Per Rennlister's advice, I passed up the last 996 I was looking at...

..and found another "near perfect" candidate this weekend! Specs: 1999 996 C2 Coupe. Red, tan interior, 49k miles, 6 spd (I was going to get Tip being that it's a daily driver and I am talking/making appts while driving a lot, but perhaps having a stick will FORCE me to pull over when I need to look at the Palm Pilot), traction control, navigation, sport seats, premium sound package, 18" wheels. I wanted the aero kit and full leather interior, both of which it lacks but I can add the aero kit later and I'll just have to deal w/o the full leather (is it easy to upgrade that as well; any kits out there?). $33k, with 4yr/60k mile warranty. Seemed fair to me for the options and condition. The car has had 2 prior owners, both passed along full dealer service records (car had had all scheduled maintenance). Unlike the last one, it has no drips, airbag/check engine lights, or apparent issues. Appears to be a very clean car. I should take delivery by the end of the week. The traction control will be nice as I will drive it year round (I'll get snow tires), and from searching the archives the '99 6spd w/ traction control appears to be the hot setup for the track....maybe I found my next future track car! Guess I'll be hanging around these parts more often now! Colby

Looks nice. Congrats!

Colby - Nice ride and Welcome! What kind of wheels are on the car? Other than the areokit, what other Mods do you have planned? Clear side markers, short shifter, might be a good start. Didn't see the back, but do you have the painted bumberettes? "See" ya around!

Welcome! How is the condition of the paint? Your pic looks like the paint is faded. The aero will be several thousand to put on. I'd get rid of that rounded front end first if you are on a budget. $33k is really cheap if the car is accident free and take care of. Full leather interior can be expensive. If you just want all leather seat, that's about a $2k for a used set. Leather dash is where upgrade is worth the effort IMO. If the car has Porsche PCM nav w casette deck, it's pretty much obsolete. The map base is no longer supported and you won't find new streets or points of interests (restaurants). Not discouraging you from buying but just don't want you to be surprised. At $33k, it's a steal.

congratulations....looks great.

Congrats . Nothing like driving a Porsche.

Well, I also have an '84 911 Cabriolet that I have extensively modified. This car, being a daily driver, I will be a little more conservative on the mods. I can't have a booming exhaust as I am on the phone a lot while I drive. Mainly interior/exterior stuff. The car has sport seats, so I won't be changing those out. I mainly want the gauge fascia in leather (looks much nicer, IMHO). Also want to swap out the cheap plastic w/ carbon fiber, but searching the forum has led me to believe that the stick-on is not the way to go. That is a bummer that the Nav format is no longer supported, but I mainly need it to find main roads where clients live, depositions are being held, etc... points of interest are not relevant so it should be fine for my purpose. I'm not sure how dark a red the car is supposed to be; it was a tad light but didn't appear faded. Bumperettes not painted, but now that I look at it I will definitely want them to be. I'm not sure on the manufacturer of the rim; I'll look on the inside edge next time the rim is off. Rear pic:

Very pretty car!

What front bumpers are cross compatible? 02+? turbo? I want to avoid f/g if possible. May look for a complete, used aero kit. Likely will never find it though, so I may have to look at aftermarket options. A wing is definitely a must. Colby List of toys since I haven't figured out the signature feature yet: '01 Lexus LX470 '00 Aprilia Mille '99 Porsche 996 '97 Audi A8 '84 Porsche 911 Cabriolet

33k is a very very low price for that car. I see by the tag it is coming from a dealer? Regardless, do yourself a favor and take it to a body shop(or pay a body guy 50 bucks to come to the lot after work) to see if it has ever been painted. Paint usually means prior damage. If you find this to be true, you may still buy the car based on the price but at least the next guy who wants to buy it from you down the road wont walk because HE finds out it has. I was very surprised to find out later that my "steal of a deal" bmw m3 had previously had every panel but one painted. So, I hope none of the above is true. But as always, and ESPECIALLY with dealers, beware. Cheers.

