Buying a 996: older, but less miles, or newer, but more miles?

Am currently looking into getting a 996. There are a few for sale in my area: a 1998 with 65,000 kms, a 2000 with 100,000 kms, a 2001 with 85K kms, 1999 with 70K. Any advice on the years? On the assumption that all the C2s are equipped roughly similarly (PSM, .... maybe sunroof, I don't know what else matters, I think everything else is relatively similar?), which should I consider? Are any years a particular no-no? I know 2001+ had a recall (at least in Japan) for that ... part that supposedly explodes in the engine (the name escapes me now... I've only started looking into 996s like a week ago), but I guess I would want to replace that with an aftermarket one anyway, so that's probably not necessarily a consideration. I should add that since I am currently in a relatively temperate climate (Japan), salt/rust/etc should not be a factor.

I am a new owner of a c4s (been a few weeks now) I looked at lower mile cars and higher mile cars and ultimately bought a higher mile car that did very well in a PPI. For the price I am able to keep a good repair reserver should I need it and at the mileage of my car (a bit over 100k miles) it has had lots of dealer and indy attention and routine maintenance.... All documented. I think it depends on the car..... If you can find a low mile example with documented maintenance and a great PPI... At the price that fits your wallet.... Do it..... But don't shy away from higher miles if all the other check marks are in place. My newbie opinion. (this was shared by my indy mechanic as well!) Good luck in your search!

I just bought a 99 Careers. It has 37k miles and regularly serviced. After all the IMS talk I was more comfortable with this year since it had dual row bearings. Some 2000 models had it but most did not.

99 also has been throttle cable rather than electronic which I personally prefer. I would second the notion of buying one in best condition and solid maint history over strictly miles. Something with over 80k miles and good history of maint is likely to have had some major items addressed like clutch maybe IMS, water pump etc.

i will add that my 99 996 got a new alternator, starter, clutch, waterpump, and idler puleys at around 100k miles. so consider whether similar work has been done or budget what it will cost you (maybe $10k if you dont diy). mine was at 106k before i rolled it (other thread) and ran as great as the day i bought it at 36k. Now that I'm in the market for another one, I'd not hesitate at high miles and even prefer it if it's maintenance has been kept up. I was told that IMS job was $2.2k by one well-respected shop. I was going to do that next on mine just to take it off the checklist. Should have been done when the other work was done, but that would have been a large bill.

The yeaer of the car is secondary to the condition of the car. Milage is not always the best indicator of condition. Get service history on all four cars. If one doesn't have one, move it to the bottom of your list. Drive all four cars. Compare your impressions of the condition with the service histories. Consider how many owners each car has had. Take the one or two you like the best and have them given thorough PPIs. The IMS bearing is just one issue to consider. Deferrered or unperformed maintanence can also be very costly. Chose your favorite of the four, add the price to the cost of all deferrered or needed work on the car, throw in another two to four thousand for things you might want to do...and that is what the car will cost.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Is there a list of strongly recommended services that should be done at certain mileages? None of the cars I'm looking at has more than 120k *km*, so I suppose that's relatively low mileage. Also, all Tiptronic (amusingly, despite having driven a manual for many years, I can't get a manual license in Japan - have to go through a world of hassle, and it's just not worth it), so clutch replacement isn't a concern. To be entirely honest, I'm strongly attracted to a C4 that's available as well, but I'm concerned that it's priced *less* than similar C2s. I guess there's no free lunch in the world, so there must be a reason.

Considering your climate there is no real need for a C4...and t will have more items to maintain which means more costs and it will have less room in the trunk. I don't think any of the cars you are looking at came with PSM (Porsche Stability Management). If I'm wrong someone here can correct me. You should be prepared to service almost everything on the cars (unless you have proof the work has already been done). Change all your fluids...brakes, transmission, engine. Change all filters and belts. Have all suspension bushings inspected for age and/or wear and replace them if necessary. Same with motor and transmissions mounts. Have wheels balanced and check alignment. And after that, enjoy driving it.

Lots of helpful normative wisdom above.. There is an implied question in the Op's request that we have not addressed. The M96 engine benefited from many small revisions to internal parts. Cumulatively these should make a later car more durable/reliable. Some of these upgrades may have been subsequently adopted by older cars that have been well maintained/repaired. So what are all the upgrades any why are they significant? That is a huge subject for another thread that would require input from many experts(not me). Here is one obscure example from my M96 rebuild experience(a mere 1 engine !!). The 2 de-foamers in the sump were upgraded from a 996 part to a 997 part. They look quite different. Porsche would not have changed them if........... And oil foaming is an important potential cause of a Mode of Failure for the M96.Therefore,my 2001 has the later part and may be a little better than other M96 engines of that vintage. It has lots of other substitutions also but that is another thread. A really competent Indie would understand this and may be able to help you find a suitable car ?

