Whats this 217K mile '03 996 worth? Its clean!

Ok guys... This is the highest mileage 996 we've ever touched that still has the original engine. The car was owned by a RL member near us and he drove it to and from Savannah Ga from Atlanta weekly. Due to this, all the miles are highway miles, spent driving 4 hours at once. He would sometimes do this 2-3 times per week. I ended up with it after the heater core and some emissions system components failed. I was going to keep the car and use it for my hands on classes, but I seldom do classes where I need a whole car. The owner had the car for years and was kind of burnt out on it, so when the heater core and the cats died, he decided to move on and get another car. He did like the car, and after I repaired the gripes, he almost bought it back. The IMS/RMS and clutch were done by another shop in Atlanta at 175K miles and the LN Classic single row was used. The engine runs very strong for the mileage, and I am amazed that it hasn't had an issue. Other than one small ding in the driver's rear quarter and some rock chips on the hood from driving on I16 all those miles, the car is great. In the pics the windshield is cracked, and that will be repaired if the buyer wants to spend a few extra bucks. The car is stock except for the Fabspeed cat bypass (cost 1,950.00) and the Victor Zehn Black Wheels (12-1400.00) wrapped with Extreme Contact 285/30/18 tires that are near new (285 each at Tire Rack). I see a ton of these cars, and I know the kind of wear and tear that most 100K mile cars have, but this car is as clean as a 50K mile car, even though it has 217,000 miles. The engine amazes me. It runs strong, doesn't make any noise and the oil is clean. A recent sump inspection turned up nothing (sump was inspected and cleaned by prior shop that did the IMSR) so there's nothing that I can see thats wrong with it. The prior owner took care of the car, the steering is tight, seats aren't worn out, there are no clunks in the suspension. Its almost like the car has the wrong mileage! All of that said, what the hell is it worth with the rims/ tires, Fabspeed cat bypass and 217K miles? I have no idea where to start as an asking price. It runs good, sounds great and I plan on throwing it on my dyno next week to see how strong it is after all those miles, just for the hell of it. It would make a great track car, due to mileage, but at the same time its way too clean to sacrifice. 2003 996C2, Clean title, clean carfax, no accidents. What do you think? Here's some pics.

What are you thinking for price? I tried to PM you but your can't receive a PM.

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No price is set yet.. Just trying to get a true value on the vehicle based on the thoughts of forum members. I disabled my PMs as I track all messages and save them through email. Email [email removed] if you'd like to send a message. Jud will reply promptly.

I'll say $15,000. There is a '99 here in So.CA with same mileage & typical wear, all stock. Asking $10,K but I bet she would take $7.5K

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I was guessing in the same range.

Is this trick question? Depends on if the last shop prequalified the motor before the IMSR. Also can probably sell it faster and for more if you personally inspect the engine including pulling the sump. Fingering the sump should also add at least 2% more to the value. Leakdown/compression test will also probably shoot down anyone's doubts on a 200k+ motor. $15k sounds about right IMO.

Now that we settled that, my neighbor wants to sell his '73 Beettle, he's 75 & it's his only car. He is German & in good shape so I think he has maintained it well, needs paint & a couple dents knocked out of the fenders. Assuming it drives well what value range would you guess?

Ya I'd say 15 obo, maybe a little steep. It would suck if the engine let go 4 or 6 k after sale. Bad for your rep.

I hope you do sell it for $15000. The thing is, would a prospective buyer, be able to buy another 996 with a lot less mileage for the same money? I think so. The buyer of yours would have to have ***** of steel and larger than a basket ball. No doubt a young enthusiastic race car driver would fit that bill. Good luck with the sale. Thanks for your post. What does that say for our 996 cars when taken care of? I love it. Mine is a 99 C2 with 73600 on it. I am almost 73 and a half years of age and have no doubt that mine will see me out of my driving days. BTW I intend to drive until I am 100 years of age hahaha. The beatle? Beatles rot out. Porsche do not. If there is no rust or rot. Top whack? $1500 as is. Anyway there is no comparison between a Beatle and a Porsche. They are both made in Germany, designed by F Porsche but that's about it. In the past, I have owned 3 beatles, a VW sand buggy and a 1966 Van. Non of them can hold a candle towards the 911.

no way that's a $15k car. $12k at high end and $8k on the low, and that depends on regions with Socal being the low.