Colby... I have pretty much the same car as you do. The price concerns me. It seems way low. Take it to an independent shop. Have them do a complete pre-purchase inspection which will run you about 300-400$. Make sure there is no body damage. 99 996's in Portland are going from 36-39,000...private party and a local Jaguar dealership in downtown has one for 44,000. Again, do yourself a favor...do a PIP...good luck. Jim

Try GAHH Inc. in California for the leather seat kits. www.gahh.com

with 49K miles, I think the price is right. I have seen them in the high 20Ks but this car seems well equipt. Get a PPI and if it smells good...Congrats!!

Come on now guys, I'm a lawyer! Do you really think I'd go into ANY deal w/o all my bases covered? Ok, I've met some pretty stupid lawyers in my time, so I guess anything is possible. I had the car inspected already; I had the dealer take it to an independent shop for a PPI. The wrench said it was spotless underneath and no signs of overspray. He also took a micrometer of some sort (measures paint thickness?) and said there was no sign of a repaint. I also insisted on an extended warranty (and reviewed the terms of the warranty and checked into the company's history). The car had two previous owners. 99 to 01 it was a lease, came off lease and was owned for 2 years; the PO then traded in on another car. Both owners kept full maintenance records. But I agree the price was unusually low; why do you think I jumped on it (and am flying 4 hours and driving 700 miles back home) for it! But of course, I am not having it shipped. Despite the hassle, I will fly down, and look it over personally, before I hand over a dime. I am quite the bargain shopper and will wait forever and a day, and travel a thousand miles, for the right car at the right price. Colby

Congrats!

Trust me Colby, being a lawyer means squat! Smart individuals and not so smart individuals get screwed by the sometimes fradulent business practices of car dalerships everywhere. I'm probably preaching to the choir here, however. If you like the car and it is as you represent, then by all means go for it and enjoy the hell out of it and good luck on your subsequent purchase!... Let us know when you get it...

Colby, looks like everything checked out so far. If the car looks good in person then go for it. As far as the aerokit is concerned...the headlights changed in 2002 (07/01 and later cars) so you can't use the '02+ or Turbo bumper (unless you change the headlights and fenders on your '99 as well). You can get the OEM Aerokit I (GT3 style) or an aftermarket front bumper. I went with the RUF RGT aerokit since it was the only one I found that was made of polyurethane like the OEM front bumper. For wings, check out www.996wings.com . Several board members have gotten wings from Misha. Check out Kirby's (a.k.a. Itzkirb) photos in the other post . Very nice GT2-style wing. Good luck with the purchase.

Please leave my sister out of this thread; she drives a Holden V8 Pickup.

Wow, I guess so. I made the comment out of jest, not to put myself on a pedestal or disrespect the forum. I am completely indebted to all the forums on which I participate (pelicanparts, clublexus, apriliaforum, nagca, audiworld) as they all have answered many many questions and saved me much time and money by avoiding trips to the dealership. Relax and lets all enjoy our common interest! That having been said, I have come across a snag on the car; it is asking for the PCM and Nav code. The problem is the code isn't in the glovebox. So I called the dealership and gave them the VIN to get the code and it too was incorrect. I now recall the original Nav radio was replaced under warranty for "cracking *****". So likely the code changed as well. How can I get the codes? Pull the radio and give the dealership the serial #? Can they talk to it via the OBD port? Colby

Via OBD2 port? No. You would need to pull the PCM and get the serial number and go that route. Why isn't the code with the papers? You did said all the paperwork was transferred from owner to owner and this is one important piece of paperwork. My question is why would you have to find this out? This is something that was obviously hidden from you IMHO. But I am sure you will get the standard "you mean the code isn't with the paperwork" line. This is the kinda stuff that makes me question it. One reason I bought my car a couple years back from the dealer CPO.