Value Proposition: 2001 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet
Cars fall out of favor with buyers for many reasons. It could be triggered by known mechanical issues, documented design problems, or styling that just does not resonate with potential owners. You can typically find cars in these categories at deeply discounted prices compared to the value they offer as a whole. Find this 2001 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet for sale in Austin, TX for $12,500 via craigslist.
Porsche shocked the world when they announced the 996 series 911 would be water cooled. “Sacrilege” was the yell heard from the dyed-in-the-wool air cooled crowd. Porsche was in a corner as the change was inevitable to meet emissions standards. Throw in the fact that the 996’s engine could experience a catastrophic IMS bearing failure and the popularity contest was lost. Today, all non-turbo 996’s seem to be tar’d with the same feathers regardless of maintenance or upgrades performed.
The totally restyled Carrera took a bit of getting used to, but today it looks every much a Porsche. 996’s were breaking new ground so it was expected teething problems would eventually surface. This example looks well cared for and the worrisome IMS bearing has been pro-actively changed out to help you sleep at night. Unfortunately it wears generic German silver over grey, but with 300 BHP on tap this is a ton of bang for your buck.
The seller does not supply a lot of detailed photos for scrutiny, but when buying a high end sports car personal inspection is your best option. Local dealers would happily perform a certified PPI. With the asking price floating in lesser capable Boxster territory, I’m having a hard time looking away. If this were a coupe and some shade of color other than ‘blah” I would have to take a serious look.
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When not receiving complaints of “distracted by cars…again” from his wife, Glenn can be found in the kitchen whipping up exotic cuisine and nourishing nosh.
No way. Learned this the hard way. Porsche stealerships will just take your money. There is no "certified" dealer PPI. Nor recourse to you if the dealer PPI is off (and the seller happens to be a favorite cash client). Best to see evidence of complete maintenance history with receipts. If none exists, at least the current seller should have receipts for all his/her repairs. If not run away. With a good maintenance history and receipts, get an independent PPI from a shop that doesn't know your seller.
A friend of mine just got a "great" deal on a 4s. He bought it sight unseen of the bay.
You will never guess what it needs?
Rear Main Seal
Intermediate Shaft bearing
Plus he lives in ca and it car came w/o cats. He is putting an additional 10k into his great find.
Not that this is the case with all 996, but something to think about.
IMS bearing a huge known issue with these. Seller says it was replaced. I would have to see the repair order. There are aftermarket IMS bearings that are much better than those made by Porsche.
David's got a great point. Without the service order, it's just smoke and mirrors…
-Stan (the *other* Stan…)
Yeah…this price would be a new low point for a 996 cab post-IMS replacement and without any major issues. Doesn't seem kosher.
Clutch, RMS and IMS are a $3k job, all in. At least down here in SoFla it is. My air/oil separator went the day before I was to take my 2000 c2 coupe in for the above and I just pulled over and flatbedded it a day early. The AOS added maybe $100 to the rest. I've put about 1000 miles on the 83,000 I bought it with and I couldn't be happier. I'm still casually looking for a mid-year CS or Carerra but I won't kick my 996 out of bed.