First 911 - Test drive questions

Hello all, I am looking to purchase my first 911. I am looking at 99-2001 model years with under 75k miles. I am going to take the vehicle to my local Porsche dealer and get a PPI before any deposit or purchase is made. My question is related the test drive. Besides the obvious things as A/C, gauges working, radio, power, etc, what should I be looking for in the initial test drive? How should the clutch feel? I am not a total noob on cars as I have owned many, but this will be my first Porsche. Thanks in advance I look forward to hearing responses. Kenny

the clutch should be a little heavier than most cars you have driven, but not so heavy your leg gets sore. The best way to tell how heavy... is to drive about 5 cars there is no need to "see what the car can do" on a test drive, but it is OK to test all the systems. When I do this I tell the person who is allowing the car to be tested in advance. For example (when its clear) I will say, I am going to do an emergency stop... please hold on, are you ready.... OK then I pounce on the brakes and engage the ABS system and make sure the car stays straight with no notable problems. I might repeat the test from differant speeds. This is not damaging the car nor is it anything that would cause an owner of a quality car to be concerned. Then test other systems. turning hard, at speeds higher and higher (not horribly high, but HARD turns) I also might drive over a set of RR Tracks and tell them, I am not going to slow down on purpose to test the shock response and listen for loose/worn parts. make sure prior to doing thing you say you are... it makes a better relationship and often times the other occupant can offer suggested areas or test you have not thought of. As for testing the clutch, a low speed, higher gear or slight hill with the trottle on pretty hard should tell ya if its slipping, but trust me if it was slipping it will go from good to bad in about 5 miles! also drive the car for 30-60 minutes... let it warm up to operating temp before running it over 4200 rpm, ask if you can do a shift or two near redline after you have become comfortable with the clutch and shifting. it wont hurt the car. run it up to 100 or so and check for shimmy or shake.. again, I drive mine to 100 almost everyday, there is no need to drive 50 miles at 100... but a quick "hop" up there will take only a mile or so..if that works try braking hard from 100... when you get back the car should have the most wonderful smell in the world... that means it was warm and driving (not beat) you know about the PPI and all, most things will be checked out well during that and if your shop is worth a &^%&* they will allow you to watch the PPI.. you will learn alot if you can! where are you located? welcome to RL post pics / ads of potential cars and get opinions

As Ed said, try to go for an extended drive, check sunroof, power windows etc. Drive it in town and on the highway, and be sure 'your' PPI is more than just a casual inspection by the knowledgeble mechanic. Also ask for all the maintainance records so you can guage whether or not the car was taken care of by the book. If possible, drive more than one 996 so you can make a valid comparison. GL

Aside from the excellent advice above, check the interior buttons on the AC and radio. If you see a ton of wear, it usually means someone beat the hell out of the car, at least that's what I found when looking. A well cared for interior shows someone loved the car. A good PPI should uncover any physical wear on the rotors, suspension, etc.

Also ask the seller if you can pop open the rear deck lid. It should give you an indication of how the car has been treated. I tend to drive my car hard but still keep the engine bay clean of dirt and grime. I know this is obvious stuff but when I looked at my car for the first time I was so F_ _ _'g giddy I over looked some things. Take a deep breath and don't hurry your test drive.

Listen for abnormal whine from the transmission, specifically under load in 4th, 5th and 6th gears. This could mean worn pinion bearing in the transmission.

Drive as many as possible. You will notice the difference between a well taken care of and neglected vehicle given the age of these cars.

Before you go driving, grab each wheel at the top and pull and push strongly in and out. There shouldn't be any play, sound or movement. When driving, there should be little to no play in the steering wheel. Although the car may want to ride up on the berm on rutted roads, it should track straight and feel solid. A new clutch has a very light feel and engages just above the floor. A worn clutch often won't engage a lot higher, but the pedal starts to get stiff (takes some muscle to operate). If you go to a parking lot and do some slow figure 8's, the steering wheel should move smoothly from lock to lock. No noises from the front suspension or odd feedback through the steering wheel. At about 25mph - 28mph, you should be able to shift into 4th and have the car pull smoothly up to highway speeds. Oddly, consider washing the car. Make sure some of the water enters the engine compartment through the vents (it will, anyway, if you take it out in the rain). The engine should run smoothly after that without roughness or CEL's (check engine lights). Try riding with both the windows closed and with everything open, listening for noises and healthy engine sounds. Take a look at the radiator fill -- shouldn't see any sign of contamination or oil. In general, the engine compartment should be reasonably clean. Looking under the car, you shouldn't see much in the way of oil trails or leaks. While some of the older air cooled cars were a little more notorious for minor leaks, the water cooled cars shouldn't be leaking oil. At this point in time, I'd ask if they have done anything about the RMS or IMS. If you know you're going to want to update these, that's a bargaining point. I realize that your PPI would catch most of this, but if you can catch it yourself first -- you can save the cost of a PPI for a vehicle that is more likely to pass.

