There is no real issue of buying a high mileage vehicle. However the things I would do when looking at one are:

Do your homework on the car...carfax, PPI at indy shop
Make sure the car has service records.
Get a feel for the owner/seller. If they give you any feeling of suspicion that they are dishonest then walk away...cheaper in the long run.

I've been looking at 997s too, to replace my 996 & I notice myself getting emotionally attached at a model I find to be the "right one". Be careful of that and make a decision based on facts and service records.

With that being said at 100,000 miles any vehicle will need a few thousand bucks to replace some parts. Brakes, wheels, rotors, spark plugs, water pump, belts ...etc etc

 

what if they replace brakes, clutch, plugs, water pumps at 90,000 miles? then is a non issue!

 

Mine is up to 73K and I can honestly say that it would be a steal for someone if I were to sell it. You should be able to tell from the service records if they've been on top of things. If the clutch was done recently, then that's a big expense you've just avoided.

I think a high mileage 997.1 is probably the best price/performance/style prospect there is.

 

+++++1

 

You have a greater chance of dying from:

1. Falling down
2. A self-inflicted gunshot

Than suffer from an IMS issue.

Vegas wasn't built on winners. If you can't afford to lose any money, don't play. Deferred maintenance can nickel and dime you - make sure you get all records. But realize, you are buying a used car and if the motor goes, be prepared to shell out $15-20K.

 

I bought a 2006 997S with 77000 miles on it in December 2011. I now I have 82000 miles in 4 months. Fun to drive. So far I had a to do the following.

Tuneup- 1200.00
Replace all 6 cracked coil packs-350.00
Water pump-did myself though not easy-375.00

Besides some rattles I need to find, the car has been great. Lots of thumbs up from people.

 

That's all regular maintenance. But this is exactly what I'm talking about. My 05 c2s will need new plugs, coils etc and I have 55K miles. I already replaced my waterpump due to signs of dry seepage. Original clutch though. I wouldn't shy away from a high mileage, high avg miles per hour car however. Good luck.

 

In the end you'll do what you want so stating the obvious drawbacks to buying a high mileage used Porsche would be pointless and redundent. Whatever you do, get whatever car you want to buy checked out by a knowledgeable Porsche mechanic before you buy it. Failure to do so could add good deal more to your purchase price in the end. Insurance can be steep too. My new '12 Jaguar costs me less to insure than my 5 year old 997 and I get multi car discounts, have a clean driving record and am well beyond the age of consent.

 

What he said. Stick to what you can afford~!

 

There is a major difference between maintenance cost in a shop versus YOU being the mechanic and being able to do most of the work yourself. If you have to use a shop for all the maintenance (like I have too) ANY maintenance is going to be expensive. Count 120 bucks per hour for a grease monkey to replace parts because nothing can be actually "repaired" any longer. If you do not have a good Indie... FIND one... it will pay off quickly. Just to echoing the previous responders.. Get a car with GOOD records, do all the background research and find out if the owner is a Porsche NUT or not. Set aside 5K dollars for the first year repairs. And, IF you have the 5 K... invest it in a later / younger car. You may just as well profit yourself from the money you are spending instead of handing it over to the little grubby mechanic.!! BTW are they still grubby nowadays?? Just kidding of course..but I hope you get the drift.. :-)

 

Very sound advise... put another way, there's no free lunch.

 

I've got 49k on my 09 997.2 S with no problems. IMO...If you have a weekend warrior than I would expect more problems than an everyday driver. You can't expect to sleep in bed all week and then run a marathon on Saturday without having any problems. Same goes for your P-Car... They are ment to be driven...

 

Read this and it may change your opinion on M96/M97 reliability. It appears that Porsche cut some corners in these engine designs and the ultimate penalty is cylinder liner failures. This report is 70 + pages long but very worth the read. Moral of the story, keep these engines as cool as you can... Reminds me of the old 2.7 911's and trying to make them run cooler...

Very interesting when you get to the part about them switching over to a single head gasket that could be used on both sides in order to save on production costs...

This will scare your socks off...





http://www.hartech.org/docs/buyers%2...20part%205.pdf

 

This happened to my 996 and it was out of warranty. I bought it used from a dealer who after 3 months of ownership bought it back from me and credited what I put into it. I then bought an E46 M3 'Vert, boosted it, and kept it for 5 years with no issues.

The 997 came out and I loved what Porsche did and I knew I'd be back in another 911, now my third (first was a '78 911SC Euro - had it for 12 years). My 997 now has 92K (put 20k on it already) and it's a keeper. If (or when) this engine goes I'll have it rebuilt and punched out to a built 4.0, but first I'll boost her for pleasure.

 

While I agree with what everyone has posted. I think the OP needs to stay on point. You're trying to buy a 911 for 30K with 120K miles so you can own a 911.

Let's do some math here.

Your insurance will go up, add (not sure your age/driving record but safe to assume) $100 month.

At your milage, you'll need maintenance, such as:

Clutch,
Brakes,
Coils/Plugs
Water pump
Belts
Bearings
Filters

Rough math 6K in maintenance listed above at a dealer, 4K at Indy. So can you afford 36K+???