Considering 100K miles '99

Hi Guys, I'm considering a nice C2 with about 100K on the clock. Been maintained well (and driven hard) but has the original clutch and IMSB. If I purchased it, I would be taking it for a clutch and some kind of IMSB update - whether OEM dual row, aftermarket, not sure yet. Are there any other weak points on these early C2 I should consider? I was looking at a mkii for a while but the mods are really fun on this one (PSS9's, sway bars, aero, etc). Just want to know what I should budget for. Thanks!

I have a 99 with an aero kit and just love it. After reading this forum for about a year, 99's appears to be one of the best years for not having issues, but they are far from having none.

Hi- I have a 99 C2 with almost 100k on it and other than the clutch, the rest of the issues have been the normal wear and tear items. And actually I would consider the clutch normal with that many miles. Car came with good records and history. The 99's came factory with double row bearing, and throttle cable, as opposed to drive by wire. There are pros and cons with every car of every era, and of course the infamous ims discussions. I say if you like it get it. Just be thorough with the inspection and or records check. There are of course weird anomalies that pop up.

I'm another 99 aero owner with 112,000 miles. No major issues like stated above except for wear and tear. My latest issue was a new aircon compressor but other than that, no big ticket items in the past two years. I also track the hell out of it.

I have an electronic throttle on my 99.

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Is that an early 99 thing on mine?

I believe only the '99 C4s had the electronic throttle

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Correct. I loved my '99 C4 Aero. It had 148k on the odometer when I sold it, but the engine had only about 70k. It had a non-IMSB failure, engine died when road debris knocked the oil filter canister off and starved the engine of oil. That happened right before I bought it at about 132,000 miles and the previous owner said it ran very well before that incident. I sold it unsolicited - a guy saw it in the parking lot at work and made me an offer on it. It looked and ran great. I had a couple of minor issues with it (fuel pump went out and frankly I think the rest was preventative maintenance). The really nice thing about high mileage cars is that you don't give a sh__ about running up the odometer - it doesn't matter anymore. I would drive my '99 everywhere. With the car I just bought, since it's got under 50k miles, now I am reluctant to put a bunch of miles on it. I had been shopping for a car with around 100k miles for just that reason - but this low miles car came up. Now, I'm watching the odometer for the first time in years (all of my other cars are high mileage cars), and frankly I liked the freedom of high miles way better in the '99. Once they get to be 10+ years old, how they've been maintained and driven is more important than mileage IMHO. Anything can break on a 10+ year old car no matter what the mileage. I wouldn't be afraid of around 100k miles assuming you've got good maintenance history and a well cared for car. Once you get close to 200k miles, then it would be a bigger issue, even in a well-maintained car.

Paul, What makes you say the '99 has fewer troubles than the other years? The only thing I know of is the dual row vs single row IMS. Are there any other things I should budget to replace as preventative maintenance? I noticed a few of you seem to be replacing the A/C compressor after about 100K miles. Just did a complete A/C remove and replace when my compressor died on my 2002 Golf, would like to change this one before it goes off requiring new condenser, evaporator as well. Side note: This car has this perforated vinyl dash and vinyl roof that is distinctly low rent looking. The 98 Boxster we had in the family had a nicer looking, smooth vinyl dash. Also there is no ambient air temperature reading on the center cluser, was that some kind of option? Why is cable drive desirable over drive by wire? My e46 m3 had drive by wire and worked well! I will say that I feel much more at home in the 996 than I ever did in the M3...nice car, but didn't suit me...I like a challenge when I drive and I think you all do too =) Thanks!

I would not get a 996 without the leather dash and door cards.

Grant, I have a little over 118,000 miles on mine and as others are saying it is a good reliable daily driver that is really fun to drive. Over the years, and all of these miles I have had to replace the following: Brake pads and rotors Alternator Water pump (pro-actively) Clutch (once) Plugs Coil Packs (once) Crank Position Sensor (recent) Purge Valve (recent) Tires And that is on a hard driven car. Original IMSB and she was on the track a month ago at Circuit Mont Tremblant North of Montreal I never gave the IMS issue a thought as I was winding her up to redline.

