highest milage 996?

hi i sold my older 911 to upgrade to a 996. i am planning to buy a 1999 996 hardtop dark blue on tan interior. its that yellowish tan interior. its got new brakes tires and is very clean looks like there is only 50k on the car. i am buying it for $23000 us dollars and the car has no accidents or claims. the car has 122,000 mile just wondering on opinions out there on the car and the watercooled engines.

wow 50 viewings and no opinions. this forum is alot different then the 911 technical forum.

I purchased my 1999 996 with 72K on it. I won't tell you how many miles I have on it now...it is so much fun to drive. Mine was a one-owner car and had not seen the inside of a paint booth. It is now a two-owner car and still has not visited the paint booth. I have done a few things to it but nothing out of the ordinary. I would highly recommend that you invest in a code reader as that item has come in very handy rather than running to the dealer/shop to have check-engine codes read. I will also add that I have seen a large number of cars with very low miles on them that are plagued with problems. A very highly respected mechanic in the Richmond, VA area told me that the cars like to be exercised and you have fewer problems with them if the are run on a regular basis. A high mileage car would not scare me at all. I would just recommend going over the records with a fine-tooth comb and taking the car in for a pre-purchase inspection. That is about all I can share at this point. Good luck! Keith

Just bought 996 this week with little over 100k on it. From my research, this model is pretty good overall. Its weakness however is engine. It can fail and at the moment no one in U.S. performes reliable rebuilding on it. Engine has problem with balance shaft bearings which can cause catastrophic failure. Also cylinder liners tend to be weak and can crack. Some of them leak oil out of rear main and/or balance shaft "cap". As for me that's not a big deal. Good news is Porsche will sell you "new rebuilt" engine with upgrades. Or you can have it reconditioned in England by company called Autofarm this is a link to there website http://www.autofarm.co.uk/ good read. I'm planning to keep my 996 for a long time. It will probbly at one point need new engine but I knew that before I have purchased it. When time comes I will replace it with 3.6 or 3.8 liter. So good luck with your buy.

My 99 daily driver had 78K when I bought it. PO took good care of it (except for the scratches inside [on the window tint caused by her ring while reaching for/pulling forward seat belt], and on the center console), and minor pitting on the front bumper). The car was serviced by Brumos in Florida. It passed all tests and doesn't have a RMS issue. It is bullet proof on the street, and at the track performed well. I have changed the oil a couple of times, and replaced the rear tires. The coolant has been flushed, and the Tip is soon to be flushed. Brake pads and sensors just received from host. It is remarkable how much it feels like my 87, but better! PPI is your best friend, and knowing its history helps you sleep the first night. Hmmm hmmm hmmm. I would look for the exact car desired, and if it passes its tests, buy it. Regards,

I don't know about the rest of the subscribers, but I love to hear from folks who have really high mileage 996's....there's just too dogone much posted about catastrophic failures. For a while I was really considering getting rid of mine because I was convinced it was nothing more than a mechanical time bomb waiting to detonate and attack my VISA card. Although most of the posts still deal with the failures, the ones like this are refreshing and help set aside some of the second guessing I did about buying my 99 in the first place. Chuck

My has just turned 85K this past weekend. During my oil change this weekend, I discovered oil leak at RMS. I took her to local dealer for repair. They took it apart and confirmed RMS leakage and Camshaft flange also leak. While they are replacing Camshaft seal, they also found damaged bearing. To make a long story short, Porsche has no repair or replacement part for the Camshaft flange, so they have to replace an engine. I'm still waiting for the estimate. My best suggestion for you is to get the best extended warranty. Make sure to read a find print as I discovered many holes in my contract.

How about a 200,000 miler? That should be possible nowthat these cars have been around for a while. I'd like to hear the good stories as well as all the catastrophies. I've aquired two cars with low mileage but suffered terminal body damage due to driver failure. I'm trying to determine if I should find a car to put my mechanicals in or sell the parts. Retirement is nearing and my finances are limited but I'm a DIY guy. Diverdan

There are a few 200,000 mile 996's out there. Check the 996 forum at Rennlist. It's very active. My car has 104K miles and is my daily driver, so the mileage increases by 1500 to 2000 per month. It's been absolutely perfectly reliable in the four years and 70,000 miles I've driven it.

I recently sold my '02 with around 98k on it. It was running great with no real issue. The miles did scare me somewhat. There are a lot of horror stories out there.