What would you do - private sale 996

I found a nice 996 in SC. Private sale. I live in MA. Owner provide large folder of service receipts and was very helpful in the sale. 116k I�m the car but regularly driven and maintained. He tells me the car needs an intake hose for AC and it�s in order. Says it will arrive 4/21. I fly down 4/24 to pickup the car. Part is backordered now till mid June. So no AC in the car that I need to drive 1000mi back to MA. He tells me be sure to shift �confidently� into 2nd gear. Had not previously disclosed any tranny issue. As soon as I drive the car I get grinding into 2nd gear. But car runs great. I�m about to head north and drive home. I smell coolant and a minute later white smoke from engine compartment (steam). I pull over and all coolant puddle spills out of car engine area. I tow car to his mechanic where we wait for an analysis of what happened. Car is bought and paid for. No lemon law in SC but MA does offer one for private sale if the seller did not disclose a major flaw in the vehicle. It�s a nice car. **** happens and it�s an old 996. What would you do?

Sorry to hear, hopefully an easy fix. Did you test drive the car before paying or get a PPI?

Sorry you have to go thru this. What did the shop say with their analysis and what did they repair? Coolant cap and tank if old will produce leaks. 2nd gear issues are common if the shifter cables aren't lined up. Happens with age. Have your indy look at them and zip fasten them. May solve the problem. Take your time transitioning from first to second. Dont force it, instead transition it. Its a rhythm. Give it a blip of gas to synchronize revs when you are transitioning betweeen 1st and 2nd with the clutch in. Check when the clutch was last replaced. Unless the clutch is failing, pretty good chance it's just your cables. Lastly, if you have a stack of service records, I would go thru them and see what was done and when. It will give you a good indication on what still needs to be done and when under your care. Not to mention what could go wrong. Big question on everyone's mind is did you PPI it and review the service history.

Ufff that's rough and as some have said, did you get a PPI completed? At this point I'd just document everything and look for a silver lining, that is a terrible circumstance to find yourself in.

Chances r its just the coolant resi. Get it replaced and go on your way home. The last one i saw crack had been fine for daily driving but when put on the track the pressure was too high and caused it to leak. Good luck.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but your lemon law for used car sales only applies if you purchase a car in Maine from a resident of Maine? If you don't want the car, the best recourse is to work with the seller and see if he'll take the car back given the circumstances. Like Georgia, in South Carolina when you purchase a used car from a private seller, it's yours warts and all. It's up to you to use due diligence and get a pre-purchase inspection. Now, if you believe the seller tried to cover up/hide problems and/or wouldn't allow you to get an inspection, then you might have a good case against him in court. But most people that I've heard lose these battles in court over private sales. If it was a dealership, different story IMHO. What would I do? At this point, I'd plan to get a post-purchase inspection from a reputable Porsche independent shop and see what needs to be done. Nothing worse than buyers remorse. Make a plan and report back the findings.

The buyer was helpful, had lots of records, and when something went wrong you got to his mechanic. It sounds like the first step is to determine what broke, and what it will cost to fix. The fact that the seller stayed involved is a positive sign that resolution may not be all that difficult if it isn't a major repair.

Thank you! I really appreciate that feedback. I had established good communication with this out of state seller. After looking at 15 996's, reading their BADVIN reports this one seemed the best to me. Very well cared for car, the guy sent me a video so I could hear the engine and see all the cosmetic flaws. He was regularly servicing the car at a local indy for 17 years! He and his wife are the second owner - so I just felt this was a seller I could trust. I still like the car and don't feel screwed...but it was kind of a shock to pick up the car and get shocked with several big unexpected issues. Its almost like the car was saying "who the hell is this new driver that does not know how to handle me!" So I bought and paid for the car with no PPI. I was gonna bring it home and have my local guy go through it thoroughly. So again thanks for the feedback, I know its a 22 year old 996 and do not expect perfection. Lets hope the issues are easy one and I can begin to enjoy the car. I'll probably have it shipped to MA because now I'm a little worried about cooling system issues on the long drive back.

Yes, I agree. Thank you for the excellent and timely feedback. I appreciate it.

Tbro, what did his indy say when it went to his shop?

