Looking to buy 996 - private or dealer?

I'm looking to buy a 996 C2 for circa 25k. What is general view on buying from a private seller vs. buying from a dealer? Does anyone know a good porsche specialist close to london who can check the car in case i would buy from a private seller? Marlof Migration info. Legacy thread was 103686

there are about a dozen specialists in and around london.... have a look at the home page of this site for more info and many private sales Migration info. Legacy thread was 103750

Can recommend Paragon but they are South ... As to the 25k 996 - i wouldl imagine that area is a bit of a minefield as there are a lot of cars out there in varying conditons/mileages/options!! Guess that the same rule applies as to any other Porsche purchase - 1. spend as much as you possibly can plus 5k more ! 2. high mileage is generally better than very low mileage 3. Service history doesn't have to be with Porsche after the first 2 or 3 years but so check it closely ( I got caught out when i bought the turbo as although the stamp was in the book at major service time a major service was not done at the customers request!) 4. Ultimately with all the advice and possibilities always go with your heart .... Migration info. Legacy thread was 103829

I would cast your net pretty wide when looking for the right one. So don't just restrict yourself to London and surrounding areas. Migration info. Legacy thread was 103835

Thanks guys The remark of Colin about the minefield have made me a bit cautious.. In my price range (25k) most models are from 1998. Did Porsche made significant improvements since the earlier models?? What would be better, a lower mileage 1998 or a higher mileage from say 2001?? cant wait to drive a 996 in 2007.. It is true in the end you buy one with your heart.. Migration info. Legacy thread was 103906

For day-to-day driving in and around London, you will not notice any difference between a '98 996 and a '01 996. The question comes down to which one do you prefer aesthetically and also which one is in better condition, irrespective of mileage. At £25k, a 996 will not lose much money and depreciation will be glacial. I've had and heard of problems with low mileage Porsches. High mileage Porsches should not put you off as long as all the servicing and expected wear-n-tear replacements have been carried out. Feel free to point out a couple of examples you might be interested in and I'm sure you'll get plenty of feedback on this forum! Migration info. Legacy thread was 103910

How come ? Never heard that before ! Surely a low miler is always better ? Migration info. Legacy thread was 103912

[quote:BLDGbEtK2P="Previous poster"] Quote: Originally posted by sTTu on 27 December 2006[quote:BLDGbEtK2P="Previous poster"] Quote: [i:BLDGbEtK2P]Originally posted by ColinC2 on 27 December 20062. high mileage is generally better than very low mileage [/QUOTE] How come ?  Never heard that before !   Surely a low miler is always better ? [/QUOTE][/i:BLDGbEtK2P] Not neccessarily. A very low miler will have been siting in a garage, going nowhere. Seals will have dried out, fluids would all need changing, discs corroded, A/c may need work,all manner of things could have corroded or simply siezed through lack of use. A car thats done 5-6k per year will probably be fine, but one thats done 2k could have problems, They also tend not to be serviced regularly. So you would need to allow for a lot of work to get it back to a good state. As an example, I have a Lotus. Was serviced in June. Previous service was 400 miles previously, but 2 1/2 years back. Needed £1800 to get it back into a safe roadworthy condition. Migration info. Legacy thread was 103914

Agree a lot less problems with a car that has been driven 8K miles per year. I think someone said on here a while ago that Porsches are booked at either 6K or 8K per year (think the 6K was for the Turbo). Migration info. Legacy thread was 103926

hi- marlon, i was in exactly your position 6months ago. i looked far and wide and took loads of advice before the purchase of my 99 996. after looking at around 8 or 9 cars i decided on a private sale from the auto trader. paid 24500 for one with all the bits fsh and 51k on the clock.i even looked at a couple on ebay!! youl find most have a slight oil leak from the rms(an engine seal) dont let this put you off - its a common fault to be rectified ehen fitting new clutch. make sure the interior is nice and dry and the gearbox should not be sloppy. also check the back side of the brake discs arnt corroded. defo worth having a full check up before handing your cash over ,and do have it hpi`d as theres a lot of crashed 996`s out there! good luck! Migration info. Legacy thread was 104055

2. My 996 is a daily driver - except I haven't used it much at all for the past 3 months (been doing a lot of work for Land Rover and had to use their car). When I started using it again it felt like a completely different car: I had trouble with brakes, shocks, misfires, coolant leaks and God knows what else... Most seem to have sorted themselves out within a couple of hundred miles, but I think the rear shocks and discs will have to be changed at next service (due soon) as they don't seem to have recovered properly. So regular use (not necessarily high mileage) seems to be a benefit... 3. In my experience, the good independents seem to be far more accurate at diagnosis, and more careful and fastidious than the OPCs: As your warranty is unlikely to require OPC servicing, treat work done by good indies as a bonus! Have to say that IMHO a £25k 996 is the bargain of the century and there are a few of them about with very nice specs... good luck in your search Migration info. Legacy thread was 104110

I agree with Wattie the good independents are great. Unless you are looking at £35+ plus then OPC are quite competitive.. Also try a few as I found quite a difference, maybe something to do with standing idle scenario. Mine has loosened up considerably.. When I bought I spend months reading everything and like everything you need to put a £sign in the ground and get the best for that otherwise you chase you tail with the cost creeping up & up.. Just make sure the service is upto date and solid. Also get warrenty, although watch the small print to ensure all is covered. I used Autotrader, pistonheads and 911UK as reference. I eventually went with local sportscar specialist who had actually bought the car from OPC.. '99 C2 good history with 65K miles... Good luck.. HOWEVER a point to consider.. I have now owned my first 911 for just under a year and am now looking at upgrading.. In hindsight I wish I'd pushed the boat out for 3.6 facelift. Migration info. Legacy thread was 104346

You would still want to upgrade though - that's the way it is with 911s, they are infectious! Migration info. Legacy thread was 104382

As most people have suggested you are bound to want to upgrade after several months and I am currently one of these having just sold my 99 C4. Of course, there is nothing better than to look at as many cars as possible and to try and get the best spec you can as it will help later on. The rule I hear is buy on condition but I would also add buy on mileage as well as a high miler will be hard to move on. I sold mine as I was going to put 20000 miles a year on it so have had to look at a second car option for the future. There are many 996's from 98/99 which are on offer from 22-28k private and independents so the spec and mileage will influence all these. A lot of the older ones cannot have a Porsche warranty much longer so will become cheaper. I have never claimed on an independent warranty so cannot comment. Also, some indies put the cars into Porsche for a service before selling, which sounds good, but check its not just the annual check as this merely highlights work that could be done / should be done, but still secures a stamp in the service book. Private will give you the best deal, but if you do this make sure you have it checked by someone who is qualified to do so - not just this is a nice colour. Migration info. Legacy thread was 104422

2. Yes I guess thats what I meant - 6-8k per year better than 1k per year and 20k a year not a problem if car being kept for a while. Must be reflected in price as guides do mark 911's at about 8k per year (as already mentioned) and the Turbo at about 5-6k ... so mine is worth a lot less with 44k at 5 years old !! 3. Agree with that completely and I guess that a 25k 996 would not have Porsche Warranty BUT it might be worth considering (can it still have one ?) as its only 725 + couple of hours labour and its not necessary to have car serviced by OPC to keep Porsche warranty - just has to be Porsche parts and have access to Porsche diagnostics. Paragon saved me over £600 in labour when my major service resulted in 3 lower suspension arms as well !! Migration info. Legacy thread was 104609