Need Help Buying 1999-2001 911

I have spent quite a bit of time doing research on the message board and have put together several questions for the experts. It looks like 1999-2001 is in my price range.....to go to a 2002 I would really need to wait a year or more as 25-30k is my limit at this point. First question....should I wait for a 2002? (I have read alot that people say the 2002 has a lot of worthwhile changes) If not then is there really any difference between 99-01 or am I really good with any year between 30-45k miles. What options should I insist are on the car? What should I try to get if possible? The following is a link to a car I think looks good...I am interested to get anyone's feedback http://www.thechicagotoystore.com/us...33037f84fb.htm Thanks for the help!

hi budy, why not take a look at this one; http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false i have the same situation as you, but i would like to look at the MKII (2002+) , more power, better front look, for cab which has the glass rear window....good luck...

All things being equal, you'll get more miles out of a newer car. And there's no question that the Mk. 2 is more developed in a bunch of ways, some obvious (engine power) and some not (chassis stiffness). But I would also weigh a documented service history heavily in this equation, for two reasons: One is that a well maintained car is going to be more reliable and last longer. The other is that a newer car can provide some unpleasant surprises if it's just coming up to some major service milestone, or new tires, or a clutch that the previous owner was planning to avoid by selling. All told, if I was doing it again, my first hurdle would be price. Then, do I love the car (colour, options, cosmetic condition). Then, has it been properly cared for. Then, does it have the right mileage (not too low, not too high). Only with all those boxes checked would I worry much about the stuff at the margins, like horsepower or what year it says on the pink slip. Just my .02. I tend to think that the 'buy the newest you can afford' advice is a tad oversimplified...

Some things to ponder: everything here is opinion The 99-01 years is the best deal going right now in the p-car line up. This recent title was taken from the 928. (just opinion) why did this happen? The 996 engine seems to have a few issues. the most public is the IMS bearing issue. I feel this issue single handed has taken the price of the 996 and placed it in the bucket. Making them affordable to buy but still having a super car price tag on repairs. If you buy the 996 you have to look at this IMS issue close and choose, Do you like to gamble? I just bought a really nice 99 aero with 103K for 17K. Its on its way to the shop next week to get the IMS bearings replaced as well as all the timing chains and tensioners. I am going to make this a stardard service item every 60-100K. the cost is going to be about 3-4K. But then I can drive the crap out of the car and not worry that I may have IMSB failure. The car is here I have driven it a total of 15 miles and I have to say. I got a lot of car for the money. Best of luck in your search. There is a really nice black 00 on here.... he wants 20 k and it still has factory warranty left on it. This is really appealing becasue it is under 100K miles and you could still get an ext warranty on the car. This is the car I would have bought if I had known about it.. Good luck. I have learned a lot in my search over the last years, watching prices drop from the low 30's into the teens on these cars

I agree with Shark Attack. If I was shopping, and especially if I liked the Mk. 1 headlights (which I do), and if I planned to keep the car for a long time, I would actually be very tempted to buy a clean early car and spend the depreciation savings on having the engine rebuilt. I think that would actually be really cool.

Hello, I don't think there is any doubt that the 02+ are better than the 99-01. But the 997 MK 1 is better than the 996, and the 997 Mk2 is better than the MK1. The newer cars are always better, but you have a budget that you need to stick too. Last year I was in the same position as you were. I wanted a 02+ cab, but I could not afford one in the condition I wanted. So I ended up with a 2000 cab and I'm very happy. IMHO a MK1 in great condition is better than a MK2 in poor condition. Regarding the specific car you are interested in, it looks nice. I don't like the wheel (old style, not 18") and I don't like tip, but I assume you want a tip car, so that's a personal choice. Make sure the heated seats still work. The miles are low, but check that the coolant tank doesn't leak, the rear main seal (RMS) isn't leaking, the clutch is still good, etc. The advertised price is high, buy I'm sure that is negotiable. Good luck, Barry

thats a pretty claen and plain looking car - you might want to spend time thinking about what you want to DO with the car as well..... IMO an automatic, base Cab is great for getting groceries and enjoying the scenery on nice days just not what I would want now - but when I started looking, it is what I was looking for. Turned out a coupe was what I really needed (wanted) GL with your search

