vbb

Sorry to start another thread for those who are following my thread about trading from my 997 to a 996. This is a different topic/question though. I am fortunate to have a very reputable indy Porsche shop within a few miles of my house, and one of the owners is a good friend. The shop has over a 30yr history of building Porsche race cars, so they can essentially do anything to a Porsche and I trust them with the work.

I've noticed a huge difference in price between 996TTs that have been garage queens and have less than 35K miles on the ODO, and ones that have been driven and have over 75K miles. While it is tempting to find a pristine, garage kept car, I also know people who regularly drive their cars seem to be on top of the maintenance moreso than people who let them sit, and I'm not particularly afraid of some mileage.

So if I pick up a higher mileage, 996TT that is say $10K-$15K under my budget, that will give me some play money to put in to it. What would be some of the things you would do if it were your money to spend, assuming this is a car that you will track maybe 2-3x a year and mostly use for spirited weekend drives, but not as a daily. My goals would be to build a reliable 500-525hp street car that could handle some track duty, but wouldn't be a hard-core track dedicated car.

Carlo_Carrera

I am confused. How much all in are you looking to spend on 966TT?

I personally always go for lower milage well maintained cars over a higher milage example.

jumper5836

increase the track, with GT2 sizing (wheels and tires), GT2 rear wheel liner bracket.
ecu tune
gundo/fister mod on OEM exhaust (not sure what it is called on the 996tt)
H&R RSS coil overs
all fluids replaced
new coils and spark plugs

vbb

Didn't mean for this to be a confusing question. Approximately $50K, give or take a few thousand, can get you a lower mileage, 2001-2002, one or two previous owner clean 996TT. Some of the 03-04 models and similar low miles may have an asking price approaching $60K. However, if you are not afraid of mileage (which a lot of used car buyers are), something with like 80K-100K on the odometer may have an asking price of under $40K, or even close to $30K even. Visually, the cars look the same. The previous owners may even have detailed service records showing that they did all recommended maintenance. But the fact that you're buying a car with that much mileage greatly depresses the value.

Assuming I decide to sell my 997 C2 in order to buy a 996TT, I will be looking at something I intend to modify, at least slightly. I enjoy modifying cars. Always have, and suppose I always will. So if I'm trying to stay within a budget of say $50K, I could either buy a low mileage 2001-2002 996TT, a mid mileage 2003-2004 996TT, or a high mileage 2001-2002 996TT and have as much as $15K "left over" in the budget to play with. If you would not even consider buying a car with higher mileage, then this question probably isn't for you.

Road King

From my perspective, I think you can buy a clean *moderate* miles (~50K) modded car for around $50K if you're not in a hurry--but it will take some time to get the right one.

I almost went that route 18 months ago but the mods we just not right for me (19s, big brakes that required 19s, tune, exhaust, intercoolers, GT3 style seats, bigger wing). Car in question was a '03 with a low 25K miles and price was $53K firm. Looking back it was a good number, but the 19s and more importantly the racy seats just didn't work for me. So I ended up buying a bone stock car with moderate miles (44K) for mid 40s. Ended up spending about the same dough on mods, but they're all my chosen mods, not someone else's and they're not as extensive.

The guy who ended up buying the car actually changed out the seats, but he didn't mind the 19s and lack of available rubber given he lives in the midwest and wasn't into canyon carving.

rmc1148

Buy a well maintained car with lower miles. A car with mods is usually cheaper and there are plenty to choose from in your price range. Also better to let someone else take the hit on mods as they add little to nothing on the value= most people want a stock car.

Macster

Well, I'm sure to be in the minority but I'd just bank the money to have for servicing or for use if any issues appear.

Bumping the stock 420hp Turbo engine to 500hp-525hp is a pretty big bump. That's going to eat into that $10K-$15K pretty quick.

Two or 3 times a year track will, or should, have you showing up at the track with fresh oil. Ideally the brake fluid should be flushed and bled before hand too. And tracking combined with spirited drives on week ends are going to accelerate the consumption of tires and brake hardware. Tires are expensive as are brakes.

I think even if you leave the car stock you'll go through that $10K to $15K in less time than you think, assuming no issues arise, like a water pump leak, or even given the tracking usage and spirited driving use leaking coolant hose fittings in the block. That's an engine out job and if necessary can require several thouand dollars or more depending upon what else you do "while the engine is out".

32krazy!

