Hey Guys,
I have an opportunity to buy a 2001 Porsche 996 Turbo for under $30,000.
The car comes up with a clean carfax and shows only minor interior wear.
The big kicker here is it has 105,000 miles....
Is this a good price to pay for a properly well maintained and good condition car with this mileage?
What services and potential problems could I be looking at?

Thanks everyone in advance,
Zak

 

Well, at probably 10 years old and with those miles the car's just an old used car.

This doesn't mean it is a bad deal (well, I haven't done any price research for high mileage Turbos) but it can be an expensive car to own.

New these cars sold for $115K or more (my 03 Turbo cost new $119K though I bought it used for less than half that price) and they are not cheap cars to own and run.

You can go along way giving the car a through used car checkout. After all the car is just a used car.

As for potential problems you could be looking at nothing to everything. I have not run a Turbo beyond 57K miles but I read posts by someone who's run a similar MY Turbo for over 250K miles and the engine's fine and last I heard, err read the car had its orignal clutch still going strong. Oh, the car IIRC is an S model too.

(I've run my 02 Boxster now over 240K miles and it is on its original engine and clutch.)

CarFax is not 100% reliable. Not everything that happens to a car gets reported to the databases CarFax uses.

What I have encountered with my Turbo: idler bearing; radiator fan failed (shaft broke and dented (but did not hole) radiator); 6-speed leaking from shift shaft (new/replacement transmission); coolant cap leaking (new cap). Engine generated some misfires a while back after sitting outside in motel parking lot overnight in cold heavy rain. Cleared codes and they have not come back. But some have had to replace coils way before 57K miles. MAF too.

Thankfully my car is still under CPO warranty so all but tires and maintenance covered by the warranty.

Oh, forgot: Just recently the clutch power system accumulator failed and shortly thereafter the clutch slave cylinder starting leaking. CPO warranty covered these items as well.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

Some of the issues I've seen documented on this board include:
2nd gear pop out, rear spoiler hydraulic failure, leaky coolant expansion tank, leaky radiators (3 of 'em in the front), coil packs, and clutch accumulator.

Assuming the car you are currently contemplating is up to date on all services and needs nothing, I personally think it is an okay deal. 100k+ miles on a sports car can put many people off, so future resale should be a subject to be considered. Also, at that age/mileage, many things can use a freshening (i.e., tired shocks/springs, bushings, hoses, etc.). If the services aren't up to date and if parts need replacing, prices can add up very quickly.

When I was actively shopping for my Turbo (late '09 - early '10), I remember seeing a couple of Turbos for sale on this site that had service history/sounded up to date on maintenance didn't need anything in the high $30s with ~50k miles or so. Not sure how the market is in Canada, but I would personally go for one of those.

 

My 04 TT is at 94K miles, still going with no problem, just tires and maintenance. still very strong.

 

Had mine for 2 years, grear car I have done clutch, ignition housing, brakes, accumaltor brakes, left and right radiator, coils and plugs, passenger window mechanism, although I will repair anything soon as it breaks, I autocross it , 996 T has great engine just keep up on maintenance you cant go wrong.

 

It's all relative, under $30k and otherwise clean is a good deal.

 

They can be expensive so making sure you check the expensive bits is a MUST. Gearbox / clutch/ diff and engine. Make sure you get the best possible mechanic WITH PORSCHE EXPERIENCE look at that car. I am also suggesting to have an oil analysis done to check for " metal ". Make sure the dealer / seller does NOT change the oil until AFTER you have taken the oil sample if you do this this. Look at the tire wear see if the car seems to track and wear the tires as expected. This give you a good idea as to what the alignment looks like. Run the sucker up thru 3-4-5 gear with the speedy pedal on the floor and see what the Boost gauge tells you. Read up what the boost gauge is suppose to read before you run that test so you know what to expect... Ask for all the repair and maintenance records,. See and ask specifically about the mods, especially to the ECU tuning , cats and exhaust to make sure it will pass inspections if you have them out there. Otherwise, it is a great engine and car that will - most likely - be better than you are a driver. Mine is for sure. :-)

 

You guys realize the OP was asking about this about a year ago, right?

I suppose the responses are still good though...for others in the market considering similar cars/opportunities.

 

Yep, thanks for the heads-up!! Always happy to help!!

 

+1 just notices that.