Potential project car: thoughts?

Long time no post. I sold my 997.2 C2S last year when our firstborn showed up and I needed more space for a rear facing infant seat (they are huge FYI). A family member is thinking about getting into the Porsche game with a project car and I will be helping out. It is a 2000 C2 coupe tiptronic with a little under 80k miles. It is on a trailer out in the country in some guy's backyard. It hasn't run in over a year as the guy was driving it on the interstate and it started making a ticking noise and then died. The seller claimed the ticking noise had been there for awhile on the passenger side of the engine but got louder right before the car died. The battery is dead so I wasn't able to pull codes but the oil looked fine (no shavings or weird colors) and coolant looked fine as well. Cosmetically the car is in good but not great shape. Mechanically it is completely unknown and seller doesn't want it started up and instead just wants the buyer to assume the car needs a new engine. If the car is purchased the plan is to tear down the engine to see if it can be fixed/salvaged instead of just automatically assuming it needs a new engine. So, the question is, does it sound like a good project car or should we pass? If so, what would be a fair price? The seller is asking $10,000. It seems to me, assuming that the seller is right and it does need a new engine, somewhere around $6-7,000 would be more reasonable. What does everyone think? As some background, before everyone says to spend more money and buy a car that is in better (or better known) mechanical shape, the family member that will be doing 99.999999999999% of work on the car is retired and is looking for a project car to repair/rebuild/restore.

Nope. Spend $15K and get a runner that needs lots of cosmetic and maybe a little mechanical attention. There's way more satisfaction there for the retired owner. Plus, get them to join rennlist since they're doing all the work. FYI, I spent $7k and my car runs.

I voted yes, if you can get it at a reasonable price - mostly if the guy likes projects. These cars are relatively easy to work on. But...I�d walk into is assuming it needs the motor replaced. If it turns out to not be shot, you are way ahead of the game. I think a reasonable price for a roller is $4-6k. Be prpared for all sorts of damage from sitting - mine had mouse nests and chewed up wiring harnesses. In my experience, buying them this way doesn�t really save much money in the long run over buying a better, running example. But you can have the fun and satisfaction of bringing it back from the dead.

$4-5K car or you could end up way over the price of a running 996. Driving a 996 is way more fun then fixing one and draining your bank account...

Run Forest, Run. Seriously, it will likely cost you much more than if you just bought a decent one. Even a decent one will have some "project" features.

Quotes source post: 15646044

The passenger-side ticking noise is characteristic of a scored bore, so the seller is likely correct that the car will need a new engine. I'd guess such a car would be worth ~$7k at most. From that you should deduct the cost to bring the rest of the car up to snuff based on it being in "good but not great" condition and having sat outdoors for a long time. I think the realistic assessment is that at the end of a long and difficult restoration the total cost may prove to have exceeded its restored value.

Quotes source post: 15646348

+1 love a good project if the entry cost is reasonable but don't think it will save money.

Quotes source post: 15647124

I agree with you that the ticking sound on the passenger side leads to cylinder bore scoring. But as Jake Raby explains in his recent Bore Scoring videos on YouTube, cylinder bore scoring is not always the end of the road if caught soon enough. The motor can be repaired. But still, that's going to cost a lot of money, probably more than it's worth. I wouldn't touch this car unless it was more on the roller price level. This guy bought what he thought was a great deal on a M96 engine. Watch as he peels backs the layers on this onion... https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-teardown.html

It's a $5-7k roller. So, look at everything that is NOT the engine. Can't test the brakes, trans, suspension. Figure a used engine is going to be $10k all-in(if you can find the right one). Now you've got your used engine 996 for ~$17k. Why not go find a runner for $17k with no engine damage, and keep up the mx on it? Unless it's a gotta have chassis with a lot of bonus options.