turbo in my future??

i've been thinking about upgrading to a 996 turbo. i've never owned a turbo and to be honest never felt like spending the extra cash to own one. a good friend of mine in canada has a 2001 turbo and i drove it over the holidays. i think i'm sold on one. i'd like to keep my budget in the mid to upper $30's if possible. if i sell my car i should be able to buy one in this price range without my wife bruising me too much. since the turbo market is something i am totally unfamiliar with, can anyone on our 996 forum clue me in on what to be cautious of or what to look for when making a turbo purchase. i know the tirbo board would be the place to be getting the answers but i'd like to get the info from a fellow 996 owner who owns one or is familiar with them.

my first adventure was a C2 Cab. N/A is fun by all means and top-down driving is even better. But as I asked too many mod questions to my indi; bottom line, if you want to get a real thrill and feel MORE power, get a Turbo. And that's what I did. I went from a Tip Cab to a 6sp Coupe and will not look back. Of course, I'd like to add a Turbo Cab to the stable, but it'll pry be later. Unless I test drive a GT3 first. my two boys will outgrow the back seats of the car anyway. As far as what to look for. you can get a great deal on an 01-02 right here. another RL'r is selling a Turbo for 35.5, but you have to be careful on others you may see in that price range. Unless it's a word of mouth sale and the seller is not in tune with what retail prices are on well-maintained Turbos, you may find one sub 40's. on to maintenance, 2nd gear pop-out, leaking rear spoiler hydraulics, modded turbos that were driven hard and not well maintained can suffer other maladies. Due diligence in your search pays off handsomely. GL.

Wow. That was quick! Tired of the 996 already? There was a good article in Excellence a couple of months ago (October I think) about the experiences of two guys who had bought used 996TT's. Worth a read. I've been secretly looking at early TT's for a while now but haven't been able to justify getting rid of my Cab yet. Good luck

If you have a 996 and are happy with it, stay away from the Turbos! I was lucky, had my 996 Cab for 7 terrific years, sold it and in the process of looking for another P car drove a Turbo. The rest is history. What to look for? PPI PPI PPI, oh and it get's kind of lonely, there are no RMS/IMS issues to keep you on edge. We talk about can't keeping it up (rear spoiler) and what oil we like, and our next mod.

i love my '99 996 and it has new clutch, flywheel, IMS, RMS...runs great but i like the thought of stepping up to a turbo. my car has 96,800 miles and i'm hoping to get $17,000 for it toward the turbo. i'll probaly post it for sale in a month so i can start seriously looking for a turbo in march(my birthday)

sounds like....DO it!! GL.

What are the annual repair/maintenance costs on a Turbo v a C2? I ask because I'm about to be a first time 911 owner and suddenly got an inside line on a 1-owner TT, but I don't want to risk freaking my wife out with the cost of ownership and never getting near one again. Thanks.

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Based on your past # of P-cars it seems that you may get sick of owning a Turbo also. No? I have an 86 944 Turbo and that feeling once the Turbo "kicks" in is contagious isn't it.

I guess there's also modifications done and not done on the turbo's. Then was it raced or owned by a little old lady. Not sure if there's any carfax database for how often tires changed to hint on if a guy was a tire smoker for giggles. Good luck shopping around for the turbo and possible new wife

jdog...i don't get sick of my p-cars i just like trying different models. my 356 i will never sell and since i've never owned a turbo and like the way they drive i figured it was a good move.

I helped a friend find and buy a higher mileage (80K) turbo last year. It was in relatively good condition but needed some work, both cosmetic and mechanical (including a bunch of software updates), before it was reliable and fully sorted. Some of the CEL issues were really tricky to diagnose. Bought for ~$34k and he probably put another 3-6k in the car along with a bunch of elbow grease. Now the car is an absolute hoot. Feels just like my C2 when calmly driving around, but like a wild animal when you give it the spurs. Scary fast. All that said, I think he got relatively lucky at that price point. Based on this experience I suspect that a budget of $40k is in order for a 'bargain' 996TT. You are going to spend that much money, one way or the other. I would also be super-cautious if looking for a 'deal.' Lots of these cars have been modified and many of them abused. I would think history and PPI may be more important here than anywhere else. And you want someone who knows the 996TT, not just regular Carreras. That was part of the problem in working through the CEL issues. It took someone with experience a few moments to solve a CEL problem that had stumped another good Porsche mechanic with less turbo time. Good luck!

Good advice and good thread. I'm going through the same thought process - really would love a turbo, but not quite sure what to watch out for...

