I’m looking at a 2012 997.2 with high mileage 90k+ and a manual. I’m not worried about high mileage. I plan on driving it regularly vs garage cream puff. Should I be more concerned?

 

Short answer is NO, you should not be concerned. By the way, 90+ is not high mileage in my book. 997.2 MT is as bulletproof as you can get. I am in that club. Consider opinions by only those in the club.
Enjoy!

 

2009 C2S 174K miles

My car has been very low maintenance overall and I have nothing but good things to say. However..... when any car hits 100K, it starts to get a bit tired. My car started feeling tired around there.... what do I mean by that? Hard to describe.... seats are a bit squashed... but not much... interior paint is showing some dings and wear.... etc. The car feel tight but nowhere like new.

You will have rattling, squeaking.... clunking control arms etc. This car is not maintenance free and things will start going. I have no intentions of replacing my car and I am looking forward to seeing just how many miles I can get out of it. Resale value is of no concern for me. I am feeling good about this car going much further. Having written all of this, I would not buy a car with so much mileage. Entropy is real and the stats are not with you. Further, I keep my cars a long long time so I like to start out either new or very low mileage... then maintain the car very well. You have no real idea how the previous owners treated the cars... just don't know.

Just my opinion....... The 997.2 is a different animal than previous models and appears very well sorted. The risks are lower with this car than other models.... IMO of course.

If you buy it, join the community and keep us informed.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

 

I wouldn't do it but that's just me....I don't want to start my ownership at 100K. I agree with Bruce as well relative the the car getting tired. Everything gets tired...hotels, houses, people....why wouldn't Porsches??

Would never be me buying a car with that many miles.

Tom

 

I'm not a full club member since mine is a PDK but I have everything else that makes up a 997.2. The PDK is the weak link in the 997.2 imo. but the engine paired with a MT and everything else is probably one of the most reliable packages Porsche ever built based on the lack of issues reported here and elsewhere. At 68K miles I'm well short of the one you're considering but FWIW, mine still feels strong and tight. No rattles, squeaks or other early signs of high mile symptoms.

As for buying a 90K mile Porsche or any car with that mileage it obviously comes down to individual comfort zones and to what extent one is able to perform DIY repairs. Look at Bruce's 997.2 with 174K miles. No big issues reported that I recall but he does smaller and medium repairs himself. Small and medium issues on a 997 can add up quickly if you take it to the dealership for everything.

Like Tom said, everything gets tired with age. Cars are no different except that other than just age, miles on the clock typically speed up the aging process.

 

Go for it and enjoy it knowing you are probably getting a good discount built into the price if it has received the right maintenance.

Porsche is the best-built car in my opinion. Get a good mechanic that you trust and use any maintenance as an opportunity to upgrade.

Ownership for me starts at around 50k - 70k and I've never owned a new car and never plan to, but I would buy a decent condition 100k 911 any day.

 

My '12 997.2 C2 MT Sport Chrono had 54K on it when I bought it about 2 years ago, my first 911. It's my DD and track car, going to +/- 6 events per season. The "risky" thing I did was buy it from a dealer 800 mi. from home with nothing but a good DME and photos to go by. Was the DME real? Could I trust a used car dealer, even tho the 30 or so other cars in their inventory were mostly Porsches?

I decided to pull the trigger and flew to Dallas to drive the car home. It looked great (had obviously had PPF since new) felt great (way more rewarding than the very nice and modified BRZ I came out of) and it checked out well at my home shop, a very experienced sports/performance/race oriented group of guys, a couple of whom I've known and trusted for years. They drove it, inspected it and remarked on how solid it felt.

Now it's up to 84K and still rewarding every day I'm it, which is basically every day. It's used for it's intended purpose as "one car to do it all" and over-maintained. In my ownership it's needed a drive belt tensioner, a window regulator and a $20 part that pulls the interior door handle back in place that I installed myself. Period. Bruce in Philly is right that it's not the car it was when new and maybe not even the car it was when I bought it. I have sport (not race) motor mounts on it now and a sport transmission mount insert as well as Eibach lowering springs and Bilstein B8s that, together, are no doubt responsible for an occasional but not constant vibration/buzz. To remedy that, I'm thinking about a better stereo.

You're in the market for a high mileage car because it's at a price point you can handle, I assume. So your most important thing to do will be getting a PPI from a knowledgeable shop. I rolled the dice and got lucky, but 100K is different from 50K, if for no other reason than there's more unknown history. A good shop will know what to look for and apply the appropriate diagnostics. If they give give the approval, I'd say grab it. And if it's your first 911, you're REALLY going to love it!

