New guy with 996 questions (no, not IMS)

Hello all, first post! I'm looking at a 2002 Carrera Cabrio that my boss wants to sell and trying to decide if it is a car I'd like to own. I've built a few Cobra Replicas from the frame up and am fairly handy with a wrench. I also have a 4-post lift and dedicated work space so I'm hoping to do maintenance myself, including dropping the motor to work on it. I'm looking into hydraulic work benches for that job, unless someone knows of a dedicated engine cradle that one can purchase. I've read some of the IMS threads so I won't bore you with those questions (at this time ). I do have a host of other questions though, partly because the car has no owner's manual currently. My first question is about oil pressure. In the instument cluster on the upper right is a oil pressure gauge that reads 1 thru 5. When idling, it reads out at about 2.5 to 3. But as I accelerate, it jumps up to the HIGH 4's and maybe even 5. Is this normal? Or am I looking at too much oil pressure? Admittedly this kinda freaks me out a little and I don't want to drive the car until I know it's safe to do so without breaking anything! I was given the car to check out and this is just one of several areas of concern. The radio doesn't work (fuse?) and the top will not go down. Can anyone point me to drop-top manual override instructions? I'd like to get to the hydraulics to see if it is low, causing the problem. Thanks in advance for any and all comments! -David

Oil pressure is normal. When warm will go just above 1 bar and up to the top when increasing Rpms No idea about the radio Are there any warning lights when you try to drop the top? You have to have the trunk and frunck closed and the emergency brake on in order for the top to go down.

If your oil is hot - and mind you oil takes a lot longer to heat up than water - then the pressure at idle should be somewhere between 1.3 - 1.8

IMO, you should pass on this car, unless you can get it for really cheap, like 10k or less. The kinds of things that don't work are signs that it has not been well looked after, and little things can really add up quickly on these cars. You have the background and facilities to do a lot of your own work, so that's a plus. MAYBE it's a diamond in the rough, but more likely it's an expensive can of worms. These are wonderful cars, but can bite you if you're not careful (and sometimes even if you are!). Just my 2 cents.

Never buy a car from family or coworker. Problems ahead....

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I don't want to tip my hat but I'm still in the ball park, so to speak with the price. If it's a can of worms I wanna know! Hence the first few of (probably) many more questions. When I checked the oil it was a pristine light amber. BTW the car has 75K miles. Any milesone maintenance I should be worried about?

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You must know my boss! Yes, it could be a nightmare. Then again, they WANT me to take the car because of my background and they think highly of me as an employee (so they tell me)... Good notation though and worth keeping in the back of my mind...

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Yes, there are two lights that come on. Both on the right side of the light cluster. Both look like they are top related. I don't remember if I had the parking brake on or not. Noted, and I'll try again with it on.

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It is all relevant if "take" is a great price worth the potential hassles at work and with the car.

1) As others have stated, oil pressure is high until the motor gets hot, and then it is just kinda high. For the 996, low/no oil pressure is something to keep an eye out for, moreso than being on guard for high pressure. 2) As far as transacting business with a colleague/family member - buying is one thing, selling is quite another. You know what kind of person you are, so if you buy it and it turns out to be a lemon, you know how you'll react. If you're prepared to deal with that eventuality, no problem. Selling a car to a friend or family member is a no-no in my book - primarily because I always want to err on the side of good for people I like, and I'd hate it if I sold someone something that turned out to be a lemon. Since you know you'll be saving money on routine maintenance if you proceed, spend some of that money to get an opinion from a knowledgeable Porsche shop. Sometimes, we are blinded to the potential negatives of a potential acquisition by excitement - spending a few hundred bucks on a thorough inspection can be a great idea, even if you're a competent wrench.

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This thread is going to be 8 pages long... here we go. Just kidding. A few PM things just to be safe but nothing cataclysmic.

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Listen to this man ^^^^ and you shall win.

Since I'm new to the Porsche world, how do I go about finding a good shop in OC? I'm sorry for asking such a basic question, but I don't see a regional forum below West US...

The Google! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/911-9...county-ca.html http://lmgtfy.com/?q=porsche+indie+orange+county Where in OC are you? I lived in Fountain Valley / HB for 20+ years...

