Buying A 996. A request for help and guidance.

I have come across a very nice 996 in my local area. I have done a great deal of reading on the subject but wondered if someone in club could offer some sage words of advice. I think I have done appropriate due diligence but could someone give me a view and some advice on the cars value? Details 2001 3.4 996 Carrera 2 Tiptronic 105,015 miles Full history (Porsche and Specialist) Last serviced 16/04/18 (minor) at Autofarm (Oxfordshire) MOT 8/11/18 (NO ADVISORIES) Reg No. N900JER RMS / IMS replaced by Autofarm 2015 New front tyres (correct continental) 4 previous owners Silver (a shame!) would prefer a dark colour On inspection excellent body and wheels no dings or scratches 2 Keys Recent full inspection by Autofarm and all necessary works completed (2015, about 2000k since) £4000 I have seen the receipts but cant remember the details I have spoken to Autofarm and they confirm that on the last service there were no advisory items of works required. NEGATIVES Rear tyres are getting low. Legal, but not for long. Radio screen is almost unreadable due to pixel failure. AC screen is 'bleeding' LCD leak behind the glass? AC compressor cuts in when the button is pressed but it is not bowing cold (front AC rads look undamaged and clean with no misting of oil) Present owner does not use AC due to a medical condition so the system hasn't been used in 4 years. Car has (I think) a performance exhaust that looks akin to a large intestine! However, there are no obvious leaks and none seen at the service, it is, however, loud (ish) I am thinking that the tyres will cost about £400 and the AC could be just gassing but budgeting for about £1000. Is that reasonable? Also is there something that Im missing? and what would you value the car at? Thankyou so much for your time and sharing your expertise With regards, Charles.

Hi Charles, I've only been a Porsche owner for a couple of years so there are others here that will be able to give you better advice. I would ensure that the car has a great service history and that it has been regularly maintained, if you can, get an independent assessment as well. As an example, I looked at another 996 being sold privately before I bought mine. It had a fabulous Porsche Centre service history with a complete set of service stamps, but the cars overall condition didn't really reflect an owner that had cherished it. Anyhow, I contacted the Porsche centre and asked if their records would confirm the service history. In a nutshell it didn't. The car had been serviced by them two or three times over the years but nothing like the amount that the service book showed. Needless to say I dodged it and looked elsewhere. Regarding your pricing of parts:- I had my air con serviced yesterday by the Porsche centre in Sidcup. (Great service by the way). They replaced the seals and dessicator and gave it a general check over and charged me just under £400. It does seem that your Air con fault might be a bigger issue. I know that a full overhaul with replacement parts is expensive so get that checked by the Independent. I have Pirelli N rated tyres all round and the rear pair cost me £360 for them both. The radio screen is a common fault but I have seen replacement parts online for a reasonable amount (less than £100). Finally, I've had a peek at its history on the website Cazana. There were a few advisories for Brake pipe corrosion and pitted discs etc in 2012/13. May be worth checking them to confirm that they've been fixed. Difficult to suggest a valuation, I would use ebay to find similar aged cars with similar mileage and see what they are going for. At least you will be near knowing its true value. Regards Gerry

Thank you Gerry, I think the history is sound. Autofarm have confirmed the work that they have done and the last service with them didn’t flag up any advisory items. The AC is a worry. As I cant stand things that don’t work! I am probably being over cautious, as the car feels right. For the money, I could always get a 4 year old Polo! But isn’t life a bit too short? many thanks and regards, Charles.

Hi Charles, Air con needs to be 'run' regularly if even just to lubricate the seals so it could be that these have perished. My indie charges £85 for a re-gas & circa £235 labour to fit new condensers should you wish to purchase them yourself via ECP or carparts4less who are their online division & generally offer more discount, so always worth comparing BOTH..... Pitted discs, especially rears are common & not a fault & are an easy DIY if you are so inclined. It appears well documented with regard servicing & as for condition I would have thought the interior would give some idea as to if it has been 'cherished' or not.... Hope this adds to helping you make your mind up [ ]

Many thanks, I have a guy who does the AC on my other car and I have asked him to quote on various scenarios. As the compressor is running, I assume that there must be some refrigerant in the system? It encouraging to hear that use is a factor as it hasn't been. Other than the radio and the AC screen the interior is in excellent condition. I hate the 4 spoke steering wheel but I suppose I'm stuck with that! Many thanks again, Charles.

