New member, looking for car leads

Hi all, Been lurking on these forums for a bit but now actively looking for my first P-car. Been in love with these cars since I was a teenager (996 came out when I was in high school) and am now in a position in life to get one. Really enjoy reading these forums and have learned a lot. I paid the member fee and posted a WTB ad in the classifieds, but I thought I would post in this forum and see if anyone knows of any cars here that might fit the bill. What I'm looking for: --996.2 (2002-2004) cabriolet. I would prefer a C4 or C4S, but would look into a nicely cared for C2. --OEM color matched hardtop --6 speed manual --No prior accidents --Careful maintenance records; no ongoing issues --Clean body --Favor lower miles (less than 75k), but I am open to higher mileage cars if the service history is thorough. --I have no definite exterior color preferences, but lean away from red or yellow. Similarly, I lean toward black interior, but not definitively decided. I like the idea of buying off Rennlist, as I feel I will get a more detailed view of the car and may be more likely to get full records and have more confidence in what I am buying. Anyway, I am in no super rush to find my car, but appreciate any leads anyone might have. Thanks!

Keep an eye on the Craigslist finds topic. Try a search engine like searchtempest to search several crqigslists for you. Where do you live?

I live in Minnesota but am willing to fly and drive home for the right car. Yes, that craigslist thread is great. Just discovered search tempest and it is a good tool. Thanks for the tips.

I just put my 03 C4S with 57k on it in storage last week. I want a turbo real bad, so I will likely list it in spring, but if you are willing to look at a solid ride that's a hard top we can talk. New LN IMS Pro, clutch, RMS, AOS, coils and plugs at 52k. Let me know if you want to know more and I can PM you my number. I live west of Milwaukee, a short cheap flight away.

Not to rush you, but we are nearing the end of the buyer's market time of the year. Come March, prices will go up about 10%+. Cars won't sit on the market long once tax refund/spring fever hits til roughly August. Prices go back down from Labor Day thru New Year's Day. Not a gigantic difference, just something to be aware of.

BTW, for my first 996, I thought I had to have a C4S until I saw a Mk I aero coupe. Keep an open mind.

I think you're in the right place, and you've got the right attitude on getting your car. All I can say is don't rush, and get what you want. If you're interested in a C4S, then get that. If you can 'live' with a C4, but it won't make you happy, wait for the car you really like. It'll be worth it. I almost settled for something I didn't really want because I was waiting for some limited choices(I like red/yellow). So glad I waited and got the right deal. Hang in there, and follow up all leads, you never know where your car will come from. Autotempest.com is a great resource.

Saw this one on A Trader http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...96813494&Log=0 (

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This is good advice. It took me about 6 months to find the 996 that I wanted. I wanted a C4S with a manual transmission. I didn't want silver, gray, or black. I ended up finding my 996 on "The Mart" on the PCA website. I flew out to California, bought the car and drove it home. You'll find the car you want.

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Nice looking car. This is actually a 997, but it's close enough to the 996 that it's all relative. The one sticking point is that the 06-08 engines were redesigned in the intermediate shaft so that the support bearing can't be replaced without a complete engine disassembly. For this reason only, I would never, ever invest in a 997 without the IMS documented being upgraded. But - that's just me(failure of the IMS bearing destroys the engine).

Another place to check (in case you have not yet done so) is your local Autotrader........found mine there. Best of luck.

I'm thinking about selling my 99' cab 6 speed with 37k on the clock. PM me if you'd consider a MK1 (with factory dual row IMS bearing for the win... among other 99 model year goodies).

Petersa9- Sounds like a great car, I think I'm set on a cab. Would be the ideal car if I were looking for a coupe. kmagnuss- It sounds like a good car, but I love the looks of the MK2 so I think I am set on that. Thanks for the good advice from all. Yes, I am sure that the prices will jump in a couple months. I'm anxious to get a car, but want to make a careful decision most of all. I have been watching Autotrader, Cars.com, PCA classifieds, and cargurus and trying to investigate the cars that I've seen. Based on that, I've driven 4 cars locally: 99 C2 to compare a MK1; 03 C4 x 2; and a 06 997.1 for driving comparison. This, plus looks and cost, have led me to focus on 996 MK2. I've added Autotempest into my rotation. A couple questions for the group: -I am hoping to find a solid car for < $30k. This would be a car with I*S/RMS already done (I am not going to bring up the issue now and don't need to discuss it) or under my budget to get it done. Do you think that this is possible for a well sorted car? Is it possible to get a well cared for C4s for less than 30K? If not, I would be more than happy to go for a C4/C2. The wife and I have agreed on a budget. -I had a bad experience with a used car dealer- drove 1.5 hrs to find a car with a number of issues not as described (top not functional, rips in top, etc). Accordingly, I am a bit gun shy about these dealers. Have others had good luck, or should I focus on private sellers across the country and local used car lots? I just feel like I would trust a private seller more. This is a great forum- thanks to all for the input!