On those cobra replicas, if they were FE power or Windsor 427s they will have gobs more torque than the 911. So I take it you have driven both konds of vehicles. I like the 911 dearly (really), and had a 1970 Cobra Jet Mustang for 15 years, but to me the pinnacle of torque toot'in fun would be a cobra replica with 427 power and a 4 speed. The Porsche is all weather and a great DD though, and probably hbandles better than the cobra, would you agree ?

If you decide to buy this poorly maintained cab, your going to need that shop and lift. Since you can do the work yourself, maybe make a very low offer "as is" on the car. Just be prepared to spend a large amount of money on PM. If the engine was poorly serviced as well, get ready for a $20,000 CEF bill.

Ask your boss if he offers a money back guarantee. Tell him it's not uncommon in the Porsche world if he looks at you funny.

Absolutely. At least get a warranty in writing that covers everything, including the IMSB.

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Hopefully you don't have any friends named Yolav

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It's been nice around here while you've been under your rock, please go back there (whining to the mods on your way out is optional, but please let the door hit you) as you are neither helpful nor wanted. We get it already, you hate these cars. Go find something you actually like and enjoy it. Contrary to the opinion you won't keep to yourself, not every M96 is a failure waiting to happen and in point of fact the vast majority of them are strong motors that keep right on running. This sounds like it's not the best example which should be reflected in its purchase, but for someone that is prepared to catch up on its maintenance it will probably be a good long term car and is as likely to have a catastrophic failure as you are to be a welcome and loved member in these parts.

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+996 It would've been great if KK owned a VW diesel recently. I would've definitely shorted that stock and made enough money to get 997 GT3.

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Hey KK, if the M96 is as terrible as you make it out, please explain this:

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This You must know my boss! in response to: Never buy a car from family or coworker. Problems ahead.... Walk away. If you want a Porsche find one on your own and let your boss unload this likely money pit onto some other employee he thinks highly of... BTW, if you want to confirm that you boss thinks highly of you ask for a raise. While I'm sure you are a good employee I find it interesting that your boss - and you - believe a highly thought of employee is a good person to unload a very expensive car with some likely very expensive problems.

So the consensus seems to be RUN mostly because doing business with friends and/or family can often be an issue. Or, maybe it could be a deal for around $10k (which you indicate is near the price point without saying if it's more or less). It seems that the problems/questions so far are: 1. Oil pressure too high? - consensus seems to be that what you observe is normal 2. Stereo not working - could be a fuse 3. Top wouldn't go down and you observed warning lights on the right of the cluster - You were going to try again to confirm whether it was parking brake or not - Also need to make sure the engine lid is closed (which would also cause a warning light to illuminate) Can you simply ask the owner/boss what he knows about the top and stereo? He gave you the car to you to check out, I'm sure he expects you would have some questions. Also, does the owner have service records? If you are still interested in the car after getting some answers, I wouldn't hesitate spending a couple hundred bucks to have a qualified shop perform a pre-purchase inspection. The results may make the decision easy. Maybe the owner would even split that cost with you.

Well nat, if you could point out anything in my post that is not correct, please do so. Looks like even Macster is posting in similar fashion referring to the car as a "money pit". Make sure you chastise him as well. I suppose you could just have a big ole cup of STFU and do what nats do best, pester someone until you get smacked.

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If they WANT you to "take" the car so badly, they should just give it to you as a bonus... $10,000 for a "highly thought of employee" certainly shouldn't be out of the question...

I have an update for y'all. Turns out the top DOES work, I just didn't know about the parking brake needing to be applied. Regarding KK's comment "If the engine was poorly serviced as well, get ready for a $20,000 CEF bill.", what is CEF. I tried googling it and found a CEF Porsche parts house, is that it? I'm still considering this car. I let the wife take it for a spin yesterday and she loves it, so before I walk away I'd like to know what other "gotchas" may be lurking out there maintenance wise. If the car has 75K, and ASSUMING I can dig up decent maint. receipts, what would the car be due for, besides the IMS/RMS? I'm still looking into the radio thing. What are the chances it's not a fuse issue? Are there other issues that these cars are plagued with?

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That's a possibility... BTW the reason the boss is getting rid of the car is because they are suffering health issues and can no longer drive a stick. The car had been sitting over a year (on a trickle charger of course). I found a Porshe certified mechanic locally who will take a look at the car within the next day or so. I put it on my lift last night and saw no under-carriage abuse, so that's a good thing...

