Looked at a 99 today - Need Your Opinion

This is the car that I posted about before, very nicely optioned, aero package, leather dash, xenons, etc. Very nice shape. However, it had some hail damage a few years back, the owner stated that it was the hood and roof. The insurance company wanted to do paintless dent removal, but he decided to have the entire car re-sprayed. He is a true car guy, has two vintage jags, this car for a summer daily driver and two BMW's. I saw his office, it's full of car models, vintage wheels for coffee tables, etc. I have no reason to doubt anything he says. Stand up guy. When he got it painted, he added the rear areo pieces behind the rear wheels and had the rear bumperettes filled and painted body color. The color of the car is a non-metallic, dark blue. There is not a single dent or ding on the car, a few stone chips on the front spoiler and 1 or 2 on the hood. The only scratch is hard to see on the lower part of the spoiler. I would give the car a 9 on exterior and 8 on interior.....or maybe an 8.5 on the interior, but once I detail it, it will be a 9. Car drives awesome, awesome power, sound, everything works, very tight car. He bought it was 22K miles, it has 57K miles and it has never needed any major maintenance. The IMS bearing has not been replaced, but it is a double row bearing based on the engine number and the info on Pelican Parts.com. Wheels have 0 curb rash, rear tires are new, they wear on the inside edges from what I am told. Fronts are in good shape. What do you think? Should I run far away? Should I make an offer tonight? His asking price is $23.5K. Or am I going to find something like this many time over in the next six months? I would like a custom color. Here are the options again. The paint line is very non-noticeable around the car, they edged it right at the door jamb, so there is no obvious line, but here you can see the line on the vertical portion of the fender. The only scratch on the car is on the lower part of the spoiler, it's hard to see, might be able to rub it out. Here is the interior....really like the color with the black accents. Might have to get leather pieces in black though to replace the plastic!!!! There was a little bit of build up of dirt on an oil film at the transmission/engine interface, it does not look like anything is leaking like crazy.....but it would probably need the RMS done....but I would do the IMS bearing within a year if I purchased it, so not a big deal I don't think. The under trays are all in good shape and present. It's a really nice car....don't know if I will find one even nicer for the same price or this is a relatively rare one.....I don't know if the re-paint is a positive or negative.

Car looks very nice! I wonder how much defered maintainence from years vs mileage?? Needs a Waterpump A.S.A.P.+? No such thing as a "9" interior with wear like it's shifter, park brake handle & seat bolster. Unless the price begins with a 1 keep looking!

BUY IT.

The price is decent but if this is the one that really speaks to you, get it. The color/options/mileage combo do not come up that often and certainly will not come up within the next 6 months. If you are ok with the respray, get it done. I see even Warren Buffet thinks it's a winner.

Price isn't bad. The respray wouldn't scare me. I don't think 996s will be collector cars for another 25 years. If you've looked at a few and you really like this one, go for it. Remember, $23.5 is the asking price. My Grandfather who owned dealerships all his life said if you're not embarrassed by your first offer, you started too high!

Go for it! Nice find! Solid seller, it appears!

I'm not trying to cause trouble here, but I wonder if the car has been in enough of an accident that there was air bag deployment. The steering wheel center is not leather as I believe it should be with that leather laden interior. If the air bag deploys it destroys the center section and the least costly replacement is the vinyl center section that this car obviously has. And, the passenger side dash air bag cover seems a bit ill fitting at the bottom. This does not necessarily mean that it's been replaced as these covers can mis-align over time, but it's one more thing to wonder about. From a few of the exterior shots, it does look like the car has been repainted due to some waviness. This is probably nit-picky, but it is observable from the photos. I like the color, and the added leather interior pieces are nice. At 57K, there will be maintenance needed. Plugs, maybe coils, water pump, serpentine belt, at the least. My car at 57K needed brakes and front suspension parts as well. YMMV. I think the price should be around 20K, and only after determining whether there has been an accident. Just to be clear, if there was a minor front end bump, I don't believe that is necessarily a horrible thing. But unless it is inspected by a good bodyshop, it's hard to know what was repaired and how well it was repaired.

nice color combo, nicely optioned car see if you can get him down about $1,500

I would not pay $23.5K by any means, I have my number in mind. The car only has the leather dash and door package, so I think the airbag is correct. I would not say that it has been in any kind of accident. Keep the responses coming! I would do the maintenance myself, it is my hobby after all. I might or might not do the IMS bearing myself....but it's no big deal either way. Good thoughts that the water pump and other stuff will probably need replacing. He has done regular fluids and I believe he said the spark plugs also.....I was too excited looking at the car....lol

Man, the car looks great from the outside and the interior shows it has been well cared for but used. By no means is the price a "steal" but I'd suggest it isn't always good to buy a car on the low end of the spectrum - there's a reason for the spectrum of prices and although this is high for a '99, it also is in better shape and with lower miles than most you'll find. I learned that the hard way. I got a great deal on mine because it was a little rough... and after spending too much time and money on fixing everything, I realized I would have come out way ahead if I had just purchased a car that was more expensive but maintained to a higher degree.

