Looking at buying an '02 996

Hey guys, I mostly hang out in the 928 forum, but my mother is looking at buying a used 996. It's an '02 with only 20k miles, no AWD, 6-speed, and full service records. My dad and I looked over the car, and it drives very nicely, shifts smoothly, etc. We had the dealer check the computer to find out how many times it had been redlined, and the answer appears to be zero. As far as we can tell, its in great shape, and the seller wants about $30k for it. Evidently it was garage-kept by an elderly gentleman who didn't drive it all that much. Single owner. What sorts of things should we be on the lookout for for common problems? I already read about RMS and IMS, and the engine sounds fine, doesn't leak oil, and at 20k miles, probably is too young to see those failures unless the low mileage per year contributes to a shortening of the seal/bearing lifetimes. Finally, it seems to me that the 30k asking price is in the right ballpark, although I certainly don't know a whole lot about the market. What do the gods of rennlist portend? Thanks.

Low miles do not mean parts don't need replacing, some items age out, some are prone to failure and should be replaced hers a popular list Coolant tank AOS Water pump / Thermostat Belt Coolant hoses above engine Spark plugs Spark plug tubes Coils Brake fluid ( every two years) Battery Tires ? Clean radiators Oil cooler O Rings and maybe oil cooler Yes I know many who will attest to getting many more miles from these parts but if you want Reliability

One owner, 20K miles, clean, and all records may well justify the 30K price. I'd see if you can get it down a bit (of course), but in my opinion, the 30k is fair given the specifics for that car. Of course, IMSB is the one potential issue that could still lurk. You could read 10,000 posts on that one and still have no idea what to do. Maybe use that as an issue to negotiate a discount, then use the savings to replace the IMSB. I'd replace all age-related items like hoses, etc.

If it is the color and options wanted, and your mother plans to keep the car a while, that may justify the price. But that certainly is full price +.

Buy it clean it up where it needs it, drive it, enjoy it. Change the oil and filter as soon as you get it. Send a sample of drain oil to Blackstone, or your favorite oil analysis outfit, to start a baseline. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

If after a good test ride/drive (around 30 miles total) if everything is to your liking and a good inspection of the underside finds no leaks buy the car, but not before adjusting the price for any servicing due. Also, consider the tires may be due for replacement due to their age. I would add with low miles and after so much time the odds are a bit higher there will be leaks. RMS is a possibility, but there are other seals and so on that can possibly leak. In my opinion it is crazy to spend thousands to proactively replace things that show no need of requiring replacement. But it is up to you. I would add though that if you feel you must go this route you are overpaying for the car. You are paying excellent money for a car that requires a good deal of money - I'd estimate easily over 10% of its purchase price -- to bring it up to excellent condition. However, I doubt the seller would see it this way and balk at lowering his price that much. My advice would be to leave the proactive parts replacement to the nervous Nellies and instead just enjoy what should prove to be a very nice car. Keep an eye on things for your mother's sake and let her enjoy the car.

+1 What Macster said. Even in excellent condition with only 20k miles, still hard to pay over $25k for a base '02 Coupe.

I would get a ppi, if possible. Ive built/restored cars, so i know my way around an engine, but these engines are packed in pretty tightly, so its hard to do a visual inspection from the top. Minimum would be to put it on a lift and look for leaks (likely with age and low miles). For point of rerence, this past july i picked up an 02 cab, 6 speed, light options, lapis blue/savannah beige. Car had just turned 21k miles. I paid right around $31k, BUT that price included the dealer agreeing to do $4k worth of work, which was uncovered during the ppi. Pretty much all seals/gaskets. Hope that helps!

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I agree. I bought my 02 with 44k miles for 28k and in the 4.5 years I've owned it I've spent about 7k on various repairs and tires. It's a 12 year old car regardless of the mileage. Some things wear out with mechanical use and some things deteriorate with age and exposure to the elements.

Low miles for a car more than a decade old raises concerns for me, because guess what we see over and over again? Low mileage cars with issues that we don't see from the cars that have been driven. Have a full PPI carried out and have the inspector spend a lot of time on the engine, even remove the sump plate and do all the same things that should be done on a car with 150K miles. Guilty until proven innocent.

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all, here is an expert telling you something important about low mileage 996's. Pay attention. The normal way of thinking, buy a low mileage used car, does NOT apply to the standard 996 series, and may be the same for the 997 series in the near future. Ever look at a human mortality rate chart? The older you get, the better your chances of reaching the average age of death...same applies here. The early failures (from low mileage cars) is a similar example. 2003 Carrera 4S Speed Yellow / 1955 356 Continental 1500 Rust Red

While I do not know what exactly should be done to a car at 150K miles -- my 02 Boxster required a RMS (25K miles), AOS (80K miles), rear wheel bearing (90K miles), and a couple of O2 sensors (<150K miles) -- in the case of this particular car I can bet it involves replacing a lot of various car parts and internal engine parts. Given the car's asking price unless the OP can get the car for a substantial discount from the asking price he's looking at spending stupid money in its initial purchase price and then after for while granted a nice low miles car a car that requires a considerable additional expenditure of money to I guess based on Jake Raby's assessment bring the car up to roadworthiness condition.

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+2 Macster. Personally I wouldn't pay more than $23K for that car - it's 11 years old remember. Lots of routine maintenance and age related wear items in the near future.

People spend CRAZY money on low mileage cars all the time. The record I have seen was 32K for a 12K mile 97 Boxster earlier in 2013. That car came to us after 1500 miles and had all sports of issues, even the heater flaps wouldn't divert because they were so "stuck" in place. It didn't fail, but it had a gripe list a mile long, most of which wasn't engine related, so we just did our part and sent it back home. Any car must be driven, sitting around is worse than anything for any car or other mechanical device. The thing that gets me is the people who buy the low mileage cars usually buy them to go drive them A LOT, which automatically makes no sense because the low mileage car they spent a lot to acquire gets rock chips, miles and loses its value quickly. In 2013 I drove 107 different Boxsters/ 996/997/ Caymans a minimum of 50 miles doing our pre-qualification and post process evaluations. That said, a 60K mile car thats well maintained drives just as good as a 20K mile car. Here's an example of a low mileage 04 C4S thats priced at 50K with 8K miles, and its local to me! http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/cto/4264842231.html