SAM DACOSTA

Greetings,

I'm looking to add a 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo to my garage. I'm seriously looking at 2 cars right now in S. California, are there any 'special things' I should be looking out for?

I have a very good shop (Hergesheimer Motor Sport, Lake forest, CA.) that will perform the PPI when needed and I've talked with them about the 2001 Turbo, so I'm just seeking an extra advice or concerns to look out for.

Thanks,
Sam

Macster

Check out the contents of this sticky thread at the top of this section:

Pending projects and a few questions-996TT

You can't go wrong treating the car like a used car and subjecting it a very thorough used car check out.

Before you do this though check out the car's engine, mainly.

I have a technique I suggest based on various things I've picked up over the years and I've written this up several times but I don't have time to write it again.

Search threads here that ask about buying a Turbo and what to look for and you'll get a hit. Or, if you want PM me and I may have something I saved away that I can reply with.

Anyhow, after you've test ridden in the car and test driven it and believe the car's engine/drivetrain and running gear, and for the most part the entire car, is sound then if you believe you can make a deal for the car have it PPI'd by a qualified shop.

Among other things, this should have the engine overrev counters read. If you're not sure what the numbers mean post the info here and someone will shed the light on the numbers.

Remember you want to PPI just one car, the car you end up buying.

Don't rush, or be rushed. There's always another car. But be sure you can recognize a good car when you find it and know the market well enough so you can buy the car for the right money if it proves to be everything you wanted.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Renn 951

I have to ask why you're specifically looking for a 2001? Why not include 2002 models in your search? There are a few extra features that are worth having that come on the 2002's, and I wouldn't think the price difference would be that much. I'd look for the nicest 01/02/03 you can find in your price range. Or maybe those just happen to be the two cars you are currently looking at?

adam_

^^^ was thinking the same thing. Usually the specs are "2003 or newer" or "2005+"...but rarely "2001"

SAM DACOSTA

I'm currently looking at 2001 as that's what has risen from my search. My budget allows me to go up to a 2002, maybe 2003 if it's a deal. I'm game for the latest model within my budget.

Thanks,
Sam

SAM DACOSTA

Macster,

Thanks very much for the advice. I was wondering how many cars do I PPI, so your suggestion of searching until I find the one was really good. I have a good shop ready to do my PPI, so it's now the process of looking for the car.

What's your take on 'out of state' cars? Can you really buy a car without seeing it in person, even if a PPI is arranged and it's clean? I've seen what looks good in Forum's but without a true test drive and personal inspection, am I just potentially open up Pandora's box?

Thanks,
Sam

SAM DACOSTA

Macster, you have a PM.

larry47us

How many cars to PPI? As many as are necessary for you to find the car that you want to buy/drive.

I have bought several Porsches over the years, and have been tempted a number of other times. I have never restricted myself to a local car. I have focused in on type, year, specific features, low mileage, and most recently - color. When I have looked at all the pictures I can get my hands on, and have compared mileage, features to the other cars that are potential candidates, I have made a selection of the "best option" for my current situation.

I then use this board or others, 6speedonline, Pelican, to locate a reliable independent shop to do the PPI. I talk to them extensively to see what they check, and what their feeling is about the particular car model/year I'm interested in. Before I do the PPI, I do pull a CarFax report. In one instance, where the PO had spent a lot of money on upgrades, I found through the CarFax that the car was on a salvage title and was washed through Texas. I discarded that car BEFORE the PPI was done.

On another car, the PPI found that the radio was inoperable, the spare, toolkit and manual were missing, and there were several rather large oil leaks. None of these were things that the owner mentioned to me, and they all ended up being more than I bargained for. Disregarded the car.

Right before I bought my Turbo, I found another red one nearby. I drove it, and gave it a close examination. It looked flawless, a two owner car with low mileage in Guards Red, with 8 years worth of service records. My wrench did the PPI, and discovered that the owner had driven over many home construction sites and had torn the covers off the bottom of the car, and stretched connections, broken clamps, etc. Nope, not the car for me.

My point in this is that if you have a reliable person to do the PPI, you don't need to be afraid of buying a car long distance. But, also, even if the car is local, I am not able to crawl under the car to look at the undercarriage to see leaks, missing pieces, etc. And, I certainly don't know enough of how these cars drive to identify if the turbo is spooling properly, or the engine is missing at WOT. That's what my PPI is for.

