rava981

Hello to everyone, this I my first post and to be honest I am a little bit lost. Since the beginning of the month i've been looking for a 981 base manual in the WHOLE Europe (I'm from Romania). When all my hope was shot, while i was sitting in the chair and hit for the god know how many time the refresh button, a new add for a manual 981 popped 5 miles from my home (what are the chances?). It was unbelievable!! In the same day I went and I have seen the car. The car looked stunning, year 2016 , 56k Km (35k miles), Bose sound system, Borla Sport exhaust, manual gearbox (dont want a PDK) for 39k euro (47k usd).At this moment i can tell you that in 3 days we have an appointment at Porsche dealer for mechanical, electrical inspection and compression test.

The car was kept outside and I have the impression that it wasn't really looked after (however the car has full Porsche history), but the overall condition was ok not mint new like condition. The car was serviced twice: 30k KM (18k miles) and the other one at 50k km which is normal for European Porsche cars (I think it has to do with eco reasons). The side air vents have several stone marks and the paint is slightly chipped away.

After I checked the VIN I found out that the car had a damage of 15-20k euro (18k-23k USD) 2 months after it left factory. However the owner swears that the car was never crashed and told me that there must be a mistake on the carfax. The only parts that were repainted are the front and rear bumper and that was because it had some paint chips. He insisted that the rest of the paint is original. He insisted that Porsche inspection will confirm that. However I can see a difference in the paint of the front and rear wing (photos attached). The rear wing seems to have some orange peel effect. Other than that everything looks ok, no repainting marks.

The left door panel is detached, a well know problem with this models but hopefully the owner will pay for the repair or he will make me a discount so I can fix it.

The paint from the callipers is faded but as far as i read in this forum, several owners had this problem with anodized callipers (picture attached)

One thing that I also wasn't impressed was the fact that the owner floored the car after 5 minute since cold start (that is the reason I want a compression test)

I also ordered a Icarsoft unit so I can access the DME an look for over revs in case that dealer wont tell me to manny information about it. I also ordered it because its a really good tool to have.

Do you have any advices? What's you opinion on this car?

matttheboatman

That paint coming off the caliper is unusual. Never personally seen one do this myself.

You can't hurt these engines when you floor them - just check overrevs. If not series 3 or higher, I would not worry.

Its going to need some 6 year timed out maintenance items. Change the coil packs / spark plugs. And, a general refresh - oil change/brake fluid flush/coolant flush/check your brake pads.

Your porsche dealer is going to want you to change all pads and rotors. I have switched over to the supplier brand Sebro Coated and Slotted Rotors - love 'em much better wear. Personally, I would change the transmission oil and gear oil - its not that hard or expensive.

I would do the compression check last after you have decided to buy and use that time when plugs out to replace them with the new coil packs.

The 981 is probably the best car Porsche has ever engineered and constructed. Remarkably hard to kill.

matttheboatman

Oh, and check the headliner closely. They have been pulling away and needing replacement - if any bubbles it will soon been drooping. Its not the easiest headliners to replace since the side window has to be removed. Depending on heat and how much the car has been run with the windows down, they will all need replacing within 10 years.

rava981

Thanks for the information. I will return with over revs series and infos from the dealer. Rotors, pads are in very good condition and the last maintenance was done 3000 miles ago. Will check the headliners closely. Your post was really helpful!

Fullyield

Strongly disagree with your statement that you cannot hurt these cars when you floor them. High rpm on cold oil is one of the worse things a driver can do for piston skirts, cylinder walls, piston rings and bore scoring.

GT4Kevin

For him to say carfax is lying is a massive red flag, I would walk away unless this is a steal in your market. I refuse to buy a car with a dirty carfax

alvitdk

Cold engine flooring is certainly an issue in my opinion, that alone would make me walk.....

rava981

Ok guys, I have just bought the car. After I have inspected at the dealership i pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, one day before I bought the car my driving licence was suspended for one month (speeding) so i never had the chance to drive the car (except the first test drive)...
When i took the car for the test drive the owner insisted to warm up the car properly which was a relief for me and after the test drive he insisted to let her run 5-10 minutes before turning the engine off (cooling reasons)...From what I know this is true only on turbo cars but even so i liked the extra precaution
checked the car at Porsche and it seems it was never involved in a crashed and they had similar situations where the internet report would show an incident but the car was accident free.The only problems with the car were the door panels and a left underpowered windshield washing nozzle. Oh, and also they noticed a small fissure on the Borla S exhaust

Also a thing that I noticed and maybe it was just me, don't know if its normal
While my wife was driving I could hear a very very thin whining sound, like a high pitched sound but hardly noticeable, the sound comes from the back of the seats (engine/belts). My wife couldn't hear it in 50 miles trip. I am not sure if this is normal or its just the engine sound since its the only sound i can hear except the exhaust. The sound gets louder on high RPM, and disappears when clutch is pressed.
The sound sound like this 14800HZ video but with a very small tone )

CaymanCarver

I dunno. I've seen some crazy s!#t on a Carfax.
You have to understand, all they do is interpret information and records filed against a VIN and then generate a report. It's all automated. That is it.
It is not cost effective for them to verify the data they collect. Any data input error and the Carfax is scarred with misinformation.

I checked the Carfax on my Viper 1 year after I bought it and learned it was up for sale on a lot in New Jersey ..when in fact it was sitting in my garage.
There was other conflicting info. on the report that made no sense. Took months to get it all cleaned up.

I've heard of other Carfax horror stories too.
I agree ..I woulda walked away from this one.

Fullyield

The biggest issue with a dirty car fax is it follows the car forever unless YOU do all the work to get it corrected. Like a salvage/rebuilt title, it will hurt subsequent resale down the road. So it is a “cloud on the title” as the lawyers say and sales price should be discounted appropriately. Even if the info is false, someone has to do the work necessary to fix it…..so you are buying a headache upfront.