Price Check and Buy/No Buy decision for a 2001 Carrera 4

Hello everyone. I'm looking to get into my first Porsche by way of the 996 and I need some help evaluating this car. This is my first time buying a vintage sports car and I'm not sure what's typical or what's a deal breaker. Here's the car I'm looking at https://www.perfectautocollection.co...rera-4-c-4015/ I had it at a shop for a PPI today and I got back a list of issues. (He hasn't looked at the bores yet, that's coming tomorrow). Here's pictures from the mechanic https://imgur.com/a/WkeeyxB Cons Bigger issues * Lot of corrosion underneath the car, definitely been driven year round in the northeast. * The rear bumper looks to have been originally red and resprayed. The carfax does show a minor accident, but the mechanic says the body and frame are straight. * Bell housing is leaking, likely bad RMS * IMS bearing original * Front diff seal is damp * A camshaft cap is also damp * Some scratches on the drivers side rear wheel well, like it scraped against something from that side * Dent on the underside of the trunk weirdly. Like someone tried to jack it up from there Smaller issues * Needs new rear brakes * Motor mounts are worn * Some suspension bushings are worn and cracking * Cheap tires Pros * All paint looks really clean, including the re-sprayed bumper * Body is "very straight" * Nice interior for the most part * ...and everything that isn't wrong with the car. Given all that, the mechanic I'm working with said the cars in great shape for being 25 years old. He's not very up to date on 996 prices, so didn't comment on the value. So what do you think? I can't tell if I should wait for a better car to come along, or pull the trigger on this one. I'm sure every car I find will have its own set of issues. And if I buy, what price makes sense? I've been looking all over the place and it seems to me like a 996.1 can be had for $29k-$33k with 60-80k miles. And I've seen several without IMS around the $25k mark. Thanks for reading all my spam

Did the shop check cam deviations or fuel trims? Any manometer reading to get an AOS health check?

Recent 996 buyer here� I didn�t want a Carrera 4 so didn�t pay as much attention to those but that seems on the high side for a higher mileage car that has some baggage. Probably need to count a water pump and clutch into the count for things that will need to be addressed as well. It would be more interesting below $20k but the underside corrosion thing would be a big negative in my estimation. i would say look at BaT for a bunch of completed auctions to get a feel for what cars in various conditions go for and be patient for the right car to come along.

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Not that I�m aware of. I�ll ask tomorrow while the car is still there. Anything else that I should for sure have him check? I�m seeing some suggestions to check over-rev counts

https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/check...AA29921S621521 Since this is manual, have a look for overrevs as you say. It is a good indicator if the car has been molested by previous owners. All suspension will need refreshing, water pump, RMS,IMS,tyres, probably injectors/coils and many other small jobs, like foam, broken plastics, vacuum leaks, front headlight cable insulation (something your mechanic can check to help you negotiate). Expect to reach 40k to make you happy with it's condition. So negotiate the price if you can't wait.

If it"s crusty underneath both the air-con and brake lines should get a good look

Agree with the above comments. Seems a little high price to me for that many issues from a PPI. Would assume there�s more to fix too . My humble suggestion would be to consider some of those 60-80k mile examples for $30k you�re seeing instead, if you can swing it. In addition to the already mentioned, suggest having the shop fill the gas tank and see if they smell a gas leak. The seals between the tank and filler tubes go bad and leak fuel, but tend to only rear its head when tank is 3/4+ full. Only way to fix it is buy a new tank and is a pain to get to on a C4 (though did see a thread were some were able to reseal it by hand - either way seems like a real pain). Missed this myself and now the proud owner of a new gas tank (with a big hole in my pocket). Not deal breaker in my view but would liked to have known.

Spec sheet shows rear window wiper but the photos don’t show a rear window wiper?

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I thought the same thing, but the arm has been removed. The splines stub is still sticking up in one of the pics.

I looked at the websites below for over 2 months before I found my 2001 911. Save cars to see what they sell for based on condition. Don't 'settle' for anything but the color combination you want, with reasonable mileage and no issues. It's worth waiting to get a car that was taken care of well and not abused. Auto Trader Bring a Trailer Car Gurus Cars dot Com

If " lots of corrosion underneath " includes suspension/chassis/transmission housing/engine case etc. I would walk away . Definitely would NOT pay 25k . An educated Porsche person probably wouldn't offer more than 18k . At that amount of miles you are looking at suspension refresh . Also brakes/rotors . Go price just those items . Then there is all the little crap that pops up on a 24 year old car . And at this point you still know nothing about the engine internals . Tread carefully .

