99 C2 - Some purchase quesitons

Hi there, new member here, and hopefully new soon-to-be-new-owner. I'm looking at picking up my first p-car, a 996, and I have a few of questions that I haven't been able to find answers to on the forums. I've known the current owner for a very long time, and we've come to a price that's very good. The Porsche in question is a '99 C2 coupe, tip, with ~59,000 miles on it. It's had two owners, and I know them both. The car has generally been taken care of and garaged nightly. It has always been a weekend car. The interior is in pretty good shape, the engine bay is pretty clean, and the paint is in great shape. The first owned it up until 2015, and tracked it occasionally, along with their other Porsches. I've known the second owner for a very long time, and do know that they have not driven it too often. They serviced it somewhat regularly. The car is due for a Major service, and we agreed to have that done prior to purchase. I test drove it last weekend, and noted a few things that I wanted to ask about before I schedule a PPI. First, the car has an aftermarket sport suspension setup, equipped by the first owner's mechanic. This is fine for me, but I noted a knock at low speeds coming from the front right side of the car when going over some bumps. My guess is maybe a shock strut, but is there anything I should be sure ask the mechanic about at the PPI? Second, I noted that when the car is warm and idling, there is an intermittent tick coming from the motor. It is quiet, and fades in and out. I almost didn't hear it. Third, I noted that the spoiler warning light comes on when the car is started, but in park. When driving, the light turns off, and I noted that the spoiler does go up in the test drive. The owner thinks this is normal ("it's always done that"), but I'd like to confirm that. Fourth, the ***** on the CDR-220 stereo are a bit sticky after 20 years. Are replacement ***** readily available? Stereo works fine otherwise. Thanks for any information folks can provide. Lastly, any recommendations for a mechanic near or in Encinitas are appreciated as well; right now I'm considering Charlie's Foreign Car for the PPI.

He is correct on the spoiler light. It does light up at ignition and turns off after a few seconds. Totally normal.

Quotes source posts: 15026674, 15026674, 15026674, 15026674

Tell the mechanic who is doing the PPI to check it out. Should be straightforward to diagnose once up on a lift This could be normal. Again, check it with the PPI. This is a normal feature. Read the manual! Very common. Better than replacement ***** is to buy a small can of "plasti-dip". Pull the **** off, insert a toothpick, dip just the outer surface in the plasti-dip, turn upright and let dry. I did this 6 or 7 years ago. They've been great since.

Let me clarify a bit: what concerned me is that the light didn't go out after a few seconds, but rather stayed on the entire time the car was running in Park. I started it from cold and idled it for maybe 20min doing a walk-around and talking to the owner before pulling away, and the light stayed on the entire time, until I put the car in gear. The manual seems to indicate that, like any other dummy light, it should disappear very quickly after starting the car. Perhaps I misunderstood the manual?

The spoiler light stays on until the car is moving forward at like something over 3 MPH. It will stay on if the car has not been moved. It stays on in reverse, until the car moves forward.

So the engine has an intermittent ticking noise and your worried about the spoiler warning light!!

Ticking can be a sign of several things, most of them very bad. Do a search on ticking here and read the horror stories. It is important to identify which 'tick' you have, but make sure the PPI includes looking at the sump for plastic or metal. In all honesty, these cars aren't exactly rare and tips are priced better than manuals (if you are looking for a tip specifically that is). If you have any doubt about the ticking, walk away.

Yes - you must positively identify the source of the ticking, and understand the full cost of dealing with it.

Quotes source post: 15027461

This forum needs some balance.

I wouldn't go that far. Was just trying to understand the behavior, as lights usually indicate imminent and horrible expense. Anyways, thanks for the tips on the sump and the radio *****. I'll point the tick and the suspension knock out during the PPI, and see what the specialist says.