CEF=Catastrophic Engine Failure. Its just an acronym commonly used in the M96 world because of the engines inherent design flaws which tend to cause total destruction. Its also commonly used in conjunction with "MOF" which is an acronym for modes of failure. A term coined by M96 expert Jake Raby. Read more from Jake for all you need to know.

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I don't think it's as common as you think or make it out to be(at least around here). I've certainly never heard of those until you started blabbing about it here. Do you need some toilet paper to wipe away the stains from your mouth?

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It's your general attitude of anti-M96 propaganda that we are sick of and anytime you use your silly made up "CEF" it is a big red flag of exactly what you are really saying in your post. Macster has a history of being a helpful (if verbose ) member of the community and I am not claiming this is going to be a flawless car in any way. If the guy is letting it go in the $10k range, there is a reason for that and the chances that reason being "he has a perfect car but doesn't know it" are slim. Doesn't mean it can't be a great car for someone that is willing to play the long game and put the time/effort/money in bringing it back up to date. This is likely a "Yolav" car in that it probably isn't a good one for someone to have as their first car, but if you go in with your eyes open understand that a $10k 911 isn't going to be cheap I doubt it would be a bad one either. And any time you'd like to start a "Who should STFU?" poll in the 996 forum, please do so and don't forget to include your name. We both know who will get the most votes. This is actually a bad thing. These cars and specifically the motors do not like to sit. Driving them regularly (getting them up to operating temp is key) is the best way to keep them healthy. Has he changed the fluids during that time? Did he do anything else to prep it for long term storage? It's an acronym widely used by you. No one else commonly uses it outside of derogatory commentary about you. By the way, still waiting for your explanation on how a motor as "bad" as the M96 has examples with multiple hundreds of thousands of miles.

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GFY=Go Fu�k Yourself

S.h.1.t = Such hostility in thread. Insert popcorn eating smilie.( on phone)

Forgot about some of the other forum acronyms. Maybe we need a list. Your enthusiastic optimism in trying to goad this guy into to buying what could be a financial disaster, is misguided. I think what Macster and others are saying is that a prudent person would be more cautious about this car.

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This is the best thing you can do. If it checks out, buy and enjoy!

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Would you care to quote where I am trying to "goad this guy" into buying it? I haven't argued one way or another in that regard. I just want you to STFU with your fear mongering.

Who is Macster? I've been told by someone in the office that the boss was good on the maintenance so I'm going to try and find those records and see what they tell me. Yes, the car was stored for a little over a year, with fresh oil but nothing else other than the battery charger. It is the only time it has been stored. I checked fluids before firing up and have put about 125 miles on it in the past week. I heard you don't want to lug thes cars so I'm only leaning on the go pedal from ~3K and up. I haven't put the throttle to the floor but boy do these things have some zip or what?? A completely different kind of power than the cobras. What is a normal cruise RPM? Car seems fine in the 2-3K range and again my understanding is that you don't want to lug the car so should I be cruising above 3K or is steady-state low RPM cruising OK? Thanks for the help guys. I run a forum myself so I understand "diversions" in a thread but if we could keep on track that would be awesome. Thanks again!

KK, when does your membership run out? Maybe then we can vote to ban you from here.

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Depends on what you want from the experience. It's quite happy to do 80+ in 3rd gear I never remember if it's 2400 or 2700 that the vario kicks in, but it's generally considered best to stay above that point. There is also a school of thought that a higher oil pressure is good for the IMSB and you achieve that via higher RPMs. Once it's warmed up I prefer to stay over 3k for anything other than highway cruising and typically (since I rarely leave 3rd at speed) play at all the higher levels of the RPM range. I honestly don't care if its good or bad, its how it sounds and responds up there that makes it all worthwhile

Here's how the numbers play out: Say you get this car for $10K and have to put $20K into a new engine (assuming your core is good) and $10K into other various repairs. So you've got $40K in an '02 which is worth $23-24K tops. You're down $16-17K. "I could buy an '07 cab for that $40 grand" you might say. However, that $40K car will depreciate $16-17K in five years (when it's as old as the '02 is now), whereas the '02 will drop maybe another $7K. So there's $10K more in depreciation right there. Now, although IMS failure is rare in an '07, cylinder scoring remains a real possibility, and the cure is also a new engine. It's not like 997.1 engines are bulletproof. Add $20K for a new engine to the $10K in added depreciation and you have a maximum worst-case downside risk of $30K on the '07 as opposed to $16-17K on the '02. Now I have ignored the intangible value of being seen in a newer car, those are pure dry numbers.

