Intro, looking for a carrera and advices

Greetings everyone, After almost a year of waiting, I believe I'm getting close to making a move to purchase a 911. I've been on this forum for a while now reading almost everyday, but never felt I should post anything unless I actually own one. I also posted on the 997 forum but this one will be asking about the 996s. A quick intro of myself. I have never had a 911 before, although I'm not completely new to Porsche either. I probably read almost every single article/post that there is for the 996/997 online for the past 2 yrs so although I don't have a 911 I like to think I do know a bit about the potential issues, pros, cons, etc. I had a 987.1 Cayman S for about 2 years, I sold it last year in June (on my birthday ) in order to save up a bit as I was thinking about buying a house (20% down). Now that I finally settled on a closing date and have been saving for close to a year, I feel I am close to ready for another porsche. At first I thought about the 987.2 cayman, but I really wanted to try out the carrera. Models that interest me are: 996 4S, 996 turbo, and the 997. I have set my current budget to be at $45k max, but for a 996 (C4S), I probably would like to stay below $40k and save the $5k for the unexpected since it's an older car. Please throw in your opinions on between the C4S and Turbo, given my limited financial resources. I have a few questions that any advice would be greatly appreciated: 1. With my current budget of $45k max, would I be able to find a decent/well cared for 996 Turbo? 01 cars are not completely out of consideration but I would prefer an 02 or 03. I do want a manual and that's probably my only "must" feature. Color wise my top choice is silver, followed by grey. Not too crazy about black, and yellow or red will be a bit much for what I like. I prefer for the turbo to be under 50k miles. Looked online everyday, and nice 02-03 turbos are still going for $50k+. How much negotiation room is there? 2. For the C4S, I would then really like to find a good one for around $35k + or - (around 40k-50k miles), as I plan to do the IMS upgrade and RMS & clutch while in it(or the IMS solution), bringing it up close to $40k in total. I know many of you here would say IMS upgrade is not needed, waste of money, etc, but as it will be my 1st 911, my comfort level is not as high as most of you, and $20k for a new engine is quite a lot for me. Question is, any good C4Ss that could be had for $35k? I look online frequently and the few ones I'm interested in just by looking (decent mileage, clean carfax, no mods, etc to start off) are still asking $40k ish. 3. I live in Atlanta and suprisingly I don't see many 996s (4S or turbo) within driving distance for me to check out. Most cars are remote distance. I have no experience dealing with potentially buying remotely. How would you guys approach this? I can certainly call up the dealerships and start the conversation, but just wondering if any of you have any advice on how to purchase a car out of state, how to negotiate on price remotely, arrange PPI to be done correctly, and avoid any kind of fraud or miscommunication? 4. Since these cars are approaching 10-11 yrs old now, can I still get an good extended warranty on them? I do have budget for like $1-2k/year for if things go wrong, but was wondering if it's worth it to just get the extended warranty, espeically after doing the IMS upgrade/solution. To sum it up I'm more likely going to seek out 02-04 C4S or Turbo. The only reason for this is because of the looks. I don't mind the narrow body too much, but can't get myself to like the regular C2 taillights/bumper on the 996. Also the turbo style front bumper is very nice. I do like the headlights on the 996.(surprise?) What do you guys think/recommend? for a max of $45k (including everything) do you guys think I should wait until more funds are available? I am willing to be patient this time and don't want to get in an average/poorly maintained 911 just for the sake of owning one. Thanks for reading my long post and many thanks in advance.

I think with a $45k budget finding a nice 02 Turbo is a fantastic choice. Better engine than a 997 naturally aspirated engine, and fast as hell. If I were to buy all over again (I bought an 02 996), I would forked out the extra $$ and gotten a 996 Turbo. I mean I love my car, but there's nothing like a Turbo.

1) I think you can find a TT with 35-50K miles in that price range. 2) I would just do turbo at that point. Rock solid engine, no IMS to worry about and more HP and better resale. Only negative to TT would be cost of onwnership might be higher on maintenance, certainly tires, insurance. 3) PPI is your friend. I bought my TT remote. You can also get a good feel for one and then travel to go see it. Its done all the time, you just have to get to know who you are buying it from first. This will come naturally. I used a shipping service to get it to me, but many just drive them back. Might want to keep it to a 500 mile range to make it easier. 4) Yes. I have a Fidelity warranty on mine - great company. PO had it and it transferred to me. They cost about $2.5-3.5K depending on coverage and deductible. If you got IMS done by dealer they warranty all work for 2 years.

From the experiences of a friend who is running a slightly high mileage turbo (80k) I think the maintenance and repair costs are higher than that for a Carrera or C4S. Of course every car is different. And the turbo is a rocketship. It just seems like everything costs much more to deal with. My choice for a higher cost 996 would be a 40th Anniversary model. Hard to find, but perhaps the best overall 996.

