Boston911fan

Sorry to boast, but I just got the best deal on a 996 3-spoke steering wheel, and I have some questions. To start off, I attended the PCA Northest Region annual auction at the local car museum. A fellow PCA'er was selling his steering wheel out of his 996 GT3. Nobody wanted it except for me, and I won it for 90 bucks! That included the airbag and cancelling ring. So here are a couple of dumb questions:

1. Did the GT3 come with the thick or thin rim steering wheel? Does anyone have good pics of the two types of steering wheels?

2. Since I have little mechanic experience (the only bragging rights I have was rebuilding a friend's VW Corrado bottom end with CLOSE supervision from her father who is a VW/Audi/MB mechanic), where do I take it to do the install? Will the dealership do it or is it a liability since it is used? Could someone like European Performance (EPE) do it?

Thanks for your help. Also, thanks Flatsix911 for your elegant write-up on the install. Unfortunately, due to my lack of experience, I do not want an imprint of the Porsche family crest on my forhead.

Boston911fan

I forgot to mention the details of the wheel. It is black and has a vinyl horn cover. It is in perfect condition. The owner said something about it being a European version, but I forgot to ask him for more details. Hey for 90 bucks, I couldn't pass it up!

nile13

EPE in Natick or Eurotech in Fram would surely be able to install it for you.

Mark in Baltimore

$90 is screamin' deal territory. Nice.

Mark Harris

I hate you. The airbags are $450 and I decided if I could pick up one of those 996 steering wheels under $200 I would bite the bullet and buy the airbag. You could sell that whole $90 step up on Ebay for over $800 easily.

Hound Dog

I paid ~$850 for the same wheel done in alcantara (which is pretty nice and soft and comfy) just a few months ago. Mark this down as one of your best deals ever. Like the rest of my assets, I can't bear to compare them to market just a few months ago, so I will not compare your deal to mine, which will inevitably make me nuts.

Hound Dog.

Boston911fan

I'll call Jerry on Monday. Should I bother calling Prime Porsche as well?

Boston911fan

Hahaha, you'd probably like me if you met me. People always say that I'm nice, but they don't know any better. Seriously though, you should have seen some of the stuff that people were selling. My VW mechanic who is also a Porsche owner sold a poster worth at least $200 for 7 bucks because he set the reserve too low and nobody knew the true value of it. Also, the same guy who sold me the steering wheel had two unused collapsable spares for $45 each! There were also 996 chrome oval exhaust tips that didn't even sell for a few bucks. I would have bought them, but had no idea if they would fit my car. I did get a couple of old books for a buck each though. Many of the sellers were adamant about not wanting to see their stuff on eBay the next day. I think that a lot of them really just had no more use of their stuff and just wanted it to go to good Porsche enthusiast homes. You betcha I'm counting my blessings!

nile13

I'm not sure who/where Prime Porsche is.

FlatSix911

Glad to help with the instructions.
You may want to try the installation yourself ... all you need are a few hand tools and a little encouragement ... the beer is optional.

95_993

Darn....I completely forgot about the auction. Nothin' better on such a rainy afternoon.

Great deal.

murfysflaw

I hate you... I hate you so very, very much.



JK... great deal you got there! I really want to pick one up, but can't justify the cost.

Boston911fan

They are the former Clair Porsche/Audi, which was taken over by the Prime Motors group, and now reside in Westwood near the Rojo gas station and MB of Westwood dealership.

MarkD

awesome deal...

I would not go the a Porsche dealer. Any Indy can do this. Dealer will just charge more. This is as about as easy of a job as it can get.
Beware, all readiness codes will be reset. Shouldn't be a problem for you since you are probably far way from a smog check (If you have to deal with that sort if thing in your state).

Boston911fan

Sounds like I might pay more to install it than for the wheel itself. I still don't want to attempt it because I have little mechanical experience. What are these readiness codes you speak of? I live in one of the two strictest states when it comes to emissions. Ever wonder who was holding up the "50-state legal" diesels? It would be us and California. Do I have to worry about those codes and can an independent place deal with them?