If you mind a salvage title you can get a low mileage (40k) fully modded to 750+ for 50k$

TeCKis300

This.

I agree with the OP that if you're intent is the track the car, no need to get a pristine garage queen.

With with 10-15k reserve on hand, especially with a higher mileage car, you'll want to re baseline lots of stuff, along with preventative maintenance items that were not previously addressed. Many things will easily suck up that budget, well before you get into mods. Though perhaps some of these can be opportunities to mod as well.

Some of the bigger ticket items:

1) Tires
2) Brakes
3) Clutch
4) Radiators
5) Coolant fittings

Poof, there goes the mod budget.

Also, with a new to you car, you may just want to track it stock to see what needs addressing. Plenty of things to learn and tweak (including the driver) at the stock hp level.

T10Chris

You'll have more fun with a higher mileage car that you are more likely to play with than a more expensive stock car that is so nice that you are afraid to take on the track..

When I set out to go from 997.2 PDK to 996TT, I specifically looked for the higher mileage cars that may need a little TLC since I intended to make a track car.. I ended up with a really clean 2001 car with 89k miles.. I don't worry about putting miles on it, driving it every day if I feel like it, I'm not concerned with hurting value by modifications like I would be if it was a 20k mile car.

vbb

Ok, thanks for the replies. I get that purchasing an already modded car with mid-mileage for $50K is an option, but as you also know, it could be like finding a unicorn to get a car that has been modded exactly to your liking, and even then you're going to have to trust that the work performed was of good quality. I am not taking that option off the table in my search.

I also get that building a "slush fund" for repairs and wear & tear items (fluid changes, tires, brake pads) makes sense as well. I do not intend to track all the time. It's expensive and time consuming. 2x a year is probably going to be my limit to the track.

But my question is not about whether I should try to find a modded car, or build a reserve for repairs...my question is more along the lines of what would you do if you had a blank canvas, bone stock 996TT and a budget of $15K if your goal was to build a 500-525hp street car that sees a couple of track days a year and a lot of spirited weekend drives? Maybe the answer that most of you have is "I wouldn't" which is fair.

I'm trying to learn. I've got a lot of experience with modifying cars, but I'm relatively new to Porsche. I can say, if my goal was to buy a car and not touch it, I would just keep the 997.2 C2 that I have. It's fast enough, looks good, and is well maintained. The reason I'm looking at a 996TT instead is because part of me misses the fun of modifying cars, and I figured the engine in the 996TT is stout, reliable and Porsche makes a fantastic chassis upon which one could build. I'm not looking at going wild with modifications, but figured $10K-$15K would be enough to do the "basics." Almost every other car I've owned had a pretty standard path of performance mods that most people would do, and yield good, reliable power and handling.

T10Chris

Here's what you'll want to do to have a street/track 911 on a relatively "low" budget.

1) Up to date all maintenance. Plugs, coils, fluids, engine mounts, trans mount, etc.
2) Exhaust and tune to meet your power requirement. I'd also do GT2RS intercoolers since they are relatively cheap and work.
3) GT3 sway bars
4) Decent tires and an alignment that is more track focused.
5) Keep some cash on reserves for failures. I pinned my coolant fittings without dropping the motor so it is possible if you are a DIY type of person. You'll probably run into issues from track use/mods... Clutch may not last long, you may have a failure, etc.

vbb

EXACTLY my point. Thanks. A lower mileage car would certainly be more of a collector's item. I could get a 996TT with 25K miles on it, put maybe 4K/year on it, and probably sell it for what I purchased it for 3 years down the road. But I'd be afraid to track it, afraid to modify it, or afraid to do anything to it that would prematurely depreciate the car. On the other hand, with an older, higher mileage car, I could mod it and drive it hard, and not worry about depreciation at all.

I hear you on that, but I'm not just looking at a track car. If I wanted a race car to track, I wouldn't even need a 911, and certainly not a Turbo. PLENTY of fun could be had for a lot cheaper by picking up an older Cayman, or even an S2000. Either of those cars could handle all I could throw at them and would exceed my skill level. But I'm not really looking for a dedicated track machine or becoming a racer. I want something for the street primarily, that I take to the track maybe twice a year for fun, and maybe only once a year.

Dock

I agree, so there are at least two in that minority.

911 Rod

Let's not forget the usual stuff.
Clutch accumulator
2nd gear pop out
Rear wing