Greetings everyone! Soon to be 996 Owner here.

A few weeks ago. (2 days before I left for my wedding in Costa Rica!) I decided to pull this trigger on this (Hopefully wonderful!) 2001 996. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-911-...m=321816325250 Next week I fly out to Aspen, CO to pick her up and drive her back to MD. This will be my first time getting to drive through the Rockies in a nice car. All the other times I drove through the mountains was in a E-350 15 passenger van & trailer with the band I was in at the time. Cruising at sweet 25Mph on the inclines. So... I'm thinking this experience is going to be a little more enjoyable! Needless to say I'm extremely excited and a little bit nervous. This if the first car I've purchased without performing a thorough inspection and test drive. Plus, it's my first Porsche. The owners were great with their communication, sent me a ton more pictures, and it sounds like they have really cared for this car. So I'm hoping for the best and spending some of my Carma (see what I did there?) points for this road trip. I look forward to telling you all about my 1900 Mile adventure! These next 7 days are going to take FOREVER!!

I remember seeing that car when I was doing my search a few months ago. Beautiful color combo. However, I never contacted the owner because I couldn't find anywhere close to get a PPI. Did you have one done? That looks like a good price, though, considering the low mileage and that the ims has been taken care of. I'm pretty sure he had it listed a few k higher back in June. I did the pick up, drive home thing with my 996 as well. Although I had a PPI done, I was still a bit nervous and my drive wasn't anywhere near as long as yours. Funny story - since the dealer I bought it from drove it out of the showroom, the first time I started it myself to drive off was after i filled with gas an hour later. So I didn't know about the spoiler warning light (it stays on until you drive a tiny bit). It's an ominous-looking red light that freaked me out and prompted a quick engine shutdown and internet search before proceeding. That Rockies drive is beautiful, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

No PPI done. I know.. I know.. it's not the smartest thing to do, I'm taking a leap of faith on this one! Albeit an expensive one. I have faith in the car gods! Thanks for the heads up on the spoiler warning light! I'm definitely going to have a lengthy conversation with the owners about any thing to look for or any other quirks with the 911 before I take off. We get in around noon, so we'll have plenty of daylight left to cruise the twisties. We'll be in no hurry either, we're staying in Denver that evening. Then we'll beeline across the Midwest, stopping outside of St. Louis. Next leg will be towards / through the Shenandoah valley, then home!

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Yeah it's a risk but not a terrible one. It's only a 20k car. The guy who did my ppi is very reputable, but he didn't notice the 2nd gear synchro was failing (neither did I for a few 100 miles). I don't blame him, maybe it wasn't apparent at all even to a trained tech at that point. So a ppi is no guarantee that you won't have an expensive repair in your future. Here's a tip - stop west St. Louis. East of the river in E. St. Louis is pretty sketchy.

Definitely stopping west of St. Louis. Probably in the Westport area. Looks like a nice suburb.

Congrats and nice color combo. Just don't lug the engine through any mountain passes and try to keep the rpms higher than lower. Make sure your spare is working and properly inflated before heading back. Costa Rica is nice but I think more so for single guys.

Good luck with 'er! Safe trip home...

Take the pass rather than the tunnel and follow alpine's advice and you'll be in love with a very happy car before you make it to Denver. Congrats on the car and marriage and good luck on the road trip.

Thanks y'all! Great idea on the pass, gnat. I'm going to ask the (former!) owners for some cool "locals" routes through the mountains. Not sure when I'll get another chance to drive a Porsche through the Rockies, so we're gonna make the most of it.

Congrats! I agree with the comments on taking the pass instead of the tunnel. If you exit in Frisco on Hwy 9, you can take three passes in a short distance. First: Swan Mountain Road from Hwy 9 to Hwy 6, then take Hwy 6 towards Arapahoe Basin up over the second: Loveland Pass, then back onto I-70 for a short run to Hwy 103 in Idaho Springs. From there, drive up over the third: Squaw pass to Hwy 74 and then back to I-70. That would be a fun drive!

Great advice on the route Dennis. We'll be starting our trip from Carbondale.

Congrats! Looks like you got a great deal on the car!!

Test.. I can't seem to delete this post..

You can't delete on Rennlist - just edit. Nice car. I'd schedule an oil change at a dealership or indie before the drive back, just so they can eyeball any leaks, low fluids, brakes in dire need of attention, or other hazards before you jump in a new car for a multi-state drive. Congrats on being willing to jump in and drive your car. As Alpy suggested, wind the engine up - it makes the most power, especially at altitude, when the tach is pointing skyward.

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No problem! If you do the three passes, let me know and I'll meet you for a beer when you come down off of Squaw Pass. That's quite close to my house.