I thought you guys might like to see my other rides. The blue one is mine and was completed in 2011. I am almost done building the yellow one: I did all the engine turning myself, a skill I picked up during the second build.

Ben, where do you get the need for 20K for a new motor? The one in the car runs fine. Assuming I change out the IMS/RMS, what other issue(s) would cause me to need to invest in a new motor?

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No need to invest in a new motor. IF the time comes, just take one from one of your fine Cobra's.

Im also from and still in the Ford world. Coming from the Ford scene, you may enjoy the initial challenge of learning about the M96 and its issues but you will quickly tire of the absurd "Porsche Tax" on every single part and the threat of CEF and its costs. You sound like a person who actually does mechanical things rather than espouse nonsense like the wannabes. Buy the car and you will see exactly what Im posting about. Dont listen to those who can barely locate the engine oil dipstick much less actually change the oil of their own 996.

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^^This. We had a similar experience with our '99. So far so good.

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Did you change out the IMS? What else can you tell me about the maintenance costs? I've heard nitemare stories about 2K oils changes and such... Is it safe to assume I can change filters, oil and brakes myself? I had the car on my lift last night and the oil filter is completely available (meaning easy to get to). The oil plug was easy to access too. I'm just wondering about things like timing belts ( I assume Porsche uses a longer life timing chain) and other "milestone" maintenance items that could be high dollar. (Let's set CEF aside for the moment) Do the electronics hold up over time? I read somewhere about a central instrument cluster problem? These are the things I'm looking for insight into to determine the REAL maintenance costs. For example I saw brake pads on a parts site for like $80. Seems real reasonable to me and since I'd do the change myself there wouldn't be the "Porsche Tax" KK refers to.

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Like any engine, some day it will fail. If that day comes sooner than later, there are many options you have. And since you are not afraid to wrench you will be better off than most. If/when mine gives up, it will be LS swap time! BTW, Gorgeous Cobras!!! nice work!

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I haven't changed it out yet, mainly because I don't need to replace the clutch and I am not too concerned over the IMS hype. I too, have a lift in my garage and do all work myself. Maintenance on these cars are just like any other car. As simple as my BMWs, Audi, etc... Everything is easy to get to and pretty much straight forward. The "porsche" tax is labor and some parts (mainly aftermarket upgrades like coilovers, exhausts, etc..) most OEM parts are reasonable like any German car.

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Thanks! I take a lot of pride in them. They both won awards during their construction phase but the yellow one is getting a lot of fine detail work... Like KK says, I am curious about Porsches and the thought of becoming a decent wrench for them does appeal to me. PLUS, once I get confidence we can have oil change parties at my shop! No but seriously, I would like to learn as much as I can about them. You can tell these are FINE GERMAN engineered and built automobiles! Much nicer than my POS Mercedes that was built in Alabama!

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This is great info, Thanks! I've heard dropping the motor is relatively simple for things like clutch changes and I would buy a hydraulic table to help with the task. Knowing these can be owner-serviced makes me feel a lot better. Here's a few more ??s: What is the average clutch life, Pad life? rotors? I know it can swing wildly but are pads good for 100K miles or 15K miles? Are there any good guru books out there I should get?

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I know you love a good leg-hump, but dude, Jake did not coin the term "mode of failure." Failure mode is common engineering parlance in pretty much every discipline of engineering and is especially common in failure analysis and forensic engineering. I totally "get" that your Rennlist persona requires you to spout the same old gibberish over and over to anyone who will listen, even though EVERYTHING you have to say is included in the stickies at the top of this forum, but maybe you could refrain from fabricating misinformation and representing it as fact...

