iiAtlas

Don't worry, no seeds of doubt have been planted! This is a legitimate concern, but I been lucky enough to drive a sand beige 996 cab on occasion so I am moderately familiar with the glare. I am sure living with it is a different story..but a risk I am willing to take! Appreciate the input nonetheless.

Neat trick on VIN tool, here's what it pulled up.



Basic, I like it! Already having me thinking plate ideas...




Wonder what happened to those sea blue floor mats...

Thank you for this invaluable list! I know coolant is on the 60k service, that seems another indication that this milestone was missed (not by much). The PIWAS makes sense. I would like to have Porsche or at least an indy shop complete that service and remove the code for me. Maybe I can use that as a negotiating point, maybe it is moot. I do fancy myself a decent bit mechanically inclined. A '64 Sunbeam and a handful of airheads will do that to you... I would not be opposed to tackling some of the more routine items. Engine mounts...maybe not

Thank you JH! I just love the color combo. I have been lucky enough to drive a 996 Midnight Blue / Sand Beige cab on occasion so I am not going in fully blind to the blind-ing nature of full sand beige. Again, thank you for your input it is invaluable!

voiceprint1

plenty of fish out there, don't rush yourself into something, even if you ppi'd it, according to this board the ppi is the factor that should help you determine if the car is worth your time?

captainbaker

Bottom line is if they are asking retail, the car should not be in need of mechanical repairs. Tires are gonna set you back $1400ish, plus clutch and flywheel $3k, plus rotors plus plus. When I bought my 997, the PPI revealed worn rear tires and worn front pads. We deducted the cost from asking and a deal was done. Normal wear and tear is to be expected. This car has more than normal wear and tear due to the costs of the needed items.

Once you add up all the needed repairs you could find a nice 997.2 in proper mechanical shape.

RE: dash glare. My Testarossa has a full tan dash and that is a pain but solved easily with a dark brown dash topper. My 997 is a full sand beige dash and the glare is not an issue for me.

patriot993

hey iiAtlas - I did a quick search on cars.com and of course not a lot of midnight blue 997s out there.

+1 on captainbaker's comments. I KNOW it is hard to walk away...but I would really make sure you are making a smart emotional AND intellectual decision.

I honestly overpaid for mine...and it had some flaws that I should have been able to negotiate with. But I had been looking for so long (the last Targa in my price range that i had found was 5 years earlier) that I threw caution to the wind and bought it. I love it dearly but sometimes I do have to admit a bit of buyers remorse and wish I had waited. I think a 997.2 would be a better choice; based on my understanding, a base 997.2 is going to deliver performance of a 997.1 S.

Just some additional thoughts...

iiAtlas

I sense the voice of reason! I will (do my best to..) keep my emotions in check. May PPI another which fits the bill though at a higher price point.

These car is under retail and I believe my PPI revealed way. Paying to make the changes would bring it to that point. If I can negotiate them out I will be happy. As mentioned above, I may PPI another 997 which fits the bill but close to that NADA $36k figure.

The thoughts are why I came to the board! Thank you all for the input. There is something I like about the base 997.1, I can't put my finger on it..it is a simple car - I like that. The .2's seem to still be in the $40k range, though I wouldn't be opposed to one if it fit the bill.

It sounds like you have really been in my exact spot...a narrow window of options and a lot of searching. I value your input greatly, thank you.

patriot993

Regarding usage of the board...one other tip you might find handy. The 997 I bought had NO service records. I know that is a deal breaker to many, but emotionally I was committed. The car was for sale at a Maserati dealer in Chicago, but had been bought in auction in PA and had been titled in Rhode Island. With that limited data, I called ALL of the Porsche dealerships in the area around Rhode Island - no records of the car. The sales guy at the dealership found the town it had been registered at in Rhode Island, I did a search on Rennlist for local garages in that area that did PPI. I called the first garage I found in Rennlist...before I could fully describe the car, the mechanic that answered the phone told me the whole history of it, was a guy's summer car, he stored it for him in the winter at his shop, etc. Really put me at ease about the history (and maintenance) of the car. So the bottomline is use every available resource to help you with your quest!

Oh - one other thing...a Rennlister met me at the Maserati dealership to give it a look see for me...you can't ask for a better community than this.

iiAtlas

Wow now that's a journey! Good job at hunting those down..I fear I will have to do the same. Will ask the dealer again as I believe he mentioned them in passing but would be wise to confirm.

I suppose the big take away from all this is to spend the time and money FINDING the right car rather than fixing the one that wasn't...

Not saying that this one couldn't be the one!

The wise next step for me would be to PPI the car in Orlando. Means another deposit and PPI payment but will offer a valuable alternative. Would you all agree?

captainbaker

Ill put this final caveat. I was dead set on a white tan C4S manual with no damage history. I over paid for my car because it was exactly what I wanted in the color combo. BTW, your car color combo was the close second. Blue tan is a stunning combo. If the work needed $$$ is not out of your comfort range, go for it and be happy. You got the car you wanted, period. No fatal flaws, like salvage title, wrong color combo....

If you can get a car that meets your BASIC prerequisite for less cash, then yes proceed.

patriot993

+1 captainbaker's comments in terms of not settling on the color combo you want. You want to make sure you have a grin everytime you see the car in the garage.

iiAtlas - I may have missed the posting on the car in Orlando - if it is similar car I would do a PPI and see how it comes back. Might give you another option

squid42

The dealer needs to give in a bit. The lack of an upgraded stereo and of the universal audio interface (to get a line-in) is serious for resale. Buyers of that line of good looking cars are very likely to require full leather, and as people said the 2-tone interior would round it off nicely. That is a very light build sheet.

