dsapp

I recently sold my arctic silver '99 996 coupe I am now looking at a triple-black '04 996TT cab X50 tip with 55K miles and one year left on CPO warranty.

My mild reservations: 1) the tip would not normally be my choice, but I'm sure I'll appreciate it in local thick traffic, my wife will appreciate it and get more time behind the wheel, and (unless I'm mistaken) it removes concerns about over-revs by previous owners. 2) I haven't owned a cab in 25 years and have some (probably silly) fears of water leaks, chills in the winter, and excessive wind noise with the top up at high speeds. 3) I am also not insanely crazy about the black/black/black color scheme and feel a little uncertain about my ability to keep the exterior paint looking right. I have never owned a black car.

The price seems right, I actually like the car (but maybe don't LOVE it), and I really like the year remaining on the CPO. The X50, I see, as value added (an I incorrect?). The mileage might be a little higher than I'd like, but I'll be putting only about 3K miles on it per year moving forward, so I am not too concerned. My anticipated use for it: 98.5% weekend touring and going to the golf course, 1.5% track (just to open it up once each year, not for competitive racing).

Assuming absolutely no concerns with the PPI, that I'd be paying a price I'm comfortable with, and I'd be keeping it for 5-6 years, what are your thoughts/reactions? Does anyone have regrets about moving from a coupe to a cab? Think I should find a car with lower miles? Think I should wait six months and look for a killer deal on a similar car with prices likely coming down with the economy, 991 intro, winter snow? Think, given the purpose of my purchase, I'd be better off with a newer 997C4S? Or, think I should just save $$, add to it, and then wait for the 997 turbo prices to fall with the 991 intro? I am very patient.

I'd appreciate any feedback on these issues. Thanks, guys. Cheers!

JG 996T

What's the list price?

I had two black cars, one bought new, one bought used. Very hard to keep clean. The new one looked fantastic when clean, but, again, very hard to keep clean. Vowed to never buy a black car again.

I wouldn't worry about the mileage, but, what's the service history over that mileage?

I think you're right about tips and overrevs, but your PPI will confirm.

X50 is a value adder, but not by much IMO. It's value may be that a car will trade quicker with X50 than w/o. But if the list price is overvalued in the general market, I don't think X50 makes up much of a difference.

I haven't heard of many complaints about vert tops.

You're on the right track though, a 6turbo is a great ride

BioBanker

I think that you should move on because tip is not your first choice nor is this car's color.

If you're not certain about tip, dont get it. You could end up with significant remorse on that first drive home.

Find something that fits better for you.

Dock

Too many uncertainties. Look for another Turbo.

kennyPride

A black turbo will turn heads. A black car is the most eye catching when clean and polished and the worst car when dirty. Given your planned usage you should be able to keep the car pristine and the convertible will be fun on sunny days. If you were more into DEs, and speed a hardtop coupe and 6 speed is what you need, but not the case for you. With that said the X50 is not a must for your type of driving, but if the pricing is right. Go for it, you'll be amazed by the difference from the '99 996. Wait maybe but pricing has firmed up so not sure how much you would gain by waiting. If the car checks out and the pricing is in your range "go for it" and join the TT club. kenny

SSST

Cant help you on your color concerns, but understand them. I'm not a fan of all black either. I had an all black car once and it is almost unbearable in the Summer in Houston. It's like driving a solar oven. Might not be a problem in CT. Black does show dirt more, but looks great when it's clean and polished.

I have had zero problems with the cab top. No leaks, no wind noise, and it is well insulated. In fact, the cloth doesnt hold heat as well as a metal roof so it cools down quickly. You do need to maintain it with the right cleaners and sealant, but it's not a weekly task.

dsapp

I hear what you guys are saying. I guess I am not too old to learn how to care for a black car. Also, it has SportTechno wheels: perfectly nice but not my first choice. I'd probably search for a set of '04 GT3-style wheels. I'm back and forth on this: it is a very solid car, good history, a fine example of a 6turbo. But I guess I can be patient and wait for exactly what I want. I am not in a huge rush with the buyer, so I can take the time to make the right decision. I don't have to decide in the next 10 minutes.

To be clear, the tiptronic does have two benefits: heavy traffic and a happy wife (who never drove the 996 and really wants to drive the new car). Happy wife, happy home. I can live with the tip, I believe.

What I don't hear anyone saying so far is that I should wait for an '07 997TT to drop into my price range. I've seen a few poor examples for sale on autotrader in the mid/high $60s; in a year, we might see a few asking right around $60 and ready to consider offers in the mid $50s. I know I am in the 996TT forum, but are any of you guys waiting for that to happen, or are you totally dedicated to the 6turbo for all the obvious and legit reasons? Thanks again!

c32AMG-DTM

7.1TT is a much improved model, all-around. If it fits your budget, I'd wholeheartedly recommend you grab one of them instead. That said, you seem to be talking yourself into waiting by citing what "poor examples" might trade hands for.

FWIW, the delta between a nice '02+ 6TT and a nice, early 7.1TT appears to be around $30k... condition of the two being comparable. So, IMHO, you have to figure out if it's worth the $30k premium to you. That delta is likely to shrink in the coming years, if I had to guess, as the 991TT is released and all of the "gotta have the latest" guys jump ship from their 997TTs.

SSST

I agree. The 996/997 decision is largely a financial one. The 997 is a better car, but to be honest it probably only makes a difference if you want to track it. But then, why would you bother with a cab.

The 996 TT is a lot of bang for the buck and a great looking car. Mine may be 7 years old, but it still turns heads.

I thought about a 997, but the extra 40K wasn't worth it for a weekend driver.

"02996ttx50

i'm not a fan of either cabs OR tips. but that's me. i have had a stock x50 and i now have a flashed tt with k16/24's so i'm not missing the x50's k24's.... MUCH!

i would never buy a stock 996 tt and i'm not sure how anyone could if they've driven the x50 first. that car sounds like it'd be great but i wouldn't want it for the cab/tip combo. but good luck whichever way you decide to go! tt's are a blast and HIGHLY addictive! no comparison at all to other NA 911's i've had.

brooklynkid

everyone always talks about the X50 package and i guess it adds value, because it was an option. From what i can read a flashed 996 turbo with an exhaust is faster than a stock x50 so i dont think that highly of the x50. as far as the top i would take a real good look at the seals and get a DME report to see if it has been worked on. The seals are real expensive and when i was looking for a cabrio i found cars with leaky tops were often multiple offenders. Blac is without a doubt the best colr, but a real pain in the *** to keep clean

"02996ttx50

they talk about it, because it was a serious ( approx 35 hp you could feel ) improvement over the stock 415hp car. i miss my k24's!.. and my car is fast

Dock

More like approx 29 hp....for an option that cost around $18,000.

"02996ttx50

you would know better than i but an x50 was my intro to the world of tt's and i enjoyed that extra factory 29 hp immensely. again, it's not the same, ( imho ) as aftermarket modded hp. near as i can tell. again, something about the k24's and the larger i/c's i guess.

fodowsky

I have a Basalt Black 05 TTS (X50) Cab with Tip that I use as a DD. No issues with the top. The Tip is fine just wish it shifted faster, but it's a fine compromise. My only issue with the X50 is the turbo lag, but I can fix that with Kevin's wizardry. The black is beautiful when cleaned and, IMO, worth the effort to keep clean.

I love the car.

Good luck on your search.