1999 Porsche 911 Carrera safety + affordability
08-17-2011, 02:42 AM
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1999 Porsche 911 Carrera safety + affordability
Hi,
How safe are these cars? I have found two used 1999 Porsche 911 Carreras [hardtop] that are both selling for around 19-20k and have 60-70k miles on them. Both have automatic transmissions. I am a pretty new and young driver who currently drives an Acura MDX and am looking to buy one of these two cars (of course after I get a mechanic to certify that they are in good condition), but the car's safety is paramount for my parents to consent to help me pay (and extremely important to me as well). I couldn't find crash test results, though. FYI I consider myself a pretty safe driver, I never speed (at least not more than 5 mph), never change lanes without signaling, run red lights, drive impaired, etc. but I know that accidents happen even to safe drivers, such as a rear-end, a T-bone, or even a head-on. Basically I want to know are these cars safe? Would you let your teenager drive one? I was also considering a 2002 automatic hardtop Corvette, so would you say 911 or Corvette is safer? (I know the 2002 Vette is considered a safe car). Also, I know that the Porsche has a rear-mounted engine; is that an issue? Thanks.
(If you can provide some kind of chart or a link to one, that would be great. I'm particularly interested in knowing about the Porsche's rollover safety and performance when hit from the front, side, or back, but all information is preferred and welcomed.)
Finally, how expensive is it usually to maintain these Porsches? Both have good records according to CARFAX, but I'm still concerned because I heard that the 911 is one of the vehicles that costs the most to maintain. In comparison, how expensive is it to maintain a 2002 Corvette (which also has good records, and is at 30k miles instead, but is about $3k more expensive.) A Porsche 997 GT3 R is my dream car, once I can afford it on my own and can drive stickshift, and I thought a cheap used 911, though automatic, would be a place to start. Thanks.
How safe are these cars? I have found two used 1999 Porsche 911 Carreras [hardtop] that are both selling for around 19-20k and have 60-70k miles on them. Both have automatic transmissions. I am a pretty new and young driver who currently drives an Acura MDX and am looking to buy one of these two cars (of course after I get a mechanic to certify that they are in good condition), but the car's safety is paramount for my parents to consent to help me pay (and extremely important to me as well). I couldn't find crash test results, though. FYI I consider myself a pretty safe driver, I never speed (at least not more than 5 mph), never change lanes without signaling, run red lights, drive impaired, etc. but I know that accidents happen even to safe drivers, such as a rear-end, a T-bone, or even a head-on. Basically I want to know are these cars safe? Would you let your teenager drive one? I was also considering a 2002 automatic hardtop Corvette, so would you say 911 or Corvette is safer? (I know the 2002 Vette is considered a safe car). Also, I know that the Porsche has a rear-mounted engine; is that an issue? Thanks.
(If you can provide some kind of chart or a link to one, that would be great. I'm particularly interested in knowing about the Porsche's rollover safety and performance when hit from the front, side, or back, but all information is preferred and welcomed.)
Finally, how expensive is it usually to maintain these Porsches? Both have good records according to CARFAX, but I'm still concerned because I heard that the 911 is one of the vehicles that costs the most to maintain. In comparison, how expensive is it to maintain a 2002 Corvette (which also has good records, and is at 30k miles instead, but is about $3k more expensive.) A Porsche 997 GT3 R is my dream car, once I can afford it on my own and can drive stickshift, and I thought a cheap used 911, though automatic, would be a place to start. Thanks.
08-17-2011, 03:48 PM
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I have a '99 911 (currently for sale) that I have had for 3.5 years and 40k miles. It drives like a dream. Oil changes are a bit pricey, but if you do the work yourself, very reasonable. Major engine rebuilds are pricey, but I bet the corvette is as well. An older 911 is a great car to learn on w/o having to fork out a ton of money. Also worth mentioning...the average person cannot tell a '99 from a '09....one of the nice things about 911 bodies being similar thru the years.
Tony
Tony
08-17-2011, 04:23 PM
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Thanks. Unfortunately I will not be doing any of the work myself- while I plan to learn how to maintain cars in the future, I've never really gotten around to it yet what with schoolwork. Also, do you know about safety?
08-24-2011, 04:31 PM
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99 Porsche may have ims, rms issues and would be expensive to repair. I have had many corvettes and have a ZR1 and an 05 S. The corvette you are looking is the C5 platform , not as good as the C6 but essentially bullit proof, in the sense that its a chevy and parts are relativley cheap. Tough call.
08-24-2011, 09:06 PM
#5
300+hp and teenager aren't words I put together very often except with the word "no".
I know I did plenty of stupid things with only 100hp and well, having 300+ would have simply been a real issue for me, the ins co and my folks.
From a "safety" standpoint, yes, I would let a teenager drive one, as long as it had a 2.5l boxster motor
Some would say, "the cheapest porsche to buy is NOT the cheapest porsche to own"!
Rear tires = replace every 10-15K miles. Driving in snow? get another set of rims for dedicated snows. Other "issues" exist on these cars: RMS, IMS, Coolant tank issues, electrical gremlins, fuel tanks that stop taking fuel.. then again, most forums are biased about issues cars have but they are also a great way to learn how to fix them yourselves.
Basic stuff- plugs, oil/filter changes are quite easy on the 996 and have pretty long maintenance intervals.
*Maybe you would impress your parents more buy buying a car on your own than with their help. How about a Boxster? ($10-12K) or something a little older. Be sure to take into consideration FUEL and INSURANCE costs too.
I know I did plenty of stupid things with only 100hp and well, having 300+ would have simply been a real issue for me, the ins co and my folks.
From a "safety" standpoint, yes, I would let a teenager drive one, as long as it had a 2.5l boxster motor
Some would say, "the cheapest porsche to buy is NOT the cheapest porsche to own"!
Rear tires = replace every 10-15K miles. Driving in snow? get another set of rims for dedicated snows. Other "issues" exist on these cars: RMS, IMS, Coolant tank issues, electrical gremlins, fuel tanks that stop taking fuel.. then again, most forums are biased about issues cars have but they are also a great way to learn how to fix them yourselves.
Basic stuff- plugs, oil/filter changes are quite easy on the 996 and have pretty long maintenance intervals.
*Maybe you would impress your parents more buy buying a car on your own than with their help. How about a Boxster? ($10-12K) or something a little older. Be sure to take into consideration FUEL and INSURANCE costs too.