After some other input on forums and facebook it looks like a 13k car as a reality. I don't ever sell cars that run! When we buy cars they have broken engines and I just hold onto them and sell them to someone who wants one of our engines installed. This way I can build what they want, and the liabilities of selling a used car are dramatically reduced. The engine did get a pre qualification during the IMSR. The technician that did the work has attended my classes and the sump was pulled. We would have done it here, but we were slammed and the clutch needed to be done asap, which doesn't work around here. Anytime I sell a car, I mandate the buyer get a PPI at a shop of their choice. I want other eyes and hands to grade the car- not mine. I want the sump pulled, and compression/ leak down test done, but I want someone else to do it, and report to the potential buyer what they find. I don't want to touch it until this happens. If the buyer doesn't purchase the car, then I paybfor the PPI. I don't think it gets much for straight forward and fair than that. Selling cars is a liability for me, so I approach it with great care and that's one reason why I made this post, to help assess a true value on the car. At the end of the day it's a 200+k Mike 996 with its original engine. I wouldn't expect it to pass any evaluation based on my direct experience with these engines. This one might be immortal. Anyone who buys it must realize this, but damn it's a solid car!

I'm really tempted to track car it. Wanna trade it for a Miata?

The mileage will scare a lot of people away even if the price is low. You need to find a real gearhead to buy it. It's one of those things where the next owner will more than likely be the last for this car.

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It's dying to be a DE car! No Miata for me.. Only German iron in my stable :-)

Having been looking for a 'high mileage' 996 just 3 months ago as a driver, no way would I have paid more than $10k for this car. I bought a 115k mile 99 for $14k and I thought that was even bit high. But it did have a new clutch, new transmission with wave trac LSD installed and 20 options including full leather.

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Interesting input. This car does have a healthy options list as well, but that probably won't help it much. Nothing kills a Porsche's value more than miles. I'll probably end up listing it at around 13K and see what happens.

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THIS is what i was thinking also! Hell, its hard to sell an 02' in MINT Condition & NO issues & pretty low miles (67k) for 17-18k (i haven't tried selling mine but just checking around & putting some feelers out that is about all i could get & i just can't see that, i'd just keep her in the garage for that) ! IF you get that for it I need to let you sell mine! Lol! GL with the sale Jake! At Least he's being Very Honest up-front about what he's selling guys! You Don't get that very often, Especially with these cars! jmo!

Clearly the prices for our beloved 996's are in the way up from the rock bottom they were at not long ago. My advise to the naysayers would be to zip it and be happy!

I'm putting in my vote for $12K retail. Great year and color combo, but most qualified buyers want far fewer miles. So, you will be looking to sell to buyers that want a cool car for next to nothing, and will want to finance it with a sub-prime high-interest loan to boot. Either that, or someone looking for something cheap to track/autocross that they are not too worried about if it implodes.

I bought a 99 996 c2s a few months ago,86k miles,black on black,sport hardback seates.lsd,6 spd and a clean car fax for $12,500 in CT

I'll list it in the classified over the weekend and see what happens. Thanks for the comments, guys. Now I know where to start with the asking price.

I'm not a buyer but I have great respect for a high mileage car that has been cared for. It shows the real potential of the car. That said...$13k at the low end and $15.5 at the high end. It isn't about the mileage it is about the condition. And if the engine let go ten thousand miles down the road, this car is worth doing a rebuild on. For those who drive 996s because they couldn't afford a 997 or 991 or 993...this isn't the car for you. For those who actually have found something in this model that would make them chose it over the others, this is a very nice chance to get a very nice car at a well valued price.

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The 996 IMO will be the last "tuner" Porsche made. If you're a gearhead it is the only Porsche 911 out there for you. The 993 and older ones are just plain "classics" now - no real reason to mess with those cars, unless you've already got an old RS or SC that you've already started on. Anything after the 996 are basically just luxury cars and not real tuner machines...again, these are just my opinions.

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It's funny, I remember this being said about the 993, when the 996 was "new". Classics or not, Every car I drive is an Aircooled Porsche, unless it's my Porsche built 500E. The 996 has its place in the lineage, and having worked a lot with new cars and engines, I believe their shortcomings will drive 996 prices back up in a few years.

This 996 has been sold, 13,800.00 He's picking it up tomorrow. I didn't even get a chance to post it to the classifieds.

Nice!

Good deal!

Great story and nice car! Congrats on the sale Jake

I kind of hate to see it go, it was one that if I kept it, would have been abused really hard.. Thought about making Beth another Land Speed race car out of it, to go set some more records with, but she wants to go fast in a narrow bodied, aircooled Porsche from now on.

13,800 is a good price for a car with those miles. Indication that values a creeping up ?

The car was picked up today, and the new owner is almost home with it. He loves it :-)

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Congratulations Jake, turns out it was a Win Win for Both sides!

Well now that people are being priced out of the air-cooled models it makes sense that the 996 would start creeping up a bit. Once people understand that for a few extra $k investment you have a reliable, modern, and relatively inexpensive car it'll catch on. That is if the buyer can get past the "different" interior and "awful" headlights.