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boy, no kidding, you get a lot of info about the little nicks and paint issues from a good washing be aware rusty looking rotors is normal if the car was put away wet after a wash.. its poor form, but wont hurt the car and is not cause for alarm, many lots wash cash and dont dry the rotors (it can tell you how long its been on the lot without driving though if they are very very rusty looking, still no harm.. jyst the way it is (most guys dry the rotors after a wash or do like I do and never use a hose to wash the car)

Thanks for the information. I really appreciate it. I am going tomorrow to check out a 1999 with 64k miles. From the pictures he sent it looks to be in great shape. Asking 19,500 which seems fair and if its as clean as the pictures, it checks out on the items you guys mentioned, I will have local porsche dealer do a PPI. I am planning on doing maintenance and non major mechanical issues myself.

make sure the 30k and 60k mile services were done - not necessarily a deal breaker and if the car has been maintained well in the past not a huge deal, but will definitely help with resale value

Good point!! Thanks. Another item I found funny and interesting in my search is that many of the ads for 996's for sale mention needing to sell due to a baby on the way. My wife is due in September and part of the deal is that I can get a play car but it has to have a rear seat for the kiddo! Do they make any Porsche carseats like Ferrari does?? haha

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Add a Porsche friendly child seat to the baby shower gift registry.

My kids love the 996 they are friendly for families, a little tight for the very young when they start moving around (say 1 year old) then its really easy I have found my kids tend to fight less in the back of the Porsche than the suburban... you figure that one out.....

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They get intoxicated and tantalized by the flat-6 howl

Going today for test drive and for my to inspect. I will report my findings and see what you all think. Thanks

Good luck with your search, keep us informed.

Ok, looked at the 1999 today. These are my thoughts and notes. Please excuse the poor grammar lol. Paint is in decent shape. There are a few scratches and a couple nicks on the front bumper near the bottom. Overall Exterior I would rate a 7.5 out of 10. Interior was clean. Radio, A/C, sunroof all performed. Passenger window worked great. Driver window was sticking halfway up and would slow down but would close. 64k miles. On the driving test I noticed that when shifting a "clunk" would be present when I let the clutch out and got back on the throttle. Not sure if this was just my driving as I know some cars are touchy if you let the R's go too low and then get back in next gear. Hard acceleration this wasnt present. Clutch felt strong and would engaged when I barely had foot off the floor. Tires were in good shape and I heard a howl at speeds and this would slowly go away when speed was reduced. Not sure if it was from tires or driveline. It did not increase with RPMs, just speed Brakes felt solid and he has not replaced pads since his ownership. I took the car up to 80mph and it accelerated as it should and only heard a whistling noise on the windshield but later determined it might be from the factory tabs that look like housed a bike or ski rack??? I would like to take on highway and take it over 100mph to see if anything arises before purchase. Oil Pressure at idle was at 2 and would go up with throttle. Temperture was at 190 at idle and didnt do much movement during our 20 minute test. No leaks that I could see. Owner is aware of the IMS issue but hasnt had anything done. When he purchased he did a PPI and they noted that the front quarter panel and front fascia had been repainted but no structural damage. Overall it seemed nice for the money. He is all for letting me take to Porsche to do a PPI so I would think he isnt hiding anything. Owner said he will be trading in soon if he doesnt sell. What do you all think? I think I can buy it right and will be doing the IMS right when I get it since my friends and I are going in on a two post lift to make the job a little easier.

Were you able to take pics? Some of the things you mention (clunk) sound a little funky . PPI for sure..

Could the clunk be a bad clutch?

Clunk is more likely the dual mass flywheel. I replaced my clutch at 32k while I was in there for RMS. The flywheel checked out good* so I did not replace it, but still clunks if on off the gas roughly. *The method to check the flywheel is something like: hold the crankshaft side and turn the clutch face side ?15 degrees? and it should return to start point when let go. You should also feel some resistance when turning it. Renntech.org has the procedure.

Thanks. I know its a shot in the dark since you guys haven't seen in person, but what do you think a fair value is for me to pay?