Looking at my first porsche 03 carrera 4s

So I have read all the user guides here about buying a used car etc. Anyways I found what I consider to be a good deal on a pcar. Its an 03 Carrera 4S with 100,000 km. Being in Canada thats approx 60,000 us miles. The car is being offered with a clear PPI from a reputable Porsche dealer and has just had new rear brakes and tires put on. From the pictures it looks very clean. Is there anything to be worried about with those miles on it besides the IMS,RMS,AOS? If the dealer has certified it that is fine but I will likely replace the IMS still right away. The car had an accident in 2009 which was repaired and its been 6 years since so assuming when I see it in person its acceptable would that be a worry?

Try to pinpoint accident damage

Its was a front collision. No airbag deployment.

The PPI from the dealer obviously means nothing. He is selling and will tell you all is OK. Get an independent PPI.

IMS isn't the big issue it once was with these cars, despite all the scare stories, you'll find that the majority of IMS bearings replaced are in perfect condition. Also , 2 year servicing intervals seems to be a factor in IMS failures, so the later cars tend to get more IMS failures. Fresh, quality oil is essential in any sports car, but especially these. Another IMS failure spike can be cars which are used infrequently, those run regularly don't tend to get as many issues. The real biggie is bore scoring on number 5 and 6 cylinders, more prevalent on tiptronic cars. Get a proper borescope done and you'll be fine. If the clutch needs doing, then a replacement IMS and RMS seal is a good idea whilst it's all apart. When my clutch was done 2 years ago, the IMS was in perfect condition, so was left alone. Things to look out for are replacement radiators and condensors, clutch, coffin arms and steering arms, brakes and tyres. All these are expensive items, so if not recently done, will require replacement at that age and mileage, so factor into the price of the car. Fit a low temp thermostat, keep the oil fresh, and use it, a lot. It's a great car, I love mine and would recommend them to anyone.

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I should be more specific it's a private seller with a PPI from a Porsche dealership. Thanks for the other info guys on the rads etc.. Wasn't aware of those possibilities.

Can also read through some of our tech articles here to read up on some issues/common repairs with the 996's. Also make sure all the basic maintenance is up to date per the mileage/age of the vehicle as recommended by Porsche. Good luck with your purchase! -Luccia

Nothing magical to look for. That's pretty low mileage. If the car looks good, the PPI looks good, and the price is good, buy it. I'd change all fluids unless you can document when it was last done.

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That's what I did, had all the fluids changed. Going forward change the oil at least every 5000 miles and use good quality oil in the Porsche specifed weight 0W-40. If the accident damage was in the front remove the spare, jack and carpet in the front trunk and check the floor pan for damage. I forgot to do that in my car and when I had the spare out a year later I could see the front floor pan is slightly wrinkled. You want make sure there wasn't major damage to the floor structure.

Keep an eye on your coolant level as the water pumps on these cars tend to leak at 65,000-75,000 mile mark. Also the condition of the serpentine belt. Easy enough (but fiddly) DIY work. Take a photo of the belt positioning before removal.

I have an '02 C4S and the car had 48k miles when I bought it. Now sits at 52k. Based on all the receipts I have and what has been done to my car, I'd pay attention to the following: You already mentioned IMS, AOS and RMS. Clutch as well. Have these been done? Brakes. You mentioned rear brakes were done. What about front? My car had the original brakes still. Just had the pads replaced recently. Rotors were still good. Water pump. I did mine as preventive maintenance together with a low temp thermostat. Spark plugs and coils. My car had the spark plugs changed 3 times over its first 48k miles/12 years. Had both done recently again. Coolant tank and cap. Known issues. Pay attention to them. All fluid changes. Transmission as well. Serpentine belt and filters. Engine mounts. My car was a pretty low mileage car but changing the engine mounts made a big difference. Highly recommend replacing them. Not saying you have to replace all these parts right away but if I had to buy another 996 again, I'd at least want to have a very good idea (preferably records) showing when/if all these were done.