You can get replacement panels for the A/C control unit, but I'm not sure about the radio screen. Maybe Gerry can point us to a source, as someone else was asking me about that a week or two ago and it would be nice to pass it on to them. As for "not using the A/C", I would be a bit wary of that comment. I seem to recall that my 996's A/C defaulted to 'auto' every time I started the car, so you would have to physically switch it off every time. I'm sure someone will correct me if my memory has failed me on this one.

Quick update, The present owner has booked the car into Autofarm on Wednesday to have the AC diagnosed. We can then negotiate the price of the car or he will fix the problem and I will take this into account when making an offer. I think this seems extremely reasonable of him. He is a very straight chap and I do trust what he says about the car. The LCD screens are another issue that I would look at in time. I have just seen a thread on fitting a Porsche approved replacement head unit part no. 91164529000 it looks a perfect upgrade but I would assume its very very expensive! www.porsche.com/uk/accessoriesandservice/classic/genuineparts/producthighlights/navi/ Many thanks for your help. Charles.

Hi Charles, I saw the replacement radio parts on ebay when I was looking to replace my screen. I didn't go ahead with it in the end because only a very small portion of my display was affected. It sounds like your seller is being very reasonable which is great. Let us know the outcome of the autofarm inspection. Cheers Gerry

Dear All, Many thanks for all your advice. So, I have taken the plunge and the car is mine. I have looked through the history at great length and it is very comprehensive. IMS, RMS, and, everything else. The previous owner has fixed the AC And it is ice cold. The problem was a puncture in the AC line as a result of a careless tyre fitter. The immediate jobs are to fix the ‘bleeding‘ AC Screen and a fix to the broken pixels in the stereo. This is where I need more advice. I looked at aftermarket radios but I can’t bring myself to take it out and replace it with a nightclub! So can the screen be fixed? I need Bluetooth but that is easy with a unit that connects to the cigar lighter. Well, that’s it. It’s on the drive and I have renewed my membership to the club. Please keep the advice coming through! Huge thanks, charles.

Sadly no advice on the AC screen or radio... But congratulations and welcome to the joys of driving a 996!

Welcome to 996 ownership

Hi Charles Congratulations and a very warm welcome to 996 ownership, repair kits for the ac start at about £80 on on ebay or you could try to source a preowned unit from a breakers such as Douglas valley breakers they may be worth a call but the kit would be your cheapest option. Re the radio, which are all Becker units and the official repair agents are Putnoe Radio Services Ltd Hartlepool 01429 869220 Also this company may be worth a call https://www.pcmrepairs.co.uk/Porsche-Enhancements Having said that there are some great after market units from Alpine, Kenwood or Pioneer which will give far better up to date navigation and phone connectivity which is personally the way I would go. Good luck & enjoy. Andy

Welcome to 996 ownership and congratulations on the purchase! I am sure we can all draw parallels with the buying experience but it sounds like a good one. The climate LCD screen fix is an easy one and if you are happy with the condition of the unit in your car I would only replace the screen itself. Mine was good with no wear to the buttons or plastics so I was keen to keep it rather than pay for another used one from a seller such as Status Porsche or Douglas Valley. Its been a while since I weighed up the options but I think it was in the region of £80+ for a replacement used unit (they just plug straight in and are easy to remove) or I’m sure it was a lot less to replace the screen only. I went for a screen replacement kit that came from Germany and was very particular to keep the original look ‘font’ and not have a VW/Audi one, which looks quite different to the original... how OCD I know! Also preserves the word ‘Manuell’ rather than the VW/Audi ones saying manual and having different arrows etc. I can dig out the details for you which I would have kept. Not sure where you are based but hopefully we will get together at a club event some time. J