Team 996 - had to part ways with my 997s as my DD due to lack of room (3 kids). Got a G37 as my DD, upgraded my wife's QX56 to 2010 Escalade, and now left some cash to buy a weekend car! After some grueling soul searching, I've decided 02+ 996 is the one for me. After nationwide search, here is my "short-list."

Before I give you the 3 and look for your expert opinions, here is my hypothesis of decision criteria (stack ranked):
1. Has to be under $30K (inclusive of TTL and whatever is needed to be functional). Could spend more, but I found that I can't seem to be happy with an "average deal." Sorry...I was born "coin operated."
2. Color is important! Prefer Red, Yellow, Blue in that order. However, interior preference is Cinnamon, which is why you will see a black with Cinnamon on the short list.
3. Prefer Coupe (I found Cab isn't quite for me, but wouldn't rule Cab out per se.
4. Prefer RMS/IMS upgrade or Warranty
5. 6 speed a must

So here are the 3 gems I've found (not necessarily in order of favorite):
1. http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/por...he&distance=50

Beautiful car...well kept and babied...somewhat unique. Guy is standing firm at 27K...not the greatest deal, but not a bad deal either.

2. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-...item2c56d59bfc

Friend of 6 speed member...love the new engine and P Warranty, but haven't explored what "new" means just yet. 86K on the chasis...? Should that concern me?

3. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

This one is gorgeous! Love the rare cinnamon and seems to be in pristine condition. Fits price, but no IMS/RMS issue fixed in addition to no warrant. These can be purchased obviously, but could blow my budget.

Thoughts...?

 

They all three seem nice. Here's my take on them after a quick review:

1. Nice car, but a little too much of a "poseur" to me with the 997 turbo wheels, red calipers, big Porsche lettering on the back, etc. I wouldn't buy this one.
2. I love Speed Yellow, and the contrasting yellow stitching on the interior is very nice. This looks like a nice choice. 86K is nothing for this car.
3. A very solid choice. That interior looks like Natural Brown Leather to me - I didn't think cinnamon leather was a color option on the 996. It's a nice car too, but not quite as unique as #2. I do like the sport seats though...

Overall, you shouldn't have too much trouble switching from a 997 to a 996. The biggest difference you'll notice is the interior. I actually like the 996 interior, but it can look rather spartan compared to the 997. Make sure you get a 996 with the full leather interior package and the alcantara roof liner. It dresses up the interior considerably. Looks like #3 has fulll leather, the others don't appear to.

Good luck and have fun!

 

+1

#3 doesnt have the full leather option u can tell with the steering wheel...you can also tell on the ash tray, but you cant see it on the pictures.

 

Thanks, guys. I asked the owner on #3 and he said absolutely full leather...but to your point, I couldn't see any characteristics in the regular pics. After seeing the better resolution pics he sent, looks like it is. Bad photo, but I think you can make out the stitching on the dash:

So, if I am hearing you right, you like car #2 with car#3 close 2nd?

 

Also, is definitely Cinnamon. They did make Cinnamon for 02's...was a $3600 option. Also looks like they only did it in full leather...answering our question.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2002/...ons/index.html

 

my list:

2 - yellow with black ---sweet

3 - black would be my next choice.

1 - not a fan of red.

good luck

 

2. New engine. Rebuilt Porsche engine with upgrades vs. original. From statistics, IF engine pops, they do around 100k'ish, 20 k up or down. New engine with 5k... you can do the IMS and have a new engine with no IMS.

Plus, stitching nice.

I like 3... but new engine....

 

1. Black is Nice (not my color interior)
2. Yellow is ok...(Yellow Stitching with Black Interior = Very Nice)
3. Red and Tan Combo is just not my style.

I would stay with the least amount of miles as you can find which always means better resale value. If you could purchase the 02 Black for $27,000 that would be a good buy in my book.

 

At 86k on the chassis and accessories, what kind of wear items are there? Steering wheel and seats? Suspension components (bushings, shocks, etc). Maintenance records going back how far?

When were the brakes done? Hoses and belts? Just curious if someone could answer what to look for?

 

Maintenance history solid...checked with service manager at Sonnen Porsche.
- Clutch replaced: 2008
- Front tires & brakes replaced 2/10. Back tires & brakes at 70%.
- Catalytic converter replaced: 8/10

My take on the risk model here is that this car will be prone to see failure on suspension, radiator, and/or hoses/belts in the coming months/yrs. However, it's CPO'd until March of 2012 giving some security cushion.

- Sunroof mechanism replaced: 8/10

 

Yep...here's the kicker though: Talked with service manager at Sonnen on Car #2. Porsche did NOT update IMS/RMS on this with the engine replacement. SM said they just replaced with exact same specs as what came new on the car...seems odd. So...this makes car 2 less compelling.

 

Not sure I would believe the service adviser, not that he is trying to mislead you, probably just doesn't know. I think that as the remanufactured engines Porsche used the latest available updates as much as possible. So if the engine was done after 2006 it most likely has the newer IMS with the larger bearing. Of course there is a trade off with this. While the newer bearing is supposed to be better, there have been failures noted on this and other boards, and the new bearing is larger than the opening in the case so there is no LN bearing retrofit available as the cases have to be split to remove the bearing.

I like the black with cinnamon by far. Red and yellow just don't do it for me. And everyone has a black/black, the black cinnamon is fairly unique.

 

Don't discount the targa. I love the large roof and hatch which provides a lot of easily accessible space in the back.

 

Yep...while I've not driven one, my fear there is the extra weight which lowers performance. This was one of my "beefs" with my 997s Cab. Liked the Cab once in a while, but not at the expense of the weight. My understanding is Targa weighs even more...?

 

#3

#2

then #1 in that order for me personally due to the lower miles.

Remember a lot of other things can wear out between 31k and 85k besides the motor.

I also personally would rather have sport seats over stuff like yellow seat belts.

As for the Cinnamon option, have the owner take a pic of the options sticker on underside of the hood, which should clarify all the options.