So went to view the car tonight and time to make a decision on it. Has all service records back to 05. Mechanically looks very good (I'm a mechanic) and its clean, no oil leaks looked in his garage where it sits no oil spots anywhere nothing. Small coolant leak which appears to be coming from the Tstat housing from what I can tell laying under the car on the drivers side. (I'm not that familiar with Porsche cars) Just had rear and front break pads and rotors done, serpentine belt and two tensioners or pulleys I don't remember the bill that exact. Also brand new rear tires installed. Was in an accident, cannot tell the front was hit but tapping around you can tell where it has some bondo in it. Repair was decently done as far as under the car and the front tub are perfect. It has some orange peel in the paint but the body lines are perfect and it was repaired in 09 and has lasted rust free etc so I would say its well done. Paint is probably 7/10 overall there are a few minor marks and a couple medium spots I would say that an afternoon with my Makita and a cut and polish would really benefit this car overall. Everything inside seemed to work, heated seats, stereo, AC, cd changer etc... I took it for a run for about 30 minutes without the owner he was really cool about the test drive so I could experience everything. Oil pressure was steady coolant temp steady, no vibrations, wheel smooth at 60 mph (100 km) no pull in the brakes, great brake and clutch feel. Clutch was replaced 30,000km ago or about 15k miles. I can buy this for betweek 28 - 29k Canadian with a PPI at owners expense and smog test. Car has 110k overall or around 65k miles. Good deal?

I'm not familiar with the differences in prices over the border up there. It's my impression that the cars cost a bit more than in the states? I'd probably put this car at about $25K here.

Yea, they do cost a bit more here. $28K sounds like a reasonable price for a C4S with that mileage. Think I'd still get an independent PPI though. Maintenance issues can be quite costly. If you are in the Vancouver area there are a few great indy shops to choose from.

It's agreed upon to have an Indy PPI done before purchase. The seller is very upfront honest and even pointed out deficiencies to me. I don't feel he has anything to hide at all. I had to sleep on it before I could say I wanted it and I still feel today it's a good choice and for Canadian pricing it's a very good caliber car for the money. I don't forgot to mention it appears to have the fisters exhaust mod and a silicone intake tube.

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Don't you already have a PPI? What's a different one from another shop going to find out that you wouldn't already know by this point?

PPI was provided by his shop which did the service. I don't normally criticize my own work. So he is willing to take it to an Indy of my choice. This way I feel covered enough to do the deal. Looking more and more like I'm going to end up a resident here.

Good luck with the purchase!!

Thanks I did the deal on it based on the PPI which is booked Monday so looks like I'll be joining you guys.

Lot's of scored cylinders from cold starts last winter up that way. Listen for ticking on cold startup!

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Its a summer only car, never seen winter and it shows.

Pics

Hey! Great-looking car, congrats and enjoy!!!

Third, fourth that a dealer PPI is crap. Might be a good deal, but they just check boxes off most the time. I just bought a 03 C4S with a little less mileage. Check the coils, mine were blistering towards the edges. Costs $250-$300 for parts. I also have a small leak from both my front radiators. The c4s uses the Turbo rad's which are ~$500 a piece. Easiest way to assess a possible problem is to run the car hard and smell for that sweet coolant odor. I put UV dye though the system and see small slow leaks at the top ou each radiator. Aside from the purchase set aside another $3000 or so to take care of the remaining items.

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Coils and plugs were just replaced, no coolant leaks. Going to clean the rads asap when I have it. Once I have all the paperwork in my hands it will be easier to dissect. It has had a very comprehensive maintenance history. The current owner is not a car guy but a finance guy. When it was taken in his wallet was open to any and everything.

Sounds like the perfect sort of previous owner. Even so, have some cash on hand for unexpected items.

I need to confirm on the previous owners invoices the IMS being done or not. He wasn't the type of guy that would know but the work was all being done by a high rated Indy here locally. They replaced the clutch about 25,000 kilometers ago so I would "hope" it was done. I'll know after confirming his invoices. If it wasn't done I'll likely succumb to the stories and replace the bearing or getting the guardian jr.

Looks like a great P-car! Good luck!

Yeah dude, price is right and everything else checks out. Just make sure to get a PPI and then an IMS. Just by chance check for the LNE serial number sticker on the drivers side door by the VIN or under hood by options sticker maybe. Shot in the dark, but who knows!

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Imagine that I would be It's in desperate need of a good detail job. I have searched high and low for my Makita right angle and cannot find it anywhere either!!!