Will be Looking at this one

Hello, I am very new to the whole P-Car thing, but I have always wanted one and now have the time and "resources" to own one! I saw this one in AT and am hopefully going to look at it tomorrow. It is a 1999, It has 100k on it and he's asking 19k for it. Some of the options on it are: Porsche sports exhaust installed from the factory, 18" turbo twist wheels, optional LSD, and the 3 spoke sports steering wheel. It is local and I will of course get a PPI if I like what I see. I have been doing research on various models from 1987 thru 2001 and really like the lines and stated "behavior" of the 996's. I was wondering, however, if there are specific questions to ask beyond the usual (maintenance records, carfax, wrecks, etc RMS/IMS issues). I have been reading Zimmerman's book and there doesnt seem to be an real show stoppers with this car. Should I be wary of the mileage? Thanks Joe

welcome, car "looks" good. If PPI is good, and you get a good test drive, AND it doesn't need any new bits to make it right, 19K is a good price; otherwise, drop the price for any repairs / maintenance it is going to need prior to purchase. Good luck. Enjoy the ride.

Does it have complete records of all work done? Nice dolor and some great options. GL

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Not sure about record. Owner is second. I haven't spoken to him yet. Waiting on return call. Yeah, the color looks good in photos. I can't wait to see in person. J

Give me 22k and you can have mine. A yr newer and 46k miles less.

I thought you were keeping it? Steal at that price.....sure you want to do that? And not high jack...the speed yellow is one of my favorites. Looks very nice.

I say be very cautious with 100,000 miles & $19k is on the high side.

My wife wouldn't left me get speed yellow..... Maybe when I buy that GT3 in 2030 and she's wearing neon plaid golf shorts cause she likes the color.

19k is on the high side for it.. My 99' with similar options (except sport exhaust, mine had heated seats too) was bought for $17k a year ago with 88k miles. I have over 100k miles now and still going strong. LSD and 3 spoke steering wheels are nice options though. Good luck!

As several have said, 19K is insane money. Especially, since it's yellow and 100K miles. Great color but a VERY limited market of buyers. Regardless, make sure you spend the money and get it THOROUGHLY looked at. Where is the car located? Durham, correct? There is a very large number of active p-car guys in the triangle that would be happy to help if you need some direction pursuing this car. Heck, we might even know the guy which would be a plus. Found the ad on AT and saw that he had his own version of a PPI done at Performance in CH and European in Raleigh. I would definitely have it done on your own at Leith. PM me offline and I can get you some more suggestions on who to talk to and what EXACTLY to ask for. You need to make sure and get a thorough history of the car. Just telling you fluids and maintenance are up to date doesn't fly. These cars are NOT going to live long if they aren't taken care of it. Aesthetics is one thing, but **** overdone maintenance sells cars. Especially when there are hundreds of 996's on the market to chose from. ps. did you give up on your search for a early 911?

17k For -99. P cars are so cheap in the US. I payed for my -98 32k € it's about 42k USD....

apples to oranges

If the car comes out of the PPI with no issues then $15k should buy that car.

we seem to be seeing more 100k+ mile cars coming up for sale - looks clean, best of luck with it. I would worry less about getting the absolute lowest price and more about getting the absolute best car - at <$20k there are quite a few, but a small step up might make a big differance in your out of pocket expences POST purchase and increase your overall enjoyment if you drive more / fix less.... not saying there is anything wronhg with a high milage 996, hell mine (ex) has 130k at this point

Damn, I thought some of y'all were crazy for thinking that car is overpriced, but I'll be damned--there's a dozen of them in the teens on eBay. That's a good thing for me, though--I'm shopping for another car and don't want to dump the Porsche. If it's only worth $15-20k there's no reason to do that.

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Especially since your 08 grand prix is completely worthless since the expiration of the Pontiac brand.

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I very wishy washy with the idea of keeping or selling.....grown up in me says sell and the kid tells me to keep it. If someone gives me what Id like for it I will sell.

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Can't do much about that one--it's my daily driver work car. If Porsche made something that was reasonably inexpensive to drive 60-70k miles a year, I'd be in that instead!

Yellow looks great! It has the right options IMO. I will agree that you should have some negotiating room on price.

