Early 996 Market

I have searched a decent amount for this information and have found some in other threads, but since what I am inquiring about can change year to year, I will ask this again. What is the true current market for a 'driver' early 996? A car that has been maintained but might have 75-100k miles on the clock. I am talking about the 3.4L cars with a hardtop and manual trans. I am in the market for a used sports car and am trying to figure out if this is really a path I would like to explore. Thanks in advance for any/all info. -Bill

For a nice 90k mile Mk I coupe, plain Jane model, around $13,000. If you want an aero coupe same mileage about $16,000. Plus or minus $2,000 from those numbers would be the high and low end of the range.

Not to be Doc or anything, but I think you are a bit low KC. I'd say 15 has been the bottom of the decent run of the mill C2s lately. I'll grant you, though, that we are coming up on the cold season which may depress some of the uptick we saw this summer.

I will second gnat, but a $15000 will come with 3-5000K things to do. Sent from my iPhone using Rennlist

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Well, Dock would put it at $30,000 and then he'd say no one should ever consider buying such a car because anything over 50,000 miles is garbage. And oh yeah, your car would be garbage too (whatever it was).

Oh, I almost forgot and then he'd say "What the hell are these electric movie thingies I keep seeing in this forum?"

In Canada I see nice tidy 3.4s go for 18-23 k Canuck bucks . Scruffy high milage usa imports down around 15k. Japanese imports 18-20

A few months back there is a nice thread with allot of members posting prices paid, along with model types, mileage etc. I paid 19k for my 99 with 51miles. Coupe w manual. It had recently gone under the knife prior to my purchase for a 5k service. Updating the rms, new ims full clutch and various bits. I would consider mine a driver, a few stone chips but maintained and clean overall.

I sold my 99 MK1 this weekend. It was in excellent shape with the IMS and RMS done. New tires and up to date on maintain. 33,000 miles. Sold for $22,500. I held out because of condition and got my asking price. What your looking for are selling for $18,000 give or take $2,000 for condition and maintained.

The latest Excellence Porsche Buyer's Guide (pg. 123+) suggests that a narrow body early 996 in Good-to-Excellent condition has a market value of mid to high-teens with Cab's selling for +2K more, and very well maintained examples gaining another $2K. All authoritative sources advise that documented mntce. history is hugely important on market values, along with major updates (IMS, etc.). Because 996/997s now sell in the "affordable" price ranges, many first time Porsche buyers become shocked by maintenance costs, and therefore fall behind on regular mntce. and "bail" when major expenses are looming. Hence, ownership history may be a factor on current prices, too. Bottom Line: shop carefully, ask to see the mntce. "paperwork", and be prepared to pay a premium for top cars. No such buyers will regret their decisions. relinuca

What is your folks take on tiptronic? If you can tolerate tip, can you turn that into an advantage? Are well-kept enthusiast cars cheaper with tip? Or are the automatic-demanding masses in control?

These days a 70k 1998 - 1998 car is becoming low mileage ( that's only 4000 miles per year ) these cars need to be driven and maintained. The base cars over here (UK) are up for �10k+ about 15k$ but expect issues and much higher miles Something like this would be as good as you would get (Not mine)

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Greetings to a fellow Michigander, Bill! Used to live in Fhills/Wbl, spent much of my youth out on Woodward The trade-off in any out-of-warranty Porsche is between price and maintenance. Even technically minor repairs cost an arm and a leg if you have to take it to a shop. So the history of the car (how it's been driven and maintained, what has or hasn't been done on it) and the results of a PPI are the two biggest factors determining whether the price offered is a bargain or bait. I saw this puppy recently while surfing around. http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/de...7884/overview/ It looks from pics in great condition for the age and mileage, and it's a desirable color, and the last owner had it for 12 yrs. It's in my area, if you were interested (I have no affiliation with the seller!!!) I could refer you to a shop nearby I would trust to do a PPI.

