Need BIG help with a '99 996 Purchase Choice!!!

OK guys, I might be coming back to you but I need your help first. I sold my 964-series C4 about 8 months ago and got a brand new 2002 Audi S4. Since then, I've decided I made a huge mistake and NEED to get back to my favorite kind of car (Porsche of course!) as I find the S4 way too boring and "big" to drive every day. I found a 1999 996-series Carrera (not a C4) today that I can actually afford (I was looking at 993's). It's got a lot of great options, including Traction Control, Premium Sound, Sport Chassis, 18" Turbo Wheels and most importantly the full Aero Kit with the fixed U-shaped rear wing! It's coming off lease right now, and the guy is trying to sell it for his buy-out of $43,000 because he has put 80,300 highway miles on it! BUT, a valve in the engine locked up at around 60,000 miles, trashed the motor and Porsche put a whole new motor in it under warranty, which means the motor only has 20,000 miles on it! All this is documented by the way as he works at the Porsche dealership. Now, my 2 big questions for all you experts out here... 1- Not having a lot of money laying around for repairs since the technology sector is down right now, will I be looking at a lot of other stuff going wrong with the rest of the car (springs, struts, rotors, etc...) since it has 80K on it? And 2- I drive my cars all year round in North-East Ohio (in fact, this will be my ONLY vehicle!), and while m 944 Turbo S and 964-series C4 were great in the snow, my 968 was one of the most horrible cars I've ever driven in the winter. How will a 996 2-wheel drive only with Traction Control and winter tires be? Thank you SO MUCH guys, and hopefully I'll be back among the ranks of Rennlist soon! And don't forget to tell all your friends that you know of a GREAT 2002 S4 for sale! -Marc Konchar

Question 1: I don't think you need anything serious. I would guess with 80K on the running gear you are looking at new brake pads, brake fluid change, transmission oil change, new tires, spark plugs, all filters, etc. -- just maintenance items. I would also find out which of the TSBs have been performed on the car and make sure they take care of everything BEFORE you take delivery. Maybe ask them to throw in a warranty? Did you ask if the new engine (20k) comes wth a warranty? Question 2: TC is not available on later 996s and wanted by a few of us... I'd be happy you have it. It is a form of limited slip. The nice feature is that you can shut it off if you want... although for traction I would think you'd leave it on... almost as good as a C4.

I am in the market for a 911, In looking at cars, miles and prices, 43K seems really high. if you look on ebay, cars with 50K miles are going for around $40k. At 80K miles, you will be the owner of a 911 with one of the highest miles around. Finally, with 80K miles, you / a buyer is a needle in the hay stack and $43 is proably too high.

Well with you having had the 993 in the past-why wouldn't you go with the same model? At 43K you could find a pretty decent 993. I'm not shutting out the 996 for you but have you driven the 996 and wholeheartedly,emphatically said this is the car I want(When I got mine-it was hell yeah!!!)? The 996 rocks my world but I'm worrying that you going to say "REGRET" once again which who wants to do that 2 in a row. But if you choose the 996 with the one you stated-like Loren said does it have a extended warranty because of newer engine/do a PPI on it so that you'll know what mite be needed down the road or in the present and decide from there. Good luck. Mike

I have mixed feelings on this one. The milage is definitely high, and yes you can definitely find a similar priced car with lower milage. However, it has a new engine and traction control is hard to find in a 99. Does it have Limited Slip Differential too? Also hard to find.

I have a '99 996 with traction control. The traction on snow and ice was greatly improved over my old 911. At Christmas, I was on some pretty icy roads in WV and the TC did ok. I live in in Northern Virginia and don't even bother with snow tires since our winters only see a few days of snow a year. When I was shopping for my current 996, I found several high mileage ones...the highest being 140k. I use my current 911 as my daily driver and find that maintenance is cheaper than my previous air cooled 911. I just hope the 996 will go 200k miles like my previous 911 did!

marc, A few question for you.. 1. its coming off lease..Is his residual 43k? 2. if thats the case, what is his Mileage Penalty? 3. Is that the reason he is selling it? assumming a 15k lease in 1999, that would give him a max miles of 45k with no penalty. If he is 35k over the lease @ .15 per mile = a 5250.00 hit, if he turns the car in!!....you can neg. a better deal with him!....he may have to right a check for 5250.00 plus any wear and tear! If he did a 12k per year lease....then lease end should be 36k.....he is looking at 44000 x .20= 8800.00 penalty...you do the numbers!!!

