Looking for a sub 20k 996 Carbio or Targa, Advice?

Hi All, Names Alex, and I am hoping to become a part of the community here. A little car history I guess is in order. I recently sold my favorite car ever: A 2002 Honda S2000 Black/Black. Great car, agile, quick, reliable and easy on the eyes. Our current "pratical" car is a 2011 Subaru WRX Hatchback in WR Blue (aka the only color worth owning). Our original plan was to only have the one car but I already miss my open air driving experience especially now that it is spring. So, what I am wondering is: Can I find an decent 996 Cabrio or Targa for under 20K? I have seen a couple in that price range but they have high mileage (one had 90K the other 110K). Both had good maintenance histories. Am I setting myself up for a big expense in buying a higher mileage car? Also, the ones I am seeing in that price range are 99-00 cars which I know are prone to "certain" issues. Like I said, we really don't "need" this car so I am trying to keep costs down but it would be fun to try something different (all prior cars were Japanese). Hit me with suggestions.

I think your goal is achievable, but you should probably spend some time researching this and other forums. It's packed with the information you are looking for to make a wise decision. The only caveat I would have is that if you are currently a Honda/Subaru guy, euro cars are more expensive to run, so you need to adjust your maintenance/repair budget. Best of luck!!

Cabrio - probably as you can get a '99-2001. Targa - probably not as they did not appear until '02 and often go for more money than a coupe or cabrio. Good luck!

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Thanks, yeah I am well aware of the increased costs (the S2000 guys always seem to chime in about that...) but I figure there must be some redeeming quality that makes it all worth while? My Father in law has a 2001 Boxster S and he has done all the maint/repairs himself and I plan on doing as much as I can too. I figure since I will be putting low looooow miles on it that it shouldn't be THAT big an issue. We put 30K miles on our s2000 in 3 years and 25K miles on our WRX in 2 years but we moved within walking distance to work so our mileage will be below 10k miles a year total. BTW we are in Sacramento, CA and willing to travel for the right car.

Not sure you'll find an mk2 below 20... Maybe in the mid 20s for the mk2. Mk1 will be more in the neighborhood your looking for...

A couple things I have found that peaked my interest: A 1999 Cabriolet with the removable hardtop in Electric Blue listed for 16.5K with 110k miles A 2001 Carbiolet Black with 103K miles listed for 17.5k A 2000 Carbiolet Silver with 101k miles listed for 19.5k also with the hardtop. A 2002 Targa Black with 75K miles listed for 22k A 2002 Targa silver with 104k miles listed for 22k

when I was shopping around for a cab, I went with an 02 because of the following: * more power (now up to 320 horsepower) via a bump in displacement, from 3.4 liters to 3.6 liters. * the fitment of a glass rear window * the installation of a real glovebox * and a single cupholder Above changes are probably minor to some but they mattered to me (specially the rear glass window, read too many stories about delamination). Best of luck P.S. Of the possibles you listed above, I would go with the either of the cabs WITH a hardtop (pending a solid PPI). If you have read around, you've probably already seen the 99 has a fan base here, here's a recent thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...dvantages.html

Cool, didn't know that about the 99s. Does the 100+ mileage concern you at all? It didnt seem like that much in my s2000 but I don't know in a Porsche...

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If a car has a solid/verifiable service/maintenance history and it passes a PPI, the mileage should not be a deal breaker...specially if known "wear items" have already been addressed (e.g. RMS/AOS/IMSB, water pump/reservoir, etc.). Only issue I can think of is MOST aftermarket warranty companies will not sell a plan for cars with over 100K miles (albeit some may offer one for more $$).

Look at Bay Area Craigslist . At <$20k you will find '99 and '00 cabs - yes higher mileage. Look for service history. You might get lucky and find ims work done .. But this is not the only potential engine issue. Lots of guys here are running high mile 911's with no issues here .. So data on these boards is skewed by the ones with issues. On the upside... Depreciation will be low.

When I was researching the 996's before I bought one I kept reading that the babied ones with lower miles tend to have more mechanical problems from not being driven like they need to be. I bought my 01 C2 about 6 months ago for under $20k with around 95k miles and now has almost 101k. All I've done is normal maintenance and went ahead and replaced the water pump when I had the coolant flushed. Only thing that bothers me with it is the small oil leaks that they seem to get. If you can find a one for under $20k that passes a PPI I would say do it. These cars are amazing to drive and definitely a head turner. You can't get a better car for the price.

Can anyone tell me what color this one is? I really like it, my guess is Cobalt Blue but I really am just guessing.

Can't tell if that is coballt or lapis, but have the owner snap a pic of the tag under the hood and that should give you the color detail, as well as other options. FWIW, I paid just over $20k last year for a Bay Area 99 cabrio with 61k miles, records from '03 to present and a clean PPI. Looks similar to above, except mine is Ocean Blue.

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The option code sticker under the frunk should have the color code which will tell you the exact color. Six shades of "factory" blues were offered for MY99. http://www.porscheclubgb.org/clientf...aint_codes.pdf

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I was looking to spend about 20k as well. IMHO spending the extra few bucks for a newer 996 is worth it. I dropped 35k on mine which had 23k miles in November and did the IMS and RMS upgrade. I couldn't get over buying a 99-01 that resembled a Boxster. If you can, all the power to you. I have never been happier.

