JasonJ

First off let me just say what a great community you all have here. I've learned a lot more in the last few days than I would have thought possible simply by reading through these boards. I was directed here by a rennlist member and definitely will become a member in the very near future.

Now onto my intro. I'm JasonJ I live in Vancouver B.C. and I'm in the very early stages of searching for 993. I'm excited at the prospect of possibly becoming a 993 owner, but unfortunately for me I'm not rolling in it and have quite a task ahead of me finding something that will fulfill my dream within my budget. On top of that, if I do get a 993 it will probably be from the U.S. and would be the first used car I've ever bought, As such, was hoping I could get some advice on a deceptively simple question:

What questions I should ask when inquiring about a car online?

Thanks in advance

vjd3

Hi Jason:

Welcome to Rennlist! Lots of folks here have found their cars online; you can do some searchs for general information on what to look for and that will help you formulate a list of questions to send the current owner. Some basics I typically use:

1) Why are you selling?
2) How many owners has the car had?
3) Is there a complete service history available? Was the last major service performed on schedule?
4) Under the front hood, there should be a sticker with a bunch of option codes; what are those codes? (You can look them up online and it is also an indication, if the sticker is not there, that the car may have had the hood replaced due to an accident.)
5) Has the car ever been in an accident or had any paintwork done?
6) Are there any current oil leaks?
7) Are there any mechanical issues at the present time?
8) When was the last time the car was emission tested? (Particularly important if the car is a 96-98 car, see below)
9) Has the check engine light ever come on? (The secondary air injection system (SAI) is the Achilles heel of the 993; it clogs, usually due to worn valve guides, and the car will fail emissions. The "true" fix is to replace the valve guides, although some people have good luck having the ports flushed. Do a search, there's tons of information.
10) What kind of shape is the clutch in?
11) What kind of shape are the rims and tires in?
12) What is the VIN# (so you can run a Carfax)
13) Are you opposed to a prepurchase inspection at my expense? (If the owner declines, walk away.)

These basics, along with some high quality photos of the car, should give you a general idea.

The next step is to inquire among your Rennlist bretheren if someone will go out and take a look at the car for you. If it passes that test, have a quality independent or dealer perform a prepurchase inspection on the car, including a compression and leakdown test. If you like the results, fly in and drive it back home.

There are many other things, which the PPI will catch (hopefully); some cars have rust issues around the front and rear glass, which Porsche would've taken care of under the 10-year rust warranty; other weak spots include the power steering rack, various oil leaks, the SAI system (big issue), AC evaporator leaks (big hassle to fix), original suspension usually being shot by now, and I'm sure there are others I'm not thinking about.

Search is your friend! There may be a FAQ on this, I seem to recall one.

black ice

Get your hands on a back issue of Excellence magazine issue 151 (November 06). There was a great 993 buyer's guide there. Lots of good stuff online too.
http://www.excellence-mag.com/back_issues.html
Another good way for you to see what could go wrong and figure out the questions to ask - check out the DIYs here and on sites like http://www.p-car.com/ - you'll see the kind of stuff that usually breaks that you'll want to ask about.

I recommend a monthly subscription to Carfax (about $25) while you search. Most list their VIN in their ad so you can get some basic info on car history before you even speak to a seller. If a car was wrecked, you'll have to decide whether you want to pursue it any further - but a quick way to rule out those deals that look just too good to be true. It's not a guarantee that the seller is being honest with you on details about his or her car, but it will tell you something about the seller if their story doesn't match what you read on Carfax.

It was tough for me to decide whether to look at cars with several previous owners, but I felt like I had no choice since the market isn't big. I don't think many POs is a good indicator of car wear or health anyway - ask the owner if they have records on the car and they can tell you a lot about how the car was cared for.

Two things I'll tell you about searching online:
- Expect your search to take a few months or more. Unless you all have 993s sprouting up there for Spring.
- If you see a great car online, check it out RIGHT AWAY. Not good to sound eager to the seller but I saw a bunch of great cars get away from me just a couple of days after they went on the market. People are going crazy here for black on black...

Best of luck.

DJF1

come to our autox today and you can see, ride and ask the Rennlist Pacific Northwest contingency as many questions as you like You will see many 993's there, mine is a red cabrio.

http://pca.jeffgrant.com/index.php?m..._MAN_ITEMS=724

rconnon

Jason i have this article.. i'll bring it in for you.

Scott 1996 993c2

Welcome to this great little place Jason. Become a member and you can search for all sorts of good info here.

Enjoy the hunt ... you've already been given a great headstart with the above posts ... can't wait to see some pics when you finally find the right car for you.

Scott

FLYT993

I used that article as a reference before purchasing mine last December. IMHO..follow the advice/wisdom of the previous posts....find a shop who will service the vehicle BEFORE you purchase it, and have them do the PPI, keep 3-5k in reserve above and beyond the purchase price and lastly become a RL member (it ain't that much). Best of luck.

hpuck

Hey Jason,
You are in the right place to get good advice .
You might also try this link out to help your search. http://www.pca.org/join/quest.html
Good luck

Bill Hanson

JasonJ

Thanks for the welcome and the help. I look forward to reading the article (thanks Rob) and following up on all your tips and suggestions. It's tough to see the many for sale adds and not get swept away, but I'm determined to do my homework before buying anything. I'd rather miss out on a deal than make an uninformed purchase I'll regret. Anyway, thanks again to all.

Father of 3

I would also ask how much oil does the car burn. This is a sensitive subject but generally 1 qt. / 1,000 miles+ would be great. Theoretically, 1q. / 600 miles is still within Porsche spec.

Good luck.