[quote]Originally posted by 996FLT6: <strong>Well with you having had the 993 in the past-why wouldn't you go with the same model? At 43K you could find a pretty decent 993. I'm not shutting out the 996 for you but have you driven the 996 and wholeheartedly, emphatically said this is the car I want(When I got mine-it was hell yeah!!!)? The 996 rocks my world but I'm worrying that you going to say "REGRET" once again which who wants to do that 2 in a row.</strong><hr></blockquote> 996FLT6, Actually, I owned a 964 previously, not a 993. I was just looking at 993's but after getting used to the updated interior and creature comforts of the S4 I would much rather the newer 996. BUT, I haven't ruled out a 993 of course, this car just happened to catch my attention and seemed like a great way to get into a 996 which I would rather but otherwise not be able to afford. I was also looking at Boxsters but I don't really like convertibles and hate the thought of spending extra money for one and then spending even more money for a hard top to go on it. As far as regretting a 996, I've loved all 3 models I've had so far so I doubt (fingers still crossed though!) I would regret it.

[quote]Originally posted by Phil McGrath: <strong>marc, A few question for you.. 1. its coming off lease..Is his residual 43k? 2. if thats the case, what is his Mileage Penalty? 3. Is that the reason he is selling it? </strong><hr></blockquote> Phil, 1. Yes, this is his last month of the lease and the buy-out instead of turning it back in with mileage penalties is $43,000. 2. I'm not sure what his mileage penalties are yet. I'm not heading up there to drive the car until Monday afternoon. 3. Yes, that's why. It's actually for sale through the Porsche dealership he works for, and I guess they are just buying the car from him and reselling it or something like that. I'm hoping to get all the specifics worked out Monday, especially finding out if there's any kind of warranty on the motor left, and possibly even maybe a Porsche Certified used car warranty.

Darn must have been smoking something : ). Musta got mixed up with another post. Anyway still the same principle so good luck. Regards. Mike

Personally I'd go for a 95 or 96 C4 in that price range. It seems like you're stretching your budget to get in a 996, and this one's already had some miles and some issues. I'd also think some about resale down the line. My 2 cents.

Yep, I've had a 993 and a 996 and if I were willing to drive a coupe instead of a cab, I'd have stuck with my 993. 80k is a LARGE number of miles for a $43k 996!!!!!!!! My guess as horrible as it sounds is that this car is closer to a $35k car (IF there was even a buyer for it - it would take a long time to sell an 80k miles 996 and it would likely end up going through the auction instead). If it were a 993, it would probably be worth a bit more. For $43k, you should be able to find a 99 still under warranty(if not fractionally - ie: under 50k miles and a bit less than 4 years old). Then get the extended warranty for 7yr/100k from warrantygold.com and sleep well. Many will agree that the 996 is not built like a 993, and we don't yet know how well they're gonna hold up over time relative to the 993s. Certainly it seems a lot more 996 engines have had to be replaced than previous 911s - and with low miles even. Case in point from another board: "I traded in the coupe for $50k. It had about 15k miles in 3.5 years, was in excellent condition and I just put on new tires a week before!" This was a C4 996 even! $43k for a C2 996 w/ 80k miles is not good - at all. You should be able to find a much more reasonably mileaged 99 996 for the same price.

WHAT A COINCIDENCE: In January 2002 I sold my 1994 993 coupe for a yellow Audi S4. Within a month a concluded that this was DEFINITELY NOT the car for me, so I sold it and bought myself a 1999 996 coupe with 50000km on its odometer(about 30000 miles). I am a happy man again!!!!!! Regards <img src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt="[hiha]" />

Marc if you haven't already post your S4 on <a href="http://www.audiworld.com." target="_blank">www.audiworld.com.</a> Go to the s4 forum.

Like Ben said-the 964 and 993 are similar so going from 964 to 993 would be an easier transition. As for me I never driven a 993 til last week which there was a C2S at the dealer lot. All I can say is it has killer looks but it's not for me but for alot of people love them to death. Good luck in your quest and welcome back to the p-car world : ). Regards. Mike

Thank you so much to everyone who replied! I test drove the car today, and while I was VERY impressed with the 996 in general and decided that it's the car for me, I was not impressed with the one I drove that I referenced in my original post. It looked SOOO beautiful on the outside with the Aero Kit and the body was in almost perfect shape, but the interior was pretty "worn" to say it nicely, plus the owner (who works at the dealership) was kind of a jerk. So, I called a local high-line used car lot that I've dealt with before and the owner agreed with people here that $43,000 was a rip-off for that car and that he could find me one at auction with a LOT less miles for that price, probably even a C4 (which I would prefer). So, I'm going to meet with him tomorrow or Wednesday and let him know to find me a Silver, Yellow, or maybe Guards Red C4 with the Aero Kit. There are a couple other options I would love to have, but since I definately want the Aero Kit I guess I can't be too picky! Again, thanks everyone for replying and it looks like I'll be seeing all of you again soon!