Considering a high mileage (106,000) 02' C2.

First, the car appears to have been maintained extremely well by the previous two owners. The car was a European delivery to the original owner with a $94k sticker, and the guy just drove the car alot. I looked at the car today and it is in impressive condition. Never been in a wreck, no paintwork and it looks like a 25k miles car instead of the indicated 106k. Even the interior looks nearly new without any visible wear. I am fairly picky and I would place overall condition of the car at a 9 out of 10 with 10 being a brand new car. Maintenance is up to date with a recent RMS repair and while they where in there they put a Sachs stage 2 clutch with a lightweight flywheel. The car also recently had the battery replaced with a new Porsche factory unit and all coil packs and spark plugs were also replaced. The car also has PSS9s installed, aligned and corner balanced within the past 12 months. The car also came nicely equipped from the factory. I think anyone here would guess the car had 25-35k miles on if you looked it over. It is almost unbelievable how nice the car is with 106k on it. It was a two owner car and has obviously been taken care of. I spoke to the mechanic at the Indy that did the maintenance and he was at a loss to think of anything the car might need anytime soon. He is known to be extremely picky and nit picks cars to death, so that was a great endorsement from him. As far as price, it is closer to $30k than $20k, but after looking at it it still seems like a solid deal. What are everyone's opinions now that I have looked it over? Thanks for the feedback. Pat Thanks,

Sounds good to me, but I'm partially to well maintained, high mileage cars. Personally if miles are the only thing holding you back I wouldn't worry about it.

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The miles are definitely a big concern of mine although I feel the car has been well maintained. The items that tend to go have been addressed such as the clutch and RMS. It also has a new set of PSS9s and a new battery and coil packs. I suppose that the engine could go, but that could happen on a 30k mile car. I tend to believe that the more you drive a Porsche, the better and more reliable they are. However, with 106k this car is at the high end of what I would even consider. I plan to just have fun in the summer with the car and do 8-10 track days per year. I know that these cars are depreciating, but I find it hard to imagine a day that a nice 996 regardless of mileage wont still be worth $20k. They are still getting that for 964 models in good shape.

If you feel confident in the rest of the car, then I guess you could follow up with a compression test on the engine to give yourself additional piece of mind. This will give you a picture of the overall health of the engine and confirm that the miles haven't lead to unacceptable engine wear. At this point I would be more concerned about wear than catastrophic failue. I bought my 01 C4 with ~50k miles on it and have put another 40k since then. I've replaced some wear items but nothing major.

a well maintained but high mileage car at fair market value is still just that...a high mileaege car. I think you should keep looking or wait until prices continue coming down as they have been doing consistently. This is a buyer's market don't feel the need to go looking for bargain with high miles...you have lots of choices nowadays. These are not the kinds of cars that come with inexpensive repair costs .

The miles would be a major concern to me. If you go to Autotrader and run a search on 02 911s and sort by mileage, high to low, you'll see a number of cars with 45,000 to 60,000 miles that are priced in the mid 30s. Once you negotiate price you might be able to get a much more desirable car for the money. At some point you may decide to sell the car and mileage will matter.

If it's been well maintained, I don't see a problem with a high mileage car. True this car may have double the miles of a 45k mile car that only costs $5k more - but a 45k mile car is likely to have the original suspension, original brake rotors, original clutch, etc.... Things that a properly maintained higher mileage car should have had replaced. In another 30k miles, the 45k mile car will probably need more work than a 100k mile car - making the higher mileage car a better value.

Pat, I bought a high mileage (153,000km or about 95,000 miles) '99 C4 a few months ago. I had a PPI done, and it turned out that the Porsche dealer knew the car, and verified that it had been serviced regularly, and all recalls done, etc. The car was in the same excellent condition as you have described. I have the belief that people who buy high end cars like Porsches, BMWs and Mercedes generally take good care of them. A well maintained car will provide reliable service for a long time. A 996 with 100,000 miles on the odometer may still perform as well as a new one. The only drawback may be when you want to sell it someday with 200,000 miles on the clock.... ....Rickker

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You know what? I'll bet it would STILL be worth a decent chunk of change, provided it was serviced and looked halfway decent. I think someone had a thread about a "beater" 996 they bought with like 195k miles and some dings for about $11k at one point. I doubt they'll ever go below $15k or so as long as it runs and doesn't look too bad.

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car. What you want, egg in your beer? I believe with a little luck my car will easily go 300,000 or more miles, maybe 500,000 miles should I continue to own it and drive it. Engine runs great and rest of car is not tired either. Sure cosmetically there some minor body blemishes (no rust, corrosion, or paint fading though), but washed up and waxed, car looks like new, from a few feet away... If compression check turns up nothing, if close engine/drivetrain inspection turn up nothing, if oil free of coolant/water and water/coolent free of any signs of oil and rest of car's systems work: power steering, brakes, ABS, A/C, etc., what you waiting for. A car with 106,000 in good condition can be a better buy -- in more ways that one -- that a similar car with 16,000 miles on it... Sincerely, Macster.

Look at my signature. I just sold a 993 with 180,000 miles. I have owned many cars with over 100,000 miles. If it looks well maintain then it is. The worst thing that can happen to a car is its owner. A car with that many miles keeps its good looks on purpose. Buy it! And budget $5,000 dollars on repairs the first year of ownership. You will still have a great deal if you buy it at the right price. Then after you fix what needs to be fixed for less than you planned you will feel even better about the deal you made.

I am not suggesting that the 911 last for 200,000 miles or that it will have some value. The question is whether it is better to pay an extra $5K for a car with 45,000 miles vs 110,000. To each his own opinion but mine is yes. Either way, good luck.

The difference is closer to $7k is you can find a really nice, well optioned MY02 for $35k. In my searches, the MY02 and newer cars are getting better money than $35k if they are nice and well optioned. Around here, MY 99 cars with 30k miles are still getting $31k-$33k and that is for a fairly basic car. If I could find a really nice, well optioned MY02 with 45k miles for $35k and all the service had been done then I would agree that it might be a better deal. As of yet, I have not found that. Also, I know that sometimes factory options are not considered in the basic value that people put out there, but they do make a big difference in my mind. The car that I am looking at is a base Carrera and the sticker was over $94k. Without going into detail, this car is obviously loaded up with some nice options that cost a ton when the car was bought. What value does that add vs a fairly basic MY02? I am not sure because many buying references do not take all of these expensive factory options into account when setting the value. However, if you are buying the car to drive it and not worried day one about resale, these options do make the car nicer to own. I think that as long as the leak down and oil/coolant check goes OK that I am going to go through with the deal. The fact that the indy that serviced it is selling it on consignment for the seller should work out for me also. They have already worked a deal out for me regarding any follow-up work that I want done and I feel that they will treat me right if something major goes wrong early. Thanks for all of the feedback. I am looking forward to getting the car and being an active part of this community. Pat

If you're budget is flexible by $5k or so, I'd suggest holding out for a lower mileage, similar condition car. Really my main concern would be resale on a high mileage car. The car itself will likely last indefinitely if you keep it well. That said, if this car has everything (or most of) what you need, go for it! There's a time value associated with hunting for cars and in essence it could well cost you another few thousand $ worth of your time to find the next "decent" candidate. Good luck!

Not to mention that this car is 15 minutes from my house and there is something to be said for that. There are a fair number of P cars in Ohio, but it is not like Florida or California where you can have 100 within 30 minutes for sale. Not that this is a reason to buy the wrong car, but that is worth at least another $500-$1000 vs flying to look at a car, hoping it is what was represented and then having to either drive it or truck it home.