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It's not Lapis. Mine is that color and it's much darker than the car shown in that photo. To the OP - I would try to bump up your budget and go for a 2002+. I know it's a personal preference but as others mentioned you have a glass rear window, a little more power, and some other running improvements for a slight increase in your budget.

As far as increasing the budget goes, its pretty much a non-starter. Our WRX cost us 24k brand new so I am not looking to spend more on a "for fun" car than our "pratical" car. I guess the only way I could pay more for it would be to sell the WRX and get one AS our only car, but I don't know how committed I am to that idea. Maybe this will be a good "test 911" and if my wife likes it we can sell both cars and get a 997.

That is a good idea. I have never touched heroin but hear it is addicting...so is a Porsche. You will wake up every morning salivating to drive the car. I go through withdrawals when I go a few days without driving mine. It will not disappoint.

Well in the end I ended up buying a...wait for it...1993 Mazda Miata. HA! Oh well, can't stray too far from my roots I suppose (4 cyl Japanese Front Engine) . In the end it just didnt make sense to buy a 15-20k car with high maint costs as a purely for fun car. Thanks for all the input though, this site seems like it has a solid membership base. I have a feeling there is a P-car in my future but for now I will have to settle for drooling over the porsches of others

^ EXCELLENT CHOICE. Coming from an S2000 I really don't think you would have liked the Cabriolet as much as the Miata. I've driven/autox all three and a Boxster S would be the closest to an S2000 but that wasn't on your list. That special edition Miata is nice. I had a 94 with a slightly bigger engine. KYB adjustable shocks, FM shock mounts and springs with BBS RK wheels and some extensive but subtle body work. I sold the car in 3 days for my asking price and could have sold it within an hour to a guy who saw the listing as soon as I put it up. People are not afraid to buy those cars 15 years out of warranty. And the cost to modify those cars is so ridiculously low... I spent as much on Porsche rotors, waterpump and clutch/LNE IMS/flywheel as I spent to buy the second hand Miata with barely 40K miles outright. And I would not say that the 996 Cabriolet Carrera or Boxster S are twice the car that NA Miata is for what you must pay to get in and maintain a Porsche. Which is why the Miata is a fixture at every track day and autocross from L.A. to N.Y. Why did you sell the S2000 in the first place? Interestingly enough they are price competitive to water-cooled Porsches like base 996's and Boxsters. I've seen 1999 Carreras in pretty decent shape go for less than a 2001 S2000 with low miles -- despite being in completely different sticker price categories when new. Once the price of a water-cooled Porsche falls below ~19K the badge seems to add no additional value. Sports car buyers in the $10-$20K range see mass produced Porsches as more liability than prestigious. Not that the air-cooled micro produced Porsches were Lexus reliable either... their saving grace is that there are are barely 1/10 as many as those which is handy for maintaining resale.

Nice. I had a '96 M Edition and loved the car. Best transmission I've ever driven, and the car was bulletproof. And then I went back to Porsche... And will never stray again.

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Thanks for the positive comments guys. I am almost embarrassed of how little I paid ($3,400). It was a deal that couldn't pass up. One owner, garage kept, limited edition (857 out of 1500), hardtop included, full maintenance records and its in excellent condition for the mileage (105K). As for why I sold the s2000. I had this silly fantasy that I would okay without having a proper sports car in my life. That idea only lasted for a few weeks

You bought that Miata for about what I paid for my Carrera factory wheels and Potenza RE-11s. Nice. With a hardtop to boot.. I really don't think there is a more perfect car to learn how to drive on. The parts are cheap, the engine is bullet proof -- I've never heard of a Miata engine going down. Rubber in that size is cheap. You don't have enough power to end up in the trees, thus you can use all of the power all of the time. the problem is finding one in that kind of condition and at a low enough price to leave room for upgrades. This is what it looked like when I sold it for the princely sum of $5K. It needed zero work.

That Miata was a great deal! What a gorgeous example and its such a great car. Excellent move IMO

Nice that you found a car that matches your needs.

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Woah, thats a bitchin NA.

That's a great looking car and a mighty fine example. Nice choice, you'll be back here before you know it. Enjoy

Dont know about a "Carbio" but theres a clean Cabriolet with a freshly blown engine at Jakes.

PURDY! I loves me some NA! I got rid of my NB ('99) 3 years ago for $3k. Paint was fried, interior totally trashed and it was blowing enough codes to crash an Autozone code reader. I also had an NA with the original 1.6L engine ... which my riding mower could beat in a quarter mile

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Thanks. Selling that car was the most retarded thing I've ever done. It was the perfect autocross/track car. The buyer flew in from out of state and drove it right back after stepping off the plane. No amount of beating could ever really stick with me with a huge repair bill and it was still a looker for the street. That's nearly impossible to manage in most old Porsches which are either too valueable to beat on or too expensive to race. By the way, the front bumper and side skirting were from Racing Beat as was the exhaust. Very durable for fiberglass, they have high quality standars. Those KYB orange shocks were awesome for the price. They had the little **** dial on the side that you could adjust on the fly with the car on the ground. That low profile headlight conversion was done with angel eyes sorta like on the old BMWs, by far the coolest mod. p.s. that red leather is in very good shape for a 20 year old car. I would throw some of those Wet Okole covers over them. They're made of wet-suit material and are identical in cut to the factory. Most people who saw them in my car had no idea they were covers. A little expensive but much cheaper than re-upholstering what doesn't need to be reupholstered. I wish they made some for my GT3 seats.