Overall, I have spent $535 total for PPI's on two cars that I didn't buy. But that's why you do a PPI. I don't pretend to know enough to make a good buying decision on my own. I hire an expert to tell me if it's the right car - AFTER I have reviewed mileage, service records, features and colors. That being said, I am extreeeeeemely happy with my 2001 Guards Red Turbo. If you take the right steps, you can be too. Just make up your list of "wants," and be ready to walk away if the PPI doesn't reach your standards. There are a LOT of cars out there at good prices. If you let emotion get in the way of your decision, it will be an expensive decision - I promise you.

Good luck, and we're here to help you (or harass you) depending on our mood at the moment.

larry

Macster

I responded privately but I can give you a partial response here.

My opinion is that one should only PPI one car, the car he ends up buying.

This requires though one be good enough at evaluating cars to eliminate those that a PPI would. You can't pull the overrev counters so that's PPI territory. You probably can't get the car on a lift, so that's PPI territory.

But you can use all of your senses to develop a good feel about a car and whether it will pass a PPI.

When I go look at a car, I'll get down on the ground and look at a car from underneath. I'll shine a light in anywhere I can in the engine compartment, around the suspension and steering components, inside the radiator duct openings, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

'course, this takes some experience to know what's ordinary and what's not.

However, there is no shame though PPI'ing more than one car. It depends upon one's abilty/skill to assess a car's condition. We can't all be perfect (not that I consider myself anywhere near perfect in this regard).

I'd rather see a buyer PPI several cars and reject these cars and ends up with a good car rather than make a hasty decision and end up with the wrong car, or lose out on an otherwise good car.

Still, the rule for used car buying is there is always another car.

For out of state buying, in short I'm not a fan of it. Now, I'm a fan of out of state shopping to widen my knowledge of what's available, the pricing, mileage, and so on.

But I like to visit a car in person (more than once) before I advance further into a possible purchase of a car. I don't have the time or the resources to travel hither and yon to find a car. (Well, as long as hither and yon are say under 100 miles, tops.)

However, I'm blessed (?) with living in a very large population center (the SF bay area) with lots of cars to choose from.

Someone that lives in a more out of the way place... Well, he might have to go more than the 30 or 40 miles that I had to go to buy my Turbo.

If you live in an area that just doesn't have a good selection of cars and a car you could like and buy isn't likely to come on the market in any reasonable timeframe, long distance shopping and buying is what you're facing.

You rely more upon the PPI and you need to speak with the person you'll be relying upon to know you are on the same wavelength.

Or to put it another way, not only are you in the market for a used car, you are also in the market for a dependable person/knowledgeable person to provide you with a PPI from which you will make a large purchase.

Thus your long distance purchase is still with some complications.

You trade off on the trouble of visiting the car to the trouble of finding a person you can trust to do a good PPI, the goal is to have you end up buying a car after which you have no regrets.

Now, you must be aware that a PPI can only tell you the car's current condition. Unfortunately, a used car can still develop problems shortly thereafter and this does not mean the PPI missed something.

As I might have pointed out here but I'll do so just in case, several times one of my Porsches was fine one day and sick the next. I drive my cars a lot service them a lot and often have the tech give the car a roadworthiness inspection.

I pay close attention to my cars and their condition yet a water pump, fuel pump, coolant tank, idler roller bearing, and other things (in either the Boxster or the Turbo) still failed with very little forewarning.

What you don't want to find though is the PPI missed accident damage, poor body/paint work, that the car comes off the delivery truck with an unhealthy sounding engine, or a sick tranny, or obvious oil leaks, or fluid leaks of any kind and so on.

As for the actual process of buying/paying for a car long distance, I have no experience in this area. There are of course scams so you want to take all precautions you can to ensure that the purchase of your dream car doesn't turn into a lesson in how used car scams work.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Riz

I'm looking for cheap 01 tt to mod. Any out there? thanks

SAM DACOSTA

I settled on a 2002 Porsche 996 C4S. I looked at over 15 Turbo's and drove 4, had 2 PPI done but did not find what I wanted to work with, or within my budget. I found a clean C4S and will put the extra money saved into some aftermarket modifications.

Thanks to all who offered input and made my search allot easier.

sanyata

The most expensive Porsche to own is a cheap one........... YMMV

Riz

Ok how about a reasonably priced one so I can have some money left for mods. I have a 09 stock 997 tt already which I don't want to mess with yet.