I'm hopefully going to take a look at this car this weekend. Seller emailed me the Carfax. Shows regular maintenance up to approx 40K miles then only smog checks since then. He's the 3rd owner. I asked about the IMS that was done. He "thinks" it is an LN bearing. I should see a door sticker when I see the car, correct? Any other major items I should be on the lookout for?

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...909668005.html

 

I would go by receipts rather than a door jamb sticker or any IMS sticker. The only thing the sticker will tell you is if it has been done but not when.

The LN retrofit is a great product but it has a defined service life.
Also be weary as there are 3 LN IMS options:

- Classic
- Pro
- Solution

There are priced in that order and the lifespan also follows the same hierarchy (although the solution is a permanent fix).

Otherwise its a nice looking example

 

That car looks clean. Always a good sign when the FIRST owner had it for a decade, i.e. it probably wasn't a piece of crap and always needing to go to the shop.

Otherwise just do your due diligence and probably get a PPI and if it checks out enjoy your new ride!

 

Great looking car, hope it is everything you are looking for. Don't be too concerned about the IMS, you can always have it done again...as others hav said, it looks like a car that has been well cared for.

 

Looks like a nice clean 996 for a fair price. At 22K miles on a replacement bearing I'd have it replaced again real soon anyway. A PPI is always recommended.

 

My 996 C4S had the LN Engineering IMSB retrofit, but I had no door sticker. I had receipts that documented the work.

 

Good advice so far. The only thing to add is that if you place a premium on the car due to an IMSB retrofit, make sure you have documented proof of a detailed pre-qualification.

The pre-qualification steps are rigorous, time consuming and somewhat expensive for a reason. Without actual proof I would not place a pricing premium on the car vs one without a retrofit of some kind.

The car looks great BTW and is priced fairly IMO.

 

My advice....buy it!

 

Good advice Barn! I like how you think. I asssume the 92k miles doesn't scare anyone off?

 

Looks like a solid car. Are those rears 275s? Is that OEM size for those wheels?

As far as mileage, it's eye of the beholder.

IF you plan on driving a lot, say 50K, in a few years, you'll have a car that has over 140K miles. Is that something you're going to be comfortable with?

 

It'll be weekend car for fun canyon drives.

 

hmm.. At that many miles, i'd be looking at refreshing all the suspension components.

 

If it's as nice as it looks in the pics, buy it! The interior in particular looks great. Stan23's remark about the suspension is quite correct, if all original you will be much happier with new shocks, bushings, links and the like. Not at all difficult to do if you have the space and the tools, and a good way to bond with your new toy. Good luck!

 

Never buy a 996 w/o a PPI - unless you like to gamble.

 

Can someone decode the options from the sticker? All I could gather was that it was optioned with the 3 spoke steering wheel. Car was exceptionally clean. Just now trying to get the wife to agree I "need" another toy. Still space in the garage. Motorcycles hardly take up any space....