It's only money.... I keep telling myself...

I am about ready to write a big check for a small car if my offer is accepted. It will be my very first Porsche 911 series ever!! I will be saying goodbye to my very trustworthy 968. I have my heart (an wallet) set on buying this 1999 C-2 Coupe, Black over Seal Grey plush leather, loaded with aluminum trim, 34,000 miles. Asking price is $43,000. Would any of you more experienced 996 owners be apprehensive about a '99 with 34k miles? It drives out really well except for a clunk sound in the back on bumps, probably a loose strut mount or something. I've been told it has not been tracked. Absolutely beautiful car. I'd post a pic here but I don't know how. Anyway, if anybody has an opinion, one way or the other, I'm all ears...eyes. Thanks, Jim

Is it under warranty?

Jim, You should have that suspension noise diagnosed and subtract the price of the fix and alignment from the asking price. You may want to consider an extended warrantee. Did the owner perform the 30K service. Otherwise, you should subtract this cost from the asking price. Otherwise, a well maintained '99 C2 should give you many miles of smiles.

43k is too high. Keep looking, there are a glut of 996 right now. Especially 99-00 model years. Check that noise out could turn out very expensive!!

Thanks. yes, part of our deal is that the noise gets diagnosed and fixed. I did not know about the 30k service. And no warranty applies to this car.

See Warranty direct for coverage. No affiliation.

I checked out the Warranty Direct site and tried to get a quote. They cannot provide quotes for cars that are already past the manufacturer's original warranty period. I appreciate the thought and the lead. Jim

Jim, chances are you will wind up replacing a rear main seal on the car, sooner or later, and perhaps more than once. I bought a 99 C2 cab from a Porsche dealer with 27k miles and the seal leaked at 33k miles. The case was found to be in spec, so they replaced the seal instead of the entire motor, but chances are it will leak again -- they all seem to, even the 2004s. I would recommend finding a certified car if you really want a 996 ... there are many out there at Porsche dealers, even if you have to go out of state to get one, and the peace of mind is well worth the $1600 or so it costs for the warranty. 99 coupes are down in the mid 30s now in the Northeast, so you're paying a premium as it is for the first model year and not getting any dealer warranty on it. That kind of money should get you into a 2000 car at minimum, with the attendant improvements. And with the 997 released, I'd expect prices to drop a bit and probably fall further once winter sets in. If the seal leaks and the Porsche dealer finds the engine out of tolerance and wants to replace it with a remanufactured engine, I'm skeptical that any aftermarket extended warranty would cover that. They might pay for the seal and labor to replace that, but I doubt they'd pop the $9k or whatever the going rate for the remanufactured 3.4 is now. Just my opinion ... I sold my 996 to get back into a 993 because the car, as good as it was, left me a little cold, but I'm a longtime aircooled 911 guy. Vic 95 C4 cab

Thanks for the words of advise Vic. I have heard about the RM issues invovling a small percentage of the cars but I can sure see your point about have some peace of mind with a warranty. Great points! Beautiful car on your avatar Vic.! Jim

Recently purchased a 99' 996 coupe with about 28k on it w/certified porsche warranty for 40k. Car is bone dry underneath and runs great 30k maintenace was not done so I paid for that. Love the car, body immaculate, tires new, brake pads look new. No complaints probably would have paid another 2k if necessary but warranty was a required piece of mind. Your deal sounds a little pricey w/o a warranty.

43K sounds like a high price. you should be able to get that car for 40K. and that includes having the 30K service complete (if it hasn't been done) and the suspension noise fixed. just my opinion...

Get the "clunk" diagnosed and fixed. Negotiate the deal to the best price you can get and enjoy. I wouldn�t let the mileage discourage you. Problems arise with cars with low mileage also (sometimes more often). As for prices. You are looking so you have a better idea of prices than most of us do. When I got sold my 993 and got the 996 four months ago I was expecting to find a 996 �cheap� after reading this board. I found some inexpensive ones, but they were cars with questionable histories (evidence of accidents) or limited options (it seems there were many 99�s with limited options) or just not the color combos I wanted. The cars with the options I wanted were much more difficult to find and the cost was considerably more than what everyone here thinks is a good deal. Whether the price you are getting is a good deal depends on the options and other factors. The location and proximity of the car also factor into the cost/savings. Fore example, saving $1000 on a car on the east coast vs. a local car, then paying $900 to ship it won�t net much of a savings. When you find the car that is right for you get the best price you and enjoy.

I bought a 99 996 on eBay last Jan for $33.5K; had 75K but a new engine with only 7K. Has been trouble free; now have 80K. If the overall condition is good, go for it whatever the miles. But should be able to get what you're looking at for under $35-40K based on my observations

Brian is right. I recently sold my '99 with 31k miles for $41k. The car was in excellent condition and still looked showroom new (no door dings, scratches, etc) inside & out. I was the original owner and it was very well maintained. The chatboard crowd would have told me that it was worth a lot less based on wholesale values for beaters, etc. I had no problem selling it and the new owner loves it. Both of us think it was a very fair price, despite what the chatboard experts will tell you. Bottom line...if you find the car that is right for you and it checks out mechanically, buy it if you feel the price is right.

You can still get insurance (extended warranty) from the Ford owned Easycare. Very reliable company.

I just bought my 99'c2 a few weeks ago and Im loving it(although I do miss that 964). That thing was a beast to drive. Get a PPI and if things work out, get it. I would try to bring the price tag down to atleast 40K with the owner though. Good luck!!