I bought an 02 with 44k and all major service items done for 28.9k. Deals are out there if you are patient and dilligent. Wait till you find exactly what you want - if you can hold out that long... (I couldn't )

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Ditto. Got my 02 with 40k in November for just about the same price ($27.9 and then spent $1k on RMS repair that I knew the car needed). Remember that asking prices are just a starting point. My car's original asking price was 33k! As this is a car you are buying for fun, you should get exactly what you want, not compromise. You have time. First, figure out what you want in terms of: colors (I wanted red, that became a challenge) options (the more the better - the original buyer paid a lot for these, you don't) transmission mileage parameters Pick up Adrian Streather's book on the 996. Well worth the cost. http://www.amazon.com/Porsche-996-Es...4095166&sr=1-2 Then search locally and broadly. In my search (whole nation for 3 months) I found only a few cars in the midwest, and lots of cars in the northeast, florida, and texas. There were also a lot in CA, but shipping costs made those less attractive. In addition to the obvious sites such as cars.com, autotrader.com and the PCA online Mart, the Craigslist aggregator www.searchtempest.com is a very handy tool. I found my car advertised locally on Craigslist in the Boston area $1,000 cheaper than the dealer had it advertised on his site and on Autotrader! Good luck!

I would get an MK2 996. It looks a lot fresher and has the bigger engine.

ditto - I got my 2002 cab with 53k miles for 27.5 (albeit it BADLY needed rear tires). I looked nationwide for 3-4 months & wound up finding it in my hometown.

If you like music while driving I think the standard stereo sytem is easier to modify. The Bose sound system I've heard is more complex to modify.

Thanks for the great feedback.......regarding options....Anything really stand out as must haves? My daily driver is a 330xi and I couldn't live without my bluetooth, upgrade sterio, nav....just wondering if there are 911 "options" that people would never buy another 911 without having or somthing they really wished they had. My thought is better to ask now then be disapointed later

Got a C2 2003 within the price range you mentioned (even after repairs). I focused on 2002+ for the larger engine. When I was researching, I was advised by P people to avoid the 2002 as many issues were fixed on the 2003s. Good luck. FM

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Surely not on Rennlist or Renntech? They're all the same engine and tranny.

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I had several 'must-have' options when I was looking: Bi-xenon headlights full leather (really improves the interior) stereo upgrade of some sort (base Porsche stereos, uhh, suck) Getting familiar with option codes and the different option packages came in handy. I was lucky to find a Carrera with the Comfort, Advanced Technic, and Full-Leather packages, giving me all the options I wanted and then some. I would have liked some more of the "Exclusive" options like aluminum or carbon fiber trim, but did not require them. And remember, expensive options don't significantly increase the value of a used Porsche after a few years. The options on my car added over $12,000 to the original purchase price, but cost me little or nothing extra over a similar car without the options. This web site was helpful on options and packages. This is the MY 02 page, but you can also find other year's by searching the site: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffwor...orsche-911.htm This is where patience when searching really pays off

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Nope, friend who is an service advisor at a P dealership and saw them coming back for warranty issues. Same tranny and engine, but apparently some bugs/small issues fixed between the two MY. As with many cars, common wisdom is to be careful with first year model or after a major change. That said, it is only statistical. I am sure plenty of first year model cars are fine and never had problems and quite a few 03s had issues. FM

After living w/a 911, I would have crank windows if it meant I got to keep the rearward weight bias/chassis dynamics of a 911... If I were shopping with around $30k, I'd go for a 2002 or 2003, however if you're trying to remain below ~$25k, you're going to need to look at a sub 2002 model. I think the early 996s are great values right now, and there's debate over if the early cars have the more reliable IMS design, etc. I have owned 2, have several friends with them, and instruct for many clubs and see dozens of them on track without failure, so I don't worry about the reliability. Mine have been some of the most reliable cars I've ever owned. Oh, also if you want an LSD, they were only an option on the 1999 cars, and the 40th anniversary cars (both of my 1999s have had it), but I don't think it's really necessary from a performance perspective, unless you like shenanigans...