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These books I use: Porsche 996 The Essential Companion: Supreme Porsche: Adrian Streather: 9781845840969: Amazon.com: Books Porsche 996 The Essential Companion: Supreme Porsche: Adrian Streather: 9781845840969: Amazon.com: Books 101 Projects for Your Porsche 911, 996 and 997 1998-2008 (Motorbooks Workshop): Wayne R. Dempsey: 9780760344033: Amazon.com: Books 101 Projects for Your Porsche 911, 996 and 997 1998-2008 (Motorbooks Workshop): Wayne R. Dempsey: 9780760344033: Amazon.com: Books and I am looking forward to this book arriving this week: http://www.theknowledgegruppe.com/in...96-automobile/ YMMV, when it comes to clutch, brakes, etc.. life expectancy. I'm at 75k with OG clutch. I changed the pads, rotors and fluid when I bought it a couple years ago (68k miles on the clock when i bought) also, this site http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php? is great on DIY articles as well as http://forums.pelicanparts.com/1-por...hnical-forums/

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The "MOF"-du-jour now seems to be "bore scoring" or "cylinder scoring". It isn't quite as costly a "CEF" as "IMS" because it doesn't destroy the core, but it does entail rebuilding or exchanging the engine...depending on how ay-null you are, either at the first ticking sound or years and tens of thousands of miles later when it's knocking like Woody Woodpecker and drinking oil like a 2-stroke. But I was just giving worst-case scenario numbers. "CEF" gets bandied around a lot, and the reason it strikes terror in the hearts of 996 and 997.1 owners is that repair cost exceeds resale value. But compared to the depreciation on a newer car, you may end up losing less.

Can you post up a shop pic? Im in the middle of a new shop build with my brother right now. Your also going to need alot of M96 specialty tools but more on that later. Just remember the more you post about DIY and shop talk, the more your going to offend some here that refuse to get their gloved hands dirty. The high dollar oil change story was posted by cool John Ireland who paid $300 for an oil change so he could bask in a luxurious Porsche dealer waiting room.

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FIFY

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Sure! I have a BendPak 9K 4 post lift with a scissor lift. I can put anything from a 356 up to my Excursion on it. Here's a pic giving you an idea how long it is. The scissor lift is under the front suspension in this shot: ...and here it is about mid-rise: My shop is DINKY! Only about 400 sq ft, which is the absolute minimum and still have room for a long workbench and tools. But it's also CHEAP so there ya go...

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Sweet cars! As I mentioned earlier, we picked up the ’99 in very similar circumstances with 55k miles. After a full service, a new AOS, battery and tires, we drove it up from So Cal. It now functions as the wife’s daily driver. We also had our shop look it over and no significant issues were found. We will consider IMSB options when the clutch needs to be replaced. The radio face plate display had some issues and the ashtray spring was broken, but we found replacements via eBay quite easily.

Awesome. We are in the process of picking out a lift now. The concrete just got poured this week. Great to see someone join RL that can actually turn a wrench!

David You have interesting questions and as a technical person, it's obvious that an oil change is a peace of cake. IMS/RMS change outs should also be a peace of cake for you. All you have to do is remove the trany. You will need special tools for the IMS but I'm sure you can borrow from someone; worst case, you'll buy it and keep it for the next time since these are service items. There are some parts that are really hard to get to like AOS but the part itself is cheap like $150. Clutch, Pads, Engine Life: Now you are entering the most murky of areas because this is completely dependent on you and your driving style. If you do a lot of track days, you should eat through those more frequently. Except the clutch. If you have a tendency to ride your clutch then you know what will happen. Prices for parts tend to be higher hence the "Porsche Tax" but keep in mind that this is not a mass produced car like a Camry or Corolla so parts will be more expensive. For the electrical stuff, and since you do your own wrenching, I'd recommend the Durametric software as well so you can troubleshoot if or when there are codes or other electrical challenges. Since you do your own wrenching and wont pay much for labor, I say buy it but handle the interpersonal consequences delicately. If you have problems later, you should just keep your mouth shut and not create awkwardness or - worse - resentment at work. Good luck. BTW, fantastic Cobras!

Thanks for all the info guys, it does help a lot. I know I'm asking very basic questions but not knowing anything about these cars, it seems like the prudent way to go. Better to ask all the newbie questions and get verification of assumption than assume stuff and have it be wrong! And thanks for the Cobra comments. I'm very wary about having someone think I'm pushing an alt brand or showing off but I assure you I will assume I know nothing until I feel like I can relax about the challenges ahead (assuming I get the car). Wrenching is a ton of fun but it's just my hobby and I'm not a certified mechanic by any means! Just eager to learn all I can and save some $$ if possible.

