911Dreamer

Sure if your going to have a Indy or dealer do the work, but if your doing the work yourself this doesn't matter. When I had my SC it was going to the Indy every other week for something small, it added up. I had to the money to throw at the Indy, so it didn't matter. If you have the money to throw at the Indy or Dealer for $3k+ then do it, but if your a DIY then put that money towards mods or enhancements to make your 996 better. PS all vehicles are expensive to maintain, I have a SUV that needs about $750 in parts for maintenance, I'm doing the labor myself, If I have the dealer do it, it will be around $2k for the work.

ejdoherty911

I stand by my advice to this particular OP about this particular car. Probably not the car for you. We don't have enough information. The OP states he can't afford putting "several thousand" into the car after the purchase price. Okay fine, so whether or not that might be necessary depends on the car. This particular 996 described probably needs some things, why you ask? Well let me tell you why. Its got almost 100,000 miles on it and hasn't been driven more than 5,000 miles in 10 YEARS. Maybe the car needs nothing or maybe it needs brakes and rotors, oil change, coolant flush, transmission oil, brake fluid bleed, polyrib belt, tires, spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter, tie rod, exhaust system, differential oil, motor mounts, and a left front blinker.

Who knows.

Questions for the OP:
How much is this thing?
Will it be your only form of transportation?
Can you do basic auto repair yourself?
Do you have a really good set of tools?
How much is this damn thing?

Atrox

Lol it cracks me up when new people post here and the regulars make it seem like the car is a grenade with pin removed.

What's he asking for the car?
Like any car get it checked out.

rockhouse66

I think if you are stretching yourself financially to buy a Porsche then it isn't the car for you. It makes for a much more pleasant ownership experience if you go into it knowing that the purchase price is just the beginning and a few thousand dollars of expense soon after purchase is normal (and affordable).

I would also discourage you from buying a P-Car at this time.

Flat6Music

"If you can't afford to fix it if something happens don't buy it."

The utilization of commas must be expensive where you live. If you're going to bust ***** over written English skills, try proofreading your own gibberish prior to posting.

You're welcome.

tharbin

Just to continue being a contrary old cuss, while there is anecdotal evidence that cars that are driven more often are less likely to suffer failures, most of what I have seen also implies low overall mileage.

This car has been driven a lot, just not lately. Does it still apply, who knows?

The previous owner was a PCA member and drove the car to car shows and PCA events. Does not sound like a negligent owner to me.

Almost any used car needs some initial repairs depending on the new owner's level of tolerance. Throwing a bunch of expensive parts into a car at purchase just because somebody else's broke once is insanity or at least fiscal suicide.

Now, my biggest concern if I were looking at this car is "what type of PCA events"? If the car has been used for a lot of track/autocross/DE events then I WOULD replace the AOS upon purchase. The stock AOS is not really designed for track use and truthfully, to me, looks like it was a Rube Goldberg fix for a problem during cold weather testing.

wyo

I have owned a 2001 986 S a 2000 996 and a 2015 Macan Turbo
Both of the older cars had very low miles when I purchased them and have required only wear items to be replaced other than a right wheel bearing on the 2001 986 at about 40k miles ( fairly common)
The Macan has spent more time in the service center at the dealership then the old cars. ( fried DME)
If I were looking for a second 996 I would shop for the cleanest lowest mileage example that I could find that had the options I wanted. The chances of a higher mileage car needed maintence are greater - but having said that there no way to really know in advance what a 16 year old car will
need and when.
If you really want a 911 figure out a way to make it happen but shop for at least a couple of months and get the right one it will make all the difference in the the cost of ownership.
I looked on line almost everyday for about 6 months when looking for a 996 MK1 and I had no doubt that I purchased the right car for me.
They are great cars and I enjoy it every day

Slakker

I hope the OP checks back to read all of the wisdom we have provided for him. Otherwise, we are all just soapboxing in the wind.

gnat

And you think this group has a problem with that?

JBsZ06

The early 996 s I see are such beautiful cars I would or often think of buying one. First you need to find a local independent shop and have them do a PPI and then decide what you are willing to pay to own such a beautiful yet relatively expensive car to own.

I often think about it as I see them on the road.

I will say I now have 98k miles on my corvette z51 2008 model year.

It's been so utterly reliable and has such high performance I can't make the move so I'm thinking of owning both. You might be better served by a low mileage corvette....top speed is 190 mph.....zero to sixty in four flat, 1.0 lateral cornering g s....targa top...27 mpg on the highway and cost of repair is minimal...I had aftermarket interior done and a d shaped beautiful leather steering wheel installed....the car is my daily driver and is a blast..

That said independent shops for Porsches that my friends use only pay 110 an hour and the guy who owns the shop and his crew only charge that amount. If I bought a Porsche 996 that's who I would use.

Find a shop like that possibly from a local Porsche club.

Figure the five grand repair costs and split the difference with the seller..

The 1999 996 s I see on the highway always make me smile. Just a pretty sports car.

That said if money is tight after purchase I'd suggest passing. I hate spending money on car repairs so I personally hesitate,

Just wanted to join in the conversation as I too see the allure.

I do believe the Porsche mystique will increase the value as it has done with other 911s...over time.

I don't believe you will see any depreciation in these cars. I believe the 996 is at its lowest level.

That should save you about three grand a year compared to other sports cars plus you lol get to own such a pretty sports car.

Just figure 3 grand a year maintenance...if you can swing that...and realize you'll probably never have any depreciation so it's a pay me now and not loose later proposition...

Just food for thought...

How much is he asking for the car?

I say do the PPI...

93k miles is nothing on a 17 year old car.

Have fun deciding...

Some corvette guys love Porsches too..

JB

Slakker

Actually I think they are quite skilled at it! :P

DBJoe996

I have no problem with that! LOL! I thought we are having fun "sharing" stuff. So did we scare the OP off?

tharbin

Well, if I were the OP I probably would have quit reading about the time I was told I was too poor to own a Porsche, or maybe when he was told that, even tough none of us has seen the car, it probably needs everything but the seat belts replaced.

flyby11577

Seeking my first 911 I appreciate many of the comments on this form. That being said I normally don't post much just hide in the background and try to learn. I plan on having one partially as an investment but truth be known more to drive, my question is trying to place a value on the cars. Seems like the higher mileage say after 65000 to 70000 the value seems to take a dive. Is there something special about that # I was trying to find a car with a bad IMS so I could build the motor and have seen 3 go at auctions but they were more money than I think it would be worth by the time you build the motor you can buy a driver, then spend 5K on improvements and go play. For me this will be for pleasure not a DD . The question is is there a suspension problem or something else that shows up around this mileage any help is appreciated. If you know of a project I would still consider this option as well.

Slakker

I think 100k is the perceived cross over number and 65k just seems a lot closer to 100k than 50k. You also see a lot more low mileage cars than with most other makes like the '99 with 39k miles in the other thread. (WTF? Get out and drive the sonobish. . So that changes the perception even more. But unlike an E60 M5 where 80K means prepare for the engine to blow, there doesn't seem to be a magic number in the 996.

FWIW, with our company fleet, we sell all of our trucks at 95k miles (some are just over a year old.) There is a lot of data on resale value combined with maintenance costs that shows this as the sweet spot economically.