Gaffa

I'm currently looking at an 04 996TT, manual gearbox, 105k on the odometer, black on black, 6 owners, no service records, wheels are hideous aftermarket Miami Vice type & tires are cheap Chinese brand. The car I would say is in good condition but front bumper definitely needs a respray and there are some scratches and nicks elsewhere.

I can get the car for $30k but and at that price we all know she will need work but my question is, do I hold off & save some more dollars & get a better car or bite the bullet as I can not see them getting any cheaper and I think this may be the cheapest for sale at the moment.

My other option is a silver 03 for $35.5 that has the last 27k miles of service history and is in better shape than the 04 but I do feel that it is strong money for this car and she has 100k on the odometer.

I'd like to purchase sooner rather than later as prices keep going up. Any thoughts with this limited info ?

TheDeckMan

Based off this info I would suggest passing on both of those and waiting for a better condition/lower mile car. Personally I would not have an issue buying another with higher miles with records, without records you potentially do roll the dice of a chance repair being potentially more expensive than planned.

Do you do your own wrenching or have a really good indie with 996tt experience?

s65e90

Buy a cheaper Porsche and you'll make up the difference in repairs to a quality one. My car was an excellent example and I still have tons of $$$ spent within the past couple years. These cars aren't cheap. Save your money and get a good one.

Macster

If the car needs work you need money. Lots of it. Even if you can some work yourself these cars are not cheap to work on.

The usual advice is to find and buy the best example you can afford.

If you want the 1st car be sure you give it a thorough used car check out in an attempt to identify any current issues the car may have.

Visit the car cold and verify the CEL and other warning lights all come on when the key is turned on then go off when the engine is started and begins to run.

Turn off the A/C and let the engine idle from cold while you walk around the car.

Keep an ear tuned to the engine though.

You know new tires are in the cards. Maybe new wheels. Check brake wear. A 1mm lip on the rotor is a good sign the rotors (and pads) need replacement.

Check the body panel finish and fits/gaps.

After some idle time -- ideally long enough the engine is warm enough you can check the oil level -- then have the seller take you on a test ride. The route should be 15 miles in length and selected so the driver can demo the car as you intend to use it.

After the 15 mile test ride back at the starting point you get behind the wheel and drive the car over the same route and drive the car the same way.

If a manual be sure the clutch doesn't slip, the pedal doesn't pulse (bad accumulator), the transmission doesn't jump out of gear. If a Tip be sure a cold and warm k-turn do not turn up any untoward behavior from the Tip and the Tip at all other times is well behaved.

A high pitched whistle with the manual in neutral and the clutch pedal released is a power steering high pressure bypass valve. To address the power steering fliud reservoir must be replaced (the valve is not available separately).

Back at the starting point after the test ride/drive then check out the car. Test every system to ensure it works ok. Check for spoiler hydraulic fluid leaks. Check the radiator ducts for trash build up. A clean out will be needed but the build up is very bad -- which means this has been taken care of periodically -- the radiators (or condensers) may need replacement if not now soon.

Check the body water drains. You'll need a Torx tool kit with security bits to remove the Torx screw that holds the plastic panel in place on either side of the battery. Lots of trash brings with it the risk rain or wash water has backed up and gotten into the cabin. The security module sits on the cabin floor and is very much at risk of damage if *any* water gets in the cabin.

Check the door bottoms for any signs of dampness. Door membranes can fail and let water into the dry side of the door. This can play havoc with the door/window electrics but if left unaddressed can migrate problems to other areas of the car's electrics.

While you are at the body water drains check for any signs of fluid leak at the small fluid reservoir just ahead of the driver. Any fluid from this is a sign the clutch slave cylinder is bad.

After all your check out if you still like the car then arrange for a PPI. Among other things this gets the car in the air so a thorough check can be made for any signs of any issues. Leaks are a part of this. The test ride/drive should have had the engine running nearly an hour the idea to give any leaks a chance to show themselves. The water pump, RMS, coolant hoses and hose fittings, the hydraulic spoiler, CV boots (at the rear and the front axles), the rear and front diff seals, the power steering hoses/fittings, in short any gasket, seal, o-ring, hose, line, hose fitting, line fitting, needs to be checked for any signs of any leaks.

Kevinmacd

Never saw Chinese tires in the 996tt sizes!

Gaffa

Aftermarket 19's and the tires are stretched, Haida brand which I've never heard of.


Thank you all for the advice, very helpful & very kind. Do you guys see prices on a vertical curve or will they stabilize anytime soon ?

mark_schnell

Probably the bling-tard wheels he mentioned aren't stock size...




