Updated plan to purchase 996 - make any sense?

Hello all - my first post although I've been lurking for weeks on this and other forums trying to get a grip on what's going on with the 996. I haven't owned a 911 since the early 80's (1973 911 targa) but vowed that some day I would get back to one. Sold my 2001 530i sport recently and purchased a G35 coupe to play with for a year or so until I'm ready for a 911. I originally planned to purchase a 2002 or 2003 model and spend $30 - $35k. After reading about the IMS and RMS problems and engine replacement, I have to admit I'm a little shaky. Now I'm wondering if it might make more sense for me to purchase '99 or'00 with higher mileage in mid 20's price range, purchase 3rd party warranty for a few thousand and then drive the crap out the car(it will be a DD). If the engine blows - great, I have a new engine and can go another 2 years on Porsche warranty. If no engine problem, great, I have an introduction to the 996 at a relatively low price. Make any sense or should I go with the "buy the newest P-car you can afford" approach?

Nothing wrong at all with that plan.

+1 Plenty of read on here about the RMS/IMS failures. I'll let you decide if it's overblown. I have a 99 996 w/81,000 miles. Original engine. Very pleased. Let me know when you're in the market. I'll probably be looking to sell in the next year.

Buy the newest you can afford and don't worry about the RMS/IMS issues. I would recommend a warranty even if there were zero IMS/RMS issues.

You could also consider a 2002 CPO. Many P-dealers that you could deal with in the 35,000 range. It's not like the economy is helping the used porsche market.

Just drive a bunch of 996's and go with the one that is the right for you regarding mileage, condition, price and any info regarding PPI results. Seem to be plenty for sale. Don't let all this negativity concerning IMS,RMS or engine failures scare you away..."come on in the water's fine".

Quotes source post: 5366227

Funny, I have the same exact line of thought as you. 99-00 for dirt cheap or 02-03 w/ cpo for 35K. decisions. For me, it is all about color and condition now. I can't believe I've seen some crappy 911s over the last weekend. One guy had an oil drip the size of a quarter and coolant leaking. No thanks.

The sheer number of available 99-01 996's should allow you to pick the 'right' car. What color do you prefer?

For me it is either silver or black coupe with a manual tranny. I've seen way too many cabriolets listed with tiptronic and they're asking way too high. E.G. 2000 cab for 32K.

You don't have to buy the newest you can afford, buy the newest you are willing to spend. First decide the MOST you are "willing" to spend. So, if you're willing to spend $30k, get the newest that that will buy you. For example, buy a newer car with less options, rather than a year older car that has more options. I think $30k can get you into a very nice 911 in good shape. Just get a GOOD PPI and don't look back! Oh ya, if you can get a warranty, that is a huge plus. www.warrantydirect.com

Curious why the Instant Quote feature on Warranty Direct's website only lists Boxster and Boxster S under the Porsche category. Are they getting scared off by RMS/IMS issues????

Quotes source post: 5366916

Pssst.... Boxsters had the same problems, plus a couple all their own.

I don't follow the Boxster story but thanks for the heads-up. Don't want to hijack the thread, just curious why they wouldn't list the 911/996.

Just so you know, I'm not sure you'll find a reputable aftermarket warranty company that will insure an older 996. I know warranty direct flat out told me they don't offer warranties for 99's. So, your plan sounds good, but I'd be sure to check first with a few warranty companies to make sure you can get a warranty. By the way, my car is a 99 996 tip C2 with 86k miles...no rms leak, no engine problems, original engine!

Quotes source post: 5367104

Yeah - that's the kind of info I was wondering about - whether one can get a third-party warranty on these cars and how much it is. When I bought my 530i a couple years ago I was able to get a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty for less that $2k. I guess why I'm kicking myself now is that I spent $24k on my G35 thinking I needed to wait until I could spend $35k on the 996 - If I had adopted my new way of thinking, I would be driving the 996 right now. Also, I need to look awhile because in my area people must be pretty proud of their older 996s as even the '99s are still in the upper $20ks and lower $30ks. Also, when I sold my 530i, it had 100k miles and I had no doubt that if I wanted to run it to 200k miles, it would make it. Initially, I doubted the 996 could do that - but the more I read, I am starting to find posts from people with higher miles on their P-cars. Thanks for input guys -and BTW, from what I've seen over the last several weeks, this is a very knowledgeable and helpful forum even if there is some healthy dissention and disagreement from time to time.

The mechanics I spoke to prior to purchasing pretty much unilaterally steered me away from the 3.4L motors, but many on here have done well. I honestly wasn't too concerned because I was not considering a non-CPO car, but I wound up with a 2002 (CPO) because of some updates that I liked and a price I couldn't say no to. One thing you have to remember about internet forums for sports cars is that just about anyone who has an issue winds up posting about it here or renntech or 6 speed. Read up on any brand sportscar or GT >60K that's not a corvette and you'll hear all sorts of nightmare stories and be convinced that you should set aside your firstborn for repair costs. Whether it's a 911, an SL, a Jag, etc. Go read the 997 forum, tons of engine replacements and plenty of people planning on or actually dumping their cars after warranty expiration. It's skewed, by the nature of the medium and arguably by the type of owner. Make sure you get the car you want in the color you want with the transmission you want and then get a PPI & warranty as many have said, and drive it like you stole it for as long as you can. If it blows up, you've got the warranty. When your warranty is up, make a decision.

This engine thing isn't overblown. I would highly recommend a car with a warranty.

Also take into consideration that if you drop down and buy a '99 or '00 you will probably save a lot in future depreciation. Those cars are near the bottom of their depreciation curve and will not drop in price as much as the 2002 and above will over the next few years. Depending on how long you plan to keep it, you may find that what you avoid in depreciation might be enough to pay for an engine should you ever need it. But on the flip side, if you can find a good CPO car, the warm fuzzy feeling from the warranty is worth a lot of points on the board. Personally though I think there are lots of good '99's out there and the difference in price would pay for an engine should you ever need it. Cash in hand is worth a lot in today's economy.

I think the engine failures are overblown as well. I don't know of any 02+ engine failures. i would stick to 2002's and up. I have 56k miles on my 2002 C4S and never had any enigne problems, never had RMS either. I have no warranty and the car runs perfect Can you still get warranty coverage on a 99 or 2000. I think the cars are too old.

Quotes source post: 5369290

The few sites that I have had time to look at online only covered 2002 and up - I'm going to look morethis weekend and contact my local Porsche dealer to see what they may have available.

Quotes source post: 5369290

I know of 2004s that have blown up. At least three 40th anniversary cars.

Quotes source post: 5366916

Def NOT the RMS issue, Boxsters have the same problem. It's pretty simple, 911's cost MORE to fix when they break.