996Outpost.com

After looking for several months, finding a "good" car at a respectable price was challenging.

With the recent uptick on the x50, many have decided to sell. Problem I ran into was people stating recent maintenance when they really mean "stuff was done some time ago", others had no proof since they did work themselves and threw away receipts.

Ended up with 1 needing some repairs (including cracked tail lights & tranny), but VERY WELL maintained. To me this was key.

I did pay for several PPI's, was well worth it. If car meets your requirements, why not not just do a PPI & DME report? If it checks out, then fly in.

As for the x50, here's my perspective. Wanted it and was a requirement in the beginning. At the end, was not going to race it, so decided that base TT with exhaust + tune (both pending) was more than enough power for me.

I will say the biggest difference for me was manual. TT or NA, getting manual awakens these engines.

Be patient & good luck.

Definitely concur with Pete that X50 really isn't that big of a deal in buying a 996tt. Mine is an X50, but other than maybe the cachet of having the X50 label, I don't think there's much value in it. As Pete says, take a regular 996tt and put a tune, the proper bits and pieces to go with the tune and an exhaust on it, and you'll have more power than you can handle (and you can get significantly more than a stock X50).

In some ways, a base 996tt is actually better because the chief complaint about the larger X50 turbos is that they can be laggy, whereas the smaller stock turbos spool up quicker. When I bought mine, I wasn't shopping for an X50 - I basically got it by accident. I thought I was buying a regular 996tt with modified turbos and a tune, and when the seller showed me the original window sticker, it turned out to be an X50 car. So, score!, but I was going to buy it anyway, and I doubt I would have paid a premium for it.

And, as we've discussed before, if you want a 6-speed, don't buy a tippy. Nothing wrong with a tippy if that's what you want (there are good reasons to buy one), but they are difficult to sell if you decide later that you "need" a 6-speed.

This was recently was posted on one of the Facebook groups. Previous owner traded it in and willing to answer any questions. Has a markski tune. Seems priced right for mileage and being stick. I’m sure there is wiggle room.

FYI: you could negotiate shipping if you don’t want to do a long drive

https://www.mandimotors.com/used/Porsch ... ee4864.htm

Thanks to all.

Another question- I have a few low mileage ones that have come across my plate, anywhere from 26K to sub 60K miles. What maintenance would need to be done that would possibly already be done with a higher mileage car, ie 80-110K miles. I know coolant lines being pinned is one. Are there big 50k, 60K, 90K or 100K services that would be better to buy already done? I don't want to spend at the top of my budget on the car only to find out I need to drop 2-5K more on service. (not that I would do that because I am a shade-tree mechanic, but you get where I am going).

60K service is one of the bigger ones. Includes 30K service + plugs, belt & fuel filter.
This is link to maintenance schedule for these cars. https://pictures.dealer.com/porscheofsa ... f1cb92.pdf

Suspension components is another big one. At the end, it's a @ 15yr old car

Additionally:

• Does the tail still go up / down & does it do it without any warning lights coming on? Known for failed hydraulics

• Second gear pop-out? Search forums on details & how to test

• Front chin spoiler, many have cracked lower spoilers. Not expensive, but common that it might need one.

• Yellowing of headlights.

• Leaks / burning oil. A couple that I looked at had either a leak or was burning oil from one of the turbos. Not horribly expensive, but not cheap.

Dealer / Indy PPI will catch all of these and more. Avg $275 per inspection (saved me THOUSANDS on 2 cars I walked away from). Example Checklist https://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/Certifi ... cklist.pdf

Wouldn't hold my breath on "pinned coolant lines". Many of the ones that had this, came with modifications which resulted in a higher price range.

Honestly, would budget that any car you get, chances are you will need to put @ $5K to make it "yours".

You have the hunt, then the work (any repairs / maintenance you need), then the reward (years of smiles as you drive the car).

Thanks for the input, I am learning more every day.

Another question. As I search and look at carfax reports or ads, I notice some of them are in the Midwest/New England are where salt is used and eats metal. I hate rust. When I see these, I immediately pass on them because I know first hand what salt can do to vehicles that live(d) in these locales.

However, my understanding is the 911 frames and sheet metal are galvanized so outside of say the 1960's and some 1970s, this really is not an issue. I believe there is an underbelly protection to on the 996s? In theory, that would mean that if anything were to rust, it would be the actual nuts and bolts. I am a shadetree mechanic and do almost all my service on all my vehicles, so I really don't want to wrestle with a truly rusty bolt that is practically fused together with whatever piece it's attached to, although surface rust is ok.

All that said, is rust a problem with these? Should I run from vehicles that spent time in those locations?

Firstly, few 911s get driven in rain and snow. Turbos even more so. The average owner is a big whimp in that regard , so I wouldn't pass just because of their area.

As far as how they hold up when driven in such conditions, I can only speak from the stand point of a NA car but I am also probably one of the worst case owners

I'm in VA and we have used both salt and brine on the roads during the life of our car. Our car has spent its entire life outside and we drive it all year and in all conditions (except when the snow is too deep for it to move). It also hasn't seen a bath in 2 years, so it's not like we rinse it down after "abusing" it.

Other than surface rust and frozen screws/bolts, I've never noticed and frame/body rust. There is, however, various corrosion spots on the bottom of the transmission and motor. For example, the motor's serial number is unreadable at this point.

So it's noting like the Swiss cheese you'll find in a 80s BMW, but one used year round will be clearly noticeable when you look underneath.

No affiliation, but has been on the market for a while & just reduced price. 03 Turbo - X50 Tip w 107K miles asking $35K.

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche ... 000-a.html

I am just keeping this a rolling question thread :0

I have been looking at many and have two in serious consideration before pulling the trigger on a PPI, but I cannot tell which is would be the better choice, so please chime in.

Car A- 27K miles, I would be owner 6. Some records but not like below

Car B- 55K miles, I would owner 3. Dealer maintained it’s entire life

Price is the same for them. Realistically, I will have this for 5-10 years, maybe longer. I am not buying for an investment, but I do believe these are at the bottom of the bell curve and will appreciate, someday. From looking at the market, 1-3 owner vehicles are very rare already. Given my estimated ownership period and knowing that this will be a daily/semi-daily driver and not a garage queen, what would be more desirable, a lower mileage car or a lower owner car?

Get the lower mileage car. That's the first thing people look at. Yes, number of owners is a factor, but mileage is way more important. And frankly, with only 27k miles, I doubt that there would have been much maintenance done to the car, regardless of where it was maintained.