Buying a used 996

Hey guys I am in the market for a 996. I am looking in the 15-16K range. What is the best place to look for one? Is there a classified area? I would love to get one with upgraded IMS. I like in Aiken sc Thanks John.

Rennlist marketplace https://rennlist.com/forums/marketplace/cars/search/ You will probably have to join to see it.

Craigslist, Autotrader, and Ebay are three search sites that I use. I think you will be finding cars on the low end of the condition/quality spectrum at $15-16K. I'm not saying you cannot find a decent runner for that money, but it will be an earlier model and/or with high miles or needing repair/refurbishment. Take your time, look at and drive several before you buy, get a PPI, and have fun.

Since you are in Aiken, SC, go up to Doc's Garage in Lexington and talk with Les. If there is anything available in the area, I bet he can tell you.

Craigslist is probably going to be your best source. Try an aggregator like SearchTempest to quickly search outside your own area. Understand that nearly any 996 in that price range is probably going to cost thousands in reconditioning and maintenance catch up costs, more like sooner than later. There are some great deals out there occasionally, but please do not think that you will find the cheap path to Porsche ownership. That road does not exist, as many have discovered before you.

Thank you all. some great advice.

$16k can get you a pretty decent Mk 1 if you take your time and shop around. Don't fear the 100k mile mark on a 15 year old car, just be cautious to check the condition. Also, very common for a car that old to have been involved in a minor fender bender. At that price point, a minor accident that has been properly repaired is not a deal killer. Remember too that living with a car in that price range can be very liberating - you don't sweat things like racking up miles on the car or rock chips or taking it out in the snow for some parking lot acrobatics.

^ Love it and that is exactly what I am looking for. I don't mind some miles as long as it is a solid car. I want to drive it!

Oneempty, you have a PM.

^ Thanks Hal. Replied.

If you up it to 18K-20K although a big jump, you will get a much better car in that territory.

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+996 and a wider selection to choose from

If I was able to go to the 18K range what would that be able to do for me? MK2? My main goal is to get a 911 that I can drive and put some miles on. I would like an auto but a 6spd would work as well. If you all know of any really nice ones please PM me.

A $15k 996 will still be a $20k 996 by the time you're done with it, just like a $10k 996 will still be a $20k 996.

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Aye Aye Cap'n

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Bingo! A virtually guaranteed projection. On a positive note: Tiptronic Porsches of this vintage are worth less. One suggestion: Why not a 2002/03 Boxster S? A decent one is right in that price range, and a great driver's car. Here's one in Raleigh: http://http://raleigh.craigslist.org...327203133.html

Thank you and I did look at some Boxsters but they are just not for me. Plus I am not a vert fan.

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^this Any combination of brakes, suspension, clutch, tires, interior fixes, RMS, IMS, water pump, AOS, and your $15K car will be $20K+ quickly. Especially if you are going to DD this car. Not that there is anything wrong with shopping in the $15-16K range. I did the same. Just be aware that the car is ~10 years old and will need maintenance. Simple things like tires can set you back $2K quickly. For a shopping venue keep an eye on CL and have cash ready to make the deal. I've seen cars pop up that are gone the same day. Plenty of over priced cars sit on CL for months. Be ready to schedule a PPI and have cash for the deal.

I agree with increasing the budget to around $22-24k. You'll be able to find a decent gen 2 996 (still higher mileage). And if you don't have at least $5k ready for minor repairs/recondition/replacement items I would not even consider one in your price range $15k. We're not even talking about the bigger issues yet. Capt Obvious is spot on.

99 996 for $15K http://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/4300881924.html

^ Thank you.

hey,its one here in charlotte,nc for 18995,negotiable,its a black 99 with heater seat and others options at planet suzuki,,they sell a lot of high end cars,even the name doesn't sound special

AutoTrader Search will give you an idea of the market. As others have observed, you'll probably see more Tiptronics than sticks at the low end of the price scale. If you want a cab, they're probably cheaper now than in the summer. Generally, it seems like a buyer's market ... AutoTrader lists something like 150 996's for sale below $20k. Very few of the used car listings will mention anything like an IMS bearing replacement, so you may need to make a lot of calls and look for cars with maintenance records (which you should be looking for anyway). I agree with some of the earlier posters that a local, private sale (e.g. Craigslist) might give you a better chance to find a car with some documentation. You've probably read all the IMS threads. One school of thought is to look for the earliest-build '99 available, as these had the double-row bearing, didn't have the MY00 head-casting issues, etc. FWIW, I'm probably of the same mind as some of the other posters ... you might be able to find a $15k car that won't end up costing you $20k, but I'm not sure I'd count on it. It helps a lot if you do your own work, but nothing about these cars is cheap.

There were a couple of decent 996 http://claz.org/classifieds/vehicles...96&l=16000&o=2

My $16k 996 is already eating into my maintaince budget. Although I knew a few repairs were needed, I did the SAI pump myself for 60 bucks, but left the AOS and motor mounts for my Indy. Add in an oil change and were up to $1800 total. There will be always something to repair or replace, just add it into your initial purchase budget. I was also looking at another 996, same model year and had all the options I wanted (black/carbon interior, full Aero package, etc...). Although this specific car had full documented maintenance history, I can guarantee there would have been something that needed attention. Of course it did have 10,000 less miles, but was also $4,500 higher in price. I couldn't justify the price difference on a car that was not my daily driver. Good luck

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+1 Bought mine last year for $14.5k and have spent $4k since then and still need $1k to make it perfect, even with the previous owner spending $16k in the 2 years before he sold it to me�(I have all the invoices since new, it's not BS). $2k would have been enough to make it OK (tires, brakes, tie rods) but the original IMS would have been a crapshoot and driving experience not the best (suspension, mods, etc.). I checked MANY 911 before buying mine and it was by far the cleanest around under $16k, with full service history, clean body and interior� I agree, there's no miracle� But, IMHO, at $20k in top shape it's a bargain

I purchased my '01 C4 last August and have about $3,500 into it, with a new cabriolet top accounting for about 1/2 of that. Brakes, repainted front bumper cover (rock chips), filters, trans service, drop links, hood shocks, etc., etc. There's probably $500-$700 more to go to get it pretty much perfect. I don't mind putting the dollars into it because the car is in good mechanical condition and had quite a bit of mechanical maintenance done even at the relatively low 50K miles it had when I bought it. As others have said, these cars are 10+ years old and stuff needs to be replaced, some of it regardless of mileage on the car. I think the best buys are the cars with extensive maintenance, even if the miles are nearing 100K.

I thought I got a deal on my 2002 Targa last year for $19k, $6k later I'm $25k into the car. At least it's still cheaper than a BRZ...

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Bingo. There is no cheap path to Porsche ownership.* *Unless you have extensive mechanical skills, experience, and tools.

I'm really glad that I asked. It seems that I am going to be close to 20K no matter what I do. I guess it would be worth it to just buy a better car from the start. So many options! I just need to find that perfect one for me. I would love to get one that I could use and only have to do normal maintenance but I realize at the 15K mark that will not happen.

I also did not know about early 99 cars having a different IMSB. How do you know if a car has the early one or the later one?

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According to Pedro's Garage, "Porsche made the first revision of the IMS bearing in model year 2000 going from a double-row bearing in the earlier models to a single-row bearing." So, a '99 will have the double row bearing (which is generally considered to be more durable). Some '00's will have a double row bearing; it probably depends on VIN or build date (FWIW, my '00 was built in 10/99 and had a double row bearing).