996 Cabriolet advice

I am going to look at a 996 Cabriolet from 2001 with tip next week, I don't know much about the 996s, what should I be looking for? Vifa

Do you have any other info on the car? Mileage? Options? Etc?

Where is the car/ where are you? Jimmy _________________ 2000 911 Carrera Cabriolet 2001 Audi allroad 1992 Mercedes 500E 1986 VW 16V Scirocco 1999 Chevy 4x4 P'up

Mileage: 33.000 kms Options: Heated seats, nav, AC, cruise control, xenon lights

WHERE you and the car is contributes to our ability to intelligently answer your question. Otherwise,--be prepared to spend 80,000 Euros mit Mehrwertsteuer.

Look for good records on service history, if you like the Porsche after a test drive be sure to request a PPI...and then decide. If you haven't driven any 996s, do that as well just to see how you like the car.There are many used 996 Porsches, so don't worry if this one isn't the right one. GL

My lessons learned - check out this thread: "Intro/pics/upgrades/history so far... " Get a PPI and highly suggest a warranty. As an example of how pricey repairs are on a Porsche - my 996 tranny rebuild was 8K; my F150 was only 2700. Warranty saved my bacon and covered 6300 so my out of pocket was only 1700. It would have been less but I decided to replace the clutch and some other stuff while the shop had the tranny out.

02 or newer.

Quotes source post: 6443243

Denmark

The biggest issues with the 996 seem to be with engine issues but since you're only at 33,000 kms on a 1999 car, it's probably not really broken in yet. Check for service records so that you can get a feel for whether the previous owner(s) cared enough to maintain the car. Without records, I would go away. A definite issue seems to be the coolant tank on the left of the engine. They are highly prone to cracks and leakage by that time, and more so in your environment with a real Winter (i.e., temperature differences over the course of a year). Unfortunately, the early cabriolets had a plastic rear window and not the glass which, I believe, arrived in the 2002 model year. I understand that you can fit a glass-equipped top should the top need replacing now. Although low in miles, it would still be worthwhile to have the engine diagnostics done so that you know the running history of the engine. Has it been over reved? etc. I would think that you could get a nice 1999 cab in Denmark for about EURO 20,000-25,000.

Have it checked....something I didn't do and got lucky...in 4 yrs I spend very little in maintenance and repairs. Have it checked by a dealer and make sure you make a test drive over a bumpy road with the top closed....to make sure there are not to many cluncky sounds in the interior...since you are living in Denmark (rain and snow) you might have to drive with the top closed a lot and believe me the "moaning and groaning" and cluncks will drive you insane after a while!!! Tip will drive away in 2nd gear and this is normal unless you put the pedal to the metal.....make sure the P goes thru the gears smoothly.....and try the manual option as well. If you don't trust the car after test drive and visual inspection don't bother paying money for an inspection...but if it looks good and drives great....get it inspected and buy an extended warranty (if they have those in Denmark) like I stated I got lucky, but I have read horror stories about engine failures etc....but to be honest most engine failure stories are about stick driven 996 and I don't know if this can have anything to do with the manually changing gear skills of drivers....

I bought a 99 Cab Tip with 28,000 miles on it over a year ago and immdeiately drive it home - (about 3000 miles). The car had been serviced regularly by the dealer - mostly just yearly oil changes and quite a few battery replacements but nothing out of the ordinary. Had no problems on the trip and very few since then. I've just replaced the tires - Pirelli's worn out and very noisy. Have had a small issue witrh the Tip - lights flashing (when this happens it starts out in first and won't shift past 4th). Took it to the dealer and they cancelled the fault code (free). Have since found that this is a relatively easy fix by adjusting the shift quadrant. I also found I could cancel the fault with my OBD11 tester. Have only had one CEL for an O2 sensor that was cancelled and never came back. The car has a hardtop that I put on in the winter but I don't drive when the weather is bad. The soft top is in excellent condition and the plastic rear window is still very clear. I've heard stories that these low miles cars are a problem waiting to happen but my experience has been great. I also have a personal theory that these Tip cars might be a little easier on the RMS due to the fact that the automatic puts less shock loads through the end of the crank. I just cleaned out the rads and found all kinds of interesting stuff - this is something that looks like it was never done before but will be done annually now. This car has very few options which I like due to the fact that they are simpler - still a very complex car but alot of what you read in the forums are questions about how to fix the optional equipment that has failed. I like the KISS principle. Good luck

I fully agree with the others, get it checked at a dealer and check the servicebook in details. I am Danish but live in Sweden and have had a 2000 C4 Cab. for 4 years now. I just love it and have had zero issues and cheap service all four years. Good luck with your buy, and lets hear how it went.

Thanks to everybody for the inputs. Updates on the situation will follow the next week.