To buy or not to buy

I'm on the fence about a 2002 996 base model with 58k miles. The car is in excellent condition, both inside and out. A major plus: the first owner proactively addressed the IMS issue in 2012 at around 37k miles. The Carfax report is clean and well-documented up until 2017. However, here's the catch: the current owner has only put about 4k miles on the car in the past 7 years, and it seems they've only had one oil change during that time (in 2020). Given the long periods of inactivity and infrequent oil changes, I�m concerned about potential engine wear. While the owner is willing to negotiate the price, I�m hesitant about the potential need for another IMS replacement and other maintenance. What are your thoughts on this? Should I take the risk, or is it best to pass on this opportunity?

Unless the IMS Solution was installed, you�ll have to regularly replace the IMS bearing as part of a preventative maintenance plan. I think the recommended replacement interval is around 5 years. How much is the asking price? I would take it in for a Pre-Purchase Inspection. Pass on the car if the seller will not let a PPI be done, UNLESS the price is a very-very-good, unbeatable deal. I would be very interested in knowing the following things before making an offer: - Camshaft Deviation #s - Borescoped cylinders for signs of bore scoring (esp. cyls. 4-6) - Engine Overrev report - Accident history The car having its last oil change in 2020 is bothersome. I�d ask the seller to have the car towed for its PPI, in an effort to minimize engine damage from the aged oil.

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The Carfax report is clean, indicating no accidents, but who knows? The car has spent its entire life in Northern California, where prices tend to be higher, but the we rarely get any rust and cars last longer. The seller was under impression that the oils change should be done every 5,000 miles regardless of time. He is willing to take the car to a shop to have PPI done, but I don�t know if he will want to tow it. He is asking $28k and I�m thinking of offering $24,000 to $25,000, and then have IMS replaced. Do PPI reports on 996 usually include a borescope and camshaft deviation measurements, or those will be extra?

Forgot to mention it�s a coupe with manual transmission.

I would not worry about the age of the oil. Would have been nice had it been replaced 2 years ago but just replace it for the next start. Same goes for the ims bearing. Yes it has been under chain tension all these years, worst case at exactly the same spot but since the oil pressure will have bled away the tension is reduced and I highly doubt any damage can be done to a bearing under these circumstances. Brinelling won't happen as nothing shakes/moves. Whether the 4k have accumulated by driving 4 miles twice a day (=bad) or by driving it 30 miles at irregular intervals (=good) is important to find out by asking open questions.

Did you start it up, pump up the tires and take it for a ride? Hear any tick, tick, ticking at idle? I have a 2002. It sleeps for seven months a year as I go south. I have put 3,000 miles on it in the last 6 years. My IMSB, rear main seal and clutch were replaced at 75,000 when the clutch started to slip a bit. The old IMSB was deemed just fine by LN after I mailed it to them for analysis. This summer I had the Indy replace the water pump, t’stat, AOS (not the ultimate one),coolant expansion tank, and serpentine belt. Nothing seemed to be wrong with my original parts but I tend to listen to GC996 about not being stupid regarding 22 year old wear parts. I also had them change and flush the brake and coolant fluids. Oh! I also had the Indy put original springs and shocks back on the car. The previous owner put lowering sport springs on the car and I went through rear tires like crazy. The car looked a bit cooler being lowered yet I really can’t tell the difference in the ride. It’s still a 911, after all. My bet is that you will be dealing with little window switches, ignition switches, sunroof switches, headlight switches, slack shifter cables, disintegrating foam on blend doors and blown speakers. Nuisance stuff, but not showstoppers. So, good of the owner to get that PPI done for you. I suspect the car will turn out just fine. Buy it, drive it, fix it. Repeat. These are wonderful, wonderful automobiles out of the box. Uh, what colour is it? Just curious.

My 2000 C2 (TIP with 57K) is a garage queen and gets 750 miles a year and one oil change a year. Runs like a top. My IMSB is original.

The above posters all have good points. Get a PPI, pay extra for the bore scope that isn't usually included. If everything looks good, car runs great without odd noises, smoke at start up, etc, then get the best price possible using the old IMS as a bargaining point. Then if you buy it, change the oil and drive it for a while and at the next oil change get an oil analysis. These are well built cars that are durable and a blast to drive.