The only thing worse that totally repainting a car is to totally repaint a car poorly. If you can detect obvious paint lines/ridges on the panel surfaces between the body panels, in the gaps, or under/behind the rubber stripping, that is a sign the car received a poor paint job. Unless you can live with that I'd walk.

I agree with Macster about the paint. If it looks bad or iffy now, it will only get worse with time. It make me wonder why such a less than quality job was accepted by the owner, unless he was just dressing "the pig" up to sell her. As hungry as you might be, I'd also suggest walking on this one.

I agree with Mac *unless* you get a flat $19. Remember all the maintenance everyone has listed here.... PLUS just because it may or may not have a double row IMS and that doesn't mean that you are out of the woods - it just means it is less likely (or so the internet experts say) to fail. I guarantee you'll be sitting one night after buying it and driving it for a few months and out of a piece of mind - you'll spring for the upgraded bearing (guilty and I have a double row) - so there goes a bit more money down the rabbit hole. So with all the other maintenance, your car cost you closer to 28-29K... and its been damaged by hail (he says) and repainted? Ummm... no. There are so many great examples out there at lower prices with original paint. 57K is under mileage (3800 per year) - that's as bad as too high a mileage. At this rate the car sat around a lot - perhaps not even driven for a year or two - as you can't know those details. Even $19K is iffy come to think of it.

I would avoid buying any car that's been re-sprayed because its so difficult to ascertain what body work has been done. It decreases its value forever and limits its resale potential. Also consider this; most states require some sort of title designation besides "clear" after an insurance claim of as little as two grand. There are hundreds of 996's for sale but most of the ones that are selling are selling for a lot less than 23K. I paid 17K for a 99 w/ 54K in August. Not as many options as this one but the original exhaust still shines and the interior is flawless. Southern cars usually are cleaner. Best advise I got was to take your time, enjoy the hunt, and hold out for exactly what you want. Compromises are for the impatient.

Your heart is trying to make the decision instead of your brain, nice looking car, I'll give you that, pay a PPI including test drive and see if there is anything hidden, you have to do the maintenance this cars need maintenance or any other car to perform for many miles, after passing the PPI you will need to do the following : - rear tires I can't tell how much left on the front Ventus so may be all 4, - serpentine belt, - spark plugs, -change all fluids, transmission, brake, oil and oil filter -check also brakes they can be a very big experience. The sunroof, color combo, rims, aerokit and low miles for a 99. I think the price is right as far as you know you have to put a few thousands for tip-top shape, which I don't know if the owner would be willing to negotiate

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You would serve yourself well to look at the options sticker on the car. It should be located under the front hood. If it is not there, that is one more sign that there might have been bodywork (a hood replacement). Another place to find the options sticker is in the owner's manual. It is usually in both places. With the option info, you can determine exactly what options the car came from the factory with including exactly what steering wheel. This would also help you figure out the total cost of the car which I understand was a question from another thread. Have you checked CarFax and Autocheck to see if they have history on the car? You can find number of owners and you can usually tell if the car has had a long dormant period. I and others on this thread are just giving you some advice based upon what we ourselves have learned or have learned thru the experience of others. At the least you can use these points as negotiation with the seller. With 175,000+ 996s made (worldwide) these car are relatively easy to find, especially compared to the 968 you had.

skip.

It would be a nice looking car if you ditched the tail. My guess the tail was added to make the car go faster. Other than that nice looking 996