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Early Orange light model as well nice find... O_Sr

"What is the true current market for a 'driver' early 996? A car that has been maintained but might have 75-100k miles on the clock. I am talking about the 3.4L cars with a hardtop and manual trans. " Looking at data for cars that have actually sold, the market seems to be $15k - $18k for a 1999-2000 996 with over 85K miles.

Here's my thought. I would steer away from the 3.4 996's. Buying that car with 75-100k miles on it without it being perfect is a headache and moneypit waiting to happen. I am a Porsche guy all the way but if my budget was 15-20k I would not buy a 911, buy something that has much cheaper maintenance cost.

Christian - With all due respect, these are great entry-level Porsches and compare favorably maintenance-wise to other non-Porsche sports cars in that price range. There is a small risk of an engine failure that has been discussed ad nauseum, but nearly every model of vehicle ever made has its Achilles heel. The '99 models with the 3.4 liter engines are considered by many (for example, Jake Raby) to be the most robust of the 996 model range. Maintenance costs for the 996 model are very reasonable. Plus, the 996 is an easy car for the DIY maintenance type - there are tons of guides on the internet to help the novice learn how to DIY.

Agreed KC, Christian it sounds like your just trolling us lowly 996 guys. OP I'm a fellow Oakland County guy myself, the far south west side, South Lyon. I have a 99' G.R Aero car that just clicked 90k (funny story as I got pulled over at 90k for umm going well over the limit and got a verbal warning, but I digress). It is a coupe, manual, 3.4l with IMS done very early on in its life 13k I think. It does have the factory aero pack and some factory carbon fiber options. It has lighter & aftermarket speakers and receiver (I hate). It came with quite a bit of mods done (exhaust, suspension, end links, etc) and I paid about $22,500 in May 14', that includes our 6% tax, reg, etc. I bought it at 68k miles and flew to Philly to drive it home. Some say I over paid, she isn't/never was a garage queen, she has been tracked and I drive the hell out of her. The paint was about a 8.5 (a lot of rock chips on the front bumper clip) and I would say is a 6, I used "Turtle Wax bug and tar remover" as directed and now I have swirl marks all over my frunk hood. - I hope (and it should) a good clay, polish etc will remove most of the swirls and make it an 8 in my book again. It came with good, not great records, clean ECU, no over rev's etc. Needless to say, if I paid 15k I would be ecstatic, but would probably put $5k into it (on top of what I've currently spent on mine). SO I don't think I over paid, and feel if I sold, it would take $21,500 to sell it. Take that as you may, but the guys saying low teens I don't think will get you a great example, hell even an average example. But I wouldn't pay 2k extra to have a cab either, so who knows. Good luck with the search and if you need a second pair of eyes/ a rennfax for a local car, I'd be more than happy to help, just pm me.

^ William, your guards red aero 6-speed coupe is the opposite end of the spectrum from a plain jane car. For one thing, they pack an extra 25 hp into all of the guards red cars.

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Heh. Electric movies. I stole that from Top Gear, when May, being intentionally goofy, referred to the car GPS as "the electric map."

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Let's assume the OP wants a Porsche 911, where else can they go for around $20K or less?? No where. You can not buy ANY other 911 for less than $30k these days. A 1988 with 145k miles will cost over $30k and will need an engine rebuild. A 1994 with 145K miles will cost over $40k and will need an engine rebuild. A 1974 with 145k miles will cost over $40k and will need an engine rebuild. OP could buy a 1999 for $15k. Spend $5k in immediate maintenance and whatever else it needs and have a GREAT car for the next 40,000 miles. There is not one 911 that is cheap to maintain, so if the OP wants to be in the 911 world it costs money. The answer could always be, "just buy a miata." Which is fine, I like miatas. But it ain't a 911. I spent around $22k (all in) to bring my 2002 911 up to speed. 315HP modern Porsche. I don't know how I could have done better if I wanted to be in a 911. Just my two cents. A good 996 is the best high performance sports car purchase on planet earth right now. The only real competition would be corvette.

