Hi all. So I've made up my mind that I'm selling my 330i and getting a 996 coupe. I've been reading this board for a while now and come across some very helpful posts but I still have some questions/suggestions to ask of you all.

As of now my budget is for a 1999 or MAYBE 2000 996 coupe but after reading through the board it seems that a 2001 or newer might be a better way to go due to some changes in the cars. This made me reconsider buying now and think about waiting for the 997 to come out.

Questions...
1)When is the 997 supposed to hit the U.S. dealers?
2)Will there be a significant price drop on all of the 996 C2 coupes when the 997's arrive? When I say significant, I mean like an 01 or 02 with decent mileage for the price of 99-00's now (38-50k)?

Thanks in advance for your help. I'm REALLY itching to get into a 911 now but if the prices will drop in a couple months it will be in my best interest to wait.

 

the prices will definately drop when the 997 comes out

 

Thanks. Any idea when that will be and maybe how much of a drop???

 

They will absolutly drop in price when the 997's hit the shore making the facelifted 996 (02 and newer) in your price range. The 997's will most likely begin to filter in around Sept. or Oct. and that is when you will see deals on pre-owned 996's all over the place and you will most definatly have more to choose from as people trade their 996's in to get the 997's. Also look into getting a Porsche Certified car (only available at certified Porsche Dealers), there is not too much of a premium over uncertified cars and it can possibly save you a headache or two when it comes to repairs if you need them. Hang in there for a little while longer, your wallet will appreciate it.

 

major changes to the 996 happened as of MY02 not 01...Also, release date for 997 is mid-July (at least in Europe)

 

Thanks again everyone. I figured I should wait a couple months for the 997's to come out. I'm just trying to get a feel as to what I might expect as far as pricing on the 01-02's. It's just so hard waiting, but I know in the long run it will be worth it.

Anyone know if you can take a non certifed car to a dealer and have it certified? If so how much is something like that?

 

if you have the patience to wait until november when the 997 hit the us floors i would do so, not only will the prices drop, which they already are dropping and will remain to drop at a rapid rate thanks to porsches over production of the 996, you will find alot more to choose from, might even be able to find an 02 for 50k from a private seller since dealers will have an over whelming amount of trade ins for the 997 which will make dealers buy trade in's for cheap. simple stradegy. but what do i know....

 

Having the patience is the tough part. But at least now I'll be able to save more for some mods

 

I would say buy a cheap 99 and keep it a year or two then move into a late 996 or 997. I dont think u will ever see a 99 - 996 for like 22-26g's. They will hold about 30k for a while. Just my opinion though.....

 

would not suggest the 99, since they are the most problematic and run on a drive by cable system. you want 2000 or newer since they are drive by wire, for mod reasons, plus warrantee will be voided so that means alot of repairs. 3.4liter engines are from 1999-2001. 3.6 liter engines are from 2002+. trust me you will be squeezing that meager 300hp engine for more juice so at least get the drive by wire system.

 

Thanks again everyone.
Anyone know about taking a non certified car to a dealership and getting it certified? Is it possible? Any idea on how much?

 

I can't say for sure but I don't think you can certify a car once you have already purchased it. They will probably say if you wanted a certified car then you should have bought one from us. Do some reading up on the certfication process, it is worth the extra money in my opinion because in most cases the dealer who you are buying from probably serviced the vehicle and knows the previous owner. Porsche cars especially need to have a good history because while they are made incredibly, if they are run hard and put away wet you are going to have problems and this can typically be avoided when buying a certified car. And if you buy from a dealer you will probably be taken care of better when in for service or whatever than if you bought from a private party.