Is a low mileage salvage/rebuilt title 996.2 worth taking a chance?

Looking at a low mileage (33k) 2002 996.2 with a rebuilt title that is being sold by a local shop with a great reputation. If I bought it and drove it for 5-10 years do you think the rebulit title will matter much down the road? I don't expect to make money but would want it to be re-sellable at some point.

Granted that you don't have any issues with insuring the car (I know some insurance companies could make it more difficult or impact coverage) and you don't care about future resale value in 10 years I'd say go for it. Do you know why it was branded with a salvage title? That might make a big difference.

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Front bumper and fenders replaced due to accident.

If the price is low enough for the condition of the car (cheap enough so it's not an investment), I would drive it like you stole it for a few years. However, if the car needs substantial work to get it drivable, I personally would pass.

If the work has been done by the reputable shop, then I'd consider it. I'd probably ask to see photos and really inspect it. You don't want any hidden frame damage, etc. At this point it's not an investment, frankly, few 996 cars are, but could make a fantastic driver that you can enjoy without any worries. A detailed PPI by another shop would be a good place to start.

I'm with flipnidaho. This is a Porsche. Parts and maintenance costs are the same whether its a rebuilt or salvage title. Unless they have replaced all the worn suspension parts and remediated the IMS bearing, you may face some significant maintenance costs. If you keep it for 5 years and want it to be re-sellable, this will end up costing you a lot because the next seller is going to want to see that everything has been kept up. The shop that is selling it may reasonably know that they are facing the same thing and would like it to be someone else's problem. The most expensive Porsche is the one that initially costs the least. I didn't make that up but it fits.

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I'm being told the car is in immaculate condition. Looks like new OEM condition inside and out. This is from a shop that many here would know and respect. Another highly respected shop people here know also vouches for the seller. The only "issue" is that the tires are flat spotted from sitting. The damage almost looks like something fell on on it. Exactly what I'm looking for.

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If the mechanical bits check out ok during a PPI and she drives straight, I say it might be a great deal for a car you can flog without worry. The tires can be easily replaced. Having said that, the lower mileage 996s typically have more unresolved issues than the higher mileage units that have had many bits replaced through it's life so definitely go with a PPI.

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Reiterating this. I was looking at a salvage title car at one point, and it was going to cost about $1200 per year to insure with something other than just liability. The clean title car I wound up getting was only $200 per year for the same level of coverage. I also ultimately think that if you plan on keeping the car long term that the branded title shouldn't be a big deal. If you only plan to keep it for 2-3 years, don't even bother. Reselling it will be a huge pain.

I have rebuilt six salvage titled cars, including two 1999 996s. The only problem that I ever had selling them, was that I didn't want to part with them. I still have the second 996 that I rebuilt and will probably never part with it. The first 996 that I owned was salvaged due to an engine fire. The one that I currently own had a dashboard fire due to an aftermarket stereo install. Every salvage titled car that I bought came from the insurance auction site, IAAI. The only exception is the 996 that I currently own. It came from a fellow Rennlister. I learned to document every aspect of my rebuilds with extensive photographs. The cars that I sold, I priced near the bottom of the market for non salvage titled cars. You can not get traditional auto financing on salvage titled cars. If you need a loan to purchase, it will have to be an unsecured or signature loan. In the 23 years that I have owned salvage titled cars, I am yet to find an insurance company that cares about the salvage title (three different companies....State Farm, AAA, and Progressive). I currently own three salvage titled cars and four clear titled cars. The rates are the same. The biggest issue that I discovered with salvage titled cars is the amount of damage caused by the fork lift at the insurance auction site. My Range Rover is built like a tank. You can't tell that it was ever lifted by a forklift. The first 996 that I rebuilt had the floor caved in, where it was lifted. My current 996 never left the dealership, so it was never lifted by a forklift. I personally would not buy an accident damaged salvage titled car, without first seeing pictures of the car after the accident and before it was repaired. I would never buy another flood damaged car. If the car that you are interested in is priced at the bottom of the market and it qualifies as a bargain, go for it. A PPI from another shop is a fantastic idea. If the seller won't agree to that, walk away. Good luck!

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A bit of a perspective the 996 cars were really deprecated by most standard insurance companies back in the 2010-2016 timeframe so that it did not take much to call them totaled for settlement purposes. As previously mentioned the cause of the rebuilt title does matter to the market, fire, congratulations to the poster who rebuilt that one, water damage fresh or salt, will be more of a hit to value then properly repair body work. Also I am not sure I saw you mention model, a six speed coupe with some good options will help the value hold. A low mileage car always receives more attention and value in the market but also needs to have traditional flaws addressed such as IMS and RMS in order to drive with confidence but remember you drive off that low mileage value with every enjoyable cruise. So my thought is if it is a good car for you negotiate the best price you can and just enjoy the expierence there will always be a buyer when you decide to sell and no one can predict the market in the future. Rich

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Front bumper and fenders isn�t enough to total a lower mileage 996. There�s more to the story. I�d avoid any car that�s been sitting regardless of title status.

