Any comments on this potential 996.2 purchase?

My budget is about mid-$20k's so I figure even if it needs a few things, I'll have room to fix as opposed to buying a higher price car at the onset. Going to see in person on Friday. http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/de...3382/overview/ Also, in general, is there a list of items that I can inspect before paying for a PPI? Don't want to get a PPI on every car I'm interested in at $200-300 per inspection if there are some items I can first assess myself. Like clutch wear, tires, oil in the coolant... anything else? Thanks!

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I didn't get a PPI, and in hindsight I'm not sure how useful they are as compared to a good solid test drive. Not to mention they aren't going to find the really interesting things such as clutch wear and IMS wear. So personally, off the top of my head, I'd look for the following. - Does the engine sound good. - Does the car make any weird noises going forward and back (helps if the sales person pulls it out of a tight spot for you) - Are the tires in good shape, did the PO put good ones on or cheap? - Does it drive well, go straight, and feel tight? - Can you shift through all gears with no issues? - Does it have a carfax report and what does it say? As far as clutch wear, it's really hard to tell without measuring it, which is not easy to do without taking off the transmission. Sure you can test it (does it kill pulling away in 3rd), but that IMO (maybe I'm wrong) is more of a pass fail type of thing, it's not going to tell you there is 40% wear left or anything specific. IMO I didn't get an inspection done and the only things they found were that my IMS was good, clutch is at 70-80%, radiators need to be cleaned (still do), horn doesn't work, and the drivers side muffler has a loose baffle. So again, a good test drive where you're really paying attention is about as good as an inspection IMO.

Hood has a gap, not sure if they didn't shut it. I didn't want to shell out $200 ppi bucks for every car I liked so here was my method. Note it was my first Porsche so it my process will be different from the seasoned owners. First I read and searched 100's of threads here to determine what to expect, look for, and the questions to ask. 2. I made a list of what I wanted. Color, options, mileage, low owners, non modded, non tracked. 3. Talked with owner to get a feel for the personality I was dealing with. If I didn't like the seller it ended there. 4. Travelled to see/drive car. Up close look at body, interior, undercarriage, general appearance of car. 5. Let the owner drive the car and I listened to the car, felt road ride, and talked about the car. At this point if I liked the car I would suggest a ppi. Don't get emotionally involved. By this time you should have a good idea if you like it enough to schedule a ppi 6. Take car for ppi to preferably a mechanic who has no prior history with the car. 7. Consult mechanic after ppi and ask the findings and gauge his attitude when talking about the car. Is it a car he would buy? 8. Talk with owner strike a deal based on findings. Buy car/walk. I also ran a car check and carfax prior to any of this.

I think you should talk price BEFORE you shell out money for a PPI. But be clear that any price is conditional on the PPI being clean. If there are issues found at the PPI, then that is grounds for further REASONABLE discussion., i.e. you may decide to walk away or you may be willing to work things out with the understanding that the car is over a decade old and may well have a couple of non-major issues that the seller wouldn't necessarily know about. Once you commit money for a PPI a seller is likely to be less flexible as you are already invested in the car. This all assumes that you are like 99% of other americans and aren't just willing to pay the asking price...

Thanks guys. I have owned several used BMW's as well as a 2008 Cayman so I am pretty familiar with the overall purchase process but not that familiar with the quirks of the 996. Price will be definitely be negotiated before paying for a PPI but am looking for easily diagnosable mechanical issues that would preclude even wasting time with a PPI. Once again, here is the actual car in question. Carfax is clean - 1 owner. http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/de...3382/overview/

BTW, the carfax on the car you posted has the least amount of info I've ever seen on a carfax including a loooonnnng 6 year gap between '05 and '11. Not a deal breaker by any means but still. Also the right rear seems to have what looks like body damage just above the wheel. It could be a reflection but it is also in the next picture. Bonus points for Tom Petty on the stereo though... :-)

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Haha. Yeah, the salesperson confirmed that there are two dings in that area, not a reflection. I'll know for sure when I go see in person, but I'm hoping this area can be made acceptable with paintless dent removal. Those guys have worked miracles on some of my prior vehicles.

