Would you buy this car?

Hi, I am trying to figure out whether all the quirks that I uncovered are normal, or a sign of neglect. Specs: 1999 996 Carrera, 6M, 3.4l, 17" rims, mostly basic configuration, 5 cd changer, 90 days warrantee, rear wiper, price ~49kUS$. It does not have the bolts sticking out from the oil sump (later model 99?) Car has 23k miles, generally looks good, and drove ok. Here are the quirks that I need help with. o On start up, there was a loud buzzing noise coming from the left rear (car not moving). Noise went away after a couple of minutes. Dealer claims it's a pump. It was rather loud. o Clutch pedal creeks a bit when depressed o When warm, idle seems a bit a rough (empty passenger chair shakes) o Hard launches makes the gear shift shake side to side o Shifter is a tad notchy o Rear spoiler on deployment is noisy o A bunch of plastic pieces are broken (some of the roof rack blanks, vent air intake cover under the hood) o Bottom front of car scraped up, plastic pieces torn o Wheel center covers bleached out (i.e., color faded) o Water in the lower left headlight assembly (I think it's just the reflector) o No Porsche used car certification o Hood/trunk release levers scuffed o Driver's seat leather stretched and wrinkled (heavy driver?) o Sumitomo HTRZ-II tires (any good?) o Radio buttons show white through the black plastic o Porsche emblem on key worn off (the key looked older than the one from my 12 year old car) All these little bits make me wonder whether the car wasn't neglected by the previous owner(s). The car has been sitting on the lot for several weeks now. I'd appreciate to hear from the group whether the above ailments are normal. Other suggestions welcome. What would you offer? Thanks, Jan

Sounds like that car has been cobbled....I would get a PPI on this one for sure.

$49k for a 99 996 sounds very high, especialy in the condition you describe. You should be able to find a nice clean example for that kind of money, I would keep looking.

That sounds like about $15k too much for a car in that condition. Miles are low but it sounds like it's been driven hard. You can do much better for that much money. -Keith

that's more in the range of an 01 in good shape with those miles or less.

It's a cliff!!!!!!!!!

Jan, I think you've done a great job of inspecting that car. I think you already know it's not for you. You have a keen eye as a buyer and you're right to question a car with even one of those "quirks" (because each item will result in money out of the pocket of the next buyer, especially without any used vehicle warranty) plus the asking price isn't even a good starting point for negotiations. There's so many 3.4 996's out there and it's a buyer's market. I'm looking for one for a friend right now and it's a matter of patience and persistence to be at the right place at the right time to pick up a great example rather than taking on the troubles of a scruffy one. Cheers,

jan you can do much better for that money particularly in a c2. i would also hold out for porsche certified car--especially for $49k!! look in the porsche north america website-- they have a search engine that brings up most of the used cars in stock at each porsche dealership--most are either porsche certified or are eligible for certification it's a comfort to have a 100k mi warranty--better than a new car for the right vehicle. the car you describe has been bashed up mercilessly. i wouldn't doubt whether someone hadn't altered the odometer somehow. as they say in brooklyn--forget about it!

The price is way to high for that car. Walk away. You can find a much better example for less money. That said some of things are somewhat normal. I say somewhat because not everyone treats their cars like a shrine like most of the members of Rennlist. Hard to believe but we are in the minority. Items such as the scuffed hood release levers are very common. The worn buttons on the stereo was an issue with many of the earlier units and use to be covered under warranty. Replacement face plates can be purchased from Becker for about $150. Worn key fobs that are also common. The stretched or wrinkled leather is also common with car with the supple leather option (not common at all with the standard leather seats). The colored center caps from Porsche suck (especially on the newer cars). They look great for a while then fade and need replaced. I have had 3 Porsches with center caps and they never look new after about 1-2 years and I obsess over my cars with detailing. Some of the mechanical things however are just neglected issues. The spoiler should not be noisy on deployment. As for a notchy shifter I don�t know what you are comparing it to. The 996 shifter is smooth compared to some of the older Porsches but is notchy compared to many other cars. The tires you mentioned are decent. Not great but very inexpensive compared to the Bridgestone, Michelins, etc. The used car certification is very difficult (maybe impossible from Porsche?) on a 99. Many things on this car indicate neglect and/or abuse. Things such as the broken plastic pieces. Yes there are some cheap plastic piece in these cars that commonly break, but most careful owners replace the pieces. Same with the radio buttons. Noisy spoiler � unacceptable. Water in the headlight assembly � unacceptable. The idle sounds completely wrong. You get the idea.

I think you could buy a 2001 for that price or a very low mile 2000. I would wait a while and look for another cleaner more optioned car. Just my .02

Thanks for all your comments. It confirms my gut feelings. While driving home from the test drive I thought: "My current 12 year old car with 160k miles has fewer little defects than this car. This is not right". In the mean time I have driven 2 other 996s of similar vintage and did not find this plethora of issues. Some of the things that I found suspect are normal, like the buzzing noise at start up (but not that loud), scuffed hood/trunk release levers and such. I am still educating myself. I'll find one eventually. Here in the Pacific NW the supply is a bit more limited :-< though I do expect to see that to improve with the 997. Thanks, Jan

For a few thousand more, I have a certified 2001 C4 Coupe without the above described issues...Are you in the US or Canada?

you can have my 2001 C4 for $48K, and it's got none of the problems you mention!