There’s always something interesting about looking at cars for sale in other parts of the world, whether it’s because they were never sold in North America, or in this case, because they can be shockingly inexpensive. When an £8,925 2000 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 popped up on Autotrader UK, it piqued my interest. Not just because it’s cheap, but because it has a whopping 387,000 miles on the clock.
Sports cars normally aren’t everyday cars, unless you live somewhere devoid of snow and find yourself unburdened enough to find ease in the practicality compromises. They’re mostly fair-weather cars, taken out on nice weekends for ice cream runs and trips to the good roads, then washed and safely tucked back in the garage until the next sunny day. Racking up 387,000 miles through rain, sleet, snow, and sunshine? That takes effort.
From the outside, this 911 does look its age, chiefly because the paintwork is only mostly there. The first decade or so of water-based paint was somewhat rough across the board, with UV damage being a serious blight across pretty much all brands as the paint on outdoor-kept cars aged. Given the sheer amount of mileage this 996 has covered, it’s not entirely surprising that the clearcoat is peeling in, well, spots is an understatement. There’s some serious lifting on the hood and the left quarter-panel, but beyond cosmetics, there’s another reason why getting some bodywork done will be more than just a cosmetic wish.
The damp British climate isn’t especially conducive to preventing corrosion, and that’s where the body of this 911 really falls down. It looks a bit scabby in the quarters, which is unusual considering these cars featured extensive Cosmoline anti-rust treatment, but not entirely unexpected if this thing’s logged more than 100,000 miles through road grit and winter conditions without much upkeep in that department.
The biggest surprise, however, is the interior. It’s no secret that the near-identical interiors of the 996 911 and 986 Boxster were considered cheap back in the day, with Car And Driver writing about the Boxster: “There’s no eye candy inside this car, and no evidence that Porsche ever thought it had any competition for your 50-thousand bucks.” However, what the cabins lack in brightwork, they seem to make up for in durability. Sure, the seats on this example have some patination to the leather and the steering wheel has worn as expected, and there’s some wear on the floor mat, but everything else seems to have held up great. The upholstery on the dashboard isn’t lifting, none of the fixtures seem to be coming off, even the headliner is still up there. The only thing bubbling is the one little bit of brightwork around the shifter. Not bad for a quarter-century and 387,000 miles.
Alright, the cosmetics are a mixed bag, but what about the mechanicals? Well, under the engine cover seems to be where the majority of the money’s been spent. As the listing states, “The engine was comprehensively rebuilt by Board Brothers of Clapham, including a very expensive ceramic intermediate shaft bearing and ceramic engine liners which has no doubt been proving its worth and a permanent fix.” That bill couldn’t have been cheap, but it should address two of the biggest issues facing the 996.
While intermediate shaft bearing failure is widely known as a catastrophic thing, there’s less decisive knowledge out there around bore scoring. Basically, the M96 engines in these cars use a system of silicon-clad cylinders and iron-clad pistons instead of liners, and if either of those things or the oil film breaks down, the walls of the cylinders can score. Considering an engine rebuild usually costs more than what this 996 is listed for, it could be a good deal for the rebuilt powertrain alone. Add in new dampers, fresh brakes, and an MOT until April, and this senior Porsche starts to look more appealing.
So yeah, a 387,000-mile daily-driven Porsche 911 will look a bit scruffy, but for £8,925 or about $11,852 at current conversion rates, it might be worth a punt. There’s something joyous about an imperfect sports car you can take just about anywhere and do just about anything in without feeling guilty, and this thing should have a heart of gold thanks to that engine rebuild. Plus, the selling dealer claims the air-con blows cold, and that makes it all worth it, yeah?
Top graphic image: Autotrader seller
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It’s a 911: it was built by Germans. It was made to be a grand tourer that you can drive in the wet and the snow, as well as on drier days. Porsche isn’t a car company from Southern California that doesn’t know how rain works.
Bore scoring is actually the thing to be worried about with these cars. IMS can be solved easily enough and relatively inexpensively (you might as well just do it when you do the clutch if it’s never been done, but more likely than not any 996 on sale already has had it done by now or you can demand the money off the sale to have it done); but bore scoring basically just happens to the (especially the larger displacement 2000+ cars) until you have the engine rebuilt without shitty cylinder liners. To have had that taken care of most definitely cost a fair bit more than the car is worth, so good on the owner.
This is the kind of 996 Carrera I wish I had bought (though I do wish it was a .2) instead of the top market one I did buy that I ultimately was so worried about that I sold it after two years.
This is what you’re supposed to do with a car. Drive it.
Seriously, its a car with 4 seats, a trunk, and even a rear engine, what about that means it cant be a daily? If you have to take your lawn tractor to the shop once a year, pay the extra fee for them to pick it up
There was that guy who had a 700k+ mile 996 Turbo:
https://archive.is/aIM6Q
Granted it has a Mezger motor, and it looks like the transmission was replaced and the engine came out for some work about halfway through, but impressive nonetheless.
That’s a car that’s been properly enjoyed, and I suspect it gave joy to its owner daily. By this age and mileage, a car like that is like a friend or partner that’s been along for many, many adventures. From there, the game might be to see just how many more miles one can rack up on the car.
I’ve already done this sort of thing with one of my cars (similar vintage of car, now with similar mileage to that 911) , and still thoroughly enjoy driving it. On the other hand, I’d gladly rock a scruffy 911 like this one, and keep on piling the miles on it.
Hopefully this doesn’t have the IMS bearing issue.
Looks like it shouldn’t be.
For US$12K? I’d risk it, since I’m unlikely to rationalize spending the tens of thousands more it’d cost to get a younger/better model. I’d just drive it, do what maintenance I could manage myself (for the most part) and enjoy it for as long as it lets me. I even like the color and the wheels, and if the AC and radio work, it’d be an awfully nice way to run errands and visit pals.
Lately, I’ve taken to appreciating burnt-off clearcoats as an asthetic quality, like patina, so there’s that too. 😉
Throw a rack and some studded tires on it and you’ve got the perfect ski car for you and…well, just you really.
Most cars are going to look pretty tatty with that kind of mileage. And most will have gone through at least one engine rebuild, too.
Makes me think of the Dino 246 I almost bought (but didn’t, when I got a case of Common Sense after looking hard at my finances) circa 1972. Heaven only knows how many miles I would have put on it by now and what it would look like. And, of course, how much it would have cost me….
This is the way.
IMHO, every 911 Coupe sold north of Bakersfield needs a rear wiper too.
I was kvetching the other day about the first owner of my 996 who didn’t spec it with the rear wiper.