I too was interested but have pulled back and will take some time to enjoy the c4s with new mods. That said , here is what I found. Spend high 30's on the purchase and you get an OK car that willl need $5k of work over the next 12 months. Spend mid to high 40's get a very nicely sorted car. Spend high 40 - low 50 get a mint example. All depends on what you want. I did not and could not find my version of "mint" in the 30s no matter what. So with that, depending on what you are prepared to live with i would suggest a budget of over $40k in total. Pay up front or shortly thereafter, properly maintained cars are priced accordingly IMO. Here are some examples on six speed. The only cheap on is lower than market. Gotta wonder why IMO (other that the high miles). Some need tires, clutch etc etc. http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/a...96tt-sale.html http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/a...condition.html http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/a...y-6-speed.html http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/a...0-upgrade.html

Yeah, mid $30s for a well sorted turbo that needs nothing isn't very realistic. You also have to watch out for the manual trans in the 01 models (if memory serves).

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The Turbo's just a used car so a good/thorough used car check out goes along way to helping a buyer made a decision to continue with the car or resume looking. A good test ride/drive -- 15 miles ride with you then driving the car over the same 15 mile route -- is paramount to ensure you have enough time, can experience the engine/car in various scenarios to build confidence the car and the engine are reasonably healthy. If the car is still acceptable after the above, and your used car checkout finds no reason to reject the car, then arrange to have the car subjected to a PPI by someone intimately knowledgeable about these cars. During the PPI the DME overrevs counters need to be read and interpreted. This also gives you a chance to build up some confidence the odometer has not been tampered with. Sincerely, Macster.

appreciate all the input. i have a few months to research and get up to speed on the turbos...after driving my 996 yesterday i realized my car is so well sorted and with new air/oil seperator/tires, clutch/flywheel/IMS upgrade and RMS am i being foolish selling it?? i think i can answer that because of a deal i got on my mercedes trade in and after i had the above $5K in work done on my 996($2K by previous owner) i am in the 996 a total of $16.5K. whats puzzling is i have my car listed on pelican forum for sale and locally on craigslist at $17,450 and haven't had any interest. i know its not the time of year to sell but i thought someone would be tuned into the market and recent upgrades on my car and there would be some interest. heres the CL ad: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/2792895491.html

Just a thought, read your add you may want to indicate all that maintenance was preventative. It may be scareing less knowledgeable buyers.

really appreciate the head up...i changed the add on CL and pelican. i should probably get the add on this forum at some point.

Changing cars already? The shortest time I kept a car was about 6 months (was not a Porsche). Anyway, good luck on the sale and purchase! I am sure you will locate the one you want

thinking hard about it...not 100% sure but getting there.

Good luck with your decision. I can't imagine you would have any problems selling your car. It looks fantastic!

When you are ready to buy look in Arizona. we have quite a few Turbos around and for some reason our market seems lower than other placed in the country. I just purchased an 01 Turbo last week for my brother in law in Florida. It had 48k miles and was in excellent overall condition. The only issues were a few minor scuffs on the front bumper. It was seal gray with red leather. A really nice color combo and I had to pay $37k for the car. i believe it was a really fair deal. I also owned and drove a 2002 Turbo as my daily dirver for 2 years. they are great cars without many issues.

I went from a 2.5L Boxster (215HP) to a modded 2002 996TT with 500HP. I would literally "scare" myself every time I floored the TT. I enjoyed the TT for 4 years, got killed on the depreciation, and sold it. Now after 3+ years w/o a Porsche, I am back with a '02 C2. I looked at my finances, and a 996 C2 was all I could afford at this time! If money was not a problem, I would be back to a TT. The purchase price shouldn't be your only comparison point. Read the 996TT board and ask questions there are alot of issues with the TT that you need to be aware of. My comparison: TT power = addicting, after going TT, nothing else feels fast enough. The C2 feels more "connected" to the road, more feed back, more of a "drivers" car. (I used to have a 1983 911SC and even though the modern Porsches can't compare to its rawness...the C2 is closer than the TT) Porsches are expensive to fix, even though the TT doesn't have RMS/IMS issues, it could have very expensive drivetrain/engine issues. The TT's engines are bulletproof but you have many, many other components to worry about

Once you get into any Turbo, be it an F350 TD or a 996 TT, it is awful hard to go back. The flat torque curves you can get with a turbo are addictive. I'm on my 7th turbo charged vehicle. I love them. As for your question, if you don't mind a few miles on the car and are patient, you can find I higher mileage 01 or possibly 02 (some improvements in 02) that has been well cared for in the upper thirties You'll have to wade through some dogs though at that price point. If you can get to the 42 or 43 range, you will have some good options. Good luck.

