leo1977

Greetings Car Friends,

So lately I have been getting tired of my 2015 WRX CVT (don't laugh I drove 160 miles daily and went with manual --- big mistake) 56k miles on it lol. It's stage 2 and is quite a beast. I put quite a bit of $ into it so I won't be selling it (I think). However, started looking into a manual second car to use on sunny days. My search resulted in being bitten by a Porsche big.

To make long story short, at first I put the budget at under 10k and set my sites on 928. But for the life of me I can not find one in good shape for less than 12k or so. So I looked further and saw that one can buy a relatively nice boxster or a 996 for around 15-17k. I dismissed the boxster (the most populous choice) because I need back seats to drive kids to school. And now looking for 996.

I live in Rockalnd county NY and there are so many cars to choose from (a lot of 996s around not so many 928s).

To end this magnum opus. I would like to hear your advice on whether I can get a decent 996 for around 15k and if you know any good examples in the tristate area. The car would be used as 2-3 times a week daily for 80 miles (total per day). Any advice and other thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Arch1t3ct

For 15k, a 996 would likely need some work, I would say that closer to 20k would be able to find you a relatively clean 996.1. Sounds like you would have a blast with it there though, and these cars do well when you actually drive them.

Just familiarize yourself with their strong and weak points before pulling the trigger on one, which should be pretty apparent just reading through the first page or two of this subforum.

Triple Black

Welcome. I think $15K is about the minimum you'll pay for a 996. But at that price it will likely be very high mileage or there may be issues that will need to be addressed in the near future. Suggest you read through some of this thread:
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ist-finds.html
You'll find lots of good advice here and other places on this forum (try searching).

kromdom

PRICE TO BUY vs. COST TO OWN. Keep this mind when shopping. Best of luck.

Dennis C

Do some research on the 928 if you haven't already. They aren't known to be as reliable as the 996, and you could end up with a money pit if you buy a 928. I've wanted one ever since the "Risky Business" days, but I don't know if I'll ever buy one. The people who own them don't seem to depend on them for regular transportation.

craig001

Just my $0.02 here but $15k won't get you a nice example of either the 928 or 996. Keep in mind that the last 928 rolled off the line back in 1995. You'd want a GTS and those are running close to $40k last I looked. Super nice road cruisers though - I had a 928S as my first p-car. If you want to top out at $15k I would recommend a 968. Yes, the last of those rolled off the line in 1995 as well, but nicely a maintained example can be had for $15k to $20k. Happy hunting!

OKB

If you dont know anything about a 928, stay away. If you arent a excellent mechanic, stay away.
Its a 1970s car, the whole interior is disintegrated and every rubber or plastic piece on the car needs to be replaced. And you will have to keep it running to boot.
A 996 was the first trouble free car porsche made. It has a few problems but it is a 1990s car and much more reliable and still mostly in tact.
My advice is if you can barely afford a porsche, dont get into it because its going to cost a whole lot more to drive than a chevy etc. And youll end up wasting all youre money on it, and youll end up with nothing.

leo1977

Thanks a lot all of you. I have not looked into a 968 but I will. As to being able to afford. I can afford a toy just want to keep it around 15k and nightmare free. I do understand that these cars require $ to run which I don't mind. I do mind replacing engines transmissions or being stranded.

Slakker

Focus on the '99. It's arguably the best 996 and it's the least expensive to boot. If you are patient, great deals can be found. I got mine off a PCA classified for $14.5k with 80k miles on it. Guy was asking 17k but was ready to sell. It had IMS, RMS and clutch done 10k miles ago. I did AOS and water pump and have been smiling ever since.

Note: it's important to know the what and why of each of those acronyms before you buy.

Slakker

Here are a couple of examples. Maintenance history and a good PPI are a must! Steer clear of dealer cars with no history.

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/19AB7FD9

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/190A6E50

Woodman71

That's a smoking deal.

Elumere

Yup. It makes me feel like I vastly overpaid for mine...

Woodman71

I offered $16.5 on a 19,900 ask.

Had to do the clutch, RMS & IMS though.

Oh well, I love it, which is what matters!

JimmyB

Totally agree with this - and also be prepared to pounce if the right car appears. Found mine locally on Craigslist, ad went up at 10 on a Friday morning and I'd put a deposit down a few hours later. $15,750 for a very nicely optioned C4 with all the potential failure points addressed pretty recently.

Also agree with the 968 (or 944S2?) recommendation, but I guess it depends what you're looking for. I looked at a couple but in the end decided it had to be a 996.

Slakker

I just got lucky. I think 18k is about market value for under 100k miles. But as long as you are under 20k with getting the maintenance updated it's still the best car value out there in my opinion.