new buyer in LA

hello, i'm trying to buy my dream car...a 911...before i turn 30. looking at 1999 996 carreras mostly because i can't afford anything more recent...but it' gotta be a stick shift. i live in Los Angeles and already checked one out...dark blue, clean, with a bunch of options i guess (lots of numbers on a sticker under the hood). i wrote these down but don't know where to look for them. sells for $39000 with 50000 miles. gonna check out some more today. anyway, just checking if anyone can give some pointers on buying my first one, questions to ask the seller, things to look for, good websites for classifieds, etc. thanks in advance, 996newbie

http://www.kindel.com/Porsche/options.asp Try this website. Make sure you have a PPI done before you finalize the deal. Well worth the few $$.. Congrats and welcome....

If the car is loaded w/ options, that sounds like a good deal. If it's pretty standard, you may be able to negotiate a little more. 99 do have more kinks since it's the first year for 996 so I'd definitely have it checked out by a mechanic and pull the service history on it.

if budget constraints are leading you to a '99 IMO you should really think about waiting until you save a bit more, or for the prices to drop further...porsche ownership is not cheap, esp if you own an early year of a new model. my rule of thumb is that you should always budget $2-4k for additional repairs in the first 12-15 mos of ownership of a used non-warranteed porsche.

I have to agree with David. I was in the same boat as you are now when I was turning 30. The 911 was my dream car then as well as my wallet's. IMHO I'd say check your financial and investment house first, as well as the lifestyle you want to have. Our 911 dreams are great but the dream has to be $upported after the purchase. It is important to consider this especially if you're currenlty renting or do not own a house/apartment . Your best income earning years are yet to come... patience has its payoffs. Don't compromise today when you don't have to compromise yourself in the future. I ended purchasing another (more affordable) dream car when I was 29, a BMW Z3, enjoyed the heck out of that little thing, and kept my sights on the 911 and kept a very good lifestyle taking care of the financial house. 8 years later I bought my first 911 (5 weeks ago), with all the goodies I wanted and brand new... I am in total bliss and no regrets... Wouldn't have done it any other way. Cheers.

any additional tips to give 996newbie in terms of what to look out for? i've been going with him to check out some of these cars. my father has owned a few 911's ('79 sc, '84 carrera, '89 carrera, and '96 993) so i have some knowledge of porsches. however, i am really new to the water-cooled series. the blue '99 that we checked out looked to be in great condition. however, it being in the showroom, it was necessarily clean inside and out. we did check out another 996 (i think it was an '00) with less miles. however, since it was on the lot, it was subject to more weathering. after the salesman popped the hood and also peering under the car at the crankcase, it was considerably soiled. long story short, aside from of the visual telltale signs, what other things would you guys suggest we look at? 1999 996 coupe dark blue ext. / grey int. 50k mi. 1 owner (lease w/ service records) 2000 996 coupe black ext. / black int. 4Xk mi. 1 owner (no copies of service records yet) any ball park guidelines as to how much it might cost for a professional mechanic to check out a number of cars? appreciate any responses. i'm hoping to help 996newbie make a great purchase. kepani

you should find a nice 02+ put half down and finance the rest.

keoni is right. There were a lot of upgrades in '02 that make them much better cars (think of it as 996 v2.0). If you can swing it financially, you should focus on those later cars. I really liked my '99, but my '04 is better all around (even putting aside that it's a GT3 ).

996newbie- Check this one out http://www.dorkiphus.com/porsche/viewtopic.php?t=2107 , if you are interested shoot me an email at [email removed] .

996newbie, you have PM

thanks for all your help guys...i really appreciate it. i don't want to finance though, that's why i'm looking for a '99 model. i already own my condo, so that's taken care of as well. now, i wanna get my car before i get married or have kids... i think i'm gonna buy within the next week. anyone know of a porsche mechanic around LA whom i can bring with me to check out some cars? if so, how much do you think i should pay him? thanks again, 996newbie

Hehe...good call getting it "under the radar"....AK

996newbie: I just went through the same thing. I wanted the Porsche, before I was 30 (31)... and before I was married. Both these events are right around the corner for me. Like you, I own my place. I would STRONGLY recommend a car with a Porsche (CPO) or some sort of warranty. In the 2 months I have owned my car I have seen the following: 1) New Clutch $2,000 est. (done before initial pickup) 2) Replace coolant tank $500 est. 3) Replace the Oxygen senor $550 actual price, accidentally printed out a bill for me! 4) While this could happen to anyone, new windscreen, $690 installed. My girlfriend would have my A** if I didn't have a warranty and I had to eat all of this! As for looking for the car, take your time. I almost pulled the trigger on a couple things and I am so glad I waited. I really wanted a C4 with a CPO. I ended up with a 2001 C4 and I am so happy. Since I have taken possesion, I have put 5,000 miles on the car!!!! The process I took was as follows for each car I considered: 1) Find car get Vin # 2) Do CarFax: 3)Ask Seller what work has been done and for a copy of the first page of the warranty book. This has the option codes and the original dealer/owner. 4) Call 1800Porsche and ask about warranty/recall work done on the car (they don't have much) 5) Call the original dealer and talk to service about car. These are typically the service people who car for the cars in the first 2-3 years. 6) Then, using Carfax and Warranty book, call all the other Porsche dealers the car has seen. 7) If there was any work not done at a dealer, as seller by who and why. 8) Then, after this all checks out, have a independent mechanic take a look. I had a couple make it this far, only to have the dream die with concealed body/paint work. The inspector should have a tool that tests the thickness of paint an absolute give away for body work. Hope this helps.

