Hopefully soon to be 996 owner

Hi All, Been a member for a while and hopefully transition into a 996 owner. My preference is a 996.1 C2 or a C4 but will also look at 996.2s. Had a PPI done on an 03 996.2 recently and a few things have come up. Brake fluid change was last done in late 2020. Tyres are over 8 years old. Laminated Windscreen will need replacing (300 mm crack on passenger side). Surface corrosion on the rear subframe diagonal supports. Front-to-rear brake pipes are corroded under the passenger sill. There's a slight exhaust blow. The car has stainless steel exhaust manifolds and central pipes. One coil pack bolt is missing/broken but the pack is secure. Battery bulkhead drains are blocked with water present but no water ingress. The passenger seat won't move forwards/backwards, and the driver's seat won't move fully back. There's a noise from the auxiliary drive belt area when warm (possibly the tensioner, idler pulleys, or alternator) and a light metallic rattle over uneven surfaces, likely from the worn front drop links or track rod ends. From some light research, I feel like to address these issues would be around £4-5k? Would appreciate thoughts/suggestions from the more experienced 996 owners here.

All depends where you go. The biggest price variation is the outfit, not the job. Your decent trusty local mechanic would probably sort most of that for a couple of grand. Some of these 'specialists' where you suggest (£4-5k)

Thanks Alex, the closest Indys to me are 9excellence and GT-one.

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As I said, for me it'd just be a decent local mechanic, otherwise you'll end up paying more for the work than you did for the car. Mines in for a service today and I expect it'll be around £400 tops and £130 of that is the oil.

May be worth advising what the car was advertised at if you're after some opinion on this.... if it's a £12k car it may be worth considering but if it's a £20k then probably not......... £4-5k sounds about right if you factor all the things that have been found on the PPI.... it could also be more at the indie or less if you're able to do alot of the work yourself.... there are plenty available and the range in price is huge. Surely the seller has made enquiries about windscreen cover...?

@rrmave - how much do you love the car and does the price reflect the works that are needed? They are old cars now and unless it has wall to wall main dealer history, you don't need to use specialists to do the basics like Alex has said. They are also quite easy to do some of the simple stuff with as DIY if you are so inclined. Being a 996.2 I'd be more focused on ensuring the engine has a clean bill of health, no signs of bore score etc as the other parts are relatively simple fixes - did your PPI include any engine inspection? PPI's are always going to try highlight every minor thing as they need to justify the fees, hence i don't bother with them Good luck in your search, if you are feeling brave, post a link to the ad and others on here can possibly provide additional advice

Yep - Bore Score would be my number 1 priority before handing any dosh over.

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Price of car is irrelevant IMO. What's relevant is are they capable of doing the job and at what cost.

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It is absolutely relevant though.... a £12k car needing a few grand to get right is a completely different beast from a £20k needing a few grand.... it's relevant to the buyer. As we see all the time on here, alot of cars are overpriced in the first instance ( the 2 yellow ones we've seen on here recently especially ) i completely agree on the bore score issue on a 996.2 though and wonder how many PPi's actually do include this service.

My point being, you shouldn't be paying more for a job on a car, just because it's valued at double the price of another similar car.

Ah ok, yes i completely agree on that point..... we sometimes get hung up on the stamp in the service book being " correct " so it holds some value at time of selling on....same applies to maintenance and repair.

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Brake fluid age is largely irrelevant if it tests OK for water content. Tyres could be a bargaining point. Those diagonal supports always corrode, it's a couple of bolts each to take them out and treat, it's nonsensical to replace them. Brake pipe job is expensive 600-1000 from memory? Not sure if what you mean about the exhaust as the factory manifold is SS and there is no central pipe, if aftermarket manifold and the bolt situation has been rectified this adds to the value of the car. Could just need new exhaust header gaskets, £250 at a garage for both sides or £40 and a couple of hours. Adding updated coils to the next sparkplug change is not an issue. Battery drains just need a clean sounds like. Seat rails also block from gunk and are easy to clean once you remove the seats. Idlers take 30 minutes to change, easy to add this job on when replacing the belt or doing the service as you've taken the airbox out. Also what shop charges £££ for a PPI but can't use a stethoscope to tell you of it's an idler or the alternator that is noisy? No comment on suspension as more than likely you'll find more parts to replace once you dig in. All in all, with the exception of brake lines these would not register on my radar as "problems" for a 23 yo sports car, if you are not handy with a spanner and your plan is to take it to one of the most overpriced outfits in the country as you mentioned for some cleaning and TLC, you'd be perhaps be better served with a newer car.

Looking at that list some you’ve got some small jobs that aren’t that expensive and others that will hit you that bit harder. Could you buy it and claim a new windscreen on your insurance ? With these cars being over 20 years old you’re always going to find something that’ll need looking at and switching out. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed once you find the right car

With quite a few of those its probably worth reading up on them/ doing them yourself. A halfords tool kit is 200 quid for a good one, you'll save yourself a fortune in the long run. If thats all that was picked up then it sounds like quite a good example to be honest, gen 2's are great.

996's are of the age now where they are a labour of love more suited to someone who can do most of the work themselves, if that's not the case for you buy one that's totally sorted or restored, buy the car on condition not on anything else. Bore score is a much bigger issue on .2 cars and a single row ims bearing. These 2 issues are less a concern with a pre 2000 3.4 . All the things listed for the car above are minor even the windscreen for a DIY er . A brake pipe forming kit and pipe can be bought for less than £50 quid.