Newbie - first time 911 / 996 purchase

Ok so I am considering moving into the 911 world of repair, oh I mean ownership I do 99% of my repairs and maintenance and have non-911 Porsche experience. I am currently looking at a couple of 996 candidates that are 2004's. One I like very much with 80K miles, 6-speed but it has an accident history asking price is $20K. And buy the way I pay no credence to CarWax - it has very little value from accident history. It is good for tracking how many owners, trips through the auction and how long it sat on the dealer lot (bargaining leverage). I have owned several "bangers" but never a Porsche. The report on this car shows 3 panels involved; front bumper; hood and left fender. To me that sounds very minor but having never owned or done body repair on this body I am not speaking from knowledge. So I welcome your opinions on whether or not to proceed. I don't even want to go down the IMS path on this post, but I do acknowledge that potential issue. I know there is no such thing as a cheap Porsche. My $2200 928 is a perfect example sitting at $17000 without any cosmetic repairs and that is doing it all myself. Of course its not stock either Your assistance is appreciated. Fronkenstein

Are you still in high school? You've never owned a Porsche but own a 928?

There are two non-Porsche 944's as well, according to the signature. Weird. With significant front-end damage, you run the risk of buying a Porsche that crabs down the road. What sounds to you as minor may have involved extensive damage to the chassis. For $20K, you can get a high-mile 996 that has not had the entire front left corner replaced...the body panels you mentioned encompass everything from the driver door to where the bumper meets the front right fender. How many miles ago was this incident? If it was 20K miles ago, the car might be sorted out and all good. If it happened last month... Maybe it was a fender bender, and the PO replaced the hood and fender out of an abundance of caution. Maybe the PO plowed into a fire hydrant and tore up the bumper supports, the radiator(s), and everything else that lives behind the front bumper. I do not believe you have enough data about the car to make a decision - so surely those of us getting this second-hand have no way of divining whether this was a garage queen that had one bad day or a boy racer who put his 911 into a planter.

He said he's never owned a "porsche banger"... meaning a porsche that was was in a wreck.

He says he has non-911 Porsche ownership. If you've maintained a 928 and two 944's, your 996 ownership is going to be way more enjoyable. Ask me how I know. You will find the 996 very easy to wrench on. As for the prior accident damage, the only way to know is to have someone who knows body work take a good hard look at it. Personally, if it was fixed correctly, it wouldn't bother me. That car is 12 years old now - it's not unusual for a car that old to have been involved in an accident somewhere along the way.

Thanks Kmagnuss for actually reading my post. I get the unknown factor of accidents and as Schnell points out with access to the PO's info there is no way to really know what was done or by who. And I appreciate being reminded of the "did it happen 20K miles ago..." or did it happen at 20K miles? My plan was to have it measured on a laser frame machine to see if it is with Porsche specs if I cannot find further info and my inspection doesn't uncover the obvious hallmarks of extensive inner panel repair. Thanks and keep it coming. Fronkenstein

if you are not in a rush, why not wait for a clean, no-drama car that you can just drive and enjoy from day one of ownership?

You are probably right. The car in question is a silver anniversary car; kinda cool. But I hear what you are saying. Fronkenstein

If your plans are to keep the car for a long time the body repair if done properly would not bother me. The problem is reselling it in the future. I find that the people that tend to own these types of cars are more particular than most. I bought a Corvette that had a CarFox "accident", the rear bumper cover was resprayed. It looked perfect and didn't seem like an issue to me when I bought it but the problem was trying to sell it, it was a major pain in the a$$. After seeing the carfax a buyer would either just move on and find one with no issues or try to thoroughly beat be up on the price.

Plus $20k seems a little steep for that much drama and miles. Lots of good candidates floating around in that range. R

I assume you mean it's a 40th Anniversary Edition, not a silver anniversary. If that is correct, I would definitely not give up on that car. $20,000 asking for a 40thAE with 80k miles is a great deal. Those are special cars. Again, I think the key is getting a thorough inspection of the body work that was done. I would definitely get a written report from whoever does the inspection so that when/if you decide to sell the car, you have that report to show the buyer. Let's say you keep that car for 5 years or longer, I think it will be less of an issue. As Schnell points out, the longer the time has passed and the repairs hold up, the less of an issue it will be. The 40th AE cars have some really cool options that others don't, including the X51 power package. If the only thing that is holding you up is the accident history, well, if it's fixed correctly, I'd proceed on that car.

Surroues, yes, absolutely agree. Unfortunately people treat accident victims like they are salvage cars - of which I've owned a few. You buy them knowing you will never recover the money spent but they tend to be far less expensive and as much fun. Based on your comment Rick and others please chime in: What is a good car to start with between $20-30K. I like to drive pretty hard. If I want to putt around I take my X5. My 928 is either broken or in the process of being broken I would prefer as little computer garbage as possible. I have diagnostic tools but I just don't want the hassles and that is why I chose the 996 as a target to start with. Fronkenstein

If you want a cheap, fun Porsche to knock around in - CHEAP - a 986 Boxster is a great choice. My '03 had ZERO nannies other than ABS. Yes, it had a lot of electronics for engine and body control and other crap, but as far as driving, it was a pure little roadster. I still miss it almost 4 years later. The Attorney has a good point about the 40AE being special (IE more collectible - I don't see yet another silver 996 as overwhelmingly special if you ignore the badging and other trinkets). HOWEVER, $20K is dirt cheap for a 40AE, which makes me narrow my eyes more than if it had been a plain-jane 996 coupe.

KC I just found another 996AE. Apparently LA Dismantlers has one sans engine for $9999 or best offer and free shipping and it even has the badge Thanks for the input. I am going to take the $20K AE for a drive after the snow this weekend. Fronkenstein

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Take it out DURING the storm and post a picture!

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Don't worry about wax on your car but Is recommended to protect the pain with wax if they use Car wax or not shouldn't be the least of your concern Sent from my iPhone using Rennlistedtrtfytj

OBTW, if you buy a 911, you'll need to change your User Name to (wait for it): FRUNKenstein

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Sent from my iPhone using Rennlistedtrtfytj

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Hey, thanks for writing the documentation for my recent Amazon purchase of a Chinese endoscope - you do good work. I'm still deciphering some of the text - "put up the USB connector to computer vacant door with great careful to avoid the broken" - but overall it's a fine effort.

I blame the Rennlistedtrtfytj auto correct function.