My advice to Gaffa:

1. You're buying unused miles. Both cars have 100k+. They will never be marketable as a "low mileage" car, even 10 years from now, except at one of those sketchy roadside car lots in a run-down part of down. IMHO
2. 8-10k/year means to me is that they were treated like CARS and not like EXOTICS (~2-4k/yr). So both were driven, possibly as daily drivers, and probably not pampered like someone would an exotic. These were not "owned by a little old lady in Pasadena."
3. Receipts are a big deal. Lets you know maintenance was done on time. Mine came with a folder. The guy even put in detailing receipts. He had it detailed regularly. Mine had ~41k miles.
4. Think about how much money it would take to get the car from current condition to the condition you want: New tires, new wheels, new spoilers, suspension, tune, whatever. Get those quoted out in advance so you have a ballpark number for each so you can mentally subtract them from a target price in your mind.
5. Look nationally for prices on cars.com and autotrader.com and wherever else folks recommend. I prefer Autotrader. It's where I found mine. You can even set up alerts when a new ad comes up matching your search spec.
6. Watch the market for a while. Don't need to jump in immediately.
7. Get hooked up with a mechanic you trust. Dealers are the most expensive route, with labor rates 50%-100% more than indie mechs. Dealers also typically replace everything rather than repair. Case in point, leaky hose - dealer might replace hose (~$150) rather than a bad clamp ($5) - happened to me with a BMW.
8. Read up on everything about the car you want to buy. Case in point on 996TT - has it had the press-fit coolant pipes welded or pinned? Does the spoiler work? etc.
9. Get a second opinion when looking at any car. PPI or techie friend that can check for the hidden stuff.

Bet of luck in your shopping!


Question for another thread: Is the market really going up? Should I flip my car?

mark_schnell

Just what I thought! and stretched? who does that!? ...


I stopped watching in Feb. I paid ~$48k for a 2001 with ~41k miles in pristine shape (just pressure cracks in the rear lights).
EDIT: Just checked, and prices look about the same.

43 Coupes under 50k to compare to:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...11%7CTurbo%20S


17 of which are manual transmission:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...11%7CTurbo%20S

FRUNKenstein

Right now is prime seller's market time. Wait until after Labor Day. You'll see prices about 10% lower than what they are now. Most guys in the northern states will store their 996tt for the winter. After Labor Day, they start thinking "screw it, I'll just see if I can sell it rather than storing it again until April." So, a lot of cars will come on the market after Labor Day.

Also, you won't be fighting the tax refund and spring fever buyers. If you just started looking, then take 3 months to get to know the market. I sold my '99 C4 aero in March '15 to a guy who saw it parked outside the auto museum and just had to have it. I didn't have it up for sale - he bought it because it looked great and he had spring car buying fever.

Then, I spent March through Labor Day watching the market. You'll get to know the cars that languish on the market - either they are overpriced or ragged out (or sometimes both). You'll also get a really good idea of exactly what you want in a car - don't compromise on a major factor like color or transmission or you will come to regret it. I got really close to pulling the trigger on 3 cars during that 6 month search. But I didn't get in a rush and wasn't desperate to buy. In the end, I got a great deal on a car that was better in almost every aspect than what I was looking for (mileage, options, mods and X50 package).

As for miles, I ended up getting a relatively low mileage car (it was 13 years old and had 47,000 miles), even though I was fine with taking a higher mileage car. These are really robust cars and a lot of the stuff that will break on them is going to break due to age as much as mileage. So, I wouldn't be afraid of a 100k+ miles car - as long as it has been well cared for.

There is a huge price advantage with a 100k+ miles car and you won't have odometer angst (which I have now and absolutely hate). My '99 C4 aero had 148k miles on it and I drove it everywhere and in all kinds of weather. With my 996tt, I always leave it in the garage if it's raining or worse and I oftentimes won't take it to work if I'm going to be driving downtown or to one of our outlying offices because of the mileage and door ding concerns. So getting a 100k+ miles car makes a lot of sense if you plan to drive it instead of making it a garage queen.

One last thing, I would highly recommend finding a car from a private seller rather than buying one from a dealer. That way you'll get a feel for how the previous owner cared for the car, plus you get to meet him and learn far more details and likely get much better service records/history than you do from a dealer.

mark_schnell

Good point! My search targeted low-mile garage queens, because I intended to treat my car like a garage queen /investment and pamper it. I told my insurance company I'd be using it 2k miles/year. I'm 3 months in and have put on about 1.5k. So now I have "odometer angst". I love that phrase. It fits perfectly.


If I had a 100k+ Porsche Turbo then I'd probably drive it more often than my current daily-driven E39 M5 (which has 148k miles now but I keep it as close to new condition as possible)

911mhawk

My e39 M5 has 142k on it and my turbo will rack up more than it over the summer.

911mhawk

+1^
Easy to run into some hefty repair bills, just make sure you have the $tomach for repairs and you'll have a fun time driving it.

mark_schnell

Wow! We're like twins or something.
EDIT: I just need to get a 997 GT3. Maybe I can convince the wife to park outside ...

How many miles on your Turbo?

911mhawk

77k and climbing in about 5 minutes
I need to move so I can have more car space...wife already parks outside

champignon

Lots of good advice in this thread, to which I would add, "buy the seller," as much as the car.

Find a seller who is so ****, that you wonder how anyone could live with him or her :-) Someone who can't tolerate something wrong with their car even as long as it takes to wait for a service appointment to get it fixed.

That's your car.