 

Assuming a PPI is performed and no major issues are found, I would take this as an opportunity to enjoy some guilt free miles on an amazing car.

With 997.2 prices trending the way they are, coupes even more so, 6MT coupes even beyond that, picking up a “driver” with some miles should alleviate any apprehension about driving the car and racking up the miles/hurting the resale. I guarantee the guys with lower mileage cars are beginning to think twice about driving them so much in fear of hurting resale, which is a shame but inevitable. To give a personal example. I was very close to picking up a 997.2 6MT GTS coupe about 18 months ago when they could be had for $70-80k. Had I done that back then, I’m not so sure I’d be enjoying the car as much now given the big increase in value. It would likely be sitting more than not.

I think I know the car you are looking at and, given the price it is listed for, I doubt you will find a cheaper 6MT 997.2 coupe out there.

I think it is a great buy if you plan on actually driving the car. Assume some wear and tear items will need addressing, as other have mentioned, but it is a very SOLID platform if maintained.

 

If regular oil/brake changes, options you want, drives well, and price is right just buy it. Accept things could break, just as any 10+ yo car even with lower miles, but it’s a solid design that should age well for this category car. Driving 997.2 is orgasmic every time you start the engine.

 

I just got one at 80k on a 09 C2 manual. I had the same concerns (and still do). But after reading others experiences on rennlist over the last few months about the issues that pop up on 997.2, I realized I can do most of the repairs myself. If resale isn't a worry, and you are handy, I'd say go for it.

 

both my 997.2s have 100k miles, both manual.

I'd buy 10 more if I could - no concerns at all at this mileage besides expecting typical stuff to get old, but otherwise nothing chronic to worry about.

 

I hit 100K miles on my 2010 C4S at 5AM on my way to Werks in Monterrey. I didn't expect an emotional crisis but suddenly I started wondering about, and second guessing, the car. I'm beyond 140K now and will be approaching 142K by tomorrow night. The mileage no longer bothers me. I continue to be amazed at how well this car holds up. I simply enjoy driving it every time I hop in. And I don't worry about spending days preparing for a trip. The car is simply ready on demand.

But owning a high mile car isn't for everyone, I realize. I do find myself wondering how much gain I might see if I replace only some, or all, of the suspension parts. And yet I keep wondering how many miles they will perform for. Are they really worn? They have to be. Don't they? I could turn this car into a money pit!!! But there's nothing indicating that I need to.

The 997.2 IMHO was over designed. Porsche was finally flush with cash and their engineers wanted to show the world what they could do. And they did that. This generation received a major redesign. Excessive (what does this mean?) testing is well documented. And the car stands as evidence that this is how the .2 cars were created. If I were to start again I'd still look for a lower mileage car, but I don't worry driving my higher model example either.

 

The "club" members have spoken, and in some excellent choice of words. (Also a world record in having more than one person agree on anything). An ideal car and if you do all or even some of the maintenance yourself, it gets more ideal and the money saving opportunities are great. The engine (9A1) is not going to blow up, the MT trans is not going to fly apart, the suspension is going to continue to be tight and wonderful and the basic body shell and structure is, well its a 911. They have been building and massaging and perfecting the basic design for 57 years. These cars are hard to break. The fiddly stuff is just a fact of life, all cars have that, but it is more fun to fix those things on a 911 than any other car, Having, driving, messing with and working on a 911 is all a rewarding experience for members of all mileage clubs.
Check it out and drive it home!

 

Just ticked over 101k miles
on my 2011 C2 PDK. Bought it with 91k miles. Aside from maintenance, the car so far has been bulletproof with the expected low speed PDK shuntiness. I plan to keep this one forever and I’m slowly getting around to replacing all the suspension bits on it. By a well maintained one and don’t look back!

 

There is one in every crowd- today, I am that person:

Get a PPI done, and pay to have the bores scoped. Despite what anyone here seems to believe, these engines score bores with alarming regularity. I've seen many "asymptomatic" 9A1 engined cars in my shop in the last year. The "winner" (if you want to call it that) was an 09 C2 Base PDK, one owner, all maint done at the dealer, 64k miles: #5 and #6 deeply scored. Consumed 1L of oil every 1k miles, and peppered the rear valance with black dots from clean in ~50 miles.

~$29,000 later its fixed.

While this is NOT typical for a 9A1, it CAN happen. Don't be the guy who makes a 5 digit mistake for lack of a WELL DONE (comp, leak down, borescope etc) PPI.