in the process of buying 1999 c4 76k full psh,i know some had an issue with engine problems nickeseal bores cracking or something,is this too high mileage,hav seen some cars withg 120k on and still going,man at ninemaester put me off little today and said it was high millage and engines are only good for 100k,and would cost 10k to reapair if it whent bang,this is my first 911 coming from e46 m3 and lost a bit of faith.heeeeeelp
buying 1999 c4 (any issues)
- Thread starter patgas
- Start date
Take a look at the last page of our buyer's guide: https://www.porscheclubgb.com/legacy/clientftp/Register/996/tec_buyers_checklist.pdf Personally, I would prefer to buy a 1999 996 with 75k on the clock than one with 15k. There are several on here that have gone well beyond 120k, and if you do a search on RennTech you will find an ongoing thread with a long list of people in the 100k+ club. No guarantees, but it might put your mind at rest. And something in the back of my mind is nagging me about issues with M3 engines........
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Got my '99 C2 Tip in 2007 with 60k miles. The inspection didn't throw up any big faults - usual worn discs, tyres. I was the 4th owner. It was a bit of a garage queen in the first 5 years - about 13k miles but the last guy put 20k miles a year. Looked like motorway miles from the stone chips on the screen. I figured that the car was reliable for him in 2 and a half years was going to continue being so. It now has 71k miles and it is running sweetly. I got some age related stuff fixed prophylactically (coolant tank, alternator and starter rebuilt) and had the rear wheel bearings done recently. Even the indy in Belfast who was a senior technician at the OPC and a good guy all round said the car drove very well. There is nothing about my car I would change (except to a 996 Turbo). I still love it to bits that I recently looked at a 997 and didn't think the extra outlay for a better looking and slightly faster car was justified. The 996 feels lighter on its feet. The 996 engine is noted to be slightly weaker than previous ones and some do go spectacularly wrong. Porsche got a lot of bad press especially on forums due to its bad PR when these cars were new and a small proportion had engine problems that they didn't admit to or want to know about. Accept that even the best example can occasionally go wrong like another car and you will enjoy it. Important to look for a looked after example to minimise any risk of future problams. Now that 997s are 5 years old, there are a few that have needed new engines as well for various reasons.
I bought my late 2000 C4 tip a couple of years ago. I took a long time to find exactly the right car as I wanted the aerokit and wheels and there were few/none that were tiptronic at the time. Issues? Where to start? Nobody's fault, but the dealer said he'd buy it back off me in a years time if I didn't like it and for only a few grand less than I paid, sounded fair, oh how times change - I bought at the height of the market and I'm now looking at huge depreciation. First big service, "needs brakes and discs sir - corroded you see - common fault" yeh thanks for that. Then dashboard looked like Blackpool in September - "it's your alternator sir, a common fault I'm afraid". Cheers. Occasional drip of oil turned into a small pool. "it's your RMS I'm afraid sir - common fault". merci. just over a year and 13,000 miles later, it failed its MOT, "it's your brake discs sir, corroded, a common fault with this car". I know. Then there's 4 new tyres, new battery, leaky drivers door - I think someone tried to tell me this was a common fault with this car (sir). On top of that, the radio is not just not very good, it's crap (common fault). There's no cup holder (serious problem for me as nowhere to put my can of diet coke on a long journey), no controls on the steering wheel, no cruise control, no glove box, rear wiper button is on the dash (why it's not on the stalk like every other car in the world I don't know), no steering wheel height adjustment, it's a magnet for little scrots, (most of the car has now been sprayed and looks like new), nobody lets you out at junctions, but people do tend to get out of your way when you come up behind them. Have I been unlucky, maybe. Am I enjoying Porsche ownership, sort of....still love the look of the aero kit, it's fast enough for me and it handles well and it still gives me a buzz every time I drive it, so an expensive little blighter to date, but it was never going to be cheap.
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