996 on EBay

Hey 996 guru's... What do you think of this listing on EBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1999-...item19cf44acaa I've been looking around at Pcars for almost the last year but never pulled the trigger. I've been considering a range up to 50K but just have a hard time spending that much for something I'm not sure how much I'll use. This will probably be a second car but used as a DD for a few months during the summer. I've decided I'd like to start out with something less expensive for a year or two and then move up if it is something that I love. I can't go too far wrong with the price of the attached. I've read all about the IMS issues. I would probably get the Guardian installed and just go with that as this vehicle already had the clutch replaced. I've also read many threads about purchasing the latest and greatest model you can afford to maximize your enjoyment. I'm one of those frugal people that, while I can afford more, would always think about how much this thing is costing me and that would take away from the enjoyment. Do you think this 996 just has too many miles or is just too old for me to enjoy as a first Pcar experience? I would absoutly get a PPI performed before moving forward with anything. If the PPI looks good, what do you think about the price? Thank for all advice!!

If I had looked at the link more closely & saw it was a 1999 I would not have bothered to click the link. If you truly have $50K available you would be a fool to buy a 1999 to see if you like watercooled 911s. Don't take my word for this search this forum & read all you need.

I think the BIN is a little high based on some of the cars that are around .Based on the information available, I would consider somewhere around $16K to $16.5K. Of course, all depends on the results of the PPI

If you live in Cincinnati then I would highly suggest using Wright Motorsports for your pcar work. Awesome guys and probably the cheapest around for labor. I would opt for a C4S as a first pcar for water cooled. From what I have seen they're one of the cheaper ones to maintain out of the 996 chassis. There is a thread on here explaining the diffences between pre and post facelift for the +, - sides of the car. Guess it really all depends what you want out of it.

The exterior looks good, but the interior looks a little rough (Who does not vacumn before taking pictures for eBay?). As these early 996s did not have the best of interior materials to start with, that would be a concern. The price is fine, as long as the car does not need anything. A good PPI will give you a list that you can use to bargain with. The mileage is fine for a 13 year old car, less than 7,000/year. Hard to determine anything more without seeing the car. If you are looking for a lower price option to get into a 996 this might be a good car. But if you can afford more...

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to stop by tonight and take a look. RPM's, I agree on the interior pictures, it only takes a few minutes to vacuum before taking pictures. Trendy, I do love the lines on the C4S. If this one checks out with a good PPI, I might pick it up as a test for a year or two before moving up to something better.

Take a long test drive if you can, on the highway, back roads and see if you like the way it handles, how it stops, do the brakes squeal, does it pull to one side?. Don't let mileage or MY be a deciding factor. Look at the condition of the ext. and int., you'll know whether the PO really took care of this Porsche, or just 'used' his car. A mechanic familiar with a water cooled Porsche will be able to tell you if this car was maintained properly, and specifically which items may need service.I'm not at all tired of my 99 coupe with 60k miles.GL

I would buy mine over that one (no offense to the owner of that car). I have 117,000 miles, but the engine was replaced at 65,000 miles with a new engine from Porsche in June 2007 with upgraded ims bearing and I have the receipt for the purchase and install. No issues with this engine. If you're interested, send me a private message and I'll give you my contact info. I think that 996s that have had their engines replaced are good buys. Religious maintenance is important with these cars.

his pictures were taken from the future

This caught my eye: Apparent Accident: This is news to me, I actually just found out by looking over the autocheck the car was in an accident with the previous owner. I have never noticed anything wrong the with right rear area of the car, but I can take closer and better pictures if asked. You do know the engine is in the rear, right? $18K and 75K miles are high, but you'll get a ton of opinions on price vs. miles vs. anything. Drive it if you can. Don't buy sight unseen from ebay. Get a PPI. Blah blah blah. What was your question?

Looked at it tonight and it is in much better condition than the pictures show (the interior had been vacuumed). Test drive was great but I have not driven enough to know exactly how it should feel. PPI is next step. I've seen it before on this site, can someone run the vin and let me know the original installed options? The vin is WPOAA2999XS625851. Thanks!!

Hard to be sure, but the airbag pad on steering wheel looks like it's a blacker black than the rest of the wheel possibly meaning later airbag replacement after accident?

There comes a point where any decent condition 911, no matter the year, bottoms out on price. For a black-on-black model, the price on this car has to be near that bottom point. If it passes a PPI with only minor issues and the accident appears to have been minor and repaired well, I'd pull the trigger. You can always sell it and get all or most of your purchase price back if you decide to upgrade later. At under $18k, it's a safe way to go.

I wonder what people think constitutes 'high mileage.' This 1999 911 has 78k. 78,000 miles � 13 years = 6,000 miles average per year. That is low mileage, not high mileage.

Quotes source post: 9414261

This actually happens quite often when using a flash and makes some black interior pieces inconsistent.

