early 996 advice

Hi All, been lurking for a good 9 months now, enjoying the chat and piccies and getting closer and closer to the ultimate purchase Great resource here, so thought it was about time to pick some brains in between my searches.. Here in the UK, ( so I'm in � not $ ), I've noticed in the past few weeks, quite a lot of 'cheaper' 996s coming on the market, ie in the 22-25k mark. These all seem to be early cars, 98/99, 70kish miles, generally with the original alloys and 'orange' lights. Is there anything obvious I should be looking at with these cars ? They look pretty good value, especially compared to similiarly priced 993s... Roughly what mileage should things like suspension and clutch be changed ? How much would it cost to convert to the 'clear corner' type indicators ? And how much is a standard set of 18inch alloys and tyres going to set me back ? Any other obvious gotchas ? Obviously I'm aware I should get the best car I can afford, but some of these lower priced cars look a great deal, especially when I think they cant slip much lower, and hence be pretty depreciation proof... Can anyone thnk of a really good idea why I shouldnt get something at this end of the 996 market, rather than say a late 99 with maybe 50k miles on it at nearer �30-35k ? Any opinions on metropole blue interiors ? And how hard would it be to change the boot/hood release levers ? cheers all Toby

The notorious gotcha is the for this car is the rear main seal (RMS). From what I have heard it will cost $1500-$2000 to fix. If you end up having to fix the seal, it might be good time to think about the clutch (IMO). This is scattered all over the forum, try searching for it This is probably easily found by searching as well. 20k miles Personally not my favorite, but its not my car. My only advice is to get what you like the most. Good luck

yepp, well, aware of the RMS issues, and not to worried about it... I've done lots of searching over the past year but prices are always in $ and I was kinda hoping there might be some UK guys here with an idea too... thanks for the pointers tho

Whatever you buy make sure you have a Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI) done by a reputable Porsche shop before you hand over your cash. Try and get one with a detailed service history if possible. I would suggest you stay with a more conventional interior. Many times the "bling factor" wears off and you are stuck with something you absolutely hate. Can't go wrong with a black or grey interior. Good hunting!

Depending on where you are, donlt get JZ machtech to inspect it, they are a bunch of fools make sure you get you local porsche centre to do it, even if it costs a little more

Toby, color is such a personal preference; however, I love the Metropole Blue. The blue can be spruced up by adding some black, aluninum, or body colored pieces such center console and such. Good luck!

Well, the car I went to see today, ( well cars, 5 of, all nice, like all P cars ... but one caught my eye ), was ocean blue with metropole interior, and it seemed a lot more subdued than I thought.. Not a bad combination really.. And certainly not as bright as some of the blues I've seen in 993's But I've come from the typical black / grey interior cars... It was missing the original stereo too, ( aftermarket fitted ), is it easy to change the centre console for a more modern or different one ? Maybe even to put an orginal stereo back in ?

The link below will take you to a siet that has many color choices in a neat gallery, including this one with a painted center console. http://www.whiteson.org/boxster/gall...56959384.shtml

I think your price quote for a RMS is high. I've been told it's closer to $800...just FYI. Mark

I had the RMS replaced last year and had the dual mass flywheel and clutch replaced at the same time - �1300 all-in at Ninemeister in Warrington Cheers Andy

FYI: �1300 = $2261.35

I have a '99 coupe tip that was built in Feb-98. I bought it in Jan-05 with 35,100 miles on it. Rear brake rotors and pads were brand new. It had no leaks and no history of RMS failure. During the first year my repairs included the following: 1. Shocks replaced - At 7 years old, the seals on the shocks had failed and handling was scary. Dealer checked out the car and didn't find the leaking shocks. 2. Motor mounts replaced - The motor mounts are a nitrogen-filled rubber set-up and the nitrogen leaks out as the rubber cracks. Symptoms were a rough change from 2nd to 1st when stopped, remember, mine's a tip, and there was a noticable jerking when grabbing reverse. Dealer didn't find this either. 3. Front rotors ground 1x and brake fluid replaced - I was autocrossing a little and was being careful but fluid was 7+ years old, just like the shocks. 4. Power steering hose failed - see 3 above. After 1 year, with then a total of 42,100 miles on it, oil and water were found to have intermixed. That's the big issue with these engines, not so much the RMS at a cost of $800 to $1,000. It seems to me that a good number of the early cases go porous and coolant mixes with oil. If enough coolant ends up in the oil, the bearings, rings and valves let you know in a bad way. Failure can be catastrophic. Mine wasn't but the engine still got replaced. Best solution is the higher-cost one: a new engine as opposed to a rebuild. I had an extended warranty and the warranty company bought the new M96 engine. All rubber hoses are now new and new Fabspeed mufflers are installed. Tip is now fully serviced. I'm giddy. All in all, I love the car. It's Arctic Silver with a Slate Gray interior. I love the Ocean Blue but color is personal. Good luck finding the right car. A friend told me, "If you find the right car and it's $1,000 or $2,000 more than you think it should be, but it's the right car...buy it." What tipped the scale for me was the extended warranty. That paid off BIG TIME.

Cheers Guys, some scary stories around ! Half persuading me to stick with my Audi tt... Would a porsche warranty cover the main things tho, ie RMS, intermediate shaft failure, or this porous block thing ? I kind of figured that a car having done 70k would have shown most of its faults by now... ?

Yeah, but it doesn't work that way in reality, even if it does in exchange rates. Typically you just change the symbol from pound to dollar to figure out what things cost in the US.

Why?

Just the way things are. If you convert everything to dollars, in all of Europe stuff is much much more expensive than the US. I guess part market forces part VAT.

hello toby, personally ive gone for a car middle of the road its not the cheapest and its not the most expensive. I think you shouldnt have to pay more than 30k atm from a dealer. Ive seen some for alot less ie 25ish (check 911 vrigin theyve got one) that have done alot of miles. Swings and roundabouts isnt it you pay more initially and get more when you px for a 997 gts rs At the end of the day get something thats had enough miles on it to get the expensive stuff (RMS, clutch etc) out the way for your ownership of the car. Of its really leggy it will affect trade in values .... good luck good cars seem to be selling quiet quickly as ppl cotton onto the idea of a modern pcar for sub 30 k

you just have to be a little lucky...even with a brandnew car you can have problems (any brand!!)..but if you can't pay for repairs...and there will be a couple...don't buy a Porsche...buying one is simple...owning (maintaining) one is another story......let's not forget the modding!! which can run into the papers!

Is this specific to repairs and maintenance for porsches, or is this across the board?

Just an across the board thing. It actually is less relevant to service (as opposed to goods) and high prices items, but even with those things it is still mostly true.

Unfortunately it doesn't work for 997's or I could buy one for $59,000.

Yeah, but a 997 doesn't cost $102,274.32 either. Like I said, on the high ticket items the straight 1:1 conversion is less so, but it still ain't the exchange rate.

[QUOTE some scary stories around ! Half persuading me to stick with my Audi tt..[/QUOTE] I'm sure you've test driven, so you KNOW the Porsche is way more exciting than the tt, even if the tt is a good car. The real expense is getting the bug so bad that you spend all your extra $ on having fantastic fun at the track, even as a new guy; and then add mods to go faster and faster. Then mods to be safer. (Well maybe stick with the tt after all if you don't want to spend to much ).