I think you should be able to find a nice C4S or turbo in your price range if you keep looking around. You might consider being flexible on mileage. Cars with a few more miles are less expensive, and they supposedly have fewer IMSB issues (although this isn't an issue at all on a turbo). Personally, I think the 996 C4S is the best looking variant of all 996s. The power of the turbo is certainly attractive, but you really have to decide what you want. Keep in mind that the turbo was only made from 2001 - 2005 and the C4S was only made from 2002 - 2005, so there aren't as many of them available as the C2 and C4 variants. There are a few other things that I'd keep in mind. First of all, you're looking at a car that's 10 or more years old. Even a perfectly maintained car will have things that wear out and things that simply deteriorate over time. Therefore, I'd make sure that you don't stretch yourself so much that you can't afford routine maintenance and unexpected repairs. To give you some real world numbers, here's what I've spent on my car for the last few years in maintenance and consumables (I drive about 10K miles per year): - 2007: $2,394.45 - 2008: $2,133.28 - 2009: $3034.86 - 2010: $1,470.34 - 2011: $5,585.66 - 2012: $6,815.43 - 2013: $263.28 YTD Keep in mind, these numbers include tires, brakes, etc. These things can add up. My car is maintained meticulously. If you find one that hasn't been maintained properly, your maintenance and repair costs could be higher. Another thing to keep in mind is that a car in this age range will need some things replaced, even if it has low mileage. You need to factor this into your purchase price. The tires may have plenty of tread left, but if they are more than five years old then they need to be replaced. Look over a car carefully before you purchase. Personally, I wouldn't buy a car without full maintenance records. Finally, I'd be wary of Carfax. It's a tool you can use, but it's not always accurate. Just because Carfax doesn't show an accident reported, that doesn't mean the car hasn't been in an accident. I bought my car in California (I lived in Indiana at the time). I bought it from a fellow PCA member, and I found it on the PCA website at The Mart. This worked very well for me, and generally PCA members maintain their cars pretty well. You might consider that if you're a PCA member. I had a PPI done remotely at a local dealer and I flew out and bought the car in person. I drove it home (2,200+ miles), which was a great experience. Good luck with your purchase and enjoy the process!

Quotes source post: 10284381

+1. Find a good local indy and be prepared for miles of smiles.

^ +2

Quotes source post: 10284441

+1 for the 40th! I wanted a c4s originally also due to the widebody look. Researched some more and decided the 40th had other things I wanted (LSD, x51, full leather). Plus there's no snow here, and it's not my DD, so rain isn't a big deal for me for the AWD. Thought about the TT (bang for the buck!), but thinking it's just more stuff to break, fix and costs more money too for those things. Either way, can't go wrong! Fun cars to drive!

With $45K in your pocket dont screw around with anything unless it has the mezger engine in it. Even if you have to come up with another $5k. Or stretch a little further and go 997.2 with the 9A1. Or go the other extreme and get a super cheap 996 and just enjoy the hell out of it until it blows up (mine hasnt blown up yet). But whatever you do, get the C4S out of your head if you are going to drop $40K.

^ couldn't have said it better myself. People claim that TT maintenance prices are higher yada yada have never owned a TT before. There is a bit more labor taking the intercooler off and working around the turbos for sure but the rewards are worth it. Brake pads and discs are also bit more expensive but how often do you change those? There a few mid to high mileage TTs in the vehicle for sale section right now way under your $45K budget just on Rennlist. Pick a relatively stock car with the big ticket items done (suspension and major maintenance due if any.) Typical items that wear out are slave clutch accumulator and rear spoiler actuator. Few trannies may have a bad 2nd syncro but that is it. Get a good PPI and you are golden.

By the way, my post wasn't meant to steer a prospective buyer away from a C4S. I love my C4S, and I would buy another. I just wanted to give a real world example of potential maintenance and repair costs. I don't think a turbo would really be any more expensive to maintain or repair than a C4S. The use the same brakes, same tires, etc. Most of the repair items on my vehicle (not all) are items that are common between C2, C4, C4S and turbo.

My only advice is do not sacrifice - get the model you like most. There are pros & cons to all of them. Oh, I most importantly - drive all the models - they all have a different feel.