Great thoughts, great ideas and great responses from everybody. Thank you all for assisting me. I am very happy to be a member of Rennlist. To everybody who took time from their day to help, I salute you! I will give the Easycare people a call. Sounds like that might one insurance policy that will be worth it.....at least to sleep better. I should hear by Monday or Tuesday from the seller. I'll figure out how to post a pic and let you all see my new set of wheels. I am really excited about doing this but very sad about having to let go of my 968. Have a great weekend everybody. For those of you in Florida, I wish you well and my prayers are with you. Jim

I think the price is to high for the miles. I just sold my $95k sticker '99 C2 Cab w/ 21K for $45k. It's a buyer's market, take your time to find the pefect car. Good luck.

I dont see a "glut" of 996s and I was in the market all summer. The commentary on the boards rarely reflects reality and I found two things to be true: 1) For really clean cars, the difference in mileage between 20k and 30k isnt going to make a whole lot of difference. Differences seemed to be a few grand when the spread was like a 12k car vs a 40k car 2) When you are talking about certified cars from Porsche dealers (which admitedly does not apply to the car in this thread), the estimates on car "worth" seemed to be generally $5k off. I know that people want to believe that there is a strong buyers market for 996's and that they have no value, but having just experienced searching for one for months, this really doesnt seem to be the case unless you are willing to accept any color and accept cars with no options and a dubious history. Also, some people I spoke with who purchased "cream puff cars" on EBay for a song or at auction purchased cars with an accident history that was very evident to me as soon as I looked at the car even though they would swear up and down that the car was perfect and had been "checked out by a body guy". Use a lot of caution and have the car checked thoroughly as well as checking it yourself. If the car is truly an honest and clean car and meets all of your needs, price should really be secondary as long as its in your budget and mileage should not scare you off. As for RMS, its seems quite evident after reading all of the horror stories that it is far more likely to appear earlier in the life of the car. In this case, I would say a car with mileage in the 30's that has never had an RMS history (and it's hard to hide), is much more likely to be in the clear...

Bottom line, it's a car to enjoy and not an investment. Finiding a right one, is like a marriage. You can always find a younger and better looking one for more money. So if you like it and it offers everthing you need, go for it. Life is 2 short.

mlambert- I didn't find that to be the case at all. My car was had for $40k in May w/ 25k on the clock and loaded to the bejeebers. It has approx. $13k worth of options and other than two nicks in the paint (that are really hard to find) and one good scratch in the leather (back of pass. seat down low), the car was in perfect condition. I get asked all the time if it is a "new" car. It looks, drives and even smells like a new one. I began my search in March of '03 and these cars were in the $55k - $65k range. They've taken a $20k dump in a little over a year on average. I had it checked out at IRA Porsche in Boston and an independent body shop before buying it sight unseen off of ebay. It gives me a pretty big grin feeling like I'm driving a $90k car that goes like hell! I still can't get over how beautiful it is! There are a lot of 996's for sale. As has been said, drive several and get a feel for what you want in one. That will help you make up your mind. A few grand doesn't really matter when you're getting a car that is the color you want, the condition you want, has the options you want and has the mileage that you feel is acceptable. Getting that "right" combination could be considered priceless. I would say you have a strong chance of finding "the one" once you decide on what you really want. Good luck!

Prev post to another inquiry but the gist is still the same..... I got my '99 996 in mid-June with 38k on it for under $40k. Great care, great car. No problems so far. Clean history and also checked Carfax and the dealer took it to the local Porsche dealership for servicing and evaluation (Bought from non-Porsche dealer.) My only major expense has been for an extended warranty which is essential from everyone I've talked to on the board and all other owners. (try 1st Source Warranty and Ultimate Warranty Corp is the one my dealer offered but I went with 1st Source). I did look extensively for about 2 mos at 99-02 cars which were in my price range and I agree you can get a '99 996 for mid 30's to mid 40's hell I even saw one in Florida for like $31,000 for a 02 C2 Cab but THAT one was just too good to be true so I ignored the listing (it came of Porsche's website search of all places). The key is to drive the car...many cars and cast a wide net...you'll definately get the car you want AND under your terms that way...otherwise caveat emptor DOES apply! Stay away from crazy low prices and in my opinion to purchase a $40-50k car online at auction seems to just be waving your hand in the air asking for trouble (see ebay 99 996 for $12k posting on this board also to get an idea). So remember you DO get what you pay for. Also I did read all you can especially posts on any boards such as this. There is also a buying guide out online for pre-owned porsches which has an FAQ which I downloaded. I forget the address but the whole text is purchaseable at like $40 which is a small price to pay to avoid a $4000 problem you can EASILY find yourself buying a 996 that you THOUGHT looked clean. So far tho...no RMS...no leaks. and my only expense has been $40 for a new set of manuals as mine were not in the condition I prefer and a $100 speeding ticket...NO COMMENT! Enjoy and good luck... rob ------------ '99 996 C2 (mine) '01 BMW 3 series (mine) '04 ML350 SUV (hers) 2 kids BOTH<5 y/o (ourz)

UPDATE! I did it. I have purchased my first 911 series Porsche! I want to say THANK YOU!!! to all the great Rennlist folks who took the time to respond to my thread and express their opinions. It's great to be able to toss out a topic on Rennlist and learn from the experience of Porsche people from all over the world. As soon as I can pry myself out of the drvier's seat, I will take some photos of the car and post them here. Thanks to everybody! Jim

You should be thinking more along the lines of $35-36k for a 99 with that kind of mileage IMO. $43,000 should be more than enough to get you into a 2000 with 25-30k miles.