Supercar

Thank you, the resident Cop, and thank you, DJ. I know it would be odd to find a Porsche that has never been to the track. This is what they are made for.

I am still looking for one and want it more than ever before! To summarize:
Under $35K
Silver, gray or red
hardtop
6-speed
Black interior
PSM.

Hopefully I will find one soon. Can't wait anymore!

lexpilot

Supercar,
If you don't consider the red 996 offered on this board you are missing the point. I just sold my 1999 Arctic Silver coupe for the giveaway price of $29,500 here in Oregon.
You should buy a Porsche from a Porsche enthusiast. Nobody takes care of these cars like us car geeks that reside on these boards. I am a very active PCA member to so I would add that criteria to your list. When I bught my 1999 I did not want an Arctic Silver car. But after looking at and driving 26 different 1999 and 2000 cars in 2004 I bought the one in the best condition. That is way more important than having exactly the perfect color combo on a used Porsche.
My car had 34,000 on it when I bought it and 52,000 on it when I sold it. In that time I did the normal 3 replacement procedures for 1999 model year cars. 1. Coolant reservoir replacement. 2. Brake booster/mastercylinder replacement due to water collection. 3. Seat belt receptacle replacement due to faulty contacts. No RMS issues.
If you want the best car at the cheapest (after repairs) price then buy one from a car geek. I think the red 1999 offered above should not be summarily dismissed because it is not your first choice for interior color. Just my experience.
BTW I love my new 997 C4S Cobalt Blue Cabriolet. But my 1999 car was 90% as fast for only 27% of the cost.

Supercar

Thank you, lexpilot. I did consider the red/savannah car, but I live in Michigan. There is only one nearly perfect early 996 that I found locally. It is absolutely beautiful but it has no PSM, which I must have. I saw three other cars too, so by now I pretty much know what I like and what's important for me. To see other cars I have to fly to another state, which last time cost me $500 a trip. I cannot afford to see 26 of them. I should better be very sure that I am flying to see the car that I really want to buy.

Yes, I would like to buy my car from a Porsche enthusiast, of course.

fast1

If you want the best car at the cheapest (after repairs) price then buy one from a car geek. I think the red 1999 offered above should not be summarily dismissed because it is not your first choice for interior color. Just my experience.

I couldn't agree more. Unless the interior or exterior colors are obnoxious to you, the condition of the car should be far more important than the fact that the interior color isn't your first choice. Of course the best of all worlds is to buy a CPO car, but if you can't afford that, then follow the advice above.

MJBird993

Here's my two cents (a bargain at twice the price). There are honest salesmen out there. What happens is that they don't know anything about these cars, most are bought at auction, so they either have no information to give you, or they are less than honest and make something up. Or they "forget" which car you are talking about, and really "meant" to tell you about the accident history.

I concur with some of the earlier replies - it's best to buy from the individual. You can get a feel for the person, see how they live, get an idea of how they maintained it, etc. You're also more likely to get the service records and all the keys.

Buy the nicest car that you can afford, that's my motto.

Michael

newport996

I guess I bought my 2 pcars from the ONLY honest salesman in America.....I also got ALL the service records because the cars where originally bought at that dealership and traded in...In SoCal thats big...they use one dealer and buy the car, have it serviced at that dealer and trade it in when they get the itch for a new one....so both my cars were bought and traded in at that dealer, that dealer did all the service and gave me copies of all the service records of teh car since new...and I got all the keys, manuals, and even original window sticker. Its easy to check out a car and find the story on it....and its easier to catch a saleman in a lie....I have found Pcar salesman to be actually better than most, at least the ones I dealt with....There are some jerks, but its EASY to spot them....

StephenB

i second lexpilots suggestion of buying from an enthusiest and/or PCA member. In 1994 I was looking for my 1st 911. I had a PPI done at the same shop where the car was serviced and had the lower valve covers removed as part of the PPI. Two head studs fell out upon removal. PCA member felt bad about the results (since a valve adjust was done just 2k miles earlier) and offered to pay for the full cost of the PPI. I passed on the car since the owner was going to want more $ after a new top end was done. I learned 3 things from 4 or 5 PPI's:

1. Stacks of records/receipts does not mean Murphy is not lurking around the corner.

2. The owner may not know there are problems with the car.

3. Having a reputable shop perform a PPI, even though they regularly service a car is not necessarily a bad thing.

Be patient. After several failed PPI's and a year of searching, I ended up buying a used car from the Porsche dealer with a warranty.

