New guy looking at getting 911.

Hello guys, I'm looking to buy 2000 to 2003 911 for 30k. I looked at some on auto trader.ca around 100k mileage so was wondering what I should watch out for and what services should be done at that point. Currently I drive 2006 Acura TL and I live in Brampton. Thanks, Aspec

I answered a similar question recently, look at POST #2 here: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...questions.html

A friend of mine is selling a 27k mile cab for less than $30k, but you'd have to import it from the US.

There is a beautiful Porsche cab for sale on Rennlist asking $30.My guess is that it will sell FAST.

I want Coupe only! I will check on on Rennlist as well.

Ive got a canadian spec coupe sitting in my garage in Georgia. 99' with silver on black interior. Clean car, 58K miles. IMS bearing done with LNE kit and a bunch of other maintenance. I would sell it for a reasonable offer.

i dont get the cut off date of 2000? you like throttle by electronics?

BimmerBilly, Have any pictures of ur car? 1999 models will do as well.

If your buying a 10 year old 100K mile 996 be prepared for the potential maintenance costs of major components.

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Post some pics of your 911 for sale...

I have a 2002 C4S that for the right price I may part with . PM me if interested located in Toronto. Make sure whatever you buy service is up to date or get a PPI done. You can quickly add 5-7k on the price if it needs brakes/clutch tires etc.

I'm pretty far away from you, but my car is probably pretty close to what you're looking for (see link in sig).

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Porsche/9...howcpo=ShowCPO What you guys think about this car? Dealer said car was raced before and engine was changed(5k mileage) now.

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Nice car but too far.

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Nothing fancy stock/base c2 with LNE IMS/DT40/OEM pump/mounts/normal service for 58k miles

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Take 12k off the price and maybe. I bought mine 2 months ago with 74000 kms all original for 22k. Mine is a repaint but who knows maybe that one is too.

that is a nice car with lots of good mods. not 35k but not 22 either Clearly a track piece. You have the MVL car right? A repaint is not all original.

I was too quick to judge yes not a 22k car with those mods you are right. Maybe high 20's. One would have to do lots of due diligence, the OP said it was raced so it will have some hard miles on it. It has a Momo steering wheel and no driver side airbag so it can't be sold as a road car legally in its current configuration. Yes I have the MVL car. Had it for 2 months now and it has been great. What I meant by original was my car has no mods (just a short shifter). I use my car as a DD so that car would not suit me at all, would be too stiff, too low, no back seats etc. so I would not pay any premium for it. I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

Here is a 997 with a bit higher mileage but for 2K less asking price then that 99. http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ467053805

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Cosmo, I like that car....what about the high mileage? I don't want it to be a nightmare. I went to see another one today at Roy Foss chevy dealer in woodbridge...sold. I've had all Acura's in my family so high mileage never bothered me.

personally i would not get a high milage car, too many out there to choose from. Also make sure some records are available. Chevy dealers are not the pace to get a porsche. Take your time, it took me 8 mo to find my car, i paid a premium but received a fully serviced car that was well sorted not a 160k car. Lots of these cars will have stories, repaints, accidents etc, be very careful these are not Hondas to service. But best of luck and ave fun shopping they are amazing machines.

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What do you plan on doing with it? Daily driver or weekend toy? Porsche's that are properly maintained and driven regularly tend to have fewer issues. That 2005 I believe still has the same IMS bearing found in the 996's so an IMS swap and clutch would have to be budgeted unless there was documentation that it was done already. Service records, PPI and Carproof would be a must. Imo000 on this board has a 996 with 320,000 kms. He bought it as a non runner and it ended up being a bad cam chain tensioner. IMS was still in great shape and no other real wear on the internal engine parts. It was a one owner car that was driven by a businessman and regularly serviced. If the cam chain pads would have been changed it would have never quit.

It will be weekend car only and parked in winter. I'm also considering Corvette since cheaper to maintain...this is driving me crazy. LOL

Two things: I would not assume a Vette would be cheaper to maintain, especially if you find a good Indy to work on it. Secondly, I always preferred buying unique cars from Ford/Chevy dealers. Generally, they don't know what the hell they are and want them off the lot. Just do your research (carfax, ppi, etc). Best story on that front was finding a rare 1995 Alfa 164 at a Honda dealer. They didn't know what it was. Turns out it had an amazing service history from a Ferrari dealer. Bought for $2500 sold two months later for $7K! First car in years I didn't lose my *** on!!

In your price range you should be able to get a MK2 996 coupe without too many miles with a documented history. Problem in Canada is choice of cars - there aren't that many compared to the US. Prices are about the same once you consider import costs. Hard to commit to a car that you have to travel a long distance to see. It's a bit of a catch 22. Vette wasn't even a consideration for me but I could see one for a fun toy. They aren't in the same league as Porsche though in terms of refinement.