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IMHO, this is not a good car for a non do it yourselfe'r. I would stop here and not incur the additional cost of more ppi, bore score survey. imo, most non diy'r need to find a clean southern or out west low mileage car owned by a previous enthusiast that has had most everything already sorted out. All the regular items done. Its well worth the initial buy-in cost of a $35-50 car. Especially if the engines be re-engineered with aluminum nik'd cylinders with the full monty. I'd also look for a 2002 or newer 3 chain rwd model. That way the previous owner has already spent the $20-50k that you only pay half of(or less) when buying the car all ready sorted... Look for a car with receipts showing car within the last 5 years, has already had IMSB, RMS/clutch/flywheel, coils, injectors, maf, 02 sensors, cam chain guides/tensors, water pump/t-stat, all pulleys/belts, AOS(UAOS preferably) any suspect hoses, new radiators would be nice, full suspension refresh, tires, 2 good key fobs/good immobilizer, new/good door latches, if a cab/full top refurbish, all vacuum hoses/valves sorted, exhaust fully sorted(new?), brakes fully sorted, full suspension refresh(with either new struts or quality coil overs). Then you can decide on paint/bodywork and interior condition expenses at you leisure. Sure I forgot many other needed maintenance items, but above is a great start,, there are so many. Also still get a full detailed ppi.

Thanks so much for the thoughts everyone! Very much appreciated. I looked at the car up on the rack and the corrosion does not seem as bad as I made it sound initially. The important bits that are aluminum look great. The frame is in great shape, no rust or corrosion on that. It's mostly like bolts, fasteners, brake line ends, things of that sort. My mechanic did check the cylinder bores. Here's what he found https://imgur.com/a/2001-996-c4-cylinder-bores-2cKXn0o He thinks those are slight "dragging marks" but not what he'd consider scoring, and personally wouldn't worry about it. What do you guys think? It's true I don't have any service history on the car, it's been lost to time. But at the right price I can put that money back into the car to make sure those things are done correctly. I am a casual DIY'er, I've just done basic work on commuter cars; brakes, suspension, exhaust. Also gapped valves and rebuilt two sets of carbs on motorcycles. I'm not intimidated by doing work myself. I do appreciate the sentiment that I shouldn't settle, and that's what I'm feeling too. There's a lot of 996s out there and waiting longer won't kill me. But then again if I can talk them down to $20k-$22k I think I'd feel pretty good.

You need to scope to underside of the pistons. That's more work though.

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I�m a casual DIYer as well and dive into projects on both my 996 and air cooled 911 but the one thing that intimidates me is dealing with rusty bolts, fasteners and brake line ends. What should be a straightforward quick job turns into a multi day project with cussing and lots of PB Blaster, torches and the like. It�s bad enough dealing with exhaust systems when they haven�t been exposed to stuff like salted roads, add that into the mix and you have to resign yourself to just cutting a lot of stuff. I just swapped out the exhaust on my recently purchased 996, the bolts that hold the muffler on had some light surface rust but came right off. But if they had been really seized up with rust it would have been a real MFer based on where they are at. If this car is optioned the way you want I would definitely use the marks there are in the bore along with the other issues to beat the price down a bunch and if they won�t play ball then walk away.

My 996 C4 spent 3 years in Chicago as a daily driver by previous owner . After I purchased it I put it up on my lift and cleaned up the underside . I then sprayed 2 cans of Fluid Film on basically everything except exhaust . It is a very effective corrosion/rust preventative . Gives aluminum a slight wet sheen look . Cheap and easy to do yourself .

A good PPI will include dropping the sump plate . The debris on the plate will tell a story . And if the plate is off you are right there to do a proper scoping of the cylinders . If you really like this car AND can haggle the price down I wouldn't move forward without a thorough bore scope of all cylinders . Keep in mind a proper rebuild of these engines is 20k to 35k depending on the options . Good luck 👍

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I think it�s early bore scoring. I wouldn�t bother dropping the sump plate to check, because this symptom along with the other results of the PPI are enough to disinterest me. I would be reluctant to pay even $15k, and the selling dealer surely wouldn�t entertain my offer.

Well fellas and ladies, just talked to the dealer and they're unwilling to move any lower than $25k. So I walked! Felt right. Thanks again for all the advice. Now I've got a much better idea what I'm looking for. Let the hunt continue!

There will be another one that comes up. Looks good and is well-optioned, but like others have said, plan on being into it for $40 if not $45K at that sale price, and soon.

It's not scoring. I know scoring when I see it, and I have seen it. But, it is not material now. You walked.

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Do you care to weigh in on the price question then? What you think would be fair for this car.

I have a 2004 with 17500 miles with the IMS bearing with a fresh service and ready to go for $45,000.