BUYING ADVICE! 996 INFO!

Hi everyone, my name's Raphael. I am new to this forum & wanted some info on the 996 as I will very soon be making a purchase. My brother has owned a 997 Carrera S for almost 3 years, & he's had no problems or complaints with it whatsoever. He says, & I quote, "I know 'the ultimate driving machine' is BMW's slogan, but I really think my Porsche is." After taking a couple rides with him, including long ones from San Diego to LA & back, I can see why. It's fast, agile, comfortable, etc. & after experiencing this, & then looking at other options for my first sports car, I simply have to say that I just don't think I'll get the same feel from the other cars in my price range, which include the M3, Corvette, SL500, & Maserati Cambiocorsa, among others. So, now to my point, how is the reliability of the 996? Is it as great as the 997? Are engine failures common or does it have many mechanical problems? I understand the fact that like any other sports/exotic/luxury car, it will need more maintenance & parts are expensive, & I'm fine with that. But my question is wether problems with the car are common & I would like some buying advice. I recently came upon a beautiful 2002 996 with 64,347 miles $32,995 at a used car dealership, although they do accept offers. What kind of precautions should I take before buying, & should I try to buy some kind of extended warranty? Also, most importantly, how low should I try to bargain on this car? Here's a pic: I look forward to hearing your responses as this looks like a great community, thanks!

I'd consider it seriously but first do a history through autocheck, epiquieriian, or the such. Once it comes back clean, do a PPI. Let us know the specifics, model, options, etc.

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+1

In answer to your other questions read the "Buyers Guide" sticky at the top of the forum. Good luck!

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Well, all the cars at this dealership come with a clean CarFax report, but yes, before buying I want to have an inspection done by a reliable Porsche mechanic... As far as the specifics on the car, it's a 2002 Carrera 2, & the only options I see are the aero side skirts, Porsche crest on headrest, sport seats, Carrera wheels in black with polished lip, & the tinted windows, lol. Here is the link to the dealer's site: http://flamingocargroup.com/ It won't let me give you a direct link to that car, so just click search, & choose Porsche, it's the only one they have right now anyway. Please take a look & let me know what you guys think about the price & how low I should try to offer. Thanks!

Looks like my 996's sibling exc. i'm tip, no sport seats, no painted wheels, no sideskirts. Get the PPI like everyone says. Why does the horn/airbag pad look so new (i.e., newer than the steering wheel? airbag replaced?????)???

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Does look new. I know the camera flash can exaggerate color differences between dissimilar materials but that does look very new.

I agree. Momma's got a brand new (air)bag....

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Ya, that does seem fishy. Although the CarFax report shows a clear history & no previous airbag deployment. Could it be wrong? Here's the report: http://www.carfax.com/cfm/ccc_Displa...AA29962S622642 Well either way I'm going to take everyone's advice, I'm going to the dealer tomorrow & I'm going to tell them I want to have it inspected before signing anything, 'cause WE ALL KNOW how used car salesmen can be, lol. But before I do that, I also want to know how low I should try to go? The car has pretty high mileage, & not many factory options, so what do you guys think I should pay for it? To me it sounds like a good deal already, but maybe some of you Porsche Pros can give me your opinion. Thanks!

Carfax can absolutely be wrong. They explain a bunch of limitations in the fine print. The most obvious is that they only have records of accidents that are reported . If a guy plows into a tree when there's no one around and then pays out of his pocket for the repairs it's possible the CarFax will still be completely clean (although I think in Canada garages are legally obliged to report cars with deployed airbags - not sure) The airbag covering center part of that steering wheel not only looks newer, it doesn't even look like it started out the same color. The interior looks dark blue-gray compared to the black of the steering wheel center. Does anyone know if Porsche had multiple colors of black available during the the 996 run? Maybe the cover is "onyx" while the interior is "basalt" or something? That said it's apparently not unheard of for airbags to be stolen from a car, so perhaps there's no record of an accident because the guy had his aribag stolen. The price does seem on the low side, that may just be because it's fairly high mileage, or may be due to some other hidden evils. The car was sold 3 times in 2006 (March, August and December) which would worry me personally, but the fourth owner kept it until March of this year so... Be wary, get a PPI, keep looking at other cars in the meantime. -

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Well I am taking a visit to the dealer tomorrow, so I'll be sure to ask many questions about this, thanks for the heads up guys! Meanwhile, like you said, I've been searching for other cars & came across this one: http://www.specialtysales.com/2002-p...-c4-c-1293.htm The price is a little higher, & I have to admit, a bit over my budget which I'm trying to keep low as I'm also currently in the process of buying some properties for investment... But then, it definetely seems worth it, since for one, the mileage is much lower, it's a cabrio which is much more fun, especially here in San Diego, plus it's a Carrera 4 so better traction & wider hips means a more aggressive stance, & also very important for me are those wheels, because it just so happens that no matter what Porsche I end up getting, I had decided I was going to buy 997 Sport Design wheels & have them painted black, & this car just happens to have them already. These wheels, even used, run about $3,000 +professional paint job, so that already justifies part of the price for me, lol. So what do you guys think?

Ahhhhh.... another seal grey my fav. Are those actual wheels they'll give with the car or photochopped?

If Carfax says it's clean and you're interested, have it PPI'd. They'l be able to tell you if it's been wrecked or not. You cannot believe anything the salesman says to you. You probably already know more than he does about Porsches.

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-c4 is not a widebody -anyone who buys oem wheels for $3K hasn't done their research and is pretty foolish so dont value them as such plus 997 wheels r 19s, not 18s

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Not uncommon once a used car dealer gets it, it probably means the car changed dealer hands a few times.

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Only the first ad I looked at has the 18's, look at the 2nd car I posted, they're the 19" 997 Sport Design Wheels.

I just bought an 03 996 for roughly same price and miles. Great car. 02 and above have the 3.6 engine, so you'll have a little more pep and there are some updates to the body as well. Amazing rides..you'll be hooked. Good luck.

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My bad. Same story though. I like the 18s better. Can't stand all black wheels.

Hey everyone, so I just went to the dealer of the first car I showed you to try to make a deal & say I want an inspection, & they sold it 3 days ago, lol. Oh well, I'll find another good one... So now I'm looking at that C4 Cab, which is about 10 grand more, but hopefully I can bargain a little. What do you guys think? http://www.specialtysales.com/2002-p...-c4-c-1293.htm <--Good deal? Or do you think I should try for 35?

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Not a bad deal but those rims look horrible on a cab.