Over a span of 120K miles that is very reasonable! This particular car I don't think has needed anything other than pads, window regulators, and a serpentine belt. I was told nothing else was changed really, which could mean I will be busy. May need to negotiate over this. Thanks!

Grant, I have a '99 C2 cab that I've owned for almost 9 years with 103K miles. Its been one of the most trouble free vehicles I've owned. I've spent WAAY more on mods than I've spent on upkeep or repairs! Once you get through the normal stuff (AOS, water pump, clutch, etc) you're mostly golden. I had the IMS bearing replaced at 100K with the clutch and, of course, the bearing was in perfect condition. One thing you're going to have address is the nasty habit of foam material blowing out of the vents. Not a huge ordeal to fix, but still annoying. Search my buddy Gator996's posts and you will find his DIY on the subject. Good luck on the hunt!

Drove the car for about an hour with the A/C on blast and no foam bits. I did research the issue, thanks for the head's up! Doesn't look too bad to deal with. Are there any "Musts" that I should have done immediately with a car of this mileage? Thanks guys!

Obviously the usual suspects; fluids, belts, hoses, brakes, etc. Probably will need motor mounts, but that's a very easy DIY that will make a world of difference. I'd also plan on removing the front bumper and cleaning out the radiators. Another well-documented and simple DIY.

It sounds like you're in the same boat I was when I found my '99 - it had so many good upgrades - many of them better than what I would pay for myself - that it was impossible to pass up. My '99 has just about 75K miles and is pulling strong, and I have not regretted the purchase...

Excellence magazine suggests avoiding the 1999 as it was the first year with teething issues. Great to hear here that it isn't as universal as they suggest.

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Not all changes made after '99 were good changes. 2 examples: '99 had cable releases for frunk and engine bay, switched to electric releases after '99. If your battery fails with a '99, no problem to open either the frunk or engine cover, but you'll need a battery and jump wires and knowledge of how to get into the fuse box to hook up the jumper wires to accomplish the same job with electric releases. And of course, the '99s all had the dual row IMSB vs single row for later cars.

I have a 99 with aero kit and its speed yellow! I use it daily in Maryland, rain shine or snow... So far so good.

Another bump for a 99 aero car. Mines guards red with sport seats. It's been wonderful. Just did coils and plugs about a month ago, pia! Other than that, no issues, ims was replaced in 03 at 13k miles or so. I drive it hard and she doesn't complain. I really need to change the brake fluid and bleed the clutch part too, but that is maintenance.

My 99' has 89K miles and it has intermix.

The 996.1 aero is a great looking car and the dual row IMSB has a much lower failure rate. Original clutch is pretty amazing. Also, some great mods on that car. Good luck!

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Is that because of a failed AOS? If so I need to be changing mine as PM.

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Quit watching that odometer! No sense saving it for the next guy drive it and have fun!

My 99 MK1 aero may be for sale very shortly if that other car doesn't work out for ya. Pretty good mods and brand new AC!

Get the cylinders boroscoped especially exhaust side

Gator, Did the compressor go out on you? If so, did you have to replace the whole system? Just went through this on my MK4 golf commuter. Isaac, boroscop ALL the engines or just the one that is getting intermix? I thought the cylinder cracking happens more on low mileage cars.

The compressor ate itself. The drier was completely filled with debris. I got a new compressor, drier and lines. I used the dealer as they have a lifetime parts and labor warranty that they actually honor.

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My early 2001 has dual row... I like electronic release better, no one is going to break into that trunk easily. =)

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Technically, the cable release isn't fully manual and goes through a solenoid still that a lot of peeps don't realize.

Well since no ones going to give you an honest answer, just search for cracked heads, intermix, porous block, etc.

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etc. = "D Chunk" since we're talking about '99's

Damn, KK, how do you reconcile talking sh*t about 99's when Raby has publicly demonstrated an affinity for them? You must, at the very least, be feeling conflicted.

