looking at used 996

Hi - i'm looking for a used 996, but also at a new 2004 carrera cab. The dealer is quoting me about 90k for a decently equipped cab, but then there are some very low mile 2002 / 2003 in the low 70's that are p-approved cars ( equipped about the same ). Seems like a no-brainer to consider the used car over the "new" car, with a savings of almost 20k. Looking at the blue book value of the 2002 car, the dealership seems about 4-5k high, and that may account for the warranty ... the 2002 had 5k miles on it, clean carfax. If I got the used one, i'd have to do some audio mods and hopefully find some info on these boards on navigation mods - Any thoughts are appreciated...

Welcome to Rennlist. I was in a similar situation last year, I wanted to buy a used C4S, and I was seeing cars with low miles for about 70-75K. If Porsche hadn't just come out with the 2004 C4S Cab I would have bought used. If you are buying from a dealer and it has low miles, you shouldn't have any issues. I would be very aggressive with the sales people on these cars, it's somewhat of a buyers market right now (although you may have to go outside of SoCal). I would also recommend buying a p-approved car from a dealer, with the original warranty. Good luck, Rob

For 2002 doing nav/audio mods is no problem. For 2003 and above the situation becomes complicated, due to the MOST (fibre optic) bus, and interfacing is near to impossible. BTW nav is great and the stock PCM unit works quite well, it has taken me all over the US.. You could buy my car, but you'll have to hurry since it is being replaced next week with a 997S.

I will need to be aggressive with the sale people - I have an MB AMG to trade in. The car is mint. I test drove the 2005 carrera cab ( is that a 997 ) and man was that incredible. I love the interior. Seems like the dealer gets used cars in every day - so I have to play my hand and not get emotional about it. especially with my trade, and thats a real tough give up ( the AMG ) - but the AMG does not drive like the Porsche. It has the quickness, but not the agility.

You drove a 996 Cab The 997 cab will not released until late March

Still rainy in san diego.............I feel like i moved to seattle..........

I stand corrected, the car was a 2005 coupe. blk on blk all leather with alum pkg. What is the RMS issue ( is that right ) I read a lot about on these boards? what is RMS ...

tasteslikechicken, I just PM'ed you, check it out.

What is RMS? Do a search on that and you will find more than enough reading material. RMS=Rear Main Seal.

you did see dpblessing's gorgeous c4s didncha? it already has the mods you want done and then some!

tips for buying 911s... i believe excellence magazine put it best when they said, when buying a 911, buy the newest one you can possibly afford.

Anyone who doesn't follow that advice and buys a 911 out of warranty, had better either be a mechanic or have deep pockets. My rule of thumb for estimating what a Porsche shop will charge is as follows: estimate the price of the repair and then double it and then square it.

Not to confuse the issue, but if you are thinking about spending between $70-$90K and are not adverse to buying used, why not look at a Twin Turbo. For mid $80's you can probably find a low mileage 01-02. The problem with these cars is that the HP get addictive and after coming out of an AMG, you will probably want more HP down the road. In addition, there are no RMS issue to worry about-totally different engine design. Lastly, if this is your first Porsche, be aware that these cars are a la carte when it comes to options, which can easily add $20-$30K to the price of the car. Make sure that you understand which options are important to you before you look for a car. Things like Xenon headlights and PSM are either very difficult or impossible to add after market.

When you buy a new 997 today (est 85 K) you will lose at least 35 K in the first 3 years of usage in depreciation. My most expensive cars where always those which I bought new, inc. 328i Cab, 540 i, etc. Porsche is the same. I had one of the "horror" 1991 Carrera 2 early SN. It leaked, OK. After 10 hours work provided by myself and my mechanic the car was as reliable as you can imagine. I drove it for 2 years and sold it without losing 1 cent in depreciation, total maintenance was about 1 K. My Ferrari Testarossa cost me about 5 K in maintenance over 2 years and I actually made 10 K when I sold it. When looking at costs a new car is always the most expensive.

Be careful with the term "always. Have you read Bob's posts? I do agree that if you can do a lot of your own maintenance, buying used is a lot less expensive than new. There's an '04 Anniversary car with 1200 miles at my local Porsche dealer and the asking price is $69K. My guess is that the dealer gave the guy $62K-$63K for that car which had an MSRP of around $93K. That's some serious depreciation for one year, 1200 miles.

Hi guys, As my pristine 964 Coupe was recently stolen, and I just settled the insurance claim, I am also in the market for a more recent vintage 911. I have been shopping locally, and have found a very low mileage 2002 (Porsche approved, with 4 years left on warranty), which I can get for about CDN $10K less than a brand new 2004 996. Thoughts please?

You are not writing if it's a Coupe or Cab or a 2 or a 4. Let's assume it's a 2002 Carrera 2 Coupe with around 10 K miles (16,000 km). You can buy one on the East Coast for maximum 60 K US$ with nice features. Add 1 K for transport, duty is 6.1 %, conversion costs are max $ 500, that's about $ 81,500 Canadian dollars. Then you get 4 years warranty instead of 1 year, that's worth another 5 K Canadian, so you should be around 86,500 Canadian plus taxes. What is he offering?

Hi, Yes, sorry, that was stupid of me. I've seen a 2002 C2 Coupe with 12,800 km (8,000 miles), with 2 years of original warranty left PLUS 2 years of extended, taking the coverage out to 2009. Minimal options (the way I like it): Advanced Technic Package P04, Leather Sport Seats P77, PSM 476, Colored Wheel Caps 446, Radio 696. All this and they're asking CDN $80,000, plus tax. I have asked for an engine print-out. What should I look for? Thanks, Marc