Not to damper anything, but having replaced two engines in 1000 miles, and now a $9,000 tranny, one must always put this into perspective... if you can BARELY afford $40k to make the payments on this car... under the rare circumstance... 5-10% chance that your engine or a major part blows on you... would you be able cover a $15,000 repair? With 99s, the 5-10% chance I think raises a bit higher, especially with higher mileage.. My 99 had about 50k miles, and i've already racked up $47,000 in repair bills in the first 1,100 miles... my experiences are very rare... but, if you don't get an extended warranty, or can't afford it, I can't help but let you know to try and beware that if you can't afford the cost of ownership, along with a "GOOD" extended warranty company, which will run a few thousand dollars and potential very high maintenance costs... a "99 996 with 50k+ miles" might be something to really re-consider.. just because you can afford the cost of ownership, doesn't always mean you can after the cost of something going wrong... it's a rational decision due to some potential expensive internal faults these vehicles can exhibit... my opinion would maybe be to consider financing a higher priced or later model with an existing cpo warranty and/or with an extended cpo warranty would be ideal imho..

if you can BARELY afford $40k to make the payments on this car... under the rare circumstance... 5-10% chance that your engine or a major part blows on you... would you be able cover a $15,000 repair? bob, that was to most lucid and sage advice you've written in last fifty or so posts in all seriousness, i think buyers of 'cheap' porsches forget that although you're getting a 996 for $35k, you're still paying for parts and repairs on an $80k dollar car--think about that. if $35k is streching your budget, a 996 is definately not a good choice.

996newbie, How about getting a really imaculate last-year model 933? Check out the 993 forum ... these cars are apparently very well built and are in hot demand right now since the lights are round and look somewhat similar to the new 997..

Prime examples of the last year 993s will cost you more than the first few production years of the 996. There were less cars built. They are the last of the air cooled Porsches which many consider the culmination of forty years of air cooled race car technology. The two vehicles are not at all the same. Both have their pros and cons. You would need to look at the up and down side of both. Buying a car with warranty is the best advice that has been given, especially if you will spend all your cash reseerves on the initial purchase. Most cars need a bit of 'sorting' not to mention 'MODS'. Porsches leave many people with very limited disposable income with a bad taste in their mouths. They a GREAT cars, very well built, but they will need a few bucks thrown their way during ownership. Best of luck. Post pics when you get your car.

I agree with all of the above. I purchased my MY99 996 from a non-porsche dealer in the VA area and so far so good. Mine had 38k on the odometer and was otherwise pretty loaded with everything I would want. I paid actually $36500 for mine but that was cause I was out of the country, am in the service, and got a deal from the sales manager (must like veterans!) But BEFORE I put down any $$$ on it I did pull a CarFax history, a Service History once I got the VIN, and before buying it had my fraternity buddy (somebody I trust right?) go down to the dealer with my wife and drive it and ask ANY and all questions I wanted. Also I had the dealer FIX anything I wasn't satisfied with (broken vanity mirror and intermitently locking center console). So you can own your dream...I've always wanted a 911....just make sure you do the homework! Everyone above IS correct..the cost of ownership is easy but you can easily get caught out trying to maintain a 911 in driveable condition if you don't have the resources (financial and otherwise) to take care of those little things that come up (i.e. a scheduled service=$400-600 and a set of factory wheels=$3500+) So good luck with your search and if you can swing it...go for it and welcome to "the Club!" PS You don't have to get one before you get married you know....I have a wife and 2 kids ages 4 and 5 and am over 30 too so it IS doable!

Newbie, Did you ever consider a Boxster or Boxster S. You should be able to get something within a year or two of being new with hardly any miles on it for the price your looking to spend, with a warranty?Also the new boxster is on its way, if not here already, so price of current boxsters gets reduced by a bit as a result. I dont know if this an option for you or that you even want a Boxster, but just thought I would throw that out for your to consider. Good luck in your search. Lou

congrats to 996newbie for picking up a '99 carrera 2. i'm sure he'll post pics as soon as he get them. i went with him several times to take a look at the car as well as getting a chance to drive it. car is great! kepani