Test drove a 996 C2...

*Update* - Car was hit in the parking lot today...that made my decision easier. So, after a few months of reading about these cars in Afghanistan, I'm back in the states, and looked at one today that I actually liked. 2003 C2. Black/Black 6spd 74k miles Repainted front bumper (paint looks really good on the rest of the car) New Clutch and Flywheel in May. IMS/RMS wasn't done, but the seller will make those repairs for $500. Here's the kicker...no service records other than the clutch and bumper respray. It drove really nice. Brakes/pads/tires were good. Car is really clean in general. What would you pay for something with no records like this? I am planning on getting the IMS/RMS done. Will do a PPI on it before making an offer. Any opinions?

Thank you for your service to the USA! Car looks good in that pic, price seems ok. Read all you can about these cars on this forum. Look for the best IMSB retrofit mechanic in your area regardless of the cost, $500 won't cover the cost of the LN bearing. Find a good Porsche shop for the PPI. Where is the car located? maybe someone can give you recommendations.

It's in Wilmington, NC. I'm familiar with the basics of the "your M96 motor will blow up" stories. I don't mind cars with higher miles either. I've owned my M3 since 52k miles, and it has 177k miles on it now, and is better than ever. Granted, I know that the E36 is less finicky than the 996.

Google the VIN and get a Carfax. That should at least tell you how many owners it has had. You might get lucky on a Carfax and find a Porsche dealer that serviced the car and is willing share records. Googling the VIN can show if the car was for sale elsewhere, etc.

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Good point. I'm looking at the CARFAX and I see various comments about services being performed. I'll talk to those dealers tomorrow.

Also, if the CARFAX shows it being serviced at dealers, you might contact them for details of the car's service history. As far as price, I'm not sure where the market is these days. I'd guess it's several grand high, but the PPI might help you negotiate this down. Good luck!

Agreed, thanks for your service! If it were me, and the PPI checked out and I didn't see anything egregious (although I would like to know why the front was re-sprayed...was it due to an accident, or because they tend to get knicked up...my front bumper is due for a respray, but I'll make sure to photo the before and after for if/when I sell it down the road) I think I'd be a buyer around 22-23k. Also, I can't confirm from the pics, is that an uber rare sunroof delete model? Also, and since you are military you may already know about them, but pentagon federal (penfed.org) will finance it for 1.49%, regardless of years and miles, for up to I think 6 years, but definitely 5. So not sure if you were looking to finance, but if so they are great to work with (no affiliation, just a happy customer).

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It does have a sunroof. I heard about penfed as well. Do they just mail you a check or will they do an electronic transfer to the dealer?

I just bought my new Cayenne with a check from PenFed. They will send you the check overnight if you can't get to a branch. If I recall correctly the 1.49 tops out at 5 years. Since it was mentioned, my wife's 01 C4 has no sunroof. You still get to see where it would be when it frosts though

If you go through with the purchase, search for a list of items to replace while the trans is out (clutch kit, AOS, updated RMS, etc.). Will be money well spent (with a good shop). Things like the water pump should probably be replaced but isn't more accessible with the trans in or out.

Hi, newbie here. For price comparison I made an offer on a 2003 targa with 70k that eventually sold for 22k. It was a private party sale and not a dealer. It was a pretty clean car but the targa top did rattle some. Finally found a super clean 01 black on black with 48k that I got for 24,500 from a dealer.

I bought from a private seller, so they sent me the check, and I forwarded it to the seller after endorsing it, but I think if you are buying from a dealership they will wire the funds.

This is all good info everybody. I'm probably going to try to have a PPI done on the car today if I can find the time to get out.

Right around that mileage my car needed new coil packs as well.....water pump went just about 90k miles. It's at 110k miles now & still going strong.

I hate this carfax crap - OK so it shows accident history IF it was reported and service history IF it was reported and then people put WAY too much emphasis on the stupid report this forum is great and helps many people save enough money on maintenance to afford a car like this - then since the service at home isnt recorded on carfax people say - DONT BUY IT WTH! OK - in defense - anyone doing work at home best be keeping records, but then the car is traded in and the dealer wholesales it because a 996 is a SLUG on a Porsche dealer lot and the record that some guy kept, get lost. some crappy pop lot gets it - that doesnt make it a bad car....... or a good car its like double talk crap!!! anyhow - Thank You for your service so that I have the right to blah blah all over the interwebs at 5:00 a.m. and get the car check by someone who is VERY familiar with 996 Porsche's - spending $500 now might hurt a bit but figuring out the car is a turd and will cost you $25k to make right sucks too - I have a good buddy bought a 996 earlier this year and even got a PPI that my shop said "dont but the car" - but he couldnt get over the car...fell in love - bought it for like $24k....and has dropped another $20k in it - BUT he managed to get like 4 track days out of it

BTW cam actuators are starting to be seen failing more often this year - my shop has replaced about a 1/2 dozen - not the end of the world but they dont offer much warning and even as a DIY project cost $1k EACH to replace - add labor and its a $3-4k job to do both sides - add an IMS upgrade for $3-4k and now you dropped $8k more on your car = just saying - keep some reserves or get a really fantastic warranty !

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I understand where you're coming from. I've performed all the maintenance myself on the M3 over the past 120k miles, and none of it will show up on carfax. Just out of curiosity, do you know what issues were popping up on the PPI that your friend did?

