Price check: 1999 Carrera

1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 118k miles Aftermarket GT3 kit, in bad shape which needs to be repainted Needs IMS/RMS/transmission pinion + another bearings, faded roof paint, few door dings here and there. How much does this car worth?

I know exactly the car you're talking about. That car looks like it needs some love, but is quite salvageable if you're a DIY'er. I probably wouldn't pay more than $11k for it, and that's pushing it if the transmission is needing a rebuild and it needs a paint job and body work. The rest of the car would need to be perfect to be worth considering.

Post up some pics so we can get a better idea.

Hi Darrick, My wife and I went over to Kingston, field trip day!, to check out the car. It looked good on pictures, but I immediately turned away as soon as I put my foot on the gas pedal. Given the fact that it's 15 yrs old car and this will be my toy/project car, I can careless about the exterior and interior conditions. Less than perfect exterior or interior can be forgiven, however, IMS/RMS/AOS/pinion bearings are much of concern, like you've mentioned, they don't become concern as long as the price is right but then the seller won't budge on the price. He originally asked $16,900 but then after some of us, learned there were few lookers actually went over to check out the car, the seller finally realized it won't be sold at the price. Now he is asking $15,500 which I still think asking way too much money for the car that needs lots of love. Thanks for the feedback. Mike

Does the car actually NEED the IMS/RMS/AOS/pinion bearings, or are you just buying into the internet hysteria? If the car has 100k+ miles on it, what makes you think the IMS is going to go bad now all of a sudden? Is the RMS leaking enough to be an issue, or is it just a little oil residue at the bottom of the bell housing? Is there reason to believe the AOS is bad? Is the transmission noisy? Even if all of the above is actually fine, $15,500 is still too much for the car considering the mileage and the fact it needs extensive paint work.

The owner of that vehicle was a great guy to talk to. He confirmed IMS was never replaced. I didn't get to check the oil filter, so can't really tell whether IMS is bad or not. Counting the fact Porsche used thicker bearings on 1999 model, it might be just fine, but knowing what I know now, I probably just have it replaced just to be safe and the price tag is manageable IMHO. One of the paper work he had, showed RMS was replaced about 2-3yrs ago along with the clutch/flywheel. Quickly compared the VIN# between the paper work VS. windshield, unfortunately last 4 digits didn't match, double checked again while he was talking to my wife, not just last 4 but other characters & numbers didn't match. Don't want to falsely accuse him for lying or anything like that as I understand some shop techs could have simply typo few characters here and there when punching in ViN# in the system. Bottom line, RMS isn't a big concern to me as the part itself is pretty cheap and can be taken care of during the clutch work. Regarding to AOS, just learning about this, and figured just ask the seller to check as it was on my check list to confirm. The transmission was extremely noisy in every single gear from 1 to 5th gear, didn't get to test 6th gear as we were on the public local roads, though the loud whining noise was definitely there. I was scratching my head and spent few hours in front of computer after came home, 99% confident that the noise I heard from this car sounded exactly the same as bad pinion bearing from youtube video clips. Now, that is concern to me, looks pretty extensive job, basically rebuilding the transmission box. Not even sure how much this will cost. Regarding to the exterior condition, the front bumper had paint cracks here and there, along with the side skirts. It would have been better if he took that 1990's bra off, as that thing consistently rubbed against the fenders and caused more scratches. The front fender well plastic on both driver and passenger sides were all loose, not sure what happened there, could be the fact that MK1 GT3 bumper isn't compatible with the regular front bumper fender well? Really? Thought 118k miles on 15yrs old car was pretty good, but maybe I'm being too lenient.

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+1. Contrary to the popular belief, IMS+RMS+AOS are not required replacement items on the purchase of the 996. With paint work and age considered, the car is worth $10-12k. Off-topic: 996s are OLD now, they will all have noises/dings and small mechanical problems. You should expect them and not be discouraged unless it is something catastrophic. You can drive the car just fine FOREVER with RMS dripping, slight coolant drip, slight P/S drip as long as you check the fluids regulary and refill as needed. Purists might frown, but 996 is not classic and at current prices it is in the same league as used Accords and Camrys. 996 will run just fine with non-OEM fluids and off-shelf hoses and parts. Treat your 996 purschase as any other OLD used car purchase. Edit: for the transmission issue, it is much cheaper to buy a used unit from the ebay and just put it in.

Thanks for the feedback gents. I haven't yet made an offer, but I know another guy who offered $14k got turned away. I just wanted to make sure I'm being reasonable or not as I was thinking $11k for that car. Often times it makes sense to check with the forum members to get their opinion whether my price tag is reasonable or not. Thanks!

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I think that's a reasonable price for that car in this area, $14k is laughably high considering the work it needs. Prices are definitely higher here in the Seattle area than other parts of the country for these cars. You can find used transmissions on ebay for $1500 shipped all day, and it isn't particularly difficult to do yourself if you have a good set of tools.

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This! I myself am a purist when it comes to Mercs, but with this car I convinced myself just how Kalashnikov just mentioned: it's a older used car that isn't a classic- don't need to treat it like one. My transmission is rattling at idle and I was prepared to take it down and have it rebuilt but then I figured "what the hell... Who cares if it breaks; I can find a low mileage used one for cheaper than a rebuild and just change a few bearings/seals while it's out." Unless it's a bad IMS which I'm still not convinced on like the rest of the Internet apparently is. If I haven't gone out yet- it probably won't go out any time soon- just change it out when you replace the clutch and call it a day. Happy hunting! To put into perspective- I bought my 170k CLEAN borderline spotless 996 for $6500. I understand that's a steal, but by how much? 4k? Keep your eyes peeled and you will find a deal/one suited for you/or a steal and can roll the dice in repairs

I agree with Darrick, the used car price in Seattle is ridiculously higher than any other region, there is 2004 C2 for sale by the member here, less than 100k miles asking for what? As I've mentioned in the thread, he could get few grand more if that car is located here in Seattle area.

Sounds to me this is a $10-12K car.

I just picked up a 99 with 104K miles in very good condition, paint and interior very nice for it's age. IMS/ROS and clutch replaced 1 yr ago (10K miles) and waterpump replaced a week before I bought it. I paid 14K for it here in California.

Not advertising, just for the reference how car prices in Seattle are so bubbled up. http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4318232749.html 2002 996 turbo with 122k miles, but rebuilt title due to the front end collision, the owner wants $32k. The car with a wrecked history can be considered not the worst case, but rebuilt title? Some can argue it depends on how insurance company process the vehicle, meaning not all rebuilt cars are judged or created equally, but it will follow the rest of that vehicle's life.