Thanks for the all the feedback. I'm having a PPI performed tomorrow at Wright Motorsports. The initial inspection is $190. If that goes well I will have them do leakdown and compression tests for an additional $237. I'll post back here with the results. I agree that the miles on a 13 year old car are actually low. I doubt I will even put more that 5K on a year. Any advice on the fastest/easiest way to get a the initial options list for vin WPOAA2999XS625851? I am not currently a customer of any of the vendors that offer this service. Can I just pay one of them to run this? Thanks!

Quotes source post: 9414953

http://www.autoatlanta.com/life/vin/...AA2999XS625851 click the link above to see your options. Edit: Actually only some VIN's work from that backdoor link. Unfortunately, your's doesn't. Sorry. Probably best to go through Suncoast Porsche for a few bucks. http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...newproductpage

Anybody know some German that can translate this? From Suncoast: Vehicle description Vehicle-Ident.-Number (VIN) WP0AA2999XS625851 Sales Type 996110 Model Year 1999 Block Flag Blocking Date Engine Type M96/01 engine number 66X09702 Gearbox Type G9600 transmission serial number 2011073 Tire Code PIRE General information Invoice Date 1 1999-03-15 Invoice Date 2 1999-03-08 Number of "Z" Orders 0 Country Equipment C02 USA Trading Partner 4300010 Commission Number 386396 Body specifications body color L741 convertible top colour L Exterior Paint Color A1A1 Exterior Paint Color individual body color code L Interior specifications Interior Trim AS Interior Trim Interior Equipment Code KL Leatherette Seat Combination Number EAE Seat Cushion Material LED Leather Seat Side Support Material LE Leather Seat Back Material KL Leatherette Carpet Color Code A10 Electrical system/electronics specifications DME serial number 01709223 Warranty data from to contract date coverage mileage limit New vehicle warranty 31.May.1999 31.May.2003 81.000km Corrosion warranty 31.May.2003 31.May.2009 - km Emission warranty 31.May.2003 31.May.2006 112.000km Campaigns Scope Status Stop sales A209 1 no W103 1 no M-numbers Top of page MNR Type Description 413 TURBO-LOOK-RAD 18" 436 3-SPEICHEN-AIRBAGLENKRAD 446 RADNABENABDECKUNG KONKAV, PW FARBIG 490 KLANGPAKET 659 BORDCOMPUTER 696 CD-RADIO "PORSCHE CDR 220" USA P15 P72 032 058 130 197 218 220 222 224 236 270 273 274 335 338 413 424 426 434 436 437 438 441 446 454 465 480 484 490 535 537 553 562 563 566 567 573 581 590 602 650 651 657 659 660 661 685 696 912 937 946 P15 P72 MNR Type Description 032 C ERHOEHTES FAHRWERK 058 C STOSSFAENGER MIT AUFPRALLDAEMPFER 130 C BESCHRIFTUNG ENGLISCH 197 V STAERKERE BATTERIE 218 C KENNZEICHENHALTER AUSF. IV 220 F SPERRDIFFERENTIAL 222 F ANTRIEBSSCHLUPFREGELUNG (ASR) 224 F AUTOM. BREMSDIFFERENTIAL (ABD) 236 F CONTI N1/PIRELLI N3 270 C AUSSENSPIEGEL,PLANES GLAS FAHRERS. 273 T AUSSENSPIEGEL EL.VERSTELL-/BEHEIZB. 274 T MAKE-UP SPIEGEL BELEUCHTET 335 T 3-PKT. AUTOMATIK-GURTE HINTEN 338 T HECK-ANTRIEB 424 F CD-ABLAGE 426 V OHNE HECKSCHEIBENWISCHER 434 C ARBEITSANWEISUNG F.UEBERSEE-FAHRZG. 437 F KOMFORTSITZ LINKS ELEKTR.VERSTELLB. 438 F KOMFORTSITZ RECHTS ELEKTR.VERSTELLB 441 V RADIOVORBEREITUNG 454 V AUTOM. GESCHWINDIGKEITSREGULIERUNG 465 C NEBELSCHLUSSLEUCHTE LINKS 480 T 6-GANG SCHALTGETRIEBE 484 C USA-AUSFUEHRUNG (OHNE KANADA) 535 C DIEBSTAHLSICHERUNG 315 MHZ 537 F SITZPOS.-STEUERUNG LI. (MEMORY) 553 C USA-/KANADA-AUSFUEHRUNG 562 T AIRBAG FAHRER- U. BEIFAHRERSEITE 563 T SEITENAIRBAG 566 T NEBELSCHEINWERFER WEISS 567 V GRUENGET. FRONTSCHEIBE M. GRUENKEIL 573 V KLIMAANLAGE ELEKTRONISCH 581 T MITTELKONSOLE VORNE 590 C MOTORISCHE DECKELVERRIEGELUNG 602 T HOCHGESETZTE BREMSLEUCHTE 650 V SCHIEBE-/HUBDACH ELEKTRISCH 651 T ELEKTRISCHE FENSTERHEBER 657 T SERVOLENKUNG 660 C OBD II 661 C VERSCHAERFTES ABGASKONZEPT 685 T HINTERE SITZANLAGE 912 C OHNE TYPSCHILD 937 T SITZBEZUEGE HINTEN KK 946 T SITZBEZUEGE VORNE LLK