Yeah, I have an 02 and it's been a pretty robust engine and car. Add in that the one you are looking at has low miles and it sat for 4 years after an oil change may not matter much assuming the owner didn't take alot of 2 mile trips on it in very cold weather. But its easy to check the condition of the engine with an oil test. I would buy a speediagnostix oil test kit from LN and go see the car. Take it for a drive and then get an oil sample after the oil has circulated. If you get the 3 day turnaround kit with the hand pump, you can get a sample in less than 5 min and drop in in the mail and know the outcome in 3 days. The 3.6 is pretty robust. The issues are with three suboptimal bolt on parts which the issues are easily mitigated. All you need to do is (1) make sure you are running an upgraded IMSB with either the LN Retro or Sokution. (2) change your water pump every 5 years or so with a new one. (3) upgrade your AOS and connecting parts. My suggestion is the UAOS. All three items will help to mitigate the risk of engine failure. For sure, bore scoring is the slow and silent risk in German engines of the era due to environmental manufacturing laws. But it can be solved for by (1) running great oil and keeping it fresh, (2) proper start up procedures, (3) keeping various parts like fuel injectors, spark plugs, coils, maf, oxy sensors fresh so your cylinders aren't flooded with fuel. Pretty simple stuff. If i was looking for a 996.2, i would take a look at the one you are considering. Comprehensive PPI with a borescope certainly helps you sleep at night. It really is an awesome car.

Thank you all for your replies; your input has been invaluable. Today, I test drove another silver 2002 996 base model with only 41k miles, featuring a full leather interior. It felt noticeably superior to the black 2002 996 with 58k miles car I previously considered. The clutch was less stiff, and the overall driving experience was smoother and more refined. I'm unsure whether this difference is attributable to less worn suspension components or the smaller 18-inch wheels. Unfortunately, this dealer-listed car is priced $10,000 higher than the first one, which is more than I'm willing to spend. Now I find myself in a bit of a dilemma: I desire the car I can't afford and no longer find the one I initially liked as appealing.

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Keep in mind that you can easily drop $10K....or more, sorting a 996. Just food for thought.

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^^^This If the car is well sorted and all of the proper service and parts refresh have been done, including engine, suspension and exhaust, all of which are getting old and will need to be refreshed, paying $10k more for a well sorted 996 with fresh parts and with good bores is NOTHING in comparison to the $20-$30k you will pay in addition to purchase price to get it sorted. Sure, it will cost you half that figure if you are a gifted DIYer. But the last thing you may want is a "zombie" 996 that you can't drive because you haven't planned for refreshing parts. Sometimes it makes sense to pay up for a car that was well maintained and cared for with fresh parts and lots of oil changes. Sometimes it doesn't if you are a gifted DIYer. There are two key components to your decisionmaking. 1. You want actual service records so you can get dates and procedures performed. Imho, no service records means the owner didn't give a crap and treated the 996 like a Toyata Camry. 2. You want clean bores. Hey, I have owned my 2002 since 2002 and have spent multiples above my purchase price in service, 100+ oil changes, fresh parts and more dependable components that prevent issues. But I can drive my car to the track, run it in the fastest run group hard, then drive it home and take my wife out to dinner in it, and then drive from Chicago to Phila and back to visit family and not loose any sleep. Just some things to think about as you proceed down the path. A well sorted and cared for 996 is worth a premium to many of us.

It's not like you're investing in a million dollar car. Go start it and listen for any odd nosies.....see if it puffs oil on start up.....yeah thats a long time not have have the oil changed but get it done right away and drive it. Take it for a drive and if it all works out offer him $23K on the spot......you have arm chair posters that say do this and that on these forms using the fear factor turning folks away from buying.....put an eye ball on it and if you like it buy it and enjoy it. Remember it's 20+ years old!!!! report back on what ya did!

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Hey, nobody is trying to stop anybody from buying a 996. If it was up to me, everybody would have one. What we are trying to do is answer questions and help Rennlisters that ask about what to look for from experience so they get the best deal they can with the least amout of headaches. Especially when they are on a budget. The problem with every 22 year old sports car regardless of make are the previous owner(s) and what they decided to not do. If you know what to look for it's an easy process.

