sgtpeper

Great feedback so far.

I reached out the dealer selling it. The car is a 2 owner car. He sent me the Carfax report on it... A few odd things:

1. The HG went at 1k miles. Is that even remotely normal on these cars?? At the same time the engine was dropped and they bled the clutch, brakes and coolant system it says.

2. Also looks like the battery has been replaced like 3 or 4 times..

Otherwise, it does seem like it's been serviced a LOT according to the report.

Any other thoughts?

TheDeckMan

Battery replaced from lack of use most likely and not on a tender. The head gasket at 1,000 miles does seem very off.

Dock

Maybe we can just have six "master threads" on this forum...

The "What's the most expensive 996 Turbo" thread
The "What's the cheapest 996 Turbo" thread
The "Will the 996 Turbo go up in value" thread
The "Is this a good deal" thread
The "How do you fix it" thread
And the combined "Picture of your 996 Turbo" and "Here's what I did to my 996 Turbo" thread.

rmc1148

Car looks like a great deal if it checks out, is too lightly optioned and has moon roof or I would be calling. Dock is right most of this stuff is car 101, do a little research and roll the dice= its never a sure thing.

Q's911

I read comments like this all the time and I must say...sometimes it's simply not true. I rolled the dice and bought an 02 with 24,000 miles on it last September. I had a thorough PPI done from a reputable mechanic & the car passed with flying colors. Since September, I have put 13,000 miles on this vehicle and it has been bulletproof! I understand that I might take a hit on resale but life is short and I'm having the time of my life in a vehicle that I adore!

Now, I completely agree that you can be burned by a low mileage car but just take your time and make sure the car has been well taken care. In this case, she looks like a beauty! Get the PPI done and make sure to give a list of the common problems associated with this vehicle and have each checked out thoroughly. If you pull the trigger I would also go ahead and do a 30,000 mile service (Plugs, coilpacks...etc) just to freshen her up a bit.

RClurg84

I really hope I'm wrong with respect to it breaking. And you are correct that life is short, or I wouldn't own a 996TT. But is it normal for a HG to be changed at 1k? I'm fairly new to this car. Also, if everything does check out with flying colors this could be a good deal.

rmc1148

A hg could have leaked/been bad from day one= just one of those things. I love low mileage cars and all said have had better luck with them then mid mile- high. Subject has been beaten to death here many times. Find a car that suits your needs and go for it. The 996tt is a fantastic car.

manimal

to you sir. Makes me feel better about adding 10k miles to my 38k-mile car since August.

my04996tt

Turbos like this with low miles are getting rare. If all checks out it's worth buying. Bought my untouched 04 last Nov with 12k miles, still had original tires. Now at 13k no problems other then spoiler pump which blew 2 days after purchase. Changed all fluids, no issues found. If it's what you want, go for it.

sgtpeper

My final questions on this one - am I really missing out on any desirable options, besides X50?

I know it's lightly optioned, but what's truly missing?

If it was your money, would you go for this or a silver with black coupe, also fairly low options - but DOES have X50 and has 30k miles for 56k.

Thank you all for your help!!

mffarrell

I'd keep looking. I recently purchased a black 03 loaded, X50, msrp $150k with 35k miles with recent 30k service competed at Porsche dealer for $45k.

Freddie Two Bs

Good for you. Not at all representative of the market though.

Freddie Two Bs

If you're amenable to a tune, you won't miss the x50.

Regarding your dilemma, there's a lot more to a car than the abstract miles/options/price combo. To me, the best car is a one-owner car sold by a local private citizen (not a dealer) who's kept every receipt of every gas fill and can provide an inch worth of maintenance records. I'd pay a massive premium for a car like that.

I'd pay way more for a car like that at 90k miles than for a 20k miles "it's a trade in from one of our best clients but unfortunately he lost all records" dealer car, which in fact they bought at a hannover auction in West Podunk.

Evolution

4K added to my 29K mile car since mid-April. No signs of slowing down, ever.

-Joe

my04996tt

It depends what your preference is, a car with very low miles or a more desirable x50. If the condition and history of both cars are similar, and the x50 is only a couple of k more that would my pick. The x50 msrp was probably 15k more,. Tough choice.