tlippold

Aside from KBB and NADA are there any good market price guides for a 996? These two sites are way apart. For older cars I always used Hagerty. Also what is a rule of thumb for factoring in IMS retrofit, mods etc.

Thanks

Slakker

Your best bet is to plug the year, model and trim into autotrader, set the distance for any, and see what you can get one for. The prices tend to vary quite a bit. A lot of times they don't sell real quick so the sellers wanting to move theirs will get pretty aggressive with the pricing.

Maintenance history is important for risk avoidance so generally you will be dealing with private sellers. The biggest lemons we've seen came from used car dealers not knowing or caring about the condition of the car. A good pre purchase inspection (PPI) by a reputable independent Porsche repair shop (Indie) is critical. If you are serious about buying one, a lot of times you can get a Rennfax where someone on the forum that lives near the vehicle will go test drive it for you before you spend the money on a PPI.

If the vehicle has had none of the preventive maintenance done, I will do Air to Oil Separator (AOS) and water pump when I get it, and Clutch/RMS/IMS in the near future. If you are paying a shop to do the work that factors to about 4K of expense, give or take.

As for mods, there are two trains of thought. An unmolested car allows you to mod it how you want and make sure it's done right. But a tastefully modded car, with upgrades you already want, allows you to save money. When valuing mods, if it is setup like I want, I allocate half of the new price of the part only, no labor.

Depending on what you are wanting to do with the car, the newer models aren't always the better models. Right now, the best deal is on the '99. It's the quickest, most nimble of the NA 996s and still has the same mechanical feel as the air cooled models, just with more horsepower. Yet the market still has them priced as the cheapest.

Happy hunting and take your time. Look for a good car first, and a good deal second. Feel free post a link for feedback if you find one you like.

ejdoherty911

Prices for Porsche 911 in general have never lined up with KBB, NADA, Edmunds, etc. The best indicator of market prices is completed sales. What someone is asking means nothing, never has. The sold price is the market. Porsche 996 can range from $15k - $30k. (not including turbo, GT). Vehicles outside this range are rare and are either in need of a lot or low mileage 2004 C4s. The 996 is so insanely cheap (in comparison to the entire 911 model range), even if you have to put in $10,000 on day one you have a deal. Assuming that $10k brings the car completely up to date in all areas. These vehicles are 14-20 years old. Each one is unique. Anytime you're dealing with a complex mechanical device that has been out there over 14 years you have to take some time and put in some effort to understand the true condition.

It's been my experience the vast majority of the time YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Find a cheap 996 for $14,000? Probably is high mileage and needs a bunch of maintenance. Suspension? Plan on spending $5,000 easy. Coolant flush, oil change, that's $700. Exhaust? $4,000 easy.

Still... these days that seems like a bargain compared to paying $29,500 for a 1977 Targa with 208,000 miles a non-matching tired motor.

dgjks6

yeah, prices are all over the place.

I'm looking for a 996 and compared to 3 years ago there is a much wider variation of prices, though the c4s's seem to be down. When I looked before for a mark 1 the cheapest were 17K and the most expensive were 25K. Now I see some at 14K and others at 30K. The car I want is clsoe to me 80K miles and he wants 24K. A similar car with more options about 300 miles from me has 60K miles and only 20K.

I have not got up the nerve to offer him 18K becasue I don't want to offend him.

My question is, is there anyone really paying close to $30K for a mark 1?

ejdoherty911

It's not your concern whether or not someone decides to be offended. Doesn't take much effort for the seller to simply reply, "no, but thanks for the offer." Close to $30k for a MK1? No I have not seen that at all, have you?

tlippold

Thanks for the advice. I have always preferred private sales vs a dealer (especially used car dealers) but what I have found is many of the 996s around me are owned by younger owners (often owner #3+) that have owned for a short time versus a long time owner. I suppose as long as there are maintenance records I feel better but I immediately get concerned with a short time younger owner!

ejdoherty911

When you get serious about making a purchase, pay for a pre-purchase inspection. Take it to a Porsche enthusiast, preferably someone who only works on Porsche or only Porsche & BMW. Generally costs around $200 - $300 and worth every single penny assuming the tech is an enthusiast with at least 8 years of Porsche exclusive experience. They can run the diagnostic tools and provide operation information you can't see with your eyes. It's also not unusual for people (especially younger people) to quickly get into and then out of a Porsche. They buy it and then realize "HOLY FOOKING SHEET BATMAN" this car is expensive to maintain. Maybe they experience a $200 oil change or a $4,000 exhaust system. There is nothing inexpensive about 911 ownership, ever.

vitaminC

I'm not a subscriber, so I haven't seen the latest version, but Excellence Magazine also puts out a price guide for all Porsche models.

dgjks6

go to auto trader and look for a 99-01 porsche 911, 5 pages of results and the first page all the asking prices are $30K. Now is anyone really getting that?

I know, but guy gave me a sob story on why he needs to sell the car and I feel bad low balling him. Actually I don't think its low balling. I think $18 is a fair price for the car.

Slakker

No. Find the right '99 for around 18k and enjoy. On the 24k, just tell him you don't want to offend but you would give 18k for it. When he says no, tell him you are not in a hurry, to take his time, and if he changes his mind to just let you know.

Seneca035

Sold my 2002 996 C2 6-speed with 19k miles in March for $29,500.

I was 3rd owner, all original, no paintwork, IMS replaced, 2 sets of wheels, and had all service records.

ejdoherty911

This would represent a perfect example of the top of the market. Extremely low miles, all original, extra wheels, all records, and a perfectly good (i imagine) IMS replaced, doesn't get much better than that. This is your $30k 996 example to compare all others against.

vandersmith

This is about a year old but includes all of the prices I could find nationally

Spreadsheet of most 996/997s for sale nationally

996SPECticle

Check out ebay advanced search for completed or sold listings. Very much location and mileage dependant, you will see maybe 1 in 10 cars go for over $20k Good negotiation tactic if your local dealer has one listed for "X" with no bidders for many months.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Cars-Trucks/...he+911&_sop=13

Slakker

^^ that's cool! Can't believe I've never seen that.