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William, thank you for your comments and help! I appreciate all of the responses on here. I will update this thread when I take the next step. Bill

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Is it easier to work on than the 997.1? They look so similar in so many ways (not outside).

I've got no experience with the 997.1, so I can't give an informed opinion. My assumption is that maintenance wise they would be similar as I understand that the mechanicals are similar. Someone with more knowledge may chime in on this.

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If the '99 is the most robust of the 996, why does Excellence magazine consistently state to stay away from the first year model and recommends looking at 2000 and newer? Is it related to the IMS in the '99? Asking to understand the difference in recommendations.

Start here: Spreadsheet of most 996/997s for sale nationally

I would trust Jake Raby more than a few words in some magazine

I have a 97 - 98 C2 cab so about as early as they get - and its great, really great - and on the plus side the indie (Garage) where I get it serviced have said don't worry about the IMS at 96000 miles it is unlikely to go on an early motor as the early 3.4s had a more reliable IMS set up (So not sure why Porsche changed it!) What I wanted to add is I rarely see early pre 99's about not sure how many there are but they are not often for sale. (in the UK) I know ours has a few issues - little things like leather wear, a scuff or two, a hood repair not a great service history but was still over 16000 dollars (�10500) so I would add another 2k for a clean one. The car is fantastic, I just wish I could have owned it when I was younger and I would like to have more time to drive it now. O-Sr

I purchased a 99 C2 Cab with 14k miles for $24k in August. One owner, meticulously maintained, showroom condition, power seats, leather interior, luxurious seats, 18 inch wheels, upgraded radio, new tires. Completely stock. Florida car, garaged. To date I have done full annual service, tire balance and a couple of plastic Cab parts ( side flaps and hook plastic cover ). I have put on about 1200 miles. Fantastic car. I could not be happier.

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Amazing how you know that

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According to a Pedro's Garage YouTube video, Porsche changed from double row to single row to make space for the VarioCam Plus or whatever. I'm sure they didn't do the high endurance testing with the single row that they did during the initial 996/986 development with the double.

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Here is one thing I need to understand about the theory that the early (more robust) IMSB can be trusted if it is old. Are the people behind the theory saying that the RMS (the seal) does not leak engine oil, flushing out the bearing's grease? Or are they saying it has already happened and the bearing is happy running in engine oil?

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The exact same way you knew this "dealer PPIs generally suck." Life experience and observation bias that supports a sweeping generalization which is wrong as often as it is right.

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Well said.

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so we're both ****ing morons. great

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Exactly, us and 95% of the regulars on the 996 site.

I think we have flamed out, So to summerise 996 early's might be good but might not be, are holding a good price that is either high or low depending on what work it needs and if your buying or selling or have owned an air-cooled in a past life or not and all of which might need an engine or might not. Either way the 996 is an awesome car that puts a smile on your face and makes a 'moron female' drop her knickers and that's why the top 95% of all 996 owners are ****ing morons.. O_Sr

Jimmychoochoo thanks for that info I was nervous after reading the forums and wanted to fit a ims bearing as every time I went to the addictive sweet sound at 5500 to 6800rpm (more so as I have a full titanium exhaust) I was 'scared' however try as I might (even asking Mr Raby) I cant find a garage to fit it or have heard of it, whats going on? Do we have zero ims issues in Hong Kong?

Your not going to like an MKI. There were some great updates with the later 996's (MKII's) that make the early 996 look really dated and cheap. On the plus side, if your looking for a track build, you can find MKI's all day in the $10,000 range.

the lights are not that great on a mk1 and theres no glovebox, but i seem to have a really hardwearing black matt finish inside and i have the electric Sports seats, also fitted a bodykit, other than that i'm pretty pleased with it.

I shipped an engine to Hong Kong in 2012. It originally died of IMSB failure.

Jake Message me a fitter of your ims bearing in hk Thanks

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FIFY