Sweet Spot for a High Mileage 996

Very interested in a 996 coupe with automatic transmission for daily driver in eastern Connecticut. @ $15k. AWD would be nice but not necessary. No objection to a well sorted High mileage car. Assuming a reasonably well maintained car, where do the repairs seem to come. In other words, generally speaking, are you better off with a car with 120,000 miles that has had its major issues addressed then a car with 70k, 80k or 90,000 miles for example? Or is it a totally random, car by car thing.

Take a look at this one....not tooooo far away. Its an auto, but a '99 4 spoke steering wheel, IMS replaced, $17.9k, 75k mi, NH..... https://www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/49436898 I need to get down to Mystic for some Christmas shopping soon.

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The answer to this question is really more of a matter of personal preference than something that can be answered with facts. For me, all else being equal between two cars, I would probably go for the higher mileage car with all the maintenance addressed over a lower mileage car that is going to need work. For me, it would be a financial decision. The higher mileage car is usually going to be worth a little less money even though it's had a lot of preventative work done to it, AND I won't need to do any additional work to it (in theory).

It depends on your budget and ability to do work yourself. Since I could do work myself, I chose a well maintained lower mileage car (53k miles) that needed a little work. (Windshield, noise in front suspension that had been misdiagnosed as �needs all new struts�, and broken cup holder) Those issues had recently popped up, and the PO knew how much it would cost him to pay to have done. The asking price was discounted accordingly. It only cost me a few hundred to do myself, (only needed a windshield and a control arm) instead of the thousands the PO was looking at spending.

I'd say the condition and maintenance of the car is paramount. Some cars with higher mileage are worth more than cars with lower. Look for a car that has been lovingly maintained with records. If you're looking at the 100k range, look for things like rear main seal, IMS, AOS, water pump, and clutch to be replaced. Those are items that more than likely will need to be replaced sooner or later, and if its been done you're in that much better shape. BUT, I wouldn't necessarily run away from a car that hasn't had those done. If you can get it for the right price, doing it yourself gives you brand new components and peace of mind that its been done and done right. The details add up VERY quickly with these cars - so buying one from an owner that sweats the details is a great way to go. Paying an extra 2-5k from a private seller that has been meticulous should cost you less in the long run vs. getting a better deal off some used car lot that doesn't know anything about the maintenance history, etc. Also, pay attention to details like the tires and brakes. Those are wear items that obviously need to be replaced periodically - but they're also expensive. Two cars with the same mileage and price could end having a 2-3k price differential if you find one needs tires and brakes after you buy it. To answer your question a bit more specifically. I bought my car with about 80k miles on it 2.5 years ago. It just hit 111k and there have been no major problems along the way. It seems like that entire span of 80-110k was worry free. The car has been rock solid and very reliable. Outside of oil, tires, and front brakes, I'd say 90+% of the money I've spent on maintenance has been elective/preventative. I'd recommend checking the classifieds on this forum. I've found the cars being sold by members here are a notch above.

Thank you. I appreciate the responses. I recognize that my question is difficult/impossible to answer in the sense that it depends so much on the maintenance the vehicle received, the timing of the maintenance and the overall age mileage. What I was driving at has to do with my experience with some domestic brands. For example my families Chevy suburban�s, despite being maintained perfectly from new have always seem to fall apart right at the 90,000 mile mark ( new transmissions, electrical and HVAC issues ect) and frankly even after repair do not get much better after that. I was wonderingIf the 996 has a similar weak spot, mileage wise, regardless of maintenance when things seem to break? And is it all downhill after a certain mileage?

Is this your first Porsche? This is my fifth one and I've been very active in my local PCA club for over 20 years. Needless to say I have a good "brain database" of the reliability of a Porsche. Add to that I've owned 32 other cars, various makes/models. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that these cars are complicated, but very reliable when you compare them to the average car around. I had a 25 year old 968 with 186,000 that still was on the original starter, alternator, and all components of the A/C system. Find me another manufacturer that can make that claim. Hope this helps!

Condition and how the car was treated is more important. I bought a really nice original car that also had only 48,000 miles. The problem with finding a car that has had a lot of work done is that you don�t know if that work was preventative or due to failures. If it was a basket case in the past, you have to assume it will be in the future. So I would get a car that�s low miles (under 50k), or higher mileage (over 100k), on the basis of which repairs were done. A 100k car that�s had a replacement engine, or new clutch/AOS/IMSB/etc. would probably be better than an original 60k car if you subscribe to the idea that a clutch could go at any time, the IMS might need to be done, etc. I bought an air-cooled car at 115k miles after it had a top-end engine rebuild at 90k. Then I lost the clutch at 122k (original clutch lasted 20 years, lol.