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Buy Gator's car if it comes up for sale. Sounds like he's on the hunt for a Cayman. If my Mk I aero had been guards red, I would never have sold it. Gator and Neto's cars are both outstanding cars. Neto doesn't sound like he's going to part with it anytime soon. The paint on Gator's car will be spectacular - that's what he does for a living.

Gator's car looks perfect but I'm not into red Thanks for the info guys.

I was never into red until I brought this one home. It grows on ya and the ladies seem to dig it.

My '99 with 123k has been stellar. Great car and fun to drive. I doubt they'll get any cheaper before they rise again. Cheaper to maintain than my '04 AMG Mercedes. Plus, the Rennlisters always have an answer for anything that would come up maintenance wise. This is a great resource, lots better than other forums I've been on.

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NOT INTO RED?!?!?!?!?!?! WTF?

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No, it either has a cracked cylinder head or cylinder wall. I haven't sent the car out yet to find out exactly. All of the coolant hoses and radiators will have to be replaced since its been sitting for months without it being disassembled.

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I gave him an honest answer lol.

Hey guys, What is your take on Hartech's cylinder ovalization document? They seem to have good evidence supporting eventual cracks due to ovalization as a linear relationship with mileage... http://www.hartech.org/docs/buyers%2...20part%204.pdf Thanks for the feedback thus far! And yes, I like Red on my Alfa Romeos but not so much on a 911 for some reason? go figure.

bump

That's number 37 of the 500 MOF's for the 996.

Thanks to your guys' help, I pulled the trigger on one finally - 2000 C2 with dealer installed Aerokit. It's in cosmetically pretty good shape but I suspect an engine or transmission mount is bad - the Boxster I own and the other 996 I drove didn't have a clunk when shifting. Anyways, I'll post on that one later, thanks for the help everyone! P.S. also picked up a transmission for my other fun car (AE86) on the way up and carefully placed in the frunk =)

Got a 2000 Aerokit 128xxx . (Original IMS. Clutch. As far I a know at least ) it came with good records of service and maint. Runs strong.no leaks. Undercarriage is clean. Hasn't left me on the side of the road.yet. *knocks on wood I've never had to change the clutch on a car. And Ive always been broke and have never had a brand new car. either. Only 100k jap imports. I just don't slip the clutch. My female coworker though it was "normal" and ok to slip the clutch for extended periods when pulling into certain spots on her car. Honestly I never really ever think about mileage. IMS or mpg until I come on here . I Just drive it like I stole it.

I dont suppose you got a PPI that confirmed the bad trans mount? The manual transmissions are also known to self destruct.

Sweet car. Congrats. I forgot how small the Hachi-Roku tranny was.

I just got a 1999 911 and recently had the engine light come on, my scanner read code 1539. Which is a bad camshaft actuator on bank 2. It's got 82,000 + miles on it. I'm going to my Porsche dealer tomorrow to find out exactly what is wrong. Because it could be the actuator, solenoid, or wiring. After 3+ hours of research online which is why I joined this forum, because it gave me the most information for me than any other. ( Thank you all for that ). I should mention that I got a Diamond extended warranty on the vehicle when I bought the car. If the solenoid is bad I hope they cover it because it is a lubricated part of the engine. Which they told me that they cover all lubricated parts of the engine transmission and certain parts of the suspension which is why I bought the extra coverage. So what I'm trying to tell you is if you buy a 1999 to 2001 I just want let you know that if my solenoid or actuator is bad it's gonna cost $3000 to fix if you buy a 2002 to 2005 996 they changed the location of that solenoid so you can change it yourself rather than dealer. Again I'm a new Porsche owner my dad had a 356 and told me before you die buy a Porsche so I did. I may have bought the wrong year Porsche but I've got to tell you what, what an experience he was so right. I owned a 400 hp Camaro and it doesn't compare to this Porsche. Love it!!!

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Yep, the guys here have great advice. Always very helpful. Don't take it too seriously if someone seems harsh. Your dad was right, wonderful fatherly advice, and no, you didn't buy the wrong year. The 356 has a nostalgic "cool" factor, but the 996 FAR exceeds it in terms of a great sports car.