Look great with a yellow consol

You don't have to be afraid of high mileage P cars if they took good care of them. The water pump was probably replaced, same goes for the coolant tank/starter and alternator (10 years). If the PPI checks out, I'll say go for it!

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions! All this may be moot because the guy didn't return my call! I have an appt to see the one below tomorrow. A 2001 with 75k on the odo. Asking a "reduced" price of 19999.00 No other details except "the clutch feels good with no slipping"! I will report back afterward. The hunt continues! Cheers, Joe

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Looks like someone went out of their way to keep that car in nice shape. The c2 996 didn't come with red brake calipers. Take a close look at how well they are painted. That will give you some clue as to how meticulous the owner is.

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Will do..I get the impression from speaking to the seller that this is an independent dealer, not the "owner" so I will try to get a real good history. I plan a Carfax and a VIN look up with Porsche. J

Regarding the yellow Porsche for sale... Last year while i was looking for a 996 and just before i bought the one that i have now i talked with the guy who was selling the yellow porsche. I made an offer of $17,500 and he refused it....he certainly regret it today cause as i can see he is still trying to sell ...but since then he maybe sold it and forgot to remove his ad.... Good luck and by the way i finally bought a 2000 996 with only 50K on it for a lot less then $19,000.00 but that is another story. Good luck Robert

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Thanks, Robert..I know the right one will come along! J

That dealer in Greensboro has a fairly poor reputation. Do a quick google search on some of the BMW forums. Be careful.

Thanks for the heads up...I am going to drive the car...run the VIN with Porsche and Carfax and report back here my findings. If those items check out, I will get a PPI and price accordingly. J

I just sent you a PM, I'm in the Raleigh area and work on these if you need somebody to look it over. I've also owned a few, and like them!

I drove the 01 Red/Black 996 today. Here are my (newby) impressions. The Car: 1) Appeared More aged that it's 76k miles a. weird, milky white, amoeba-looking blotches in many spots, especially under the rear vent. Some moderate scratches. b. Interior looks "well used" with many dry cracks and scuffs on the seats, door panels and arm rests. 2) Tires/wheels look good...no scratches or blemishes on rims. Tires (Sumito HTR III) look pretty new with good/even tread depth. 3) No service records available..havent tried Porsche. 4) Heavily cracked side marker lenses and small crack on RHS HL lens The Drive: 1) Clearly, the fastest car I have ever driven! 2) Started well..relatively smooth/quiet idle 3) Pulled hard through 4th. (no more room for 5th and 6th!) 4) Stopped well with no pulling or fading Carfax: 1) 4 owners 2) 2 auction sales 3) No wrecks reported 4) Not much on service data..just an oil change or two Dealership: 1) Small operation..mainly Bimmers 2) Nice, cooperative people..(Haven't met a man named Ace since I saw KISS in '79!) Overall impression: I think I will keep looking..too many questionable things...I don't know what would cause the paint to have those white spots. Cracked side marker lenses (all of them), and 3 out of 5 interior makes me think it hasn't been taken care of very well, plus being auctioned twice and 4 owners.... Am I on the right track with my thoughts/concerns here?..again, this is not the first used car I have looked at, but is my first Porsche. Cheers, joe

Think your instinct here is good. Walk away having learned a few things. Perhaps you need to focus your search a bit. Settle on your max price to determine the year range you can afford. Then decide on the color(s) you like and do some research on options (PSM, litronic headlights, full leather, etc,). Once you have done this you can both broaden your search geographically while easily sorting through the available cars. There are lots of good 996s out there. Be patient and have a plan. Good luck!

Thanks, RPM's. I pretty much have my budget in mind (around 23-25k). The exterior color doesn't matter much.. I would like to stick with black interior though. I have been filtering out the Cabs, but I may look at those also. I have been limiting my searches to the eastern US. May have to broaden out a bit. I really want to drive a few to get the sense of what the ride is "supposed" to feel like. J

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Here is mine for sale....for 22k http://www.audizine.com/classifieds/...96-aero&cat=31 Cars.com LINK

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Thanks! Looks fantastic! The only thing that I want different is a manual tranny. J

Try search tempest.com to look at craigslist outside of Raleigh.