Envious of you guys with lifts and well-stocked garages! I bought my 1st basket-case restoration project for $150 at age 14, got it done on time to get my license. Worked my way through college doing everything from tune-ups and brakes to transmission and engine rebuilds. The small stuff on peoples' driveways or in empty lots, the big stuff at an auto co-op where you could rent a bay and tools on weekends. I'd love to do my own work on the Porsche but my garage isn't tall enough for a lift to get it any higher than ramps or jack stands, plus it's not airconditioned and this is the tropics. On my back on a creeper dolly in 80+ heat and 80% humidity I could have handled 20 years ago but at 60+ yrs old I'm just not physically up for it. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

Bad news guys... Last night I took her for a cruise under the (almost) full moon and gave her a nice "ringing out" and wow, what a car. I'm hooked, but I haven't struck a deal for the car or had it inspected yet! Man; skirting the coast of so-cal in a drop top with tons of power on tap, watching the surf as I opened it up between Newport and Laguna it was a definitely different experience than the Cobra but equally as energizing! These cars are so ready to canyon carve! And so refined... oof. I'm in trouble...

Yup. That's what happens. It happened to me once. When you take her to the canyons, you'll be amazed even more.

Congrats on getting hooked on Porsche - you will have fun learning - get the books and Everyone here is ready to help - I have asked for advice and everyone jumps in - great group Advice - I have had my 99 for 3 months and winter is about to hit - can't wait to start digging Thru the books - this is my Everest to climb, and these guys know where to get all the parts For the best $$ - cheers Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

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Just don't pull a McSaint and let this get to 8+ pages only to offer it up to someone else.

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Yep, this is all a moot point unless I close the deal. Workin' on it...

