Buying 96 out of state in TX - autocheck showed emissions failure
09-28-2005, 08:14 AM
#16
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Also... if I do buy the car and drive it home 1500 miles to LA across the desert, what supplies would you carry with you? I purchased a spare 993 DME relay already...thanks in advance.
A few weeks ago I purchased my 993 in Seattle, WA and then drove it back to Maryland via Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Chicago, etc, etc.
3,145 miles!
I also had a spare DME relay with me, a quart of Mobil 1 (thanks John R.), a Garmin NAV system, cell phone and the usual personal affects for a few days worth of travel. Make sure you take a fairly well-populated route and that gas stations exist with a certain amount of regularity. My mileage suffered dearly because I felt the need to continuously downshift and hear the wonderful mechanical symphony playing out behind the rear seats
Good luck and let us know what you intend to do.
Andreas
Last edited by AOW162435; 09-28-2005 at 04:51 PM.
09-28-2005, 10:35 AM
#17
Drifting
Hey Sonic...my car is 100% clean according to CARFAX...according to Autocheck my car had 85,000 miles in 1995 after just one month of use!!! I'd not trust Autocheck that much...
09-28-2005, 02:00 PM
#18
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Not to be the nay-sayer, but oh well... The fact that the car failed emissions some time ago and "recently passed" without any explanation is a red flag to me.
The OBD-II system can be reset to erase all the prior alarms and then, if timed properly, the car can be smogged after the readiness codes have appeared but before the CEL comes on... this is exactly what happened to my car. The car passed smog with flying colors during the PPI and then threw a CEL 80 miles later with significantly clogged ports.
As I understand it, it can take many miles driven for the reset CEL from SAI problems to re-light.
The OBD-II system can be reset to erase all the prior alarms and then, if timed properly, the car can be smogged after the readiness codes have appeared but before the CEL comes on... this is exactly what happened to my car. The car passed smog with flying colors during the PPI and then threw a CEL 80 miles later with significantly clogged ports.
As I understand it, it can take many miles driven for the reset CEL from SAI problems to re-light.
09-28-2005, 04:14 PM
#20
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900 miles in 3 years... even with my schedule I put more miles than that. While I dont want to say that they lie to you, bear in mind that an odo rollover on our cars is extremely easy. When I replaced my race car's odo which had stopped I went to a guy in Houston who rolled up the new odo to the correct milaege in less than half an hour...It is THAT easy...
Since then it scares me to think about the used 993's out there. If you could examine the odo watch for any obvious taletail of any marks in the bezel which scratches very easily and you need to take the glass out to roll it up or down.
I also believe that on OBDII cars you can get the engine hours and use 25-30mph as an average speed to calculate approximately the milaege range on this engine.That should be an indication I believe of odo tampering...
Since then it scares me to think about the used 993's out there. If you could examine the odo watch for any obvious taletail of any marks in the bezel which scratches very easily and you need to take the glass out to roll it up or down.
I also believe that on OBDII cars you can get the engine hours and use 25-30mph as an average speed to calculate approximately the milaege range on this engine.That should be an indication I believe of odo tampering...
09-28-2005, 04:40 PM
#21
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Thanks guys...the question of top end rebuild is a question of when....not if... I know that!
Hopefully it will be later than sooner, but Im prepared to deal with it now at this point. Ive already spent $800 between PPI and flight and I may as well do the deal IF the car passes my own personal inspection on site.
Danny thanks for the tip on Odo rollback.
The car is at Advantage Porsche in Houston by the way...supposedly they have a decent rep in town.
Hopefully it will be later than sooner, but Im prepared to deal with it now at this point. Ive already spent $800 between PPI and flight and I may as well do the deal IF the car passes my own personal inspection on site.
Danny thanks for the tip on Odo rollback.
The car is at Advantage Porsche in Houston by the way...supposedly they have a decent rep in town.
09-28-2005, 05:13 PM
#22
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If it is a Pcar dealer, you should be very cautious. Was your PPI performed by an independant mechanic? By that, I mean off-site, no relationship whatsoever to the dealer! I bought my 98 Cab from a Pcar dealer in Southern California earlier this year. Had them do an inspection (yes, stupid) under the belief they would get the work if any needed to be done. Nothing major turned up. They told me they performed a full maintenance on the car along with new brakes.
Got the car home, had it checked out by Devek, along with a PSS9 install, and found out I was taken badly by the dealer(broken rotor inside one of the dist. caps, severed plug wires, discs worn beyond spec, etc).
Not saying all dealers are bad, just be careful.
Sure is a pretty car.
Good luck
Michael
Got the car home, had it checked out by Devek, along with a PSS9 install, and found out I was taken badly by the dealer(broken rotor inside one of the dist. caps, severed plug wires, discs worn beyond spec, etc).
Not saying all dealers are bad, just be careful.
Sure is a pretty car.
