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Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHShould I buy a '99 Carrera for 13k
Leading reported evidence
Check its worth it
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Leading evidence: 'Check its worth it' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'motor needs a rebuild anyways' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check bore scoring' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Suspected cause
At 160k miles it's very likely the motor needs a rebuild anyways.
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Suggestion
It won�t take much looking through this forum to see that you should not buy any 996 without a PPI that includes a scope to check for bore scoring.
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57 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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Dumb question but the car is not local to me so I'd be buying it sight unseen ~160k miles and he says he drives it once a week but has only put 10k miles on it in 4 years. No docs on IMS but claims its been done by previous owner, being a '99 I understand its less of an issue especially having survived as long as it has. Driver condition car with most things functional. Intermitent CELs but says his mechanic addressed any issues. Is this too good to be true or did I find a unicorn?
Tough to say without pictures and more info. If it isn't well cared for, fixing things will cost more than taking the time to find one that is in better condition.
You could easily be in for double that once you actually got it and had it looked over. I had a PPI done before I bought mine and knew there was work to be done, but at least there weren�t surprises. It won�t take much looking through this forum to see that you should not buy any 996 without a PPI that includes a scope to check for bore scoring. It may cost you a few hundred bucks to pay for that, but the car could be a roller or in need to $10k worth of deferred maintenance and other work.
I love my 996 and am not trying to talk you out of anything, I just don�t want you to end up being the next Rennvision special or ticket at FSI. No PPI, no deal. There are always other cars available, don�t feel pressured into a certain one.
If the IMS was changed by PO, then it happened over 10 years ago.
It would be time to do it again.
I bought a spare set of tires and 17” wheels earlier this year.
The owner said he had only put 1000 miles on the tires.
They were 8 years old.
They had lots of tread, and lots of cracks.
Age DOES matter.
Its one of those things were it could be a good buy but it could also be a money pit. I don't think I would have the stomach to buy it sight unseen given the potential issues these cars can have.
As someone who recently jumped into the 996 game, I'd walk. You want to spend at least $18k (better if you spend $20-$25k) on a GOOD 996 with records and 2-3 owners. With this being sight unseen, that is another red flag. Like someone mentioned above, don't trust anyone fully with their word. I'm certain you can find another one closer to you with lower miles. At 160k, that car is beat both internally and externally. There are a ton of 80k mile 996s out there.. just look.. be patient. You might even find a gem for $15000. Best of luck!
Get as much info as you can about the car and then make an appropriate offer. There is a 2003 40th anniversary 996 with over 450k miles on it now. Search the forum. The car may be in good shape or it could be near death. There isn't enough info yet to make a good decision one way or another. I'd be tempted to get a low price 996 to build into a track toy. If it blew up, put a good engine in it and rock on.
Tip/Manual? Coupe/Cab? Does it have the umbrella in the passenger door slot?
$13k 996 is a gamble, one of which I probably wouldn't take. Not to say it can't be a good deal, but it could also be a terrible one knowing as little as we do.
Not to jump on daddyscientist, but...^^^This is what you get when you ask this type of question. There is NO "magic #$", NO "magic milage" etc... What does spending "at least $18k" get you? NOTHING - except maybe you spent an extra $5k... In addition, there is nothing saying "At 160k, that car is beat both internally and externally"... This is just a silly statement all around. Could it be true? Sure, but it could also be a car that was well taken care of, properly serviced at regular intervals etc. The only way to know if you're getting what you're paying for is to have a thorough PPI done - even with this, there are no guarantees. Buyer beware! It's a used car after all...
Good luck
Yup, that's fair! Just saying he should make sure it has good records is all. Clean CarFax, etc. Usually the cars that are valued higher are the ones that have been taken of better. If someone took great care of the car and did all the proper maintenance on it they wouldn't be listing it or even entertaining a lowball offer of $9000. That's probably how much they spent on the last service.
Let's not pretend that 180k miles for a 996 at 13k asking sight unseen is a road we'd recommend. We should also factor into play if this was his first Porsche and if he were planning on wrenching himself or having a shop do it. The amount of money he will have to put into it will balance him out to the mid-to-high teens anyways as far as cost. Better off finding a car with half those miles (or lower) with better service records.
I bought this car,easy fix body parts inexpensive.Did all work myself,body tub not damaged,needed fender,headlight,radiator,ac condenser,strut,windshield.......See what I’m doing here.....No ppi .Didnt run it more than a minute( no coolant).Car does not have salvage title,not that it matters to me.Found this forum did a lot of reading... dropped oil sump looked like I was panning for gold.Not familiar with these engines I reached out privately to flat six innovations....rod, main bearing issue they said.Dropped engine took it apart,spun rod,spun main......
Lots of moving parts...Buying everything needed adds up quick.Hobby for me interesting engine.All said and done cheap Porsche? Not!
In retrospect car was worth what....$500.00 .Moral of story have a InvasiveP.P.I.done or walk away especially with high mileage cars.You can spend way more than actual purchase price of car on repairs. Regards ,lots of good advice on this forum.