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I was planning on getting a warranty if possible. This is just one of the many phone calls I've been making this morning.

he had to replace the pinon gear and opted for an LSD upgraded IMS "while in there" - new clutch and flywheel the car had "upgraded suspension" but the parts wear bad - had to replace/rebuild the shocks, align and corner balance - then found more worn parts and had to repeat - then the brakes were "upgraded" but not matched to the car and the car would squirt all over the place under braking - had to rebuild calipers and add some proportioning to get it to calm down - tires were bad, replaced several interior bits were broken and he replaced them cam actuator failed and wow that it's "finished" the car has some residual "offroading" issues - the tub it torn under the gas tank and the side skirts are both broken - front clip is held together with mostly duct tape under the car. In the end he has spent more then enough to buy a well sorted GT3 of the 2004 era pretty car and he is in a position where it hurts but isnt going to kill him - it would have killed me

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Wow, duct tape?! The whole car sounds like it was pretty beat.

I think the duct tape probably came after he started tracking the car...... ETA: At least I would hope so, lol.

its not bad - just a lot of little things - it was listed as a track car and his entire reason for buying it is track use - duct tape wasnt viewed as a show stopper and the PO told him about it, said he had a small off track the tore a couple of the mounting holes - he was onboard with that - but the other stuff has been an open wound

gt3 are $30k more, however you want to look at it. No way to get a GT3 for less than 50k and it will not be pristine either. If you can get this car for $20k - 24k, sounds like a decent deal. About PPI, I would suggest YOU do the check yourself. Many dealers seems to be doing very superficial checks, that someone like you would not miss. It is all about how many things you are ready to dismount to see what is behind them. I think removing all wheels is a must. But If you raise the car on a lift for example you will not see much as the undercarriage is all protected with plastic bits. Unless you remove them you will not see much. Stay away from rust and try to buy a car coming from dry states, at least no snow : arizona, texas

Texas has had a couple good floods since 2003, my OLD house flooded twice, so...... ETA: Sorry, one of the floods was end of 2000, my bad.

Sales tax is a b____.

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15 second search - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/6spd-...t_46776wt_1165 they are coming down in price and I have seen nice examples less than $50k (I didnt looks too closely at this one - nor read it....just quickly found an under $50k that looks pretty OK from first looks

You have to watch out for heat related damage for cars coming out of Az and Tx sometimes. Bought a fair share of cars from those states with faded paint, cracked leather, accelerated wear on some rubber components. A friend that temporarily lived in Nevada for a few years had all his gaskets leak after he moved back to the Midwest. Just another thing to consider...

Chris, thanks for serving. (I retired just 16 years ago ) The total experience of these guys is great, it's really helped me. Here's a little more on what you're getting into. Bought my 02 C4S about 2 years ago with 90k miles. Overall in solid shape, spoke to the mechs who worked on it for years. Let me just go down the parts list: brake rotors and pads, AOS, various hoses and fluids, water pump, coil packs, oil press sender. Just go into the whole thing with your eyes wide open. It adds up, just saying. And oh yeah, 2 sets of tires because when you get it where you want it, you are going to LOVE driving it.

As stated above, $500 bucks will not cover IMS & RMS. IMS alone is $600+ just for the part. And there are other items that should be changed like the breather, oil pump drive, oil pressure spring and plunger, water pump... And pull the oil pan and inspect what is lying in there. It take 10 seconds longer to pull it off. But a inspection from a qualified 996 guy would be ideal.

I bought mine and had seller do IMS / RMS at dealer as part of my purchas eand that ran $2,000.00. So yes $500.00 will not even cover the bearing itself.

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not sure where the $500 came from - I said $500 but that was for a good PPI (might be a tad less I threw that number out there) not a repair of anything....just several hours worth of inspection - I guess C2 is cheaper than a Turbo so its maybe $3-400 IDK yes a qualified shop will quote ~$4k to do the IMS and other stuff while in there - then if the flywheel is good the bill will be $3-3.5k

Rms is leaking. 60k service was not done. Original plugs, belts, etc. Needs $3.7k in work. Would you still buy for $20k?

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Would sort of solve that lack of records part, and give you a solid base of knowledge related to the car. A few questions to help you decide: Is the clutch original? If not, it may be another big ticket that looms in the near future. Does that price include the IMS bearing upgrade you wanted to do? How is the car cosmetically? It looked relatively solid from the pictures on the dealers website. But, for example, are the wheels curb rashed or in good shape. Stuff like that seems small when you are hot for the car, and then drives you nuts later. Is this the car you want? There are lots of good 996s out there, most of which will not cost you $4k to set right. All that asked, a 2003 996 with 75k in good condition for $24k is not a bad deal. Good luck

*Update* - So after the PPI, the 911 was hit in the parking lot by a Nissan. It needs door and quarter panel work now. Needless to say, I'm passing on this one...

If you were looking for a sign, that was it. Here's one to look at, though I admit a quick search finds the pickings sort of slim... http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...31053017&Log=0 Try using Search Tempest to aggregate Craigslist. That is how I found my car a few years back. And don't be afraid of remote purchases. A good PPI recommendation and Rennlisters willing to eyeball a car can take a lot of the concerns out of the adventure. Be patient, it's out there somewhere.

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Wow that should entitle you to some rebate on your PPI fee!

If the oil leaking is really black and cruddy, it's not the RMS. It's old oil coming past the IMS bearing out of the shaft itself. Cleaner oil leaking will be RMS. I would walk away as well unless you can get a good PPI and the price comes down further. It could still be a good car once another $3k is put into it.

So what did the PPI show?

Seller is going to fix the IMS and RMS for $500?? That number does not ring true.