Good luck
Michael
09-28-2005, 05:18 PM
#23
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Sonic, Advantage has an OK reputation here, but they do seem to change personnel very quickly so I think you were right in getting an independant PPI. I would make them give you a 60 day money back guarantee. They can afford it, they are part of a larger group of dealers.
09-28-2005, 08:55 PM
#24
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Well DONT get me started about Advantage... I bought my cab from them 4 years ago. One tire had a nail in it, the top had shrunk and the clutch was slipping. According to their mechanic the car was "perfect". 
That was before my RL list days ...little did I know... Their "finance guy" also LIED to me which cost me big time, I complaint to Porsche NA but had no recourse...In short that was the LAST car I would ever buy from them. I MUST also say to be fair that the sales man was a nice guy, also the service advisor and parts guys are nice people and very forthcoming.
That was before my RL list days ...little did I know... Their "finance guy" also LIED to me which cost me big time, I complaint to Porsche NA but had no recourse...In short that was the LAST car I would ever buy from them. I MUST also say to be fair that the sales man was a nice guy, also the service advisor and parts guys are nice people and very forthcoming.
09-29-2005, 09:52 AM
#25
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I'm in TX and my carfax also reflects the fact that my 993 failed inspection twice in the past. Both times were a result of the readiness codes. If everything else checks out, I wouldn't be concerned.
09-30-2005, 07:28 PM
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My 87 951 failed emissions yesterday here in Dallas. It passed last year fine and I've made no mods to the car over the past 12 months. Texas has become a nightmare to drive an older car in because of new federal testing standards. The EPA has given our state a few warnings to reduce pollutants post haste and the passing requirements for an emissions sticker will become tougher as each year passes. Just wanted to let you know what us Texans are up against in getting and keeping our P cars legal to drive within our metro areas.
10-01-2005, 01:38 AM
#27
Racer
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UPDATE:
I flew to Houston today....and now I am back home in LA.
The car was a COMPLETE PIECE OF CRAP!!!!
Here is a partial list of how ****ti this car is:
1) Front and Rear valance scraped badly. Exhaust pipes with literal scrapes in them, not just scratches.
2) Paint old and faded, very scratchy.
3) Engine has 2 inches of mud and leaves in the bottom of it!!! WTF??
4) Rear Tires are almost completely bald
5) Engine tray is on but it appears to have oil leaks
6) Interior Carpet is badly stained all over. One back seat has stained blue on the grey leather.
7) Car rides and drives TERRIBLY!! Pitch and roll all over the place. Suspension is completely shot and this car feels unsafe for driving.
8) All 4 wheels have curb rash, dents or damage.
9) Clutch feels like its going to go very soon.
10) Brakes are about 1/2 way gone
11) Very funny - ALL 4 SPEAKERS IN THE CAR ARE BLOWN!! You can't get any sound out of the speakers, its all garbled ****t.
12) Front hood is badly scratched.
etc etc.
I am furious at Gonzo Jimenez and Matt Blevins of Advantage Porsche and Audi. Those guys are complete CON ARTISTS. They are putting this car on Ebay with all of these known problems... I must have called them 15 times in the past 2 weeks and according to them the car was sweet.
This 993, it the biggest Piece of ****t that i have ever driven with a Porsche name on it. It is an embarrassment to the Porsche Crest and Advantage Porsche of Houston is an even bigger embarrasment.
Before this trip, I had Sam Shala of Protecknik in Houston "PPI" this car. His garage missed just about everything exept a few minor cosmetic issues.
According to the PPI "car drives great, motor clean, etc."
I called Protechnik today very angry....I got ahold of Sam and let him have it. He admitted that he barely even looked at the car, and his mechanic did the entire "ppi" He said that he may fire the guy.
To Sam's credit, he apologized to me and agreed to refund my money for the PPI.
I dont think he wants his garage associated with such shoddy PPI work.
As for Advantage: They suck. Avoid them at all costs.
With all of the questions that I asked about the car, they totally misrepresented it. The false PPI made things even worse. They knew that i was spending the money and time to fly out to Texas and they still pulled crap out of their azzes to try and sucker me.
They should be embarrassed to sell such junk in a Porsche dealership.
Now, I am back home in LA about $1000 lighter in the pocket for all of this fukin mess.
I flew to Houston today....and now I am back home in LA.
The car was a COMPLETE PIECE OF CRAP!!!!
Here is a partial list of how ****ti this car is:
1) Front and Rear valance scraped badly. Exhaust pipes with literal scrapes in them, not just scratches.
2) Paint old and faded, very scratchy.
3) Engine has 2 inches of mud and leaves in the bottom of it!!! WTF??
4) Rear Tires are almost completely bald
5) Engine tray is on but it appears to have oil leaks
6) Interior Carpet is badly stained all over. One back seat has stained blue on the grey leather.
7) Car rides and drives TERRIBLY!! Pitch and roll all over the place. Suspension is completely shot and this car feels unsafe for driving.
8) All 4 wheels have curb rash, dents or damage.
9) Clutch feels like its going to go very soon.