Thank you. I was trying to find out today of lemon law in Mass covers a car purchased out of state. I know that SC does not have any lemon law for used vehicles.Seller was always fair and above board. I'll plan to ship the car home after they fix the coolant issue and have a full PPI by a local mechanic. Fingers crossed that I didnt damage anything. I pulled over within 15 seconds of seeing the while smoke coming out of the engine compartment.

Yeah, but what did his indy say was the problem with the coolant and 2nd gear shift? What was fixed and how?

The car was towed to the indy. They are backed up with work on expensive racing Porshces so it will be a few days before they can even look at it. But the tech called me and asked alot of questions. They know this car well and I'm confident they will get me the info soon on what happened and what needs to be done.

Car arrived at indy on Tuesday. The tech called me and asked for a full description of what happened. He said they are backed up 2 weeks but he will do his best to squeeze me in ASAP. So I do not yet know the prognosis.

Could be as simple as the plastic coolant line fitting on the AOS supply line. It is old and becomes brittle. Breaks at a wrong glance. It is right next to the alternator and easily accessible. Did you open the engine lid and look at what might be leaking? First place to start.

Bought with no ppi. The 99-996 is known for having serious issues sometimes. I always chuckle when a seller / buyer tells me they have a 2 inch thick folder of receipts meaning the car is well cared for. My thought is ... it's a Porsche (Ferrari), you too could also rack up a 2-inch thick stack of receipts in 6 months. It means nothing. Inspect the car and even then, expect the unexpected. Having said that, losing coolant could be just a hose, water pump, or a tank. $1K top. Good luck.

For the next newbie reading this. This is not how you buy a used high performance car. OP I hope it all works out with minimal cost. Good luck!

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Unless maybe u have a spare 4.0r engine in the garage...where is the poke the bear emoji? Sorry op that was off topic but its my job to nudge Bill .

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Yes, we have all been there at one point. A lessen burned. I really hope the issue is superficial. One option is to call an attorney (after you get the car diagnosed and looked over for other potential issues). The attorney can at least advise you on your rights and the consulting will be free. As for the second gear problem, that could be a synchronizer. Second gear gets most of the workout. Worst case you are into a rebuild. Best case is a flush and new gear oil will get you by, but the car is getting up there with 116K miles and you need to be prepared for refreshing things. Besides the major three (engine, transmission, and suspension), you have twenty-two year old rubber and plastic hoses rotting away. Things like vacuum lines, power steering hoses, brake lines, and coolant hoses deteriorate. Expect and plan for more issues over time and you will find the ownership experience more enjoyable. If this is your first 911, then you are about to get a deep education. These are not Hondas, but they are not Ferraris, either. If you are at all mechanically inclined you should do as much of the work as you can. The reason is not so much about cost, but learning your car. Fixing it yourself means you get to inspect your car as you work and spot other potential problems before they bite you hard. A repair shop usually just fixes the immediate issue and sends you on your way because most owners don't want to hear or believe a laundry list of things that are on their way out. Getting your hands dirty will connect you to your car and if you should ever trade up, you know exactly all the weak spots to look out for. I have a long line of 944s I bought before my 911s and have had just about every failure mode you could imagine. It's just the price of education, but I got to the point where I could profile a potential purchase in less than ten minutes and tell you if it was a good buy or not. Short of hiring an expert (i.e., PPI), that's how life works. Best of luck and I hope we see many more posts from you (happy ones). We are all here to help make your journey exciting and fun. Join the PCA, if you haven't!

It is a used car and now it is your car. Calling an attorney is tough here. Everyone wants to be made whole but the burden of proof is on the buyer. Seller simply produces copies of receipts and texts/emails. The cost of an attorney to fight this out can quickly exceed the cost just to fix it and move on.

OP, don�t beat yourself up. Happens to the best of us. Even if you are careful with a PPI, there no guarantee you won�t get burned. Hopefully, your repair isn�t too expensive and you can go enjoy your car quickly.

Thanks for all the great and helpful posts on this thread! It turns out that one of the plastic couplers in the cooling line broke causing the big coolant leak. Autometrics in Summerville SC replaced both couplers and bled the system. Found a leaky coolant reservoir and replaced. All tested and working now. New gear oil went in and shift cables checked. AC intake tube replaced. AC fully tested and working now. The excellent service advisor Eric drove the car to and from work and confirmed coolant and AC are now in good order. He did however confirm an issue with 2nd gear grinding sometimes (25%) but if he shifts slowly it seems OK. So I will have a tranny issue to deal with in my future. The bill was $2500 all in. Welcome to high-mileage 996 ownership! I�m just finally excited to get the car I bought over a month ago and cant wait to drive it. But I�m a little gun shy now to drive it 1000 miles home. Here is my question: Drive the car 1000 miles back to Boston or ship it?

