Need Advice, which to buy?

Hey mates, I am about to purchase a 911, I have 2 choices: 1999 Black on Black, aero package, nice rims, 21000 miles Or 2001 Still black on black, no aero, 57000 miles Which one should I got for? and Why? Do 99's have more problems than 01's? Both of them original miles and engines.

I would avoid the 99, but not for the reason you think. IMHO, it doesn't have enough miles on it. At just over 2500 miles a year, that poor thing has spent a lot of time sitting around. These cars don't seem to like that. Yes, 99s are reputed to have more problems than later cars, but that wouldn't factor into my decision. Mileage really would.

You are saying it has too low miles? I thought of that too, any car, not only pcars, get like "pigged down" when not driven enough.

Are the prices similar? How much are we talking about here? Are the options the same? J

Yup, mileage too low. I agree it's bad for any car, and for all kinds of reasons ranging from engine seals to exhaust systems. Adding to this, many owners of ultra low mileage cars don't pay much attention to maintenance, especially oil changes and ESPECIALLY the first oil change following delivery. In my humble opinion, the dream pre-owned 996 would have accumulated at least 5,000 miles a year, with complete service records back to delivery. The ones that are pretty but lack mileage and history are like girls: they can break your heart.

Hah, both owners have maintained them correctly and have all the history, if not, i wouldn't even be posting them here. What i figured is to change exhaust and seal right away, since it costs me almost nothing since I have people for the job. I will check for compression and everything before buying anyway. J, the price on the 99 is a tad lower. Options are the same.

I would go for the 01. Had an 01 cabrio with 20k miles and it drove really nice. Put a nice sports exhust and suspension and you will not go wrong!!

I'm always a fan of buy the newest you can....but the lower mileage, while it may be an issue...may not end up being an issue at all. Tough decision. As far as I know, there are no significant differences on the appearance. If it were an '02...I'd say grab that one....but it's not. If you plan on driving the car A LOT...then go for the '99. That way, you can still retain a car and sell it without hitting 100K on it. Much easier to sell. J

thats what i thought J, and being a car dealer, i know the importance of low mileage. Im gonna have to go with my gut, and see what the compression tests results are. thanks guys

Good luck, and I truly hope you enjoy the car. I still think, respectfully, that you're nuts to consider such a garage queen, but you might win the toss. Hope so!

Thanks!

Raty - I have a 2004 Lapis Blue C2 that is for sale. 42k miles (a.k.a. NOT a Garage Queen), asking price was $52,000, reduced price $50,500. Here is a link to the particulars: https://rennlist.com/forums/showpost...19&postcount=1

beautiful, but i only buy black. Thanks

I prefer lower mileage cars, easpecially with aero pkg....5k dollar option. - my 99 had only 21k when I bought in in Feb 07. I have been very pleased with my purchase so far. I would however check the vins with porsche dealer to make sure/check for all recall etcs was performed. And you can see for yourself what maint was done. I will be shot for this by many here but my 99 is on original RMS rear mainseal and no issues. I think this is luck of the draw, as well as how you warm the car up before driving it,(my opinion)at least for me. I will tell you - all 996/997 are higher maint cars....and crap does fail like MAFS and the occassional water leakage issues

Checking for the recalls done is a great idea, never crossed my mind. Thanks

I agree with chairman Bruce w/ an addition. The aerokit makes such a huge diff it's a must in my book.

Same here

I recently sold my 2000 996 and it had 15,870 miles on it when I sold it. I bought it in Sept, 2004 with 8,250 miles on it. Absolutely no problems or RMS leaks ever!

Geez....a two owner '00 with under 16K miles??....that's pretty amazing. J

I just wanted to put a post in this thread to show that low mileage is not always bad. Our 996 went approx 2-3k miles per year, every year. I think what truly harms the car is if it is not driven AT ALL for an extended period of time...