I think you'll find the interior is in pretty rough condition - and that's the part of the car you look at the most...

1. Bring a Durametric and check for Type II overrevs/codes 2. with car running, remove the oil filler cap (quick check for AOS) 3. And all the usual: water pump/tank, brakes, all electricals, etc. that you would check when buying a car 4. more stuff here: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ing-guide.html Best of luck.

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Ideally you should only PPI one car, the one you end up buying. My advice is to perform a thorough used car check out of the looking for any "deal breaker". Briefly, visit the car cold and when you go to start the engine ensure all warning lights including the CEL come on then go off as the fires and runs. Before you start the engine be sure the A/C is off. You test the A/C later. Listen to the engine from the outset and as it idles/warms up. You are listening for scary noises, abnormal noises. Walk around the car and check body panel fits, headlight and tail light fits, paint condition, how the doors and lids open and close. But let the engine continue to idle and have an ear tuned to the engine at all times. After a while then have the seller take you on a 15 minute test ride. The route should give the driver a chance to demo the car as you intend to use it. As a passenger focus on how the car feels, sounds, how the various systems work, how the transmission shifts, etc. Leave your cell phone off during this check out. Back at the starting point then you take the car out and cover the same route, drive the car the same way. Back at the starting point again if you still like the car do a thorough used car check out. Get a hold of the check list the techs use to CPO check a car and use that as much as you can. Assume nothing works until you have confirmed it does work. If after all of the above if you still like the car and believe you can buy it for an agreeable sum of money arrange for a PPI. Doing this *after* your check out means you avoid PPI'ing cars you do not buy for one reason or another. Also, the PPI takes place after the car has been driven/on the road the engine run for around an hour. This gives any leaks a chance to make themselves known to the PPI tech. Remember: Price is not a fact, only an opinion, and there is always another car. Good luck.

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I tried doing this and the shop didn't budge. The asking price was within reason to how the cars were selling nationally, and someone else will come by and pick it up. Really the question is if you want to be the buyer, or not and move on to another car.

If you end up buying this car and those are the original 17" wheels that they look to be, keep them. Going to 18s and 19s will only degrade the ride quality. When inspecting the car take deep breaths and take your time. Be methodical and go through every single switch in the interior. The lights, the top, all the variations on the ac, the seat memory buttons, put your hands on everything and feel it, bring a small flashlight to look in dark places. Look at the convertible top very closely...inside and out. Blah blah blah.

Cable, You are wise to have a fund for repairs. A big fund is good.Much bigger is better! This may be an interesting alternative car if it is still available? https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...10k-996-a.html

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Looks like it has been snagged already.

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LOL And if you want an even cushier ride, get some Boxster 2.7L calipers retrofitted onto your ride so you can run 16" wheels with taller sidewall tires.

Nice looking car. Nice color combination. Appears to be priced appropriately. PDR can probably fix those dings. Agree that you should keep the wheels if you upsize - you probably won't get much for them if you sell them used and you never know when you'll want the factory OE wheels. I don't believe you'll see much ride degradation from going to 18" wheels, but I would agree that 19" ones will probably be a noticeable difference. I would agree on price before the PPI, and also articulate that you expect the PPI to turn up a few small issues, but it is big stuff you are looking for. I buy cars at auction all of the time as I have a dealer's license. I have never once bought a 996 or 986 though for fear of having engine issues because I can't do a PPI on an auction vehicle. $150 or so to have a check for metal in the oil is money very well spent. I'm pretty comfortable checking out a car, but I like to have an experienced mechanic put an unbiased, unemotional second set of eyeballs on it.

Take it on a long test drive. If the test drive is good, then test every button, latch, everything electronic feature. Open and close everything. Take a good look at my avatar for luck.

Looks like a well-priced car to me, as long as there is nothing "funny" during a test drive. Worth doing a PPI on this one, IMHO.

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I remember how much lighter and tossable my 993 was on the factory 16s vs the optional 17s. Seeing a lot of the 996s on 19s makes them look like a pimp's Escalade.

Having driven several 996 and 986s now, the cars with louder or rougher sounding engines...stay away from. Drive several of them. It amazes me how one car is different from the next. I'd avoid anything over 125k