996 Cop

My car has everything you want except the interior color and even has a Porsche warranty. I looked for 6 months before buying it.

TT Surgeon

I can vouche for DJ 996's car, it's tight with all the good stuff.

Supercar

Just got a word from one owner that PSM was not an option on the C2 until 2000. He also said that it was first offered on the '99 C4. So have I been looking for a car that does not exist (a '99 C2 with PSM)???

996 Cop, does your '99 have PSM or just TC? Is there a "PSM" button to the left of the radio, or "TC"?

I have also been looking for a list of stock features and factory options that were available for the 996 cars, year by year. Is there such a list, and is there a place online where I could see it? Dealers appear to be clueless about older cars, they only know some about the new ones. Thank you.

MitchB

For '99, it was "Traction Control" not PSM. Part of the reason is the '99s didn't have drive by wire throttle, so no ability for the computer to reduce throttle. The '99s with TC all came with Limited Slip or so I'm told - not a bad thing....

Supercar

Has anyone experienced how this '99 TC works?

AFAIK, traction control has a limited functionality. It only reduces the negative effect of my heavy right foot. It will do nothing if I hit a patch of ice on the road, or yank the steering wheel to one side and then to the other while trying to get around a car that decided to park in the left lane. I know the '00 996 PSM would engage the brakes on one or both of the front wheels and help me not to spin out backwards, I tested it already.

Hurdigurdiman

Hey Supercar one question. Why in particular do you state that you want a 1999-2002 996 with black interior? The reason I ask (but its not for sale) is I have one which I got 3 months back. Its a 1999 996 C2 Cabrio with soft and hard top. .. Artic Silver with black interior. Upgraded larger wheels, 3 spoke steering wheel and stick shift with 45000 on the clock. A Preferred warranty was bought during purchase which accompanied a 3 year up to 90000 miles which ever comes first which came with the car.. My friend said he could hear a whirring sound coming from underneath the car. I took it to a Porsche Dealer and they confirmed that I needed a new transmission which Preferred Warranty replaced for me at no cost to me. This being my first 911 I would not have checked the tranny as I thought all Porsche cars sounded this way. I couldn't hear any whirring sound but he could. By the way my wife bought the car for me as a surprise for my 70th birthday. Best birthday present I ever had in my life and it was from a dealer. It is one awesome car in every way.

Optical TDI

I agree to buy from a private Porsche owner. Definitely not some non-Porsche dealer who may have bought from auction with the chance of many possible owners (neglect).

The years you are looking at cannot be CPOd because of their age. 8 years old is the max Porsche will CPO a car. Only some 2004 996s can be CPOd now.

I would almost always buy from a private enthusiast vs. a dealer unless it was a CPO car.

For my 1st and current Porsche it was important for me to have the CPO, hence the Porsche dealer decision.

Buy one from someone here or on PCA. You can join PCA as a short term member to have access to their classifieds.

relinuca

The "CPO" designation has taken on industry-wide criteria in recent years. The manufacturers establish standards for eligibility (like, no more than 5 years old and less than 60K miles) and then apply in-depth inspections for condition and
typical replacements (tires, brake pads, filters, etc.).

The dealer decides which eligible cars to CPO, and this decsion tends to be market/region based. The dealer then must pay a "fee" to the manufacturer upon sale, call it a pre-paid warranty fee, if you like. (Guess who is really funding this expense, folks.)

On older or high mileage cars (non-CPO eligible), the dealer will try to steer the buyer toward buying a 3rd. party maintenance plan. Some of these now offer "CPO-like" coverage, but can be very pricey.

Bottom Line: I have my doubts that any Porsche dealer would or could
CPO a 1999-2001 996 Carrera or any other "older" Porsche.

relinuca