I made the mistake of going by my local Porsche dealership this weekend.

I currently have an order on a 2004 M3 6spd stick... it is due to be here in a few weeks...I only put down a $500 deposit on the car. Out the door price with TTL, etc. is $55k.

My local Porsche dealership has an 03 996 with 150 miles on it that he wants to sell to me. It is black metallic with graphite grey leather, pwr seats, heated seats, 18" wheels, and a few other small options. MSRP is $76K. The dealer is offering to sell it to me for $65K. This seems like a steal to me, but I am new to the Porsche game, so I wanted some opinion from seasoned owners. The M3 is a great car, but the 996 has always been a dream of mine...one that I planned on attaining several years down the road. If my ultimate objective is a 996, I am thinking I perhaps should spend the extra $10k.

Is this a great price, avg price, etc?

Any advice is very welcomed. Thank you.

 

The markup on the 996 is about 16 - 17% so that price is about invoice which is not that bad of a deal but do keep in mind that it is officially a dodel year old.

If it has the options / color / etc you are looking for, go for it! If it is an off color or the options are less desirable, I would try to shave more off. Actually, I would try to shave more off ... even if the options were great!

 

Should I be worried about proper break-in for this engine?...meaning the 150 miles that are already on the car...what if these were not properly broken-in miles? I know this is a big deal for the M3 for first 1200 miles, but I did not know about the 996.

Story I am getting is the the dealership owner put those miles on the car after taking it home for a couple of weekends...

 

You can definitely make him bend a little more, 2 months ago a very good freind of mine purchased an o3 cab w/30 miles (NEW) sticker of $89,000 for $72000, so you can definitely knock off a few grand, especially considering 04's can be had for below sticker. And yes you should go for the 911 over M3, I have had 2 M3's among other cars and the 911 doesn't compare! Good Luck

 

I would go for the 996, you can squeeze him for more off that list price, the car is in his inventory and a leftover with 150 miles, you have the leverage not he.

 

I just traded in my 03 e46 M3 for a 40th Anniversary 911 and I couldn't be happier. It sounds like the 911 has been your dream car and you should go for it now. This is the perfect time to get a great deal on 996's with poor sales and the 997 coming out this summer. The 996 doesn't suffer from break-in issues like the e46 M3 so don't worry about the 150 miles. Find the right color and options and go for it.

 

Buy the Porsche........You will not regret it.

 

You can't go wrong with either, but keep in mind, the 911 is designed as a sport car from the ground up and it shows. In addition, it's a no brainer if you don't need the two extra seats.
Has the car been registered or is it new? It's a great deal if it's new with four full year factory warrenty.
996 has no break-in issues, but make sure the clutch/tran feels or operates camparable with other new 996s on the lot.
Good Luck

 

Buy the Porsche today and live your Dream.
Remember, the dealer wants to sell it to ANYBODY.
Start him at 60 and have fun watching him drop his pants.
He knows it's a year old car. Remind him if you have to.
Ciao

 

I do believe that there is a break in procedure on the 911

 

I'd buy the 996 as well, but since I'm paranoid I would want to know who put the 150 miles on it, why was it traded?? Was it a "sales car" when was the build date (ie car could have been around since 9/02, etc.etc.

 

your ina porsche board of cvourse well tell yout o get the 996 lol

i love my 996 .. but id' love it more if it was a turbo heheh lol

 

If both are within your price range, driving both will be the only way to tell which one is for you...

-Scott

 

earlyapex: those 40th anniversarys are nice! there are a few here at the local dealership, and they are georgous. both silver. what color is yours?

 

Get the 996. There still may be room to negotiate a little more off the price. Friend of mine has an M-3. He spends more time ogling my 996 than his. If you buy the M-3, every time you see a 996 on the road, you will regret buying the M-3.