996 Virgin...need some advice

Hi All, Great forum, and glad I've come across it. As you can tell from the above I am looking to get a 996 (Currently have a 3.2 Audi TT) but was looking for a few bits of specific advice. A very close family friend currently has 2 996's for sale and I have expressed an interest in them both. I am lucky enough to be able to have them for the whole weekend this weekend so should get a good idea on drive, performance etc. However...I would like some guidance on a few things. First one is a 98 R reg 996 C2 Manual. Silver with Black Leather. Immaculate condition and has recently been serviced. Full OPC service history too. However, it has 118,000 miles on the clock? Pic below. Edit: Forgot to say...this has a factory fitted PSE. Second is a 51 plate 996 C4 Cabrio Tiptronic. 51k on the clock and again has FSH and recently serviced. What sort of price do you think these are worth? He doesn't know too much about prices on these things and is looking for me to give some direction. I reckon 18k for the first one (due to miles) and about 23-25k for the other? Am I far off? Should I be put off with high miles on a car like this? My heart wants the Cabrio for a few reasons. Age, C4 and also its a Auto. I do soo much traffic driving I've always had a Auto. My TT is a DSG. However, the wallet may say bag a bargain with the other one? Whatever I decide, I will look to get it inspected by the Peter Morgan crew. Seems a worth while expense. So...over to you boys!

Andy, welcome to the forum. Can't comment on the prices but personally I'd be wary of the 98 car. That is a very early 996 and I think will have the 3.4 litre engine which is not as good as the later 3.6. You may want to do a search of the forum for the words engine failure and the letters RMS. However, a Peter Morgan inspection will go a long way towards helping you make the decision. Enjoy the test drives.

Thanks mate. If the RMS has been replaced already it should have been documented in the paperwork? And if it hasn't, wouldn't it be worth me taking it on the chin and get it replaced anyway? Does anyone on here own a higher mileage early 996? I think the C4 Cab is more of an easier option, but my head sometimes say a higher mileage could be bargain? You would think that with 118k on the clock, it may have already had a lot of work on it. Maybe even a new engine at some point? I'll check the paperwork when I get there Friday. Once I've done on Sunday, I'm gonna contact the Peter Morgan crew for the inspecting next week.

prices seem about right but with circa 5k diff, in view these cars were new at 60k+ Go with what you want as a Manual Coupe drives differently to a Cab Tipronic and the PSE can always be added although the Cab Tip seems to be the bargain ? mention to 911uk to Peter Morgan and IIRC you get a free smile :thumbs:

23-25k for a facelift C4 Cab with 51k!?! If he's willing to sell it at that price considering FSH I wouldnt think twice about it and go with that car. Currently for that spec private I haven't really seen anything much lower than 30k.

If the C4 cab is facelift (which it should be on a 51 plate) I would say anything under 27K would be a decent price so if you're getting it at 25 or less, I'd definitely go with that.

I don't think it is the facelift model...wasn't that 2002? This is 2001 51plate...from what I have been told. I'll know better when I see it. I have to be honest, and say the more I think about it...I may just use this weekend as a way of getting a extra long test drive in a 996. I am 100% certain of getting one, but maybe I should hold out to shop around. Then sell my TT privately, and then purchase a 996 2000/2001 Carrera 2 or 4 Coupe for around the 20/21k mark. With history etc.... I would still be interestedto see though, if anyone on here has a higher mileage early 996 and how its held up? Again...comments welcome!

my 996 is a 51 plate and is definately a facelift 3.6 model although it is 2002 I did loads of homework as I was looking for older 996 and id go for the later one. just a shame its cabrio but will be still a good car and certainly good fun during the week of good old english summer. good luck choosing

Why a shame? Its great when sunny and with a sports exhaust. Roof itself is brilliant, might not be as pretty as a coupe but still a great car.

sorry did not want to offend just dont like the wind noise of a cabrio. even though probably minamal as its a well made car. I had a boxster once and kept a hard top on it nearly all the time.

You have had the serious answers now for the fatuous ones. My mum always said "Virgins need to keep their hands on their halfpennys" :floor: On a serious note always buy the best car you can afford. Regards Big Bob :bye:

I have a 99,000 mile 3.4 C4 and it's going great! 8) I have had an RMS (which I don't think it needed tbh, but it was 'discovered' at a service about 2 weeks before the warranty expired - how convenient for the OPC involved :wink: ) Due to a *****-up, and no reminder, I had to have an 111 point check to renew my warranty about 3 months later and guess what? They said I needed a new RMS (about 3 months and 2,000 miles later)... I didn't have it fixed, didn't renew the warranty, and to this day I have not needed to put a single drop of oil in it between services (nearly 50,000 miles later). Having said all that, unless the C2 has a mega-spec (which I doubt, as he hasn't even bothered to replace the fried egg indicators), I think £18k may be a little too much for it. :?: Personally, I don't like cabrios, as I hate hearing other peoples noise almost as much as I hate scuttle-shake and the compromised torsional rigidity, but if that one can be had for less than £25k, it appears to be a bit of a bargain? Again this is dependent upon colour, spec, and condition (neophrite leather would make it a no-no for me at ANY price!)

I would agree completely - I think 18k for a high mileage Coupe is about on the money whereas the Cab seems extremely good value, regardless of whether it is a facelift or not although a no brainer if it is. I love the cab, I do not notice wind noise at all and with a sports exhaust fitted (a must, particularly on the cab ) they are fantastic. I cannot detect scuttle shake at all.

Apologies for hijacking thread slightly, but I have a cab and dont know what scuttle shake is - can anyone enlighten me?

Hi Josh Often with no roofs, (or roof down but not up) cabs have a litle more torsional flexibility in the chassis, so that under driving condition you actually feel that the car is twisting. In bad cases this sets up a condition where the dash board area in front of you actually hits a natural frequency and the excitation hits a maximum and you actually see the dash board etc vibrating in front of "your very eyes" (apologies to Arthur Askey). Sometimne just with hood up this stops it. This was certainly the case with an early Ford Escort Cabriolet my wife had. Hope that helps. Big Bob