996 daily driver, which one?
 

OK, I'm done driving the van every day. I know its great for hauling stuff like surf boards and dogs but enough is enough.

I used Judi's Cayenne the last couple days and felt great driving something a bit more refined.

With 996's so cheap right now i cant think of anything better. I am looking at a 1999 996 and a 2002 turbo. The 1999 has 46k miles and the turbo has 105k miles.

I would most likely spend some money upgrading the carrera ( think IMS/RMS ) prevent medicine, exhaust, tuning so at the end they will price wise not be that different.

1999 is stick and the turbo is auto.

Which would you choose and why?

Thanks for your input.

No question.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/629658-1999-911-c2-all-maintenance-complete-immaculate-eisenmann-exhaust.html

Edit: Whoops! Didn't realize it had sold.

But that car is sold...

This one:
2001 porsche 911

$18,950 obo Very tempting. Wonder if it's a salvage at that price.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1320725675.jpg

Thats a freaking steal....

I would sure give it a thorough inspection...

D chunks, slipped sleeves,IMS, RMS, Dunno....

But they are soooo cheap!
It's a crap shoot, I guess pray that you get a good one.

Intermediate Shaft IMS Upgrade and Retrofit Kit for Porsche 911, Boxster, and Cayman models http://www.lnengineering.com/buyingausedporsche101.pdf

Or this one:
Porsche 911 **CHECK THIS DEAL OUT**

man, thats getting down there. Maybe spend a some money on preventative procedures and go with it...

That one in scottsdale looks great!

So would you rather have spend 18-20 for normal 911 or 30 for 100k mile turbo?

Are ya feelin lucky punk? Well are ya?



Seriously though? For a DD, I would find a nice C2, fix the few issues and be happy. The turbo is fast sure, but it commands much more maintenance and more $$$

Is this really a question? 1999 996. Better yet, 2003-4 996.

Like any other 911, take your time, don't get emotional about the decision, get it inspected up and down, look for a solid owner(and/or an excellent paper trail).

Turbo with 105k.....lol. I guess if it had a paper trail going back a mile long, but......eek!.......isn't a used 996 turbo engine like 20K?

The Turbo engine should be more robust and reliable, though. It uses the split case GT1 architecture derived from the venerable Mezger motor in the 911, water cooled in the 956, and also used in the GT3.

A lot of upgrades came out in '02.

I have been researching the early 996 models and I would not hesitate to get one. A lot of sport scar for the money. However I have decided to go for a Boxster instead. I never had an open top car and I am very curious to try out what many aficionados apparently feel is one of the best drivers cars. Also it is a bit less money.

I've owned two 996s (2001 and the 1999 that just sold), as well as a 1999 Boxster. Frankly they have collectively been the best cars that I've owned. You get all of the Porsche performance and character in a comfortable and reliable package that is easy to drive daily. My '99 996 was my daily driver for the last seven months, other than scheduled maintenance and a few deferred repairs from the PO it was flawless. The 996/986 in my opinion are the best sports car deal going, no doubt in my mind.

The IMS, RMS, D-chunk, and slipped liners are not a myth, but from the substantial amount of reading that I've done I think they're overblown. Let's also not forget that every Porsche has its little issues, there's always the potential for something expensive to happen, even if the odds are slim. I say absolutely go for it, they're awesome cars and great daily drivers. If it were me I'd go with the regular 996, a 996TT with high miles has a lot of things to potentially go wrong. Plus it's a slushbox, that's just not right. ;)

I'm going against the grain here, I would take the turbo w/o batting an eye. 105k on an '02 turbo is absolutely nothing unless they ran it w/o oil or coolant. That is the 993/GT3 based bottom end so you can forget about the RMS issue and think previous 3.6 w/ dry sump, etc... I would buy one w/ 200k on it if it checked-out and was cheap enough.

These are absolutely bullet-proof cars if known issues are dealt with. I don't know that the turbo even has any known issues, I've never heard of anyone having trouble with one other than too much HP and torque. The turbo is twice the car of the regular 996, especially the first gen 996. I had a very early '99 996, (built Feb. '98), it was the best car I've ever owned w/ 205k miles and beaten like a rented mule for all its life. And I'm a Mercedes diesel guy, so I doubt that anyone here is going to school me on durability.

I'd second Denis' advice on the Turbo. It's a more complex car: turbos, all wheel drive, automatic transmission. But it is twice the car. They are robust.

Buying one with over 100K miles is a great idea. They're *cheap* because all of the scared elitists who can't DIY are afraid of them and would only consider a low-mile car. The reality is that a 25K mile ten year old complex car will break as often as a 100K mile car. Regular excercise and maintenance is good for them.

Have it checked out. Enjoy it. Don't look back.

I had a 2002 Boxster, and it was a great sports car. Summer is fun, but driving along in the fall with the trees changing color, a flat 6 engine providing the sound track.....heaven. If you plan on driving it all year round, seek out a hard top for it. It makes it much quieter and warmer during the winter months.

Oops

Sounds great and thats good advice on the hard top. Thanks!

Yes. Perhaps. :)

looked at a 99 today with 47k miles.

VIn is

WPOAA299XXS621159

Anybody got carfax access.

Me thinks it might have been in an accident.

Current owner claims to have bought it at an estate sale.

Got any pictures? What makes you think accident?

the front bumper seems a little of center. When you run your fingers around lights the seams are not equal.

The front headlights and side marker lights have been upgraded. Either the PO like the newer style or circumstances dictated replacement. The rear taillights are a newer version also.

Just FYI, it's against Pelican Parts policy to request to have Carfaxes run. It's $35, not exactly expensive.

There are service operations, such as cleaning the front radiators, that require bumper removal. It's possible that the re-installation wasn't perfect. Has it been repainted?

The light replacement might have been an upgrade, removing the amber shaded headlights, tail lights, and side markers greatly updates the look of the car. The newer models had clear headlights and red/white tails, they're a direct fit on the earlier cars but expensive. I replaced the side markers on mine with smoked OEM lights because it's cheap and looks much better.

That looks like the one a friend of mine had a few years ago. If it's the same car, it was a So. Cal car in great condition when he sold it (second owner). His had a built in radar detector, very nicely done.

Matt

Thanks for the heads up. Had no idea about the car fax. Please forgive the error in etiquette.

Matt

All the lights have been replaced to give it a more updated look. It does look great.

I checked the gaps at the front quater panel and the doors. It feels like there is a slight wave in the quarter panels. Thats what makes me think it was more than a simple light exchange.

I am going to have it run over to Black Forest and have the boys there give it the once over.

Seller wants 19.5. The other car i'm considering is a 02 turbo tip with 105 k miles for 29.

Im torn between the stick and auto turbo..............

The beauty is that I think there is no hurry as there are plenty of options out there.

for a daily driver, I would seriously consider a auto transmission. Sitting in traffic for hours constantly shifting is not fun. The manual mode on my automatic daily driver BMW's is actually pretty good.
If maintained properly, I would go with the turbo.

whats your daily drive like?

It all depends on the drive.... I drive about 30mi a day and never hit congestion. Its all open highway, my stick shift corolla is perfect....

$19500 for a 46k mile 996 is a pretty good price, assuming it's otherwise a good car. I wouldn't be afraid of a properly repaired car that had been in a minor accident, but if the quarter panel has waves that would scare me. If there are obvious visible issues in the accident repair, what is else is hidden from view?

While I would personally prefer a manual trans on any 911, the turbo w/ the tiptronic performs like an unchained beast. Remember when Hurley Haywood set some record w/ it at the 'ring when it was introduced(?)