996 Carrera with 161k miles

[911powered]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/2467883714.html

I have seen this ad.

My budget at the moment is tight, however, I am able to put at least 400-500 a month on this car.

Would this car be good?

high mile carreras back in 80's run forever as I have been heard and I believe this model is more recent and could do better.

I am not sure when I'd need rebuilt(Engine, Transmission).

Or any high cost fixes.

Would this be a good buy? I am willing to lower the price to at least 11.5k.

Carrera is awesome, I don't care about driving a high mile car, it's just about the maintainence

Plus, I do drive long distances(2,000 mile round trip) once in 2 months or so. I drive around 30-50 miles a day.

I will most likely put at least 20k miles a year.

any suggestions?

[Loren]

Sorry, too many miles IMHO.

Later model rear wing, Sand Metallic would have been a special order color - so any repair would require special order paint and a really good body shop.

If you decide to proceed I strongly recommend a PPI and Carfax (how many previous owners).

[j_beede]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/2467883714.html

My budget at the moment is tight, however, I am able to put at least 400-500 a month on this car. Would this car be good?

I understand your situation. That is one great looking and crazy ride for $13,000! 996s age very gracefully--I think people get the impression that the youthful appearance correlates to high reliability. You have to remember that car retailed for $70,000-$90,000 when new. Parts and repair costs do not scale down as the car gets older.

Your comment above makes this easy... I would say don't even think about it. A failed IMS or cracked head on a car like this can result in repair expenses exceeding the value of car. 20,000 miles per year could mean two sets of rear tires per year--have you checked tire prices for this car? 2-3 oil changes per year could be $600-900 annually. For $13,000 you might be able to pick up a decent 350Z--I know, not quite the same as a 911, but a better match for your situation I think.

Edited July 4, 2011 by j_beede

[fbgh2o]

My budget at the moment is tight, however, I am able to put at least 400-500 a month on this car.

I would not suggest a 996 on that budget.

They are great cars but major repairs will sink you unless you have a solid emergency fund or strong cash flow. Secondly, maintenance can be costly compared to other vehicles (e.g. 10L of premium synthetic oil per change).

[RatboneRanch]

+1 to what everybody has said so far. And, for the same money (or less), you can find a Boxster with half as many miles (or less).

[Chris_C]

If it is not the maintinance, it will be the gas mileage and a heavy right foot that will get you over that budget. I probably put 10 - 15K Miles a year on my C2 and it deffinitly isnt cheap filling it constantly with Chevron 94...

Tires arent so bad Falken FK-452's seemed to work pretty good (30K+ Miles and almost 3 years)

Edited July 5, 2011 by Chris_C

[Dennis C]

I also agree - this amount of mileage could result in some unexpected and expensive repairs. If you're on a budget, it's probably not a wise choice. As an example, I spent roughly $2,000 this week that I didn't expect on my 996. These are generally reliable cars, but when they do break, it's not cheap to fix them.

[Pheens]

budget is tight and you're considering spending 400-500/ month on a car, does not make sense. Yes pass on this.

[phillipj]

Agreed pass... Be patient until you can afford a newer one..

[Rapewta]

It is hard to be patient but I'd pass with that many miles. There will always be more P-cars for sale in the future.

Really try to get a 1 or 2 owner car when you do take the plunge. It is easier to track the cars history.