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It is a 6-speed coupe. The seller is supposed to be sending me a picture of the option code sticker. It will need all the 996 issues addressed as far as I know.

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I don't know, with the way insurance companies operate. They low ball the actual value of the car and then declare it totaled based on 65%-75% of that value versus repair cost. With the cost of Porsche parts and exorbitant body shop costs, it's not much of a reach to get totaled. A lot of good cars get written off for what amounts to minimal damage because of this lopsided equation. If OP can verify the actual damage and repairs, and if the selling price already has the bad title baked in, it might be a good buy.

Working in the Accident Management arena for 30 plus years I can say the settlement process through a standard insurance carrier is an interesting world. Each carrier establishes their ACV value of a car through a convoluted process unique to each carrier to support their actuary tables. There are legal processes that a claimant can go through in the subrogation process to recover additional value but that usually takes assistance from a professional claims subrogation effort, there are in fact programs that are operated by PCA members. The Agreed Value coverage programs are a good protection from this situation but even that market has tightened up their requirements shying away from Porsches and other high market cars if to new or used as regular transportation. Always good to reach out to your agent or carrier before buying any car to get an insurance coverage estimate. Rich

Always easier to buy a rebuilt title car vs. selling. I bought one for my daughter years ago, it was rebuilt and titled in WI, we brought it to IL and the amount of hoops that I had to jump through to get it registered was crazy. Brought it to a inspection facility and the IL state police station. A lot of VIN checks of replaced parts. Would not do it again, at least for a "regular" car. Best of luck

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The car is registered in NE and I'd be registering it in IA. No inspections in IA. I believe it if was registered in another state IA accepts that. Worth checking to be sure though. Thank you for your input! Going to see it in person on Monday!

New here and new to 911 ownership and just bought a 2002 Targa 6 speed, 98k miles with a salvage title. Maybe I was lucky but I think i scored the deal of 2026. Found the car on FB marketplace in houston for 9k which has to be the cheapest 996 6 speed in the state. I drove down with a trailer to look/buy the car. Body is rough. Paint fading and at some point in its life they scrapped the Targa glass top and welded in a Carrera roof panel, badly. They used a sunroof roof panel and welded a plug in the sunroof hole and the body filler and such is very poor and cracking. So I ordered a new steel roof and am having it replaced. Hence the 9k sale price. Tires had flat spots also. The Carfax on mine shows not only one total out but two. One for a fender bender in 2012 and another for being ran in to a ditch in 2016. I gambled and bought it anyway. I have to say maybe im lucky but this car runs like a champ. Zero engine issues or CEL and the 6 speed is smooth as glass. I did the standard things i do on every car i buy which is change every fluid in the car (Engine/trans oil, coolant, brake fluid, etc). Its going to need a few more things (brakes as the rotors look fairly rough) and it needs new struts all the way around (ordered some HC coilovers) and it gets new Sport cup 4's tomorrow. For me a salvage title didnt scare me because I enjoy working on cars and have all my life. Most of that has been on american muscle cars but I have grown up from screaming throaty v8s and drag racing. I guess what I am getting at is I took the plunge because I could completely disassemble this car to every last nut and bolt and put it back together again. Plus I have a lift in my garage and 30 years worth of tools.

Congratulations Finkus68! You sound like the perfect kind of car enthusiast to buy a salvage titled car. I would not recommend buying one, if you are not comfortable turning a wrench. I would enjoy seeing how your car turns out. SD Porsche Fan, I hope you post pictures of the car that you are looking at. Good luck! These are my two salvage titled 99 996s, that I rebuilt. The vesuvio grey car had an engine fire. It was a tiptronic and I reluctantly sold it, after I bought the iris blue car. The iris blue 996 had a dashboard fire. It is a six speed with factory LSD, and an OEM aerokit, that I installed.

It is being sold by a high end restoration shop for one of their clients. I'm being told that any signs of repair are undetectable.

A high-end restoration shop wouldn't leave the bolts missing and the driver side plastic form uncovered. I mean they could be a high end restoration of some part of the car, but its missing bits here.

Yeah, if that's the attention to detail for easily visible stuff imagine how much care was taken on the rest of it. Pass.

Beautiful car, with a great color combination. I hope that you are able to negotiate a fantastic deal on it. Good luck.

Fellas, I think the resto shop is acting as agent not seller. That said, if I’m brokering for someone through my storefront, I’m making dang sure the item is squared away. Reputation is a tough “restoration” to complete.

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He had all the missing pieces today. The pics were taken by the owner, not the shop. Correct! They did not do the body work. The seller is having them prep for sale. I had him do a PPI today. Will have a bore scope later this week. This is the selling shop: https://www.terryworickrestorations.com/ Cam deviation < 1 Only 2 minor over-revs during it's lifetime. Test drove it today. It is very good shape for it's age. Tracks straight on the hightway. The tires are 9 years old and will need replaced. Water pump recently replaced. No record of IMS or AOS. They will install the LN retrofit.

Bore score!

Always ask if the scope ws done from the spark plug holes or from underneath with the sump cover off, scoring shows up below the pistons quite a while before its bad above the pistons.