shft22

Close to my house there is a 1998 that has been parked for over 15 years, It was outside for about 9 years, then it was pushes into a garage.
I thought is was sold, but they rolled it back out a few weeks ago, talking the house owner, apparently while driving the engine stopped, the car was towed to the house and never checked it.
The car is located on a warm climate so no frost issues, At first glance the paint and interior doesn't look bad, considering, and I do not see any rust.
I currently have a 996 and I do all the work on it myself, I am very capable and would do anything on the car outside a full engine rebuild, (done many GM engines, but these porsche engines are a different thing).
Before I even make any type of offer, I will try to turn the engine by hand to be sure is not locked up, what else can I check for? Are there any hidden rust areas I should look for?
Looking at Bring a Trailer I see 993 going for around $55k and up, some for a lot more. Assuming an engine rebuild plust all other broken items because I haven't run in 15 years, what would be a reasonable offer on this car.

Gbos1

No more than $25k or I would walk not seeing it even that is a stretch! You’re easily $50k in from there. Also try to get someone to do all the work. I would personally find one that runs and drives than all the headache associated with the resurrection work. Who knows what is wrong with it or what you are getting into. Just my 2 cents. GL!

fatmike

A common issue with the 993 is the DME relay fails - and the car stops running... It's a simple relay, maybe $80 fix.

Now, your issue is a car that has sat for a decade and a half. The fuel is gel. Try to start the car, now that gel is in your engine and your have clogged injectors, etc.

I'd be concerned about S FL water/humidity destroying the car. You can't even check the oil without starting the car. I would offer to buy it contingent on draining the oil and inspecting it (replace the oil in the amount you take out).

Common rust spot is bottom corners of the windshield. Pull the rubber back a little and it is self evident.

Good luck.

/

jfischet

i bet it's the DME too. i wonder how bad that gas is.

geolab

I feel excited for you like when I purchased mine
In my own opinion, this part of the story is very very stupid ( the car was towed to the house and never checked it.)
If the story is true, I wonder how stupid could one be for when his Porsche 993 car stops, he tows it and leaves it like that 15 years. AND He knows nothing why it stopped.

If the owner is lying, it is as stupid because you cannot invent a story like that, that people will believe when they find out it is a huge mess.

2- All depends on which model 993 you are talking about, how many miles, etc
3- you cannot turn the engine and deduct health of a drysump cooled engine just on the sidewalk

There is the VIN number on the bottom of windshield driver side.

Copy it and find the closet porsche official dealer.
Let Porsche pull out the VIN. Maybe the owner took it to porsche and refused to repair the car.because of high costs.
Porsche will tell you if it was under their hands. Porsche keeps all history

shft22

Thank you, I know this is a gamble, but I am not stranger to bringing cars back from near death, just never a Porsche. Call me crazy but I actually enjoy finding cars like this and getting them working, is very rewarding, but I am also aware of how costly things can get so I am very careful not to be too much upside down.

Thank you guys for the DME tip and to look for rust around the windshield and checking the VIN, this the kind of advice I am looking for.

I am actually curious to see how the fuel is, no matter what all of it will be drained and the fuel system flushed as much as possible before trying a start. Same thing will be done with the oil and all the plugs will be pulled, hopefully I can fit my scope in the plug hole and check the top of the cylinders.

There is a very valid story why this car ended in this condition, details which I have been aware for some time, but I really don't want to share that here, not really relevant.

Grapeape

I understand that feeling you get when you bring something neglected back to life with elbow grease and $$$. Sounds like a fun project, pls share the car specs, type, options, etc., good Luck.

Dplus

Send an oil sample for analysis.

shft22

Thank you for the feedback, I am standing by waiting on the current owner to get back to me. I don't want to dig to much into the car current condition until this happens, my biggest concern is rust and if the engine is frozen, which it shouldn't be.
If this happens I will definitely post everything I find and will leverage you guys experience as much as possible.

westija

I find this with potential to be a great and rewarding project, if you can purchase it for the right amount.
Agree that rust can be a deal breaker, but mechanical issues can be sorted. Again for the right price , if you have the time and resources, it can be a lot of fun.

DM

In case it helps, here is my recent experience. Bought a one-owner 993 through a broker. It came with a stack of receipts including a top end engine rebuild about 3k miles ago.

Even though it came with a Carfax, I did not take into account it had only been driven 500 miles in 5 years (owner had passed and the widow had kept it).

It took close to $20k to get it road worthy and safe. (engine out and intake taken off to remove rodent nests and replace a bunch of stuff while in there), control arms, brakes, tires and much more. Spent another $5k to refresh the suspension and many worn bushings. LOVE the Koni Actives and MO33 springs I had installed.

So I'm $25k into a running car with records of an engine rebuild and new clutch. I am a very handy guy coming from a farm background and I would not touch 90% of this work.

I would budget $50k for repairs at a minimum. That does not take into rust repair. Paint work is unbelievably expensive today.

If you have some $ left over it's all good.

shft22

Very helpful, thank you, as stated rust will be a deal breaker, mechanical stuff I can probably deal with a lot of it, but yes initial cost of the vehicle is critical here.

Grapeape

For me to decide on a purchase I use a formula rather than one input like rust. If exposed to humidity for 9 yrs it almost certainly has rust. Depending on price and the other variables like; is intention to flip or drive to enjoy, and model and options, the repairs may still pay off. It is a 1998 so it is the last model 993 year, one for the plus column.

Churchill

I don't see why it'd be rusted, unless it was sitting in the mud. 993's are not at all rustbuckets like the early cars. I would imagine the paint and interior have taken an awful beating if the car really has been sitting outside in the FL sun for years. But rust, no. Salted roads cause rust, not sunny weather. You may have some windshield channel rust though.

Grapeape

Agreed regarding rust area, my comment was meant to focus on the windshield channel. My car is in for the same repair right now and as far as I know it has been stored indoors for most of its life.