Quotes source post: 10284367

I have an 02 C4S for sale right now. It's listed on here in the for sale section (eBay, CL and Cars.com as well) It's as clean as you'll find and it's listed at $32K (77k on chassis 35K on engine) Silver, full mait records, PPI welcome, etc.... I'm a days drive from Atlanta, just south of Philadelphia. Make me an offer. That said I understand wanting a turbo, but I gotta say, the C4S has plenty of punch for me. I guess it depends on what you're looking for in a car but I think I'd of killed myself in a turbo by now

Hi php, I am interested in hearing comments of 996 Carrera from ex Cayman S owner. I always find the 997 grew a bit too big (991 is even worse) and prefer narrow body Porsches. I like the 996 MkII and CaymanS but the latter is slightly out of my price range. I am wondering if you have test driven many 996 and what do you think about it compare to 987 CaymanS. Thanks Stephen

I can't comment too much on the ongoing maintenance costs as I've only had my C4S for just under a year. However, it's a 2004 that I bought for under $40K with 27K miles on it. I have loved every single day of ownership thus far but I did get a little "worried" with all of the IMS talk. So I bit the bullet last week and had the IMS retrofit done, the AOS, was planning on doing the RMS but the mechanic said it was dry and had been done once already so didn't have to. I did do the clutch although it didn't need it yet, but since the transmission was already out, I figured why pay for the same labor all over again in a year or two. I'm still under your $45K budget with room for new tires. I've never owned a Porsche before this but it's always been my dream car. I would have loved a turbo but with my budget at the time, the C4S I found (with so few miles and perfect condition) was just too hard to pass up. I have no regrets either. One day I'll get a turbo, but for now I couldn't be happier. I have almost all of the great looks of a turbo just lacking some power, but believe me....it's got more than enough to make me smile ear to ear every time I punch the throttle. Good luck with your search. I searched for almost a year before I found the right car for me...yours is out there too.

Thanks, still looking so far, and still debating between all three models! (996 4S, 996 Turbo, and 997.1)...it seems I haven't made any progress at all.... Regarding the driving experience between a 996 and the Cayman S...I only test drove one 2002 996 C2 breifly (when I still had my cayman), and here's a few thoughts: 1. Acceleration didn't feel any quicker in the 996. I think it has 10-15 more hp, but then a 996 is heavier, so ended up being almost equal. The accel did not wow me in a regular 996 C2, but I wasn't expecting it to. 2. I'm quite sure the cayman handles better, although I didn't rip the 996 through corners. 996 felt much bigger and it is, but I was looking for the extra interior space. 3. From the inside 996 has a lot less noise. Good for daily casual/long trips but not as good when you really want to do some spirited driving or hear the engine note. 4. The interior of the 996 looks better in person than I thought. Everytime I see 996 pics online I hate it, but looking at the actual car I feel differently, especially towards the leather seats. The center dash however is still too plastic-y when compared to the cayman/997.1 interior. 5. Clutch felt heavier in the 996 (and the cayman clutch is already heavier than 95% of the cars out there), but I like it that way Overall, cayman S is pure sports car, and the 996 is a sports car with more comfort. Really depends on what you're looking for. I didn't mind doing my daily commute in the cayman, but definitely wished for a carrera when I was on road trips lol.

Quotes source post: 10296725

very surprised your mechanic didn't change the RMS - its an $18 part and takes 2 minutes to change - even if it "looked" dry it IMO since the engine was out, it should have been changed

Quotes source post: 10297328

I gotta disagree on that. As long as the RMS is the "new" 997 version & not leaking leave it alone especially if the installer doesn't have the Porsche tool to use.

Still looking, but a quick question for you all. How many of you bought extended warranties on your 996? I wasn't considering a narrow body 996 previously, but saw one and seems to be a good deal and loaded with some good options, so I might go take a look tomorrow. If I do decide to get it, I will do a through PPI, ask porsche to run a rev report, and afterwards will do the IMS upgrade, RMS, and probably clutch as well. Was just wondering after doing all the above, what do you guys think about getting a extended warranty? Worth it or should I just save up the money and hope nothing serious happens?

If you're a DIY kind of guy past just doing oil changes, then the extended warranty might not really be worth it. On the other hand, if you plan on having someone do all the work, it will definitely pay for itself, especially on higher mileage cars or cars with unknown maintenance history. Are you a PHP guy? I just got done with a Drupal 7 project. It went really bad since no one was an expert. lol

PHP, I recently just went through a very similar scenario in my search. I'll be happy to share any details I came across that may help. Shoot me a PM Brett

Quotes source post: 10322895

Unfortunately I don't see myself as a capable DIY guy in the near future. I know quite a lot about these cars just from reading all there is online, but when it comes to actually doing it myself, I don't think I have the ability to do so just yet. I would definitely consider doing the oil changes myself, but as for other stuff I will have to take it slowly and carefully, so I don't wreck the car lol. No I know nothing about PHP language. That is just short for my name lol. I'm in finance.

Quotes source post: 10297197

php I agree. I hear others dissing the 996 interior all the time but I really like it. Especially with the full leather option. I love my 2001 and if you get a great deal on a Mark 1 car then I would give it serious consideration. Good luck.