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Thing is, I'll be returning to Canada, and would like to bring back the car - I figure hey, if I'm getting a P-car, might as well hang on to it for a bit. Also, I've only ever tracked AWD cars, and judging by how many times my friend's GT3RS and the wall became friends, I'm somewhat ... reticent to give it a go I suppose everyone learns, so maybe the track isn't as much of a concern as the eventual snow and ice. Based on one of the threads I read here, PSM became an option in 2000 or so. At that point, if you *didn't* take it, the car had *no* traction control. Definitely won't track that, I don't think I'm good enough to switch from AWD cars to a P-car without TC. Hehe. That's like quitting drinking AND smoking at the same time, while going through a bitter divorce and being homeless at the same time.

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I don't think your friend's GT3RS and the track wall became friends because of AWD because my info is the car is RWD only. My WAG is the car and wall became friends because your friend is not a very good driver, at least on the track. The C4 is a nice car but the AWD is not like the AWD you are probably used to. While the car can do just fine with *real* snow tires and an intelligent/experienced driver behind the wheel the AWD doesn't really contribute much to this. There are enough videos around that show someone getting all crazy in the snow with a 996 fitted with AWD, either a C4 or a Turbo, and while the rear tires are spinning like crazy, the fronts aren't spinning at all and in a few videos the car is actually stationary as the driver is just spinning donuts in the snow. OTOH, the 997 AWD system which used an actual multiplate wet clutch to transmit torque to the front wheels is a better AWD system. There are vidoes which show under hard acceleration in marginal traction conditions the front tires are actually spinning indicting front tires are playing a more active role in getting the car moving.

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Sorry, I think my message got mixed up - didn't mean to say he befriended a wall *despite* AWD - of course, the GT3RS is a RWD car. He is a decent driver - not a racer, but in his M3, he was very fast. I guess the shift to the hammer-like balance of the Porsche didn't go across well - and that's where my point was, having gotten accustomed to the front wheels having at least some traction, I would be hesitant to not just go RWD, but rear engine, too (which means infinite grip ... right up to the point where grip is exceeded, in which case infinite loss of control). But your description of the 996's AWD system is interesting. Maybe I'm a bit confused as to just how useful it really is?...

Condition and maintenance is EVERYTHING with these cars. In many cases sitting is worse than driving them. I would take a high mileage well maintained Porsche over a low mileage one that was rarely driven any day.

I would rather have a low mileage one if I had a choice, but there is so much more to consider, mileage is only one of the considerations.

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Porsche saw fit to equip some cars of both models with AWD. Given the AWD system adds complexity (across the whole spectrum not just at the car level), cost, and weight, one has to believe Porsche felt the benefit was real enough. However, based on some videos I have seen of 996 AWD cars and 997 AWD cars in marginal traction conditions (snow) and combining this with how the two systems work my preference would be, if I was considering an AWD model, and all other things being equal, I would get the 997 with its AWD system. But I would test drive a 997 AWD system first just to see if there was anything about the car's handling or feel that put me off. Admittedly absent any snow or track time during the test drive I probably couldn't tell the difference between the two AWD systems or even be able to tell if I was in an AWD or RWD car. I switch between my 996 Turbo and its AWD system and my Boxster with its RWD only system all the time and I can't feel any difference in the way to the cars ride, handle, feel that I could attribute to the difference in drive systems.

The OP may find this recent thread interesting? It relates to handling issues. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...our-996-a.html

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Great read. Well, I heeded it and ... went and got a C2 anyway. Found a local 911 C2, 2001MY, 56K kms (36K miles), with partial maintenance records (most recent ones). Going to do the PPI tomorrow, although I've made the commitment to buy the car barring anything outrageous discovered. My impression is that given a) maintenance records are available and b) the car has relatively low (but not absurdly low) mileage, it hasn't had enough history to have developed any poor maintenance history. I saw a total of about seven-eight cars, including this one, and it's the cleanest by far, including interior leather.

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Reads like you found a good car. That you looked at a number of other cars before hand is a good sign you found the right car.

Now, we Need PICS! Congrats!

Update: I did the 1-year inspection at a local Porsche dealer, they kept the car overnight and dug as much out about it as they could. Sadly, not eligible for the IMS recall in Japan because it's originally a European car (imported into Japan), and therefore they pretend it doesn't exist - so no IMS replacement. Ah well, I'll just have to get the LN kit at some point. Other than that, they worked very hard to find things that are wrong with the car. The proposed repair bill ended up being about $3,000. Of that, $200 for windshield wipers, $1,600 for tires (which were about 50% worn, so the guy reluctantly agreed this wasn't needed), $300 for an oil change (0.1L was needed, so it was recommended to change the oil entirely), and some other cosmetics. All in all, the car seemed to be pretty clean. So here are some pics! la880iuh.jpg AoHVHCzh.jpg csbIR8oh.jpg uGIbI9Dh.jpg vmPEcJsh.jpg It obviously didn't take very long for me to go from this ... jBZaeXvh.jpg ... to this. Pmt3x6xh.jpg I was considering putting an iPad mini in there (seeing as I have a history of putting car PCs into my cars going back to ....... like 2004), but in Japan, it's impossible to drive with Google Maps, so a real navi went in. Dash is still mostly open because I still have to run HDMI and AUX wiring...