I'd focus on private 'enthusiast' owners and higher end dealers that deal with porsches. I would not buy a 996 from a buy here pay here lot... they either bought it at auction or bought it from somebody who neglected it and then traded it in. There's a reason the cheaper 911's are cheaper.

Excellent dealer near me has two 2003 Cabriolets one is AWD. Both have mileage in the low 30's. Asking prices are $29k and $28k. Colors are Seal Grey and Dark Blue. Motorcars International Bridgewater Ma.

I like buying from an individual. Strongly believe that is the best way to go.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/5354996347.html C4S aero with IMS serviced, nicely optioned. Too bad it's a coupe. sigh...

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Yes it's a gorgeous car. Got my heart set on a cab.... Thanks for the post. Keep 'em coming!

There is a sweet Speed Yellow/Black/Black C4S cab that was a fellow Rennlisters out in CA. 102k miles but really well maintained. It was in the classifieds for a while then I think he traded it in on his new p-car. CA http://www.smithmotorgroup.com/detai...-14363241.html or this one in Chicago https://www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/9474873 AZ http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/ctd/5366484511.html KY http://www.tomgrayautosales.com/2004...3/Details.aspx These are some of the ones I looked at before going with the one I pick up tomorrow in Tennessee.

Carrera 4 Cab for sale for $17,500. Although it is a 2001 http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/5374976251.html

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I know the KY car well (a family member's old car). It has Fister mufflers, plus a LNE dual row pro retrofit performed by a certified installer last March (full day spent pre-qualifying the engine). No clue who the seller is and am not affiliated with the vehicle in any way now.

That silver one is nice but a touch out of my goal price range. May see if it comes down though. Nice to hear some background on that car. I love the look of the yellow but don't think I could ever own one. Just not my style. It's interesting- I love the look of the 996 MK1 aero coupes. However, the plastic glass on the cab just turns me off. I do prefer the headlights of the MK2, but the glass window are the real clincher. If I were looking for a coupe then would be looking at MK1s too. Thanks for all the input!

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Don't look at turbos they will only complicate your decision. Watch this video sums up the line up nicely. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OJemsVMhEhs

Try looking on CarGurus. Found my car there. Unless it's a Rennie that I know, I wouldn't trust a private individual any more than I would trust a dealer.

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I was casually looking for a P-car convertible, and actually thought I would wind up with a 987S. Similar requirements to yours… On the way home I heard a P-car specialty service shop's ad on NPR and looked at their website - turns out they sell nice used Porsche's and had several 996's in my price range. You might look at some of the indy specialty service shops. My phone call led to the car I'm buying and it wasn't on their website yet. I found a Polar Silver C4 Cabrio with Metropol Blue interior & top. As much as I like the C4S's, they demand a higher $ than I could deal with at this time. This car has got higher mileage than I thought I wanted (103,xxx), but has maintenance records from the last owner showing things like LNE Pro & clutch and auto check was clean. Reading the forums like a nutcase has led me to conclude that a well cared for well used 996 is a better bet than a low mileage garage queen. I've also started to really like these guys at the shop. They LOVE these cars and this shop has been working on them for 40+ years. FWIW, they're the only LNE certified guys near me (and had an IMSB replacement in progress for me to see on a 987). I'm pending PPI (and a few other little things) right now. Check out Poudre Sports Car in Fort Collins, CO. Their only Cabrio at the moment is a C2, but it might be worth a call to have them keep a lookout for you. I am *guessing* finding a color matched hardtop may be one of your greatest challenges. I've seen a few come & go, but I cannot recall a C4S with hardtop for sale. There's a low-mileage C4S for sale in Glenwood Springs, CO. You'll find it easily enough on cars.com or others. I thought the price was HIGH, and the miles were so low (< 30k) it really concerned me. Poudre was servicing a 2000 996 with 240K on the clock and it still looked and ran great. A good service history on a car with 75K plus became one of my preferred criteria. -Scott Arvada, CO

Turbo at c4s prices https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/cto/5384915374.html

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Yes, don't look here either: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-turb...ine-finds.html Atrox - Nice find! Do you want to post that Miami car in the turbo Craigslist thread?