Garrison

I am in the market right now for another 911, and am considering a 996. I am wondering how many miles, is too many in terms of a used 996? Anything to keep an eye out for when looking?

I have owned a few Carreras (84' coupe and 88' Targa, along with an 83' 911 Turbo), but the 996 cars are not something I know anything about.

Thanks for the help.

Dennis C

You'll find lots of opinions on this one.

Personally, I prefer a 996 with what might be considered higher miles. Many people feel that garage queens have more problems. I've got 113K miles on my 996 now and it still runs very well. I believe that high miles are not problematic for these cars if they are properly maintained. I'd look for a car with maintenance records that has been properly maintained over a low mileage car with no records.

vange_c4s

my experience - i purchased a lower mileage (12k) '03, 15 months ago. just turned 35k on the way home tonight. all i have done is oil changes, and new rear tires for maint. i did have an exhaust tip bracket that broke. otherwise quite happy.

morganabowen

I purchased mine with 102K on the clock and after doing some minor repairs and upgrades, I now have 122K in less then 2 years. It is running great, and I've only had to do oil changes I'm not sure if there are too many miles; however, the amount of miles on a car for sale should be reflected in the price

MiamiC70

That last mile after the engine blows up is 1 mile too many

Garrison

I agree that these cars need to be driven, and less sometimes is not more with them. That being said I am worried about purchasing a 99' or 00' with 120K on the clock...

San Rensho

Depends on the quality of miles. 10k per year on a car that is driven primarily an the freeway and well maintained is not too many. Too few miles is a big concern. 12k on a 10 year old car, I would say could be a concern. All motors are happier if they are driven. Cars that sit are a recipe for problems.

Ahmet

My 2002 996 (my 5th) is about to turn 172k miles. I did a partial rebuild on the engine but it's never had a catastrophic failure. It drives very well and feels fresh. I say that with conviction as I've driven dozens of these over the years. I do want to get a more capable car but it's relatively cheap running costs and reliability has had me staying with it for a while. I will probably get more aggressive about selling it soon.

Macster

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

At 120K miles, while this is a lot (relatively speaking) of miles if the car and engine check out as healthy then the car and engine have been treated rather well.

It is unlikely one of these cars would obtain 120K miles if the car and especially if the engine was neglected or abused.

'course, miles related issues can start to appear.

Thus even though the car checked out just fine there's some risk say a water pump could fail shortly after you buy the car. Unless the water pump is exhibiting signs of trouble during the used car check out you can't know how many miles are left on the thing. For instance the one on my 02 Boxster was fine right up until it started making noises at 172K miles. No warning. Quiet from the 1st day I drove the car (new) to the day at around 172K miles later the water pump was not quiet. The rather faint grumbling noise proved to be the early warning signs of a water pump going out. I did not delay but had the car flat bedded to a dealer and the water pump replaced.

The fuel pump? Same, sort of. It worked just fine for over 200K miles then just moments after starting the engine the engine died. I hadn't backed the car halfway out of the parking space. I restarted the engine and it caught and fired maybe 3 or 4 times then died. That was the end of the fuel pump.

Still, there is some risk. The engine might run another 120K miles or it might expire in the next mile. The odds are that the engine will not expire in the next mile.

But you need to subject the car and the engine to a thorough test drive.

Sincerely,

Macster.

vange_c4s

of course the obvious - records, drive, ppi

targa996

I'd get a 996.2 in the 60-80k range ... depends how many miles a year you plan to drive it ... I'm doing 5k .. so I figure in 5 years id get to 80-100k or so .. hopefully no major problems .. and then still some value when I sell it to trade to 997 .... or 981 ....

If you start at 100k and do 10k /yr .. in 5 years you get to 150 and then drive until it dies ... could also be an option .. id just say higher chance of major issue and being stuck at side of road ..

Id avoid a 996 under 50km .. because of higher chance Imo of ims issues and probably premium price ....

Cens

Seems like market out there for 996.2 with 50K miles is around $35-40k. This is where I was looking to purchase, but since this would be my first p-car. What is the possibility of the price decreasing on this on the release of the new model this year? Did the marketplace flood with more cars during last years release allowing the buyer to haggle the price down a bit?

nick49

Miles don't hurt the car at all. It's parking all day in the sun that takes a toll on most everything in short order. My wife's '99 Boxster still looks new and still has the new leather smell. The plastic rear window is still pliable and crystal clear. It's never parked in the sun longer than a few minutes to an hour. I have maintained the car since it was off warranty in '02. Hasn't been to a dealer sense nor had a problem. The '99 996 I had for 7 years looked nearly new with 61K miles when I sold it. Never parked all day in the sun and it showed. I've seen cars with less than 40K miles with cloudy headlights, hardened dried out leather, and cracked weathered rubber seals and trim. Too bad most owners don't think about the effects of UV and ozone until it's too late.

rpm's S2

I think you are about $10k high on that price estimate. The number you mention sounds more like the current value range for the 996TT. But it seems like the value of good, low-mileage 996s has leveled out from the big drops a few years back. However, as much as I might wish, they are not worth $40k.

As for the 991 effect... it is hard to say now as the immediate impact will be more on 997 values. But since the 996 introduction the 911 is no longer a rare car. Porsche sells, and more importantly, leases a whole lot of them (relatively). It is availability that most directly impacts value.

Byprodriver

I would not do that unless that is your only way to get into a 996 & even then after a good PPI including compression & leakdown tests.