[HELP] Buying a 996 - Is this sound normal?

Hi all, Looking to buy my first 996 (and first Porsche!). I got these videos from the dealer and the car is making a very weird sound for my untrained layman years. Can anyone help me understand if I should run away from this one or is it ~normal or potentially a cheap fix? Many thanks!!

No, it's definitely not normal. I won't hazard a guess at the source of the noise, but I'm sure someone else can. The positive terminal for jumping the car is missing it's cover and someone covered it with a red plastic cap.

If its only for about a minute on cold start up its the sai (secondary air injection) pump. When the bearings go they get noisy. They r an emissions part that doesnt effect anything except diluting the exhaust at start up. They r expensive units new but the bearings can be greased and i think there is a cheap merc or vw part that can be used. Also resonable used ones r available. All that being said u should spend the money and get a 3rd party ppi (pre-purchase inspecrion)

I listened to both. Doesn't sound too bad but there is a whine. Given how dirty the engine compartment is, it might be one of the pulleys or the alternator. I take it this is not coming from a Porsche dealer, right?

Is that during a cold start, with the noise coming from the air pump on the left of the engine compartment, if so it should stop after a minute of the cold start.......... -Eric

Just a guess but drive belt pulleys will make a whine type noise if the bearings are shot and on their way of exploding. Ask me how I know.

Thanks all for all the help so far, I really appreciate it! @De Jeeper & @Eric Kessel I'll ask the dealer if the sound stops after a while. Thanks for that insight! @DBJoe996 correct, not coming from a Porsche dealer. @plpete84 I hope it's not the case, but will ask!

Your best safeguard is to get a pre-purchase inspection (PPI). Ask (here) for advice for a good independent shop near you that knows Porsches. There isn�t a lot that is a cheap fix if you�re taking any Porsche in for repairs.

I'm not saying don't get a PPI, but I also wouldn't expect it to find everything. I'll say this on repeat until people realize these aren't definitive. The one on my 911SC missed $6k+ of VERY obvious work needed, the one on my 996 missed $3k+ of similarly obvious work - all done by reputable shops. I've seen the same thing in other inspection work. If they screw up, you get the bill, so it is worth making sure you cover all your concerns directly before committing and this is something I'd get to the bottom of regardless of what a PPI says. Be sure to inspect all the other usual items, as well.

Thanks for all the help so far! Update: It sort of has a higher pitched noise consistently. Doesn't get lower or higher. No smoke on cold start. I asked if we can get someone to check it out. Will keep you posted!

If the pitch is constant and does not change with engine RPM that almost certainly sounds like the SAI pump to me. Very easy to access/replace and frankly not an important component at all. Literally just an electric fan to blow air into the exhaust for about 30 seconds on cold starts to warm up the catalytic converter a bit faster. If the engine is allowed to idle for several minutes does the sound disappear?

Thank you all for the help! I ended up passing on the car as the noise wasn't diagnosed and was told told by the dealer that it went through 2 PPIs and the interested parties didn't go through with the purchase (not sure why he'd share this with me, but glad he did).