Alright - you need to schedule in a visit to the Kansas City Automotive Museum. Reason #1: it is official museum policy that anyone arriving in a 996 gets free admission to the museum. Why you ask? Prior to me selling my black 996, 3 of our 8 board of directors drove 996s. So, we passed that policy. At the front desk, just tell them that you are a Rennlist member and to ask for Jeff. I'll come downstairs (my law firm is on the 2nd floor) and say "hey" and get you past the front desk. Would love to see the car. Plus, there are about 30 good restaurants within a few blocks of auto museum - including a Twin Peaks and a Joe's Kansas City (considered one of our city's best BBQ joints, which means it is one of the world's best BBQ places). The auto museum is only a few minutes' detour from your straight route through the city. You just take I-435 south off I-70 east on the west side of the city (I-435 bypasses downtown) and then take I-35 south for one exit off I-435. We are at I-35 & 119th Street in Olathe. PM me if you want to give me a heads up on when you'll be coming through.

Don't go to Twin Peaks unless you bring a knife and a gun with you. Plus you're probably bringing your new wifey so probably not a good idea anyhow.

purdy car, congrats and welcome to the club. have a safe and fun drive home

Congrats and enjoy the trip. I've done a few long distance car and motorcycle purchases. The drive/ride back is part of the fun. I second the idea of getting the oil changed and having things checked before you hit the road.

Thanks again everyone for the warm welcome. I'm really digging this forum. kcattorney I should be able to make it from Denver to KC before closing time. We will definitely be stopping at Joe's for dinner. I'll pm a keep in contact. Good looking out on the Twin Peaks apline003z As for the oil change. It was done April 1st, 600 miles ago at a Porsche shop in Denver. So I think I'm gonna take my chances for the ride home. I'll take a look at it of course. I'll change it once I get her home. I want to do it myself so I can get a good look at underneath.

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If we end up taking that route I'll let ya know. I always enjoy have a good beer at a high altitude!

I'm good for the beer even if you just take I-70! I'm always looking for a good excuse to take the Porsche out and have a beer!

Damn! You guys' friendly hospitality makes me wanna buy a 2nd 996 from the east coast and drive back west the same route. ..... Wait a minute, since you know me, I don't think you'll be as nice. Never mind! JayAre: Congrats on the purchase! Gorgeous car. Although everyone didn't, I'll just say that congrats on getting hitched as well! [See, I'm much nicer!]

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Right? I might have to buy another 996 and drive cross country. Again.

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Let us know when you do and I'll happily necro your favorite thread so you can figure out the best place to keep your phone in the new one.

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Seriously though, I would definitely not mind some Kansas City BBQ and a drive through the Rockies. Most people dream about this sh*t. And the phone, .... ah f*ck it!

Last time that I drove my 996 on Squaw Pass....

Did u have to use special oil at ^that^ altitude?

They do have some special oil out in Colorado! And chocolate... and beer... well most everything is great in Colorado.

After waiting for what seem liked forever, my wife and I flew into Aspen yesterday to pick up our new Porsche. Of course it was raining. But not too bad. We were picked up by the owners lady friend and taken on a nice drive to their home in Carbondale. Once there Phil (the owner) walked me up the property to where the Porsche is stored. Took the cover off and finally got to see my new baby in person. Oh man was I stoked! Fired her up and she was purring right away. After hanging out with the couple and chatting it up for a while it was time to hit the mountains. On a side note, the previous owner was a very facinating character. He held the crown for a long time, with the biggest Pot bust in U.S. History. Something like 27,000 pounds in '74! Oh man did this guy have some stories. He ounce bought a B-25 bomber to fly pot back and forth from Colimbia, after his little Cherroke couldn't carry anymore. I asked when his book was coming out! Wild stuff. Great guy though. I could've hung out with him and his lady all damn day. But I had bigger issues to deal with. Like, driving my new Porsche! We ending up going back past Aspen and south on 82 to Twin Lakes. After that went north on 24 to 91 to 70. (Sorry I didn't catch up with you Dennis C we were running a bit behind on our schedule.) totally missed the exit for Loveland pass. Was kinda bummed about that. Then hopped off of 70 at 74 and took into Denver. Was some great twisties along the path! Wish we had more time to hit some more passes. But the Porsche was fantastic! He gave me all the service records. Coolant was just flushed a couple months a ago, spark plugs changed as well. Tires have about 3k miles on them. So I'd say she's ready to cross the U.S. Back to MD! I'll keep y'all updated on the travels.

If you have any issues in in MO let us know...lots of 996ers around. I am in Columbia so lots of places to get a beer and food. All of the undergrads are back so fun times.