Would you buy this 2004 911 40th AE?

I'm new to the 911 world. I currently own a 2008 Cayman and thinking of moving into a 911. So far, the only info I have on the car is: No known accidents No maint. records. Current owner states it only needed oil changes. Currently on it's 5th owner. 30K miles price $38K Think this is worth pursuing? Thanks.

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The 40th AE is a great car but it is 14 years old and it is a 996 (with potential problems lurking) so I'd want as much historical info about the car as possible plus a very very thorough PPI if you get to that point. Price is on the high side.

What is your motivation? What do you want? $38K for a 996 (even a 40th AE) without services records seems way too high. For that money you are in range of a 996 turbo. Having said that, if the car speaks to you, why not?

ppppffffff, no records? 14yo car @ premium price? Buy a 997 for that budget imo. Or get more info on it. AEs are sweet, but the mix of no records, 5 owners & minimal miles is not a mix to support a high price. Maybe after a thorough PPI & driving it to make sure there's nothing obvious.

A 997S is a similar experience to the 40th AE but feels a little more modern (lighter controls). So if you want the more mechanical, connected feel, the 40th is the way to go. My dad has an 05 997S, which is the "early" one that only has 355hp, and I prefer driving the 40th to it. A low mileage 40th would be a great car, but since it's a garage queen you'd absolutely need to budget an IMS bearing or IMS Solution install. I've had my 40th for 8 years and about 50k miles now and have loved it. I drove a 997TT and even though the power of the turbo is great, the AWD makes the car less fun to drive in my opinion. Not worth the huge price difference!

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Don't have a good feeling about this one...

It's not that far off the market. These have taken a ride in the marketplace: http://www.40jahre911.com/40-jahre-911-listed-for-sale

I think it's worth going after if you can knock off some money. That's pretty low mileage and there are not many out there for sale. How are the tires brakes, etc? If he doesn't have the IMS done you can deduct a little for that. Luggage, window sticker or other fun stuff? What options? Clean carfax? Regarding this being 997 money, I agree it is, but to me the 40th is a better choice. I'm on my 2nd one and when I sold my 996 turbo in March I drove the 997.1s and 997.2 thinking I would do one or the other and neither car felt special to me. Plus you can't service the IMS (there have been some failures of the upgraded ones but not many). there seems to be more issues with cylinder scoring on the 997 as well. The 997.2 non s did nothing for me, I was disappointed really, as I liked the seemingly bullet proof 9A1. So I'm back in a 40th with no regrets and at 47 years old and having had 55 or 56 cars, that says a lot. I usually have a pretty bad gotta move on itch by now and I don't. Keep searching more will come up. Need to test drive one? Pm me as I think you are in Chicago too.

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Similar 997.1S test drive for me. Other than the power increase, I thought the car was less engaging, quieter, and overall less fun to drive than my Cayman. Maybe it's worth checking out after all. Also, thanks for the test drive invitation, but I'm located in New England.

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Hmm... Interesting. Thanks for the info!

There are two on autotrader. One has just under 50k miles and seems priced very well.

clubracer6 makes some valid points, he sold my 26k car three years ago of the 5 owners, how many were dealers ? this is clearly a garage queen, as was mine and most likely a 2nd second car for most of the previous owners take a second look at the car, consider that 911user in Minnesota has over 330,000 on his 40th there's a little bit more value here, full leather, X51, the GT paint..it's a unique C2 I had the retrofit done at 27k and have been upgrading ever since, these are wonderful cars

If this is true, it's worth a premium of some sort. I originally scoffed at the 40th but in doing more research, it may tops among the 996 NA cars. Can anyone verify or give any informed opinions on these 40th Anniversary upgrades? "Significantly, it is not just power output upgrades, having both additional cooling (centre radiator) and lubrication upgrades (high-G sump baffles, additional pump and oil lines). Those two options are almost worth the entry ticket alone: as the 996 cylinder failures almost always involve the overheating and under lubrication of cylinder number 6, these modifications go someway to mitigating the seizures."

a lot on the X51, pretty good read http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=60293

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The 40th AE does not have a third radiator as OE but it does have the larger radiators from the turbo.

In 2004, it was the nicest optioned 996 Carrera. However, owning one today is like being the tallest midget.

My 911 history is: 71 911 T 06 997 C4s 07 997 TT 04 996 40th AE 08 997 TT 10 997 GTS 04 996 40th AE I really like the 40th AE – as you can see, I keep coming back to it. Folks are amazed when they ask me about it and I tell them it’s almost 14 years old. It's a great car!

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That's high praise, indeed. Everyone I've read that has owned one (a few have owned one more than once, like you) all have great things to say. LSD, X51, interior and exterior styling, and only 739 available to US buyers. PCA did a 996 Model Guide in December 2016, and the author had this to say: "Excluding the GT3’s, which are great for the track but difficult to live with the rest of the week, my favorite 996 is the 40th Anniversary edition, sold only in model year 2004 in a limited production run of 1963 units (to commemorate the first year of the 911 in Germany). What’s so great about the car is that it had just about everything an enthusiast would want in the car already installed from the factory – inside and out. The car features a more aggressive turbo nose in the front and polished tips in the back. All the best options (wheels, X51 power) are included in the package, which made it something special." It's growing on me...

The limited slip is a big ticket item. When I bought my first 40th, I was originally looking for MK1 aero cars with the factory LSD, when I remembered the AE had one, that was it for me.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/c...253043059.html

Terrible ad... Just copied and pasted info about the model but tells nothing about this actual car.

I have a 40AE, bought earlier this year with 45K miles on it, one owner with all the original luggage and lots of records. My advice on the car you are looking at or any other is to budget for a comprehensive PPI and for not just major "weak point" things like IMS and the related "while you're in there" things, but also wear items that might need to be replaced just because it's time. As others have said, the 40AE is a very interesting car with a unique spec that goes far beyond merely the aesthetic. The X51 power kit was a $14K stand-alone option on the 996.2, and these cars have that standard. Every indie mechanic who has driven my car has commented on how fast they are vis-a-vis their usual experience with 996.2. One even asked me if it had an S engine! On the subject of the asking price for the car near you, I think that for a car that hasn't had any of the weak points addressed or doesn't have much in maintenance history, $38K is more than I would personally be willing to spend. That car had better be immaculate and have rare items like sport seats with painted backs or something. I bought mine in January for $33K, then did IMS, RMS, clutch right away, then did water pump, coil packs and engine mounts just recently. YMMV, but keep in mind that these are 14-year-old cars and many of the low miles garage queens may have deferred maintenance waiting to be addressed.