If you have the time, drive. if you�re wired to listen to every little noise and worry about things the whole way, ship. life is short. I shipped from FL- MN a few years ago. What I know now, wish I�d have drove�. suppose it also depends on where to where. If it was across Nebraska and Iowa, I�d either reroute or ship😎

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In a sea of muddled memories from poor decisions in youth, I'll never forget the days took off work to drive from OH to TN to drive my 996 back. If you have the opportunity, take it. Glad to hear your issues were minimal, now get out there and enjoy it like it's meant to be.

Fantastic news! With all that said, get a proper PPI done when you get a chance.

Sounds great! Hopefully the 2nd gear grinding issue is fixed too. I wouldn�t risk that far of a drive after the initial problems you�ve had. Just ship it up to Boston You Tube

If the car is still at Autometrics, have them do the PPI, they are a well known/respected shop.

Take the Amtrak Auto Train. Leaves daily from Orlando, arrives the next morning just south of Washington, DC. Two hour drive to the Orlando area, then overnight on the train, then a 7 hour drive to Massachusetts. I have done this a couple times when I have brought cars back from Florida.

Car looks great. Issues like this are going to pop up at this age/mileage. Don't lose any sleep and enjoy the long drive home.

Car ran great on the 1000 mile ride home. Except for road bumps which I will be going to my local Indy shop to see what suspension improvements can be made. All issues resolved. - replaced coolant plastic couplers - replaced coolant reservoir - AC intake pipe replaced - Flushed transmission fluid $2400 for day 1 repairs. I learned how to shift into 2nd to avoid grinding. Deliberate shift after 1st with slight pause in N before entering 2nd gear. I�m sure syncros are worn but I�m fine to drive it like this and avoid costly new tranny or rebuild. Just passed MA inspection, arranged for EPE Natick to inspect the car and quote new shocks. Now I can enjoy this excellent 996. Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.

EPE in Natick is a very good shop, they won't steer you wrong.

NM I hadn't read the whole thread yet. Congratulations on getting the car home! Did the seller participate in any of that original bill?

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I'm glad to see you got it home and decided to drive it. I have done that drive a few times and it is a fun one. You've just got to be careful in VA though. You've got a nice looking car there for sure. Assuming it hasn't had a full suspension refresh yet, I would hold off on new shocks until you are ready to do a whole new suspension. After 20 years and 100K+ miles everything is likely due for replacement, I'd also look into coilovers, there are some very affordable quality options out there. Also, as a side note I don't know what cars you are coming from or how it felt over bumps, but your 911 shouldn't feel like a Cadi or Benz going over bumps and you are going to feel them.

Good outcome. Not shocking that 2nd gear would show some wear at that mileage. Nurse it and budget for a rebuild in the next 5k miles. I just bought a rebuilt unit from cogscogs for my boxster s for $3250 plus shipping, will report back on my experience once it�s installed.

Has anyone heard of this issue? I searched and could find no evidence of it. But apparently it happened to my 996 resulting in hemorrhage of oil due to a failure of the line/hose that delivers oil to the retrofit IMS bearing on 2000 996.

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I would have started a new thread as this is new issue and you may want to get more eyes on it. Both the IMS Solution and DOF oil lines should be able to be replaced without dropping the transmission. I would be interested t see the damaged line. Do you know which oil fed IMSB you have?

I have heard of oil line issues on the direct feed IMS systems from technicians.

Glad it worked out. I bought my car in MA and drove back to CT with it. I did a PPI at a shop over the boarder in New Hampshire. On the way back, I got a low coolant warning. I had to keep pulling over to let things cool down. I brought it in to a local indy for a post purchase inspection and had the system checked, flushed, and refilled. They believe it was never burped correctly. All has been well with that though. Even with a PPI, stuff can happen. Just sent the car in today for a new clutch and having them do the IMS and RMS since they will be in there. Car has 101,000 miles on it now.

Here are pics of the damaged oil line, and what was done to repair it. High pressure oil spewed out of this connector hose. Summary of repair.

I appreciate a good summary, shows attention to detail.