A Carfax is almost worthless. I can guarantee the average person puts far more value to them than is deserved. I�ve seem cars that were wrecked hard with clean titles and carfaxes. Carfax doesn�t have good service records either as most shops do not report. About the only thing a carfax reliably shows is number of registered owners and title transfers.
Autocheck is cheaper and provides the same info too.
Carfax was dreamed up to make a lot of money and make buyers feel good. Put the $40 towards a PPI and ask to see the title instead.
Good advice. The cheapest Porsche you buy will become the most expensive to own. What bankrupted this car was not the front in damage: but rather, the condition of the engine as you described.
From what I can see the car looks great. Seller says it could easily handle the 1000+ mile drive to take it home. If only it was local so I could check everything out myself.
Sight unseen I wouldn't I've done it and found a lot different story than the PO said when I received it what I'd do is fine a Porsche dealer close to the car and have the owner drop it off I'd rather spend 200.00 to find out I don't have to spend 13,000.00. If not check with your local indy shop a lot of them are in networks with shops in other places that can help you out. Do as much as you can before making the purchase and just to add Carfax is only a also thing not a confirmation that the car is good. Good luck hopefully things workout for you.
I don't think this local car is the one that the OP is referencing but still interesting because of the same year, mileage and price.
Plus, this one is a Tip so "
no IMS failure
".
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/...197553573.html
I paid less for mine with all the records from like 2002.
Original IMS, RMS but newer AOS and clutch.
136k or so miles when I bought it. Needed front bumper and decklid repainted
Only repair is a window regulator in a year and a half I've had it.
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It all depends. Do you feel lucky? Nothing wrong with taking a winger iff you can afford to lose. the story of my purchase was about as out there as you can get. There are alot of cars, a lot but talk to the guy. No guarantees in life. Looks nice though. Where are you?
I saw that car in Co for sale. Based on experience I would definitely get the motor checked. For $150 to get it checked its worth it. At 160k miles it's very likely the motor needs a rebuild anyways. But all in all looks like a good car.
That's some funky green interior. Someone had to be seriously drunk when ordering this one! Good to know that a Tiptronic car eliminates IMS failure too! lol
I had a similar set of Cocoa mats in a blue color in my 1983 Mercedes 300D.
They looked awesome!
But those mats above just don't fit that interior color...I'm not really sure what color mats would improve the color.
lol. I have those mats in the 323i and I like them (they look better in person). I agree that they don't go well with the yuppie green interior though.
I'm a little disappointed the price came down. I think it was listed at $16k for awhile. (It was part of my justification for why the one I paid $12.5k for was such a great deal). Or maybe it got scooped up, as I can't find it on CL today.
Used cars are always a dice roll. Seems like with Porsches, the gamble is just a bit bigger than others. (I come to my first post here from the Jeep XJ world where a bad engine means you're out, at most, $400 and a day's work to swap it). Sure, you can have somebody do a super invasive PPI and open the pan. But does anybody do that on a $13k car? Or, you can get a post purchase inspection like I did, where you pay somebody a bunch of money to tell you less than you can learn in five minutes of peering and prodding. (I'm local and would also entertain going to look).
If you want a low risk car purchase, you probably don't want a 996. If you're willing to wager, the question is always whether this is the one.
Paul
Depends on the person. It's not just a car, a 996 is a Porsche so a potential motor replacement isn't $400 like on a Jeep. That $13k car could quickly turn into a $4k roller or a $25k+ car. And if you do a post purchase inspection and find that out, that's a hard pill to swallow.
Everyone's assessment on which gambles are worth taking, this one in my opinion is not worth it. Plus, the interior color doesn't help it's case either.
I bought my 99 w aero for 13k and I 100% found out the hard way that a cheap Porsche is the most expensive Porsche you can buy. I wouldn't buy it sight unseen for sure, just fly to CO and make a vacation of it.
This really isn't so hard to figure out. There are a few variables to take into account to make this decision. First, what can you get the car for and what are the risks. Lets just say the $13K is firm, but the risk is the car needs a new engine. Then the cost is $13K + $20K for a rebuild = $33K. Now is the complete car now worth $33K, probably not, but maybe $22-25K depending on condition of car, color and options. So is a potential $5-8K loss worth the risk that the engine is still good? However if you keep the car longer term and the 996s appreciates a bit then it may be closer to a wash. Again worst case is you are risking ~$6K by aquiring the car and putting in a new engine. The same probably applies if the engine gernades and you sell it as is. Probably still worth $8K as a roller. So out your $5K. SO putting that into perspective will $5K break you? If not then it may be worth the risk. Heck if you really love the car then drop a new engine in it, fix whatever residual problems it has and enjoy it for years to come. Even if you have $40K into it, find me a new car for less than $40K that will turn heads like a 996 will. That is the way I would look at it anyway.....At $13K I think you can't really go wrong.
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