Threw that option code list into this decoder: http://www.kindel.com/porsche/options/options.asp Got these results, some of which track and others that look wrong. Three spoke wheel is there, along with a possible LSD. But the list you posted seems really long and some of the codes did not match anything. Code Option Description 058 Bumpers with impact absorbers 130 Labelling in English 197 Higher amperage battery 218 License brakets front and rear 220 Locking differential 224 Active Brake Differential 335 Automatic 3 point rear seat belts 413 18" Turbo look wheels 424 Automatic heating control 426 Special model World Champion 1976 1978 426 without rear window wiper 434 instructions for export market 436 996: 3-Spoke steering wheel 436 Folding Targa top (non-folding hardtop std in 1974 and 1975) 437 Comfort seat left

Thanks rpm's. How do I tell if it has Litronics? Is there a specific code or how can I tell from looking?

you can easily tell litronics by looking in the headlight and see if there is a fluted lense only or a projector assembly within the light housing. Here's the projector in the litronic headlight:

accident history is a walk away for me. For one thing how do you(owner#3)not know that from previous owner(owner #2)? That's a pretty important thing to be asking/telling about on a potential purchase IMO. You can find newer model years for same or less.....................I did. GL with it.

Got the results back on the PPI. Needs some work but nothing too far out of normal for this vehicle. They inspected the area where an accident was reported and could find no evidence of any problems or work being done, not even a respray. Compression/leak down results look good : 1) 5% 150psi 2) 5% 155psi 3) 5% 155psi 4) 5% 150psi 5) 5% 155psi 6) 5% 145psi Here is the quote to get all reccommended work done (including IMS upgrade). He said the clutch felt a little stiff but no sign of slipping. He would not know for sure if it and the flywheel need to be replaced until he got in there. Quote is for worst case. Let me know what you think of these prices : 2 rear shock (250 each) $499.00 install $95.00 1 rear main seal $18.42 1 clutch $544.87 1 flywheel $982.12 1 LN ims bearing upgrade $599.10 install 9hr $855.00 1 oil seperator $122.57 install .5hr $47.50 2 Variocam seals $41.23 extr pump seals/screws $16.57 install 2hr $190.00 10 Mobil 1 oil $79.90 1 Oil filter $27.14 0.5 clean and test cowl drains $47.50 Total $4,165.92 Thanks for any feedback!

that sounds about right. And everytihing on that list sounds about right too. Ya know the thing is. Its a toy. The 16 the guy wants for the car doesnt sound too bad. You drop another 4 into it and you know exactly what you have. You prolly dont need the fly wheel in complete reality. But a proper clutch job should include one. You could save 1000 right there. The shocks you could also put off for a year I bet. So you could knock all that down by a lot. I would have the IMS done and while you are there may as well do all the other things listed in that section. and another thing too about this is that it appears to be an original owner sale on ebay. Not someone who is flipping. the car is dirty inside... so he didnt dress it all up to go out.. he isnt trying to make it look like a prom queen. Did you check the seller out on face book? Thats what I did when I bought mine. I was all over the guys integrity... had to choose if I trusted him.

Yank, I bought a 99 C2 Coupe with 79k miles on it about a month or so ago. My plan was the same as yours, occasional driver, weekender, etc. I had a PPI done on it, and had driven a number of them before I bought one. I only looked at ones with no collision history, as I felt like with the amount of them that were out there, there were plenty of good ones that had not been in any accidents, and I did not want a high performance car that an unknown body shop had worked on. The PPI found no mechanical issues other than recommending the poly belt was probably nearing the end of it's recommended life. A few cosmetic issues (trunk strut needed replacing, seat belt receptacles needed replaced, all told a few hundred bucks) the PO had recently replaced the front rotors, rear tires, the clutch had been replaced, etc.,) and it was in good shape with no other issues. Not sure if that helps or not, but when you find the right one, you will know, and it has been a blast in the very short time I've owned mine! Btw, the "occasional" driver has become my other car, and I drive my 996 more than my sedan, and love it! Good luck in your endeavors, and keep us posted.

I did go ahead and purchase this car. The seller was very honest and willing to negotiate on the price based on the PPI. We basically split the cost of the item that needed to be immediately addressed and the items that were preventative (IMS, AOS, one shock) I am paying for. Very happy with the purchase and I got a very fair deal. Exterior is in great shape besides some curb rash and the interior is very nice as well. I plan to get the work work done next week while I'm out of town and will get a few pictures up after that. I'm also getting 4 new ties on as well. Thanks for all the feedback!

Way to go, enjoy!

Congradulations on the purchase, looking forward to seeing more pictures. What tires have you decided to install?