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Thanks for the info, I do have the option sticker code...the owner sent it to me and I looked at it in the job paperwork while looking at the car, but I did not look for it under the hood as I had already decoded everything. The picture he sent me last weekend after requesting it shows it on a blue background, so I'm going to say it's on the car, but like I said, didn't look at it as I already had it. I have the carfax for the car. I actually emailed him last night as I am still in WI and said I would like to take another look at the car early this morning before I leave, but he did not get back to me. I will just go back to Chicago and let my buying impulse die. As you mentioned, there are a lot of cars out there, and I don't think this one is selling today, and if it did, so be it. There are plenty others out there. I can always come back and take another look at it. The owner will just put it in his storage barn. He wants to buy a Ferrari 360 to replace this car. However, it is optioned like I want, I will need leather, 3 spoke steering wheel, xenons, and I'm thinking the aero package....all with a unique color, something custom ordered would be great! It is really fun to look. And now that I have sold the 968, I'm in a great place as I can just pull the trigger whenever I see something that I really want. Here are the options from the sticker: C02 Equipped with Catalytic Converter 030 Sports suspension -10mm lower XAA GT3-look aerokit XRB 18� Sport Class wheels/tires XSC Porsche Crest in headrest X54 Stainless steel tailpipes X70 Stainless steel door entry guards with logo X71Aluminum Instrument Dials 139 Seat heating, left 236 Internal production code related to tyres 288 Headlamp washer 340 Seat heating, right 436 3-spoke steering wheel 437 8-way electrical seat, left 438 8-way electrical seat, right 446 Wheel caps with colored Porsche crest 490 Sound system 537 Seat memory, left 580 Non-smoker package 601 Xenon headlamps 659 Onboard computer 692 CD changer 696 CD-radio Porsche/Becker CDR-220 939 Draped leather rear seats 981 Leather dashboard and door panels 982 Draped leather front seats 00501 Special Order Color 09981 Vehicle transfer to VRS for the installation of "Exclusive" parts 09991 manufacture from the exclusive-programme

The respray doesn't bother me. The value of this car isn't going up anyway. If you can live with the condition of the paint, I don't think it's a deal breaker. I think $23k is too high for this car. The interior is just ok. The leather dash and aerokit are nice, but not enough for the price, imo.

Over a period of 3 months, I saw 6 and drove 3 996's before purchasing mine. I feel that going with a private sale allowed me to get the most history, best condition car, and lowest price. I ended up purchasing an almost identical car with 45k miles for $21,750 in Florida.

The view from under the car is nice - lots of accumulated grime indicating that nothing has had to be repaired recently, and big oilspots that I saw. I know that most folks will tell you to buy newer - but the 99's do have something of a reputation for being good cars. I'm a believer in the 99...

I paid 22k for my car and its a 99 and imo it has similar options (including the aero) but never in accident, 52k miles and aftermarket options like full H&R coilovers. I would say this car is worth around $21k

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aero with no tail will look like a whale, how is that poem for you?

Although I'm not as much a fan of the taco spoiler, I wholeheartedly disagree about ditching the tail. The 996/997s look amazing aerokitted.

^ +1!

Agree with many others that it is overpriced at $23,500. I would say $20k even is about right. Would disagree with the many who seem to think this car is a POS. Although I'm not a fan of the color combo, this car appears to be well cared for - it's a 15+ year old car people! The big downside of a light color interior is that it shows wear badly. That's why I stick with cars with black interior.

No debate. I think the car looks great. The price seems reasonable too. Don't be a schmuck, Get the seller to drop it by a few bucks. That's my $0.02.

Car looks great to me....it is 15 years old. The only nitpick for me would be the bolster, I think it's excessive based on the number of miles. Maybe the prior owner carried a phone on his hip or something of the sort.

If you want some remote assistance let me know, I live outside Milwaukee. Also worth noting and nice little item to barder on price, the cam solenoid in your picture shows signs of a slight oil leak. Replacing both seals is simple, BUT you don't know that the seal is the issue or if oil is leaking from inside the solenoid. Use this to knock at least $1k off the price. I have a similarly optioned 996 and $22k is reasonable. Buy it.

yup if you plan on making an offer<i would offer 18000$ Mine was on for 21, offered 18, got it for 19. I told the seller my kids need milk' something the Spanish beggars say in Mexico. he thought that was pretty funny

Historically, pricing opinions on said car forums are always going to be on the low side. Unless the seller of the blue car is desperate or there is some hidden issue with the car, I don't see the seller moving below $22k. My $.02 Of course this thread can materialize like others where the op asks if he should get this car and mulls it over for some time while the thread hits 4+ pages only to find out that the car has already been sold to someone else in the mean time.

I would not pay $22K for the car. If it sells, it sells. My ad is better than his ad on craigslist with no pictures. He should give me a commission if it sells due to this thread.

OP, as always we're all rooting for you and hoping you can get the best deal on it. But at the same time it's good to have some realistic data out there as well. There's been quite a few guys here able to get the 996 aero's for the teens and they got a great deal. However, most of the ones I've seen over the past 2-3 years -n good condition/low miles as been in the low 20's.

^^ Agreed. Low 20's is market value I saw when shopping for a low mileage aerokit car.

So I just saw another 99 today, white, no aero kit, leather dash and door panels, LSD, LN bearing and RMS done, new clutch and new tires....45K miles....could get it pretty cheap. I think I just need to keep looking until something really, really talks to me. It doesn't have xenons....and I can't say it really talked to me. I would have to do a little aero mod to it I would think. But a fantastic car! Now to search ebay for aero kits!

The white one with the upgrades already done and pretty cheap whatever that means seems good to me.