I bought a 2003 996 C2 in with 21K miles earlier this year in April. It had 3 owners based on the Carfax. The 2nd owner had the car from 2007 to 2017 and drove it less than 1,000 miles a year and oil changes every 2 years per Carfax. The 3rd owner changed the oil every year and drove about 2,500 a year from 2018 to 2024. In 2018 the third owner changed the drive belts, pulleys, IMS bearing replacement, coolant expansion tank and changed the oil annually. I am assuming the belts + pulleys were change due to age. I've driven it 3,000 miles this year. I just brought it in for an annual service and changed the spark plugs, coil packs (use the 997 part) plus oil change. Car runs great. I am planning water pump and low temp thermostat change in the spring. I live in the Northeast so the car won't be drive in snow. If the dealer listed car has had the typical replacement/refreshes for a 20 year old car then it is worth the $10K extra. If it hasn't then it is maybe overpriced a little bit. For context, I paid $45K for my car but it was worth it to me because I had all the service records from the 3rd owner. The 3rd owner brought it to a very reputable independent near me. I didn't get a borescope done but may do that in the future.

I will echo what DP8 and GC996 say. A low mileage (under 60K) 996 is worth $40K. My sister-in-law just bought one from a dealer for that and while it had three previous owners, they had the service records and all the service in its life was done at Porsche dealers.

It all comes down to your subjective value.....what is the buyer willing to pay....shouldn't matter if anyone agrees or disagrees but what you need to keep in mind is what 99% of these cars are selling for. If you plan on keeping it for a long time then great but if it's just s stepping stone into the Porsche world, you might want to rethink the total.

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Couldn't agree more, and appreciate the help most are giving but you must also know going in that with a 20+ year car, one needs to expect to spend money to keep it going. When I bought my 01 C4, I didn't care about a PPI (because they will always find something no matter what - it's 20 years old), records are great to have and yes worth a little extra on the sale price, but in my case I was "spoked" way to many times by people saying you need a bore scope done (which is BS) you need to make sure the IMS is done (less then 2% have issues) you need to have the RMS done....bla blah blah that it scared me away from several nice cars.....so I just screw it, and bought one that I went, drove, listened to, crawled underneath, etc.....and haven't looked back. Yes, I probably dumped $10k into it....vario cam chain guides/chains, RMS, tires, brakes, etc......but I knew going in it wasn't a new car and these are not the cheapest to fix either......as for "budget" reference, not so sure that applies.....they are old but when you take them in for service they are just as expensive as a new one when it comes to shop costs, etc.......thats all I'm trying to say. Again Rennlist is an awesome resource for info, and appreciate all the effort everyone is offering, but sometimes you just have to say FK it and do it. Thats all.

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this is all true, but if you just gonna say "F**K it" and buy , then don't be asking for opinions in a Forum...That's what I say.....

Here is what I know so far: Silver Porsche: The silver Porsche with 41K miles has had two previous owners. It was regularly maintained at a Porsche dealership until the warranty expired. Since then, there are no recorded maintenance records. The second owner purchased the vehicle in 2022 and recently traded it in to a local Lexus dealership. The Lexus dealership performed a basic service, including an oil and filter change, tire replacement, coolant top-off, and engine cleaning. The vehicle inspection report shows no significant issues, such as leaks. While the lack of recent maintenance records is noteworthy, the car appears to be in good condition based on my test drive. The dealer is asking $37k and doesn�t want to negotiate, but is willing to let me do PPI. Black Porsche: The black Porsche has a inconsistent maintenance history, as evidenced by the Carfax report. The most recent owner added approximately 5K miles over 7 years and performed one oil change. A leak was discovered during this service (see attached picture and a note from the shop), but the specific cause has yet to be determined. The seller doesn�t want to go below $27k PPI report which includes bore scope will cost me $600. I wonder if I should just wait for a better vehicle with more records?

Looks like the rtv silicone sealant between sump plate and engine case is failing. Tell tale to me is the 'moisture' creeping up against the engine case/sump walls but the wetness is below that, around the sump plate. Meaning the leak is not further above, as then the sump walls would be wet/shiny black. Also, I think it is not the IMS seal leaking as the bolt ahead of the ARB is clean as opposed to oily black, like the coolant pipe is. That I can count 7 drops of (solidified) oil along the coolant pipe is a bit much.

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Initially, I suspected an oil pan leak. However, after noticing the significant oil accumulation on the hose, I began to wonder if there might be multiple issues. The most recent oil change invoice confirms these suspicions, noting: �Oil seeping/leaking from bell housing area. Oil leak from left side timing chain cover, valve cover or spark plug tube. Would need to clean to pin point source/volume.�

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Just want to bold the above. Over 7 years I've added 14k miles. Some years drove more and changed the oil a couple times a year, as time has gone on it's been driven less and do annual oil changes. Tight asses will keep full receipts/records for oil changes but I haven't, general maintenance is just a normal thing to do, so none of the oil changes will show on Carfax. Heavier repairs yes (maybe? had IMSB and bunch of other **** done at an authorized shop), because those go-to people I trust more for their reputation of quality work. Carfax is a good starting point, but I wouldn't say for oil changes. Feel out a seller and see how involved they are, could be a DIY person to an extent. It's also usually not hard to read the Porsche (or car) people that care, to those that don't too. Bought mine sight unseen from a random used car dealership when I was 27. Had I read some of the stuff on this forum first, not sure I'd be in a 996.

