a 1978 911 SC.
But I'm not sure I have the time and patience for the 996 search, in which case I might make the leap to a Cayman. You can pick up a 50K mile 07 Cayman for around $26K-$27K, and you can get a gen 2 09 Cayman (with no IMS to fail!) for about $35K. Both of those are tempting...
Other things being equal, I'd prefer the 996, but other things aren't really equal in that it's much easier to find a 3 to 5 year old cayman that's in good shape and priced right than it is to find a 9 to 12 year old 996 that fits those criteria.
03-12-2012, 10:34 PM
#20
The bottom of the 996 market was well over a year ago. Unfortunately many value/price opinions on this board seem stuck in 2010. I think the floor for a nice '02 with decent miles (40-70k) is now around $25k. Even if you find one for less than that, my guess is that initial maintenance will make up the difference and then some.
Keep looking. Try SearchTempest for Craigslist. Good luck!
Keep looking. Try SearchTempest for Craigslist. Good luck!
03-12-2012, 11:02 PM
#21
Caymans are nice but I hope you hold out for the 996.
03-14-2012, 08:52 AM
#24
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I finally heard back from the seller. He was very up front with me, but this meant he revealed a number of things not in the initial ad -- including a repaint. High miles plus repaint has scared me away from this one.
I'm going to try to be patient and wait for the right 996 at a fair price. But the Cayman is going to be tempting. Everyday the prices seem to come down a bit. I can now buy a 2009 (IMS-less) Cayman at a Porsche dealer, with fairly low miles, for just a bit over $35K. I agree completely, it's NOT a 911. On the other hand, the dynamics of the mid-engine handling ARE impressive; the car has a lot of storage room for a two seater; the 2009 base model has plenty of HP for me; and the car is only 3 years old....
For now, I'm still looking for an 02-04 C2 Coupe with 50k-75k miles, one that has been taken car of and with an asking price that still fits in the Excellence range...
I'm going to try to be patient and wait for the right 996 at a fair price. But the Cayman is going to be tempting. Everyday the prices seem to come down a bit. I can now buy a 2009 (IMS-less) Cayman at a Porsche dealer, with fairly low miles, for just a bit over $35K. I agree completely, it's NOT a 911. On the other hand, the dynamics of the mid-engine handling ARE impressive; the car has a lot of storage room for a two seater; the 2009 base model has plenty of HP for me; and the car is only 3 years old....
For now, I'm still looking for an 02-04 C2 Coupe with 50k-75k miles, one that has been taken car of and with an asking price that still fits in the Excellence range...
03-14-2012, 09:23 AM
#25
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What about this Cayman S... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...item231ac8bd5e it has the 3.4 flat 6 in it. Looks real nice.
03-14-2012, 09:52 AM
#26
Race Director
If you can't find the 'right' 996 911, then by all means look at the CaymanS or Cayman. The prices are decent and the car is great to drive. I'd be happy in either truth be told.
03-14-2012, 10:31 AM
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What about this Cayman S... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...item231ac8bd5e it has the 3.4 flat 6 in it. Looks real nice.
There's a 2006 CS over on the planet 9 board, being sold by the original owner who picked it up in Europe. Yellow over cocoa brown leather. It's gorgeous, with only 16K miles on it, and I think he's asking something like $32K. So a very good CS can be had for around the $30K mark. That's a lot of car for the money.