10) Brakes are about 1/2 way gone
11) Very funny - ALL 4 SPEAKERS IN THE CAR ARE BLOWN!! You can't get any sound out of the speakers, its all garbled ****t.
12) Front hood is badly scratched.
etc etc.
I am furious at Gonzo Jimenez and Matt Blevins of Advantage Porsche and Audi. Those guys are complete CON ARTISTS. They are putting this car on Ebay with all of these known problems... I must have called them 15 times in the past 2 weeks and according to them the car was sweet.
This 993, it the biggest Piece of ****t that i have ever driven with a Porsche name on it. It is an embarrassment to the Porsche Crest and Advantage Porsche of Houston is an even bigger embarrasment.
Before this trip, I had Sam Shala of Protecknik in Houston "PPI" this car. His garage missed just about everything exept a few minor cosmetic issues.
According to the PPI "car drives great, motor clean, etc."
I called Protechnik today very angry....I got ahold of Sam and let him have it. He admitted that he barely even looked at the car, and his mechanic did the entire "ppi" He said that he may fire the guy.
To Sam's credit, he apologized to me and agreed to refund my money for the PPI.
I dont think he wants his garage associated with such shoddy PPI work.
As for Advantage: They suck. Avoid them at all costs.
With all of the questions that I asked about the car, they totally misrepresented it. The false PPI made things even worse. They knew that i was spending the money and time to fly out to Texas and they still pulled crap out of their azzes to try and sucker me.
They should be embarrassed to sell such junk in a Porsche dealership.
Now, I am back home in LA about $1000 lighter in the pocket for all of this fukin mess.
10-01-2005, 03:26 AM
#28
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Yikes! Sorry to hear, Sonic. The lesson learned here appears to be that there is great value in having another Rennlister check a car out before making this kind of commitment from such a distance... if what you described is true, none of we "enthusiasts" would have given the thumb's up on this car.
We never got a sense of your negotiated price either (not that I'm asking nor am I saying you should divulge)... with that said, was this a "really great deal"? If so, obviously too good to be true as most are.
If you are in Los Angeles and are willing to pay for a quality car, there are plenty of local sources, including both PO's and dealers. Let me know if you'd like and I can steer you to a few sources that I frequented during my search.
Better luck with your next attempt and sorry again.
We never got a sense of your negotiated price either (not that I'm asking nor am I saying you should divulge)... with that said, was this a "really great deal"? If so, obviously too good to be true as most are.
If you are in Los Angeles and are willing to pay for a quality car, there are plenty of local sources, including both PO's and dealers. Let me know if you'd like and I can steer you to a few sources that I frequented during my search.
Better luck with your next attempt and sorry again.
10-01-2005, 03:32 AM
#29
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Sorry to hear your misfortune. As you know from my postings I'm not surprised unfortunately.... Advantage do suck, but since Porsche is not wiling to touch them, they can play the 2 bit 3rd tier used car salesman all they want.
If you are looking at another car in Houston, have a Rennlister check it out first. Regarding the PPI the best shop to do that is on another location I'm afraid...
Good luck to you in finding your dream 993.
If you are looking at another car in Houston, have a Rennlister check it out first. Regarding the PPI the best shop to do that is on another location I'm afraid...
Good luck to you in finding your dream 993.
10-01-2005, 03:38 AM
#30
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I'm sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. FWIW -- more for other people reading this thread now, and out of the archives in the future -- having a local fellow enthusiast check out a car for you *first* is a very good idea. Then, if the enthusiast (but not a trained mechanic) tells you the car appears to be as-represented, then you would proceed to a PPI.
I've done this more than once here in Houston for other Rennlisters: taken lots of digipics, documented all sorts of flaws not revealed by the seller. One car was mechanically very sound, just had a variety of cosmetic issues. I saved the buyer money: they bargained down the dealer (who was quite chagrined at how many things I found), got a mechanically strong car & didn't have any unpleasant surprises. A nice (and classy) conclusion was the buyer sent me a nice bottle of wine as a thank-you. Sadly, you rarely see that sort of gesture.
Also, I'd like to point out (more for future reference than as a salve for *your* pain, unfortunately) that I've never heard of the kind of PPI failure on the part of Viking Sjovall or Mike Callas here in Houston, who a number of local Rennlisters consistently recommend for PPIs.
I've done this more than once here in Houston for other Rennlisters: taken lots of digipics, documented all sorts of flaws not revealed by the seller. One car was mechanically very sound, just had a variety of cosmetic issues. I saved the buyer money: they bargained down the dealer (who was quite chagrined at how many things I found), got a mechanically strong car & didn't have any unpleasant surprises. A nice (and classy) conclusion was the buyer sent me a nice bottle of wine as a thank-you. Sadly, you rarely see that sort of gesture.
Also, I'd like to point out (more for future reference than as a salve for *your* pain, unfortunately) that I've never heard of the kind of PPI failure on the part of Viking Sjovall or Mike Callas here in Houston, who a number of local Rennlisters consistently recommend for PPIs.