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He told me he did change oil once in 2020. It doesn�t look like he did any preventive maintenance at all. Brake fluid is probably 8+ years old.

His ad in Craigslist states he regularly kept maintenance with Salerno shop, the shop has good reputation, doesn't look like he kept up the work, the IMS is not L&N solution, those are 19 inch 997 wheels. looks clean in and out, probably need to pull engine and fix oil leaks and replace IMS, rear main seal and clutch. I would do the L&N Solution and never worry about again. 2002 porsche 911 for sale by owner - Roseville, CA - craigslist

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During his ownership he had one control arm changed, one oil change, and spark plugs changed (due to a misfire). The car has been leaking for at least 6 years now.

I understand you have a limited budget, but I found a 996 in the Rennlist marketplace that�s jam-packed with top-shelf parts. https://rennlist.com/forums/market/1445518 If the cam deviations are good, and there�s no borescoring detected, this would be a great buy.

The "fk it and buy it attitude" is how so many cars end up on FB marketplace without an engine. You really need to do your homework, these cars have a handful of very expensive failure modes and deferring maintenance can cost you big time. A car that sits that long is a recipe for trouble. It doesnt' need to be driven 15k a year, but if it's really been sitting and driven that little then there could be other problems that won't show up until you start driving it regularly. Most shops/mechanics you talk to will tell you a car sitting that long unused is trouble. The IMS bearing is the most known issue, but a lot of sellers will post "IMS done" without any details. It's only "done" for the life of the engine if you use the IMS Solution. Anything else has a service life. I'd say at least half of the 996s I looked at needed it replaced. Some will argue that it'll be fine. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but it's around $3500 to replace it and a new engine is going to be at least $20k, more for a well sorted one, is that really a risk worth taking? I also feel like owners who put any other option in doing so due to cost likely cheaped elsewhere in their maintenance, so it's a good litmus test on the owners perspective of maintaining the car. You can, if it was. L&N bearing, look for a serial # sticker on the car that will tell you when the bearing was installed and which one was used, along with when it needs replaced. The L&N IMS checker tool will tell you this. No sticker? Look at the oil filter, if there is a line running from it to the bearing then it's possibly an IMS Solution, but not guaranteed. Otherwise, assume it wasn't done. Some year models, mainly year 2000, have issues with cracking heads. Rumor is the foundry burned down and Porsches new supplier screwed up, I don't know specifics, but you will find a lot of 996.1s have repaired heads or will eventually crack especially 2000. The 1999s don't have this issue and 2001 is less prone but still possible. Bore scoring happens more frequently with the 996.2 engine but can occur in the 996.1, just not as often. The only way to properly bore scope is to go in through the sump, anything else will miss the early stages of it. Most shops won't do this. They can also see if there are metal chunks in the oil sump if it's real bad. Cam guides, chains, etc should have been done along with the IMS bearing replacement. Likely the clutch also. The water pump is an often neglected component, when it fails the impeller breaks and chunks get lodged blocking coolant, resulting in hotspots and cracked heads. You should pretty easily be able to see if it looks original or not, but it probably is and that'll need swapped. The coolant tanks tend to leak over time and drip, it's not a cheap or easy swap. Other things just come with the age of the car: suspension bushings, tie rods, damper leaking, bump stops gone, etc. Remember: if the PPI messes up, you get the bill. Ask me how I know.... It's important to set expectations. It's a used car. It's also a used car that cost >$70k when new, so you can expect parts and labor to scale accordingly. I love mine, you may have no issues at all, but you might also walk in and buy the car, then drive out and find out a day later the engine needs rebuilt. It's worth doing your homework and being detail oriented to avoid a headache later.

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Absolutely. I believe that may be Justin's old car. Very nice build with top quality parts. Classic example of an owner that bought a 996 for whatever price at the time ($20-$35k), and then decided to put over $50-$70k+ in refresh items and upgrades. Its a bargain of the century for $43k assuming the engine is in good shape and everything checks out. Even if it needs a rebuild, the refresh items alone will coast you more than $43k. If I had a bigger garage I would give the current seller a call.