I looked at this car today....dealer said will put brand new tires. What you guys think? Should I take it to Porsche dealer myself or them? http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Porsche/9...howcpo=ShowCPO

Looks nice, did the dealer have any service records and a Carproof report?

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Also be aware of low mile pampered 996... I remember seeing Jake note that he'd rather have a high mile 996 with good maintenance than a low mile... I bought my 02 with 90k miles, now has 101k and only problem I've had is water pump gasket leaking. Still runs very strong

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One piece of advice ... FULL leather interior. The plastic interior is a bit cheesy, the full leather dash and doors makes it into a work of art. I personally wouldn't pay a dime over $19k for this one, but the silver lozenge look is not for me. I like the aero kit and CAB top (which can easily be found and add little to the cost) but to each his own. Offer $22k maybe with a warranty? Or keep looking.

+1 on the full leather interior

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That car is a frankenstein turd. I wouldn't touch it, especially for that $$$, Canadian or not.

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Defintely. 996 Turbos with ~50-70K miles are going for under $40K now. I've seen many 997's in the low $30's. as well. Can't make 150+K cars in each water-cooled Carrera series and not expect the prices to drop hard. There just aren't that many second hand Porsche buyers to soak up all that inventory and too many are leery of the costs for an out-of-warranty Porsche. Air-cooled Porsches did not leave the broader public with the brand having a reputation for Lexus reliablity. So it's a buyer's market for sure with no change in sight. They have the pick of the litter.

Maybe this would help in your search to provide you with a frame of reference: I tend to believe (whether right or wrong is irrelevant) that my 2003 coupe is worth $30K (U.S.) and would consider that if offered. My 2003 996 has 59K miles on it, has had many of potential issues addressed (RMS/IMS/AOS/Water Pump/New clutch kit/Low temp theormostat) and and many other upgrades using porsche factory parts (all new factory suspension) and I use it as a daily driver. It has been 100% reliable and I change the oil every 3,000 miles with a high quality synthetic. My car is fully documented from the date of orginal purchase with the Carfax, full dealer printout report of all service, and CPO inspection list. That is the kind of (non turbo/non GT3) 996 that you should be able to find for $30k.

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Those prices reflect rock bottom US cars, in Canada the prices are generally higher. I was looking at US cars before I bought mine, but by the time you add in the 6.1% duty, air tax and other import fees, plus travel/shipping costs it negates the savings in most deals. The big benefit is the greater selection of cars in the US.

You mean the engine is WORSE than the original non-x51 engine? How the heck is that possible? If you want a reliable 996, buy the TT, GT2, or GT3 version, otherwise you will be spending many $$$ for repairs to an M96 engine that techinically can never be made reliable.

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yes we have some serious bargains going on here. And they'll be getting even cheaper thanks to our near zero interest rates and the Fed's actions. This has made 997 owners leaving those cars ahead of schedule to get into 991's that much easier to swing. Which in turn puts nearly pristine 997's onto the market thereby pushing down the price of all water-cooled Porsches. The U.S. market is up to its eyeballs in Carreras, Caymans and Boxsters. If I'm buying, I won't look at a Porsche with more than 50K miles if it hasn't been discounted. Or it better have some major work (shocks, clutch/ims) already done. Most of the prices I quoted were for Autotrader type websites which means they tend to be on the high side. Prices from Craiglist (no middle man) and the forum classifieds are nearly always lower. The few $10K 996's I've seen were from enthusiast to enthusiast sales, which IMHO is how you should be buying an out-of-warranty Porsche in the first place. No point in paying the middle man premium for cars owned by folks who did not look after them as well as they should have. But still $38K, and soon to be less, for a nice condition 996 Turbo that stickered for over $100K and could be parked next to any Ferrari of that day and can probably run 200K+ street miles without any stories. Hard to beat if you can swing the maintenance/repairs. But these are going to be high on any well driven water-cooled Porsche.

Asoec Enjoy the hunt - it'll drive you crazy sometimes, but its part of the fun 911 rocks over a vette IMHO - full disclosure, I own a 911 "Should I take it to Porsche dealer myself or them?" Have them take it to do the PPI, but insist that only you see the PPI so that you can negotiate any findings. You have to pay for the PPI to make this so Maintenance records are extreemely good to have, if they are not availabe, negotiate with this fact Good luck, dude

Thanks for the knowledge guys.....hunt goes on. I will keep you guys posted!!

Aspec- all the best as you hunt down that car.....you'll find it just be patient. We've put together an article which may give you a better idea of the potential issues surrounding the M96/7 engine here: Common Engine Problems on the Porsche 911 Carrera Mark/Pelican Parts

Mark, as more of these are being aquired by real DIY'ers now when can we expect complete engine kits, stroker kits, better pistons, rods, etc. from Pelican? Jake has pretty much shut us down from aquiring any of his parts or kits for the M96.

KK- pm sent