This is the exact reason that I've never driven, nor do I want to drive, my buddy's TT. I'm extremely happy with my C2 cab and want to stay that way!

I would take you up on that offer if I wasn't currently unemployed. I don't think my wife would approve of me adding a second Porsche (and fourth car) to our inventory at this time. Good luck with the sale if that's in your plans.

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I'm the exact same way. I've also been really thinking a lot about a Turbo and checking the online listings. But I have yet to get behind the wheel of one because I know I'll be in trouble if I do. Strangely enough the first water cooled 996 I ever drove was a GT3 and that absolutely hooked me but the lack of back seats kept me from getting too serious about it. Although there's one for sale now here on Rennlist that is blue and gorgeous - I'm so tempted! Hmmm...

Your current 996 also has a newer factory oem windshield. I sourced a new one from Axeman and had it installed late 2010. I replaced the plastic cowl cover with a new oem part at the same time. It has a new driver's door window regulator also. Your shift lever & boot looks like new since it came off some other nearly new 996. I got that from someone on Rennlist as well. If anyone asks, the steering wheel in the car is from a '95 993. The 3-spoker was sold.

kiesan...thanks...appreciate the info.

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BANG ON!!!! $35 buys high milage $40 mid milage needs sorting $45 Mid milage sorted $50 Excellent low milage No such animal as a $35 low milage sorted car. Keep Dreaming.... ) GL

PS...there is a $35,000 sorted TT in the for sale section. If its sorted...consider sold Maybe sold. PPi is your best friend!!!

found a nice sorted silver/black turbo for $39K in california but i'm not ready to buy until i sell my car.

Slightly off topic, but I had a modified stage II 05 WRX STi (Turbo), and the power delivery and speed remind me very much of my X51 powered 04 40AE. That cars dyno numbers were 289hp and 322 torque.

Since you made the huge mistake of driving a TT, you should at least also try out the GT3. I refuse to drive either because of the inevitable consequences. When I drove a friends c4 cab it was maybe a month before I bought my C4S.

sold my car today...mentioned on another thread i started because we had lots of snow today and buyer couldn't drive the car. he gave me a $1000 non-refundable deposit and will be back in feb to drive it and take it home.

Gotta love that.

Sweet deal. Glad you are a few steps away from the Turbo. Bad news, you'll be moving (to a different forum).

An unknown with the 996 TT can be the coolant fittings. Failures are somewhat random but a definite possibility, especially if you will be tracking the car (which I would highly recommend).

Congrtas on the sale! Please tell us about the Turbo when you do finally pick one up. Comparisons between the 996 and Turbo...

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Be sure you keep the car fully insured. If you accepted a non-refundable deposit if something happens to the car the 'buyer' might not want his money back but the car he bought. Thus you could be on the hook to go out and find a car that is comparable to the car he would have bought from you. Sincerely, Macster.

You Sir, have a PM that may get you very excited. Right colors, low miles and orig owner...........

Well this is very exciting indeed. Good work selling your 996. That's not easy normally, but your price was right. Looking forward to the pics of your new car. Wish I could make the jump, but I'm after a GT3.

Can someone link to the 911 TT being sold on this forum since I can't seem to find it at all. Thnx

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If it's in the Member Classifieds, you have to be a Paid Rennlist Member. paid membership is well worth it.

PARTSGUY: i called on the silver/black turbo w/18K miles for $42K...turns out is has been in an accident. shows on carfax. not interested in previously damaged cars. got to have clean title and carfax MACSTER: i would never remove the insurance on the car until i have been paid in full.

groovzilla....how are you enjoying the ice storm? I'm stuck in it as well, with over 13" of snow around me and now I've got an ice/snow mixture falling...even with my Audi it's not worth driving on the roads

i drove my isuzu trooper 80 miles yesterday and 20 miles today. up to everett, around capitol hill. having lots of fun with the roads to myself. very dangerous out there. no way a 2 wheel drive vehicle will be able to get around.

My cousin had a Trooper when we were in High School. It was scary easy to get its tilt-o-meter to approach the red zone. Come to think of it, it was kind of scary that it even had a tilt gauge! I have to say though I'm kind of jealous of the snow you're getting out there. The past few Winters have been pretty rough in the Northeast but it just doesn't feel like New England without some snow! Besides, what fun is it having snow tires on your car if you can't make use of them? -Eric