I say screw it and buy it, you only live once! -Jason

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As time has gone by you've cleared up some what to me appeared to be issues about the car's condition. There are no cheap repairs to these cars. I had a new top installed on my Boxster a while back. A factory top listed for $3229. (That's with a discount.) I had an aftermarket top installed for around half that cost, including labor. (The aftermarket top leaks a bit around the rear window. Sigh.) A new spoiler for my 996 Turbo cost $2000. My general philosophy has been I don't do business with family or friends or co-workers or bosses. I don't loan these people money or borrow from them. I don't sell them used cars and I don't buy used cars from them. (Now I have given money to family members. Just because I won't loan family members money doesn't mean I won't help a family member when he or she needs help.) For rewarding my hard work for an employer I expect a competitive at market salary and I have never refused a bonus or a raise or when offered stock options. I would not want a car. I prefer to find and buy my own cars. I like money as I can decide how and where to spend it and always I save a portion of what I get either in salary or bonus. Not to put too fine a point on it but for your being a good employee as a "reward" of sorts the boss is putting you into a situation in which you have to pay him money rather than the other way around. To me this just doesn't seem like way one rewards a good employee. So there's that. If you decide you want to seriously consider this car then and you are sure should the car turn out to be a pardon the expression a piece of crap that you won't let this spoil your relationship with your employer then you should treat this as just a used car purchase. Just because the car comes from your employer doesn't mean you can let your guard down. This means you must check the car out very thoroughly to try to gain as much knowledge about the car's condition as you can so you can make an informed decision as to whether you want the car or not. You have already driven the car some -- IIRC around 125 miles -- and have not heard anything scary from the engine or drivetrain, the engine runs well enough that the CEL remains dark, and there are no signs of any problems from the rest of the car, so based on this it appears the car is in better shape than what your first post suggested. I assume the tires are good? Brakes have some life left? The rest of the car works from the top to the lights, from the spoiler to windshield washer? As I touched upon above there are no cheap repairs to these cars. A top problem, a spoiler problem, a transmission, differential, problem or any number of other areas can require some no little sum of money to put right. Even if you can do the work yourself parts costs can be higher than you might be used to for other cars and then you have to consider the time you spend working on the car is time you can't spend with your family and doing other things. The car has 75K miles on it. I can't say what it might need now or in the future, near future. Obviously as you add miles a number of things can require attention. All you can do is make sure you know what if anything the car has going on right now and be prepared to deal with these. Then if you buy the car keep an eye on the car and deal with anything that comes up promptly. A general rule of thumb is for a used car to have set aside 10% of the car's cost to have just in case something goes wrong you can have this fixed so the car doesn't have to sit idle while you scrape up the money. However, for $10,000 for this car that 10% rule then just has you with $1000 set aside. $1000 doesn't go far with these cars so you really should have more money set aside for just in case. For "normal cruise" RPM you will likely get all sorts of answers. Best I can advise you is to remind you these cars are not as light as your Cobras and do not have a big old V8 big block engine so how you probably drive your Cobra is not how you should drive your Porsche. You do not have to run the Porsche at red line but you should avoid extreme low RPM usage in any gear other than 1st. In first I try to avoid running the engine below 1K and in 2nd below 2K and in 3rd and higher gears I try to keep RPMs 2.5K or higher with the higher gears closer to 3K. Now I don't get all weak in the knees should I be on the freeway and in say 5th gear in my Boxster (with its 5-speed transmission) and RPMs get below 3K. The engine has enough torque that barring some emergency it can accelerate just fine with no signs of laboring. Obviously if I need more acceleration than the engine can provide in that gear at that RPM I down shift to 4th. In the Turbo I follow the same general pattern of gears to RPMs. Too low of RPMs can pound the main/rod bearings. Additionally oil pressure is lower. My Turbo has an oil pressure gage and at idle hot oil pressure can be just 1.5 to nearly 2.0 bar -- depends upon ambient temperature some -- and that's a bit too low for subjecting the engine to any real load. I don't have a problem starting the car moving from a dead stop with just 1K in the tach -- of course this in 1st gear -- but once moving I keep RPMs 2K or higher depending on the gear and the load. Be sure you allow the engine plenty of time to warm up. These cars carry a lot of coolant -- approx 5 gallons -- and lots of oil -- approx 9 quarts -- and have lots of engine mass and radiators to warm up too. Depending upon ambient temperature it can take 10 minutes to 15 minutes of just driving around before the engine and its load of coolant and oil is up to temperature. If you get the car my advice is to of course run an approved oil with the proper viscosity for where you live and drive and change the oil regularly. I like 5K mile oil changes but some prefer to run the oil more miles (and a few fewer miles). Run a quality brand of gasoline. I have found Chevron after a few tanks really perked up my Boxster's engine -- it was fed a steady diet of Shell premium before Chevron -- but a switch to Chevron with the Turbo didn't seem to make a difference. Buy gasoline from a busy station to ensure you get the freshest gasoline. Keep the radiator ducts free of trash build up -- you may have to remove the bumper cover to clean out the trash -- and keep the body water drains also free of trash. These can fill up with trash to the point water backs up and gets into the cabin. Avoid parking under trees or plants to avoid plant litter on the car and to avoid bird mess. This can damage the paint and the top. Try to use the car regularly.

Macster, you are on point and make observations worth considering. But for now I'm still here guys. I had the car inspected and several things came to light: When I got to the shop the top would not go down and one of the flaps that flip up into position when the top is up did not flip back down and was sticking out where the top meets the rear cowl. I found out the front tires have dry rot and are 10 years old. The rears are 8 years old. The body kit on this thing is a total POS. The original front and rear bumper/valances are available and will be put back on the car There is some light (meaning non-surface) rust on some of the mounting bolts in the rear, like it has spent some time out of California. Not too bad, but it's seen salt. The radio doesn't turn on, and the fuse was in tact. In fact, a 15 amp fuse was used in a spot where a 7 amp fuse should be. NOT good. The alternator has been replaced. I was told today to go to a dealer near me to try and retrieve service records. The car has been painted. I suspect it's due to being keyed. Not really noticeable until it was pointed out to me. The boss has offered to have new N-rated Michelins put on and to take it to the dealer for fuller analysis. There are obviously red flags here. I need to weigh what I would do to the car once I got it and what those costs are, parts and tools only. Believe it or not, I'm still considering it. Why? Because I could dig into the car to fix it up with little or NO upfront costs . Holding me back the most? Potential change in perceived relationship by boss. This is the biggest fear and why I might turn down a FREE Porsche. The only other consideration in my mind is to take it and fix all minor issues and flip it. I'm in no hurry so I'll go try and get the service records and start from there. Wish me luck!

This deal is looking worse every time you post. C'mon bruh, just politely decline the offer. Your not obligated to buy it, right?

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I second that!!!

Quotes source post: 12727646

His job and future promotions maybe on the line.