996Outpost.com

Hi Team! I’m new here. Looking for my first Porsche and getting to the market. The below link is the car I’m looking at.
- 2002 Cab 4
- ask $34K CAD
- IMS and RMS done
- Maintenance done at a reputable shop
- 100K Kms
- seller is good with taking it for a PPI

I would like to hear your initial thoughts? I have yet to go see the car and get any specifics and particulars.
I have heard prices are creeping up. And this appears to fall normal ask range according to Kelley’s Blue Book and Canadian Black Book.

Thanks I’m advance,

Scrappy


https://www.autotrader.ca/a/porsche/911 ... 7&sprx=100

Welcome.

The pics look nice enough, but dark colors can look better in pics than in person. What they do show of the interior looks decent except the shifter, but I wouldn't hold that against it.

Make sure your PPI is with someone that knows Porsches in general and 996s specifically. As it's a C4, make sure it's front drive train is looked over well.

Well, looking at the pics, the car looks very well cared for. Also looking at the background in the pics, it appears it is being sold by someone with the means to have treated the car very well. My ideal purchase situation is to buy from another enthusiast who has been very involved in its care. I much prefer buying from a private owner as opposed to a dealer. Generally, you’ll get a lot of information on the car, including service records, when you buy from an individual. This looks like a great situation. Do use an independent mechanic for a PPI, which must involve dropping the sump plate to check for debris. Otherwise you may get a nasty surprise, even from a reputable seller. Also, don’t use a Porsche dealer to do a PPI on a car of this age - independent mechanics are better for a 20 year old car as the techs at a Porsche dealer are going to be focused on the newer models and not a 20 year old model.

A little overpriced in my opinion but looks like a great car. Cabs usually bring less money, and I paid $21k US for my 2000 coupe with 60k miles. That was almost 4 years ago so prices may have gone up I guess.

In any case, seems like a nice car. A word of advice: don’t be afraid to pass if anything gets found in the PPI. We tend to buy with our hearts and not with our heads with these cars.

Guys thanks so much for the feedback this far! I agree it may be priced $2-4K too high.
Keep the feedback coming.

- secondly I am currently YouTubing research along with this forum: any other places to recommend to learn about the 996 in general?

Hi-ya Scrappy, welcome to the Outpost. It's great that the seller is open to a PPI because if I had only one piece of advice for you it would be to not even consider buying one of these cars without one - an invasive one. It's going to be, easily, a few hundred Loonies that you should honestly think of as money you're walking away from. It will be easier to do so if you have that mentality from step one. Ocean is right on the money - buying a first Porsche is a heavily emotional experience and we, as your new friends, want to make sure that all of your emotions remain positive. Don't get attached to a car you don't own. Bring the results of your PPI back here and we will help you dissect anything that is unclear to you or if you're not sure to interpret a finding as a walk/run/buy finding. PPI's on these cars can be interesting because even the youngest of the 996's are quickly approaching 20 years old and in the case of this 2002 that is very much the case. The wrench is almost certain to find cosmetic issues or issues with brittle, plastic parts that are easy to replace in your home garage. The fact that the interior of this car was shared almost entirely with the 986 Boxster is a huge plus with finding affordable used parts. So if you feel like interior could use a little love, don't worry about that because it's cheap love.

Now expensive love on the other hand... Bore scoring. The IMS is our official Frankenstein (not to be confused with Frunkenstein,) but hearing about IMS failures these days is actually quite rare. People have been really on top of maintaining the bearing for the last decade because it is now easy to do - not cheap - but easy to do. What isn't easy to do is re-sleeve the bores. It's a complete rebuild + cost of new liners (most likely Nikasil liners.) So we're talking the amount you paid for the car to repair. Find the Rennvision series on bore scoring and familiarize yourself with how to detect telltale signs for when you test drive any 996. If the mechanic you find for your PPI is able to do a borescope on the cylinders for you, that is a huge plus.

For your test drive: the clutch pedal should feel light and engagement of the clutch should be in a natural-feeling mid point on the pedal travel. If it's heavy or feels like it's engaging close to the top of its travel, the clutch could be about done. (If the pedal is so heavy it feels like you need to use both feet to press it, it could be the helper spring is broken.) The shifter is cable-driven so you won't feel any drivetrain shimmy in the shifter like you do on some other sports cars. Shifting should not be notchy, sloppy, or difficult. The ride should be bumpy but planted at all speeds. Steering shouldn't have any slop in it whatsoever. You may hear some interior rattles, welcome to classic Porsche ownership. Brakes may feel a little firm at first and you may be surprised at how little pedal travel there is on the brake pedal compared to a lot of other cars. When you stand on the brakes, however, you should feel immediate effect. It's not "OMG" brakes, but... they work. If the seller doesn't have record of refreshing the suspension, don't be surprised if it feels like the rubber bushings are a bit worn out. They probably are.

Godspeed, Scrappy, and let's get you in a Porsche!

Nearly all sports cars are selling at a premium right now. It's crazy. No telling what the car market will do in the future.

If the car passes a good PPI and you are ok with the price and it's what you want, buy it. If you later change your mind you can sell it. If you pass it up now, it's gone.

I think the price is high...higher than the market prices of other cabs can justify. Everything the others have said is right on. But there will always be another one that you will like as much as this one. I spent months driving and searching, never finding that perfect one that I really felt good about committing to. Lots of almosts and losing patience...but I kept saying no...until I found one that really was the one. It wasn't the preferred color, it wasn't the preferred year, I wasn't looking for a C4...but it was such an outstanding car that I knew it was the one. Don't just get a good one, get a great one.

$34K CAD is ~$27K USD. There are fewer 996's in Canadia than the US. I'm not sure it's ridiculously overpriced, given those adjustments...

You are correct. A more than reasonable Springtime price. Unless there are hidden reasons for the lowered price.

5chn3ll wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:49 am $34K CAD is ~$27K USD. There are fewer 996's in Canadia than the US. I'm not sure it's ridiculously overpriced, given those adjustments...