Is this a fair price for this 996? Advice please.

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-3154038 I like the look of this 996.  Bit of a blank slate.  I am aware of some of the issues with the 996 -  IMS/ RMS.  What is a fair price for an early 996?  What should I look out for? Thanks in advance. Jason.

Looks on the slightly more expensive side for an early auto 996. IMS and RMS as you said. Might need an AOS soon (mine went 2 weeks after I got it at 85,000). It comes up anywhere between 70 and 150k, but with its age I would say sooner. That means an engine drop and you might as well get IMS done at the same time. You've also got the typical wear and tear items too. Have the belts been done? Does the water pump have play? How much wear on the tyres, pads and disc's? They would be the things I'd be looking at.

Hi Jason, have been following the 996 market for over two years now and this car has been on for awhile. For all intent and purpose is does present well in the photos but yes it is a 911 but it is also an early 3.4 motor,low spec  tip tronic 911. For me it would be over priced as you can get into a good 3.6 litre 996 for the same amount of coin or even less though at the end of the day they are still a 996. The 996 as you know does have a reputation even more so the 3.4 however I think a well sorted car represents the best bang for your buck in terms of 911 ownership but for me at the end of the day I may need to sell any car I have bought and you need to have as much as you can in your favour.I would need to see a lot of sevice history on this car cause even though it has low kls things perish with age and sitting around and add to that the IMS , RMS ,stamp duty , a PPI and insurance you can drop another 10k quite easily. Hope this helps Rod.

Thanks Mike/ Rod, Certainly good advice (and certainly what I think I expected to hear).  I suppose I would be much better buying a higher k's car off an enthusiast that had serviced it well rather than a low k's car that had been babied for too long & sporadically serviced.  I suppose it would be better to continue to haunt the Porsche Club websites for each state & the for sale thread on here rather than taking a punt on Carsales for a well serviced vehicle. This obsession is taking over my life (haha).

Enthusiasts cars do come up on carsales its just a matter of spending the time to sort the wheat from the chaff! I started out looking for an 996 s4 only to stand on the docks and watch that boat sail off so to speak. So have had to rethink my target.

Are you after an auto or a manual?

As I really want the car as a daily drive for my 90k commute through town I figured the auto would be best.  I would much prefer a manual for the odd days when I get to take it for a squirt through the hills but the reality is that I will be doing most of my driving through traffic. All the other cars I own are autos as well & I think this also may be contributing to my lazy mans preference for an auto.

Gen 2 auto - http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Porsche-911-Carrera-2002/SSE-AD-148754/?Cr=33 Looks relatively decent. Just below the 100 mark. Gen 2 auto dealer car - http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/Porsche-911-Carrera-2001/AGC-AD-17978324/?Cr=25 Would need to check history. Possible to haggle on the price. Note the cars are newer which commands a higher price, as well as the fact they are 2nd generation cars with the 3.6 litre compared to the 3.4 litre engine of the first generation. The issue with auto's is they will always generally be higher km as people will have used them as a daily, compared to manuals which tend to be weekenders. Otherwise auto cabrio's will have lower km's as they tend to be weekenders as well, plus you can always put the hardtop on.

either of the above two, second gen cars, look like a great alternative to the first car at the top of the post. Somehow, I think you'd get away with buying, and not having to drop too much money up front...

Jason, Don't over think this as I reckon there will be an awakening to how desirable the naturally aspirated 996's really are.  It's now well underway with the special versions like the 4S, TT and the GT's so the NA's can't be far off. I reckon give the owners of the three cars linked above a call and just have a chat and the cream will rise to the top. Good luck!

I think high $30s is a fair price for the  white one. Mine sat on the market for 2 years at $45k before I bought it and I came along at a time when the seller was finally ready to deal. Mine had 84,000kms auto. Don't overthink the whole "enthusiast owned car" thing. Just get it checked before you buy. Factor in an upgraded IMS if you're not a gambling man. I'd also factor in a few $$$ for initial repairs for a car wth low kms as some bits and pieces don't like not being driven. I had a bunch of small things go wrong with mine in the first couple months (idler pulley, ignition barrel, transmission gasket leak) that were relatively inexpensive to fix. Given you're gong to DD the car, I would personally aim for a low km car, otherwise you could end up with super high kms when it comes time to sell.

The interior looks to be in good condition cosmetically, personally thats a good sign