I would also not bet on the scratch having disappeared entirely. Are you in a position to see it in person? Is there any proof of things done for the 60k service? How do you know they didn't just change the oil?

Did the inspection include a compression test to look for cylinder scoring?

--

On the other hand it can be annoying to continue to look for your color combo and the car basically works. The work on the scratch means they are not entirely clueless.

I would estimate that the dealer would be hard to cave in on the price. It is not a Porsche dealer. An extra pretty 911 on the lot is free advertising for them. In fact the car is perfect for it.

07CarreraS

I spent $2400 on my 4 and 6 year maintenance on the 997 I just bought. Well worth it. All fluids, plugs, belt, etc

cool flash

Sounds like the third owner drove the car for a while without ever having any maintenance/repairs performed and then unloaded the car just in time. This is quite common with sports/luxury cars of this age and multiple owners.

CF

iiAtlas

White / tan C4S, another beautiful combo. Same as my BMW now (which I will be keeping). The work needed, being tires when summer rolls around and a 3k clutch and rear main seal in the near future is not out of my budget, if I factor it in to the purchase. Thank you for the vote of confidence, I appreciate the input!

Yes settling for a more readily available combo is something I nearly consider when the searching gets thin but then I snap out of it. The constant regret of finally buying a 911 only to not have it be "the one"

The orlando car is a very similar spec, slightly higher optioned, and slightly higher priced. I am going to go ahead with a PPI on this car, barring the dealer doesn't hold me to anything non-refundable. I just received the car fax and it is a clean 1 owner car, purchased and serviced from THE COLLECTION Coral Gables FL it's whole life. This, I imagine, is a huge plus.

Hi squid, thank you for the valuable resale info! It is always good to come with these points. Lucky for me as potential owner they are not requirements in my search for the perfect car, but I could see them being so for some. The PPI DID NOT include a compression test, I wish it did. Leo deemed the car at full power and a compression test not necessary. My faith is in him on this one, but for the PPI on the car in orlando I will request one. My next request from the dealer is service records. I don't think there is much room to go on price for this one.

The peace of mind is worth it I am sure! If I chose this car I would have the 60k mile service done, or re-done if that is the case just to confirm.

Speaking of, here is the car fax for this car. It looks like you could be right flash. Any other red flags that jump to mind? That 1 owner orlando car is looking like a pretty good option right now...excited to see if/how the PPI turns out on it.

German888

I'm not feeling it... Based on the info here I wouldn't put the cars value at anything over $24K. Easily $6K in deferred maintenance costs unless you plan to do the work yourself. I do like the idea of the base .1 cars being a sweet spot in the market. Lot a car for under $30K or even under $25K if you take your time and are willing to explore options in the + 75K mile range. Have your PPI shop do a bore scope and leak down test if your concerned about the known issues.

I did mine and the cylinders walls were pristine. My car kicked over 100K the day I bought it.
Original owner had a book of receipts from day one and had a new clutch/flywheel/RMS done at a very reputable shop a few weeks before I bought the car. $6K in receipts from that particular service which he deemed "the right thing to do" as part of the pre sale prep. Obviously he was a PCA member who took fantastic care of the car.

I've since done the following necessary maintenance.

1. Replaced AC clutch pulley bearing. Had a bit to much "runout" although made no audible squeal or issues.

2. Complete coolant flush. Installed a new water pump, T Stat and coolant overflow tank. Tank had a small crack although had never leaked up to this point. Disconnected all hoses and replaced several I deemed a bit too hard and dry. Water pump was fine that came out but did it anyway for piece of mind.

3. Removed both radiators to flush out road debris and grit. Both were roughly 80% saturated with dry baked in sand/grit particles as were both the AC condensers located in front of them. This job was a real mess to deal with. I ended up replacing one of the radiators because I cracked the small overflow nipple trying to disconnect it. I had a pile of sand and dirt built up that was alarming to say the least. I'll be doing this annually from here on out. The leaves aren't really the problem folks. Take a closer look inside the fins on the radiator and ac condenser. Try shining a light through from the back side and you'll notice years of road grit baked in. This is not helping the already questionable cooling on these cars.

4. Numeric shift cables and SSK kit. Felt the play at the lever was not up to spec and the cables are a known failure point. Also not a fan of how the OE cables connect at either end.

5. PTX gearbox oil. Heard it was a nice improvement in shifting. Time will tell...

6. Complete caliper rebuild including all seals and dust boots. New rear Rotors. Ft's were done by Original owner just before he sold it to me. Refinished calipers in red with new decals clear coated in. Some cosmetic and lots of function. Brakes are important...

7. New Plugs. Previous owner had done plugs & coils at 60K.

8. New BC Coilovers. All four bump stops were shot and I felt the car was no longer handling the road chop quite right. Upon inspecting the OE shocks 3 of 4 had lost much of the original damping characteristics and I could feel "cavitation" in the stroke. An indication of lost gas pressure and heavy degradation of the original fluid.

9. New wheels and tires. Purely cosmetic.

This list will no doubt continue to grow but I wanted to post up an idea of how far down the rabbit hole one can go just keeping up with maintenance etc...

One thing I discovered in my search is there is always another one just around the corner. be patient.

iiAtlas

THANK YOU for this write up. It gives me a good idea of the trip I am about to embark on, and in fact makes me all the more excited. Cars like these are a privilege to own, I am honored to potentially be the keeper and would like to do it right like the man who sold you the car and you now.

You're gut of "not feeling it" means a lot. I will get the Orlando car PPI'd. The other one "just around the corner" is what has kept me on this side of ownership for so long..I'd like the cross that bridge now Fingers crossed for the Orlando car and I am still not writing this one of entirely!