sampelligrino

Hey RL,

Looking for advice/comments/opinions as I want to know what I'm getting into and do my due diligence

***Details/specifics/pictures at the bottom!!***

I personally have a 991.2 C4 Coupe en route to Hawaii but my father works in Silicon Valley and is currently carless. As a family we've had the privilege of owning numerous 911s (2 996s (both Tip), 2 997s (Tip then PDK), and soon enough 2 991s (both PDK). However, all of those cars were purchased new.

As you might surmise, we love the 911 and we also love the daily drivability of these cars with automatic/PDK transmissions.

My father has the itch for the 993 as it's been a dream car of his for quite some time. He's just made excuse after excuse on why it wouldn't work for him and kept saying that I couldn't find the right car for him. He stands corrected. We found a 1997 993 Carrera Coupe with Tip with 37k miles at a fairly reasonable price in Atlanta that looks to be in great condition based on the exterior/interior photos. I'm prodding him to go for it and trying to facilitate this purchase for him.

I'm currently arranging for the car to be sent to Goldcrest Motorsports for a full PPI done for peace of mind prior to negotiating on the car. If the PPI checks out with no major work/repairs/maintenance needed, we'd likely buy the car and also try to have the Porsche Classic Radio with Nav installed.

Neither of us are great at DIY stuff although this car could change that as we are looking at it as an exciting project and maybe an opportunity for us to try to DIY on minor things as part of the fun and experience. We are definitely, confidently *not* knowledgable about the 993 platform other than what is well known to most: 1) it's an iconic 911 design, 2) the last air cooled engine in a 911, and 3) a nice balance between classic and modern. We do not know anything about common pitfalls with the 993, common issues, or things to look out for or things to maintain frequently.

This is a "bucket list" type purchase for my old man and I'm just trying to do everything I can do make sure that it just puts a smile on his face and brings him some enjoyment, rather than give him a headache or stress him out as we all have enough of that

Here's some questions that I'm hoping for guidance on:

- Is there anything in particular to be on the lookout for? Would there be anything we should really dig in and investigate that a full PPI might not uncover? Mike at Goldcrest mentioned that paint is not looked at for their PPI and that they don't do anything for checking leaks unless a leak is specifically detected if I remember correctly.

- Any typical work/modifications recommended on a 993 to bring it back up to date? As mentioned I will look at the Porsche Classic Radio/Nav for sure for the bluetooth capability with a cellphone.

- Lastly, I actually plan on getting something out of this by driving it from Atlanta to Los Angeles on my own, then having my old man fly down and meet me in LA and we'll drive it up to Silicon Valley together. Really looking forward to this opportunity to spend some quality time with my father and also have some alone time to explore all the states between Georgia and California as a fun road trip. Aside from praying that the AC system in the 993 is strong enough to keep me cool from Atlanta to Los Angeles, is there any reason for concern or reservations on the car safely and comfortably taking me from Atlanta to Los Angeles?

Any other advice/input/opinions really is greatly appreciated. Very excited about this potential purchase but also a bit nervous as its our first pre-owned purchase and it's a 20 year old car at this point. Also don't want to put the cart before the horse as we are eagerly awaiting the PPI results as that will really be indicator on whether we move forward with this car or not.

**CAR DETAILS**

Car is on consignment with Hennessy Porsche in Atlanta, asking price is $59,950. Car is a 1997 993 Carrera Coupe with 37k miles. CarFax comes out clean showing 6 owners but SA thinks that there were 3 original owners since the title dates were really close within each event (?). VIN is WP0AA2994VS320335. Arena Red over Black Tiptronic, don't know about options (will ask SA for build sheet/window sticker if he can get it). SA said their own dealership can do the PPI but I requested that Goldcrest do it and he/the owner complied which is great. Pictures will be attached below.

Thanks as always

Sammy

Disraeli

Aloha from Denver! I'm a Punahou boy from back in the 80's (seven years behind Obama).

I bought mine with 38k miles last September and I've been driving it with abandon ever since. Had to catch up on a lot of basic maintenance issues early on because it sat dormant for about seven years. That said, I'd be perfectly comfortable making a 2000 mile trip in it.

Good luck, brah.

Onami

I wouldn't do a PPI at a shop that can't check for original paint...or I would send it to a second shop to have the paint checked. I have never heard of a shop not checking for leaks on a 993. Leaks are one of the most common issues...

sampelligrino

Howsit Your C4 Cab looks gorgeous!! Appreciate the vote of confidence, I'm sure we will have to do something similar with this 993 Coupe.

Goldcrest had really good reviews on this forum and another, good idea to get a 2nd shop to look at the paint/leaks..

Thanks for calling me out on this, will edit the original post to provide full details. Pricing seemed inline with the other Tip 993 late model year coupes we had found through Auto Trader/eBay with this low of mileage. Look forward to getting your thoughts on it!

jrmdir

Hopefully this shows up on the CarFax, but it sold in IL at some point in the past when it had 31K miles. Ask was $39.9K
https://www.dmautosales.com/1997-por...rera-c-574.htm

There are some good close-up photos in that posting and the car looks to be in great shape. This is a personal taste thing, but it looked a lot better, IMO, back then without the dark tint windows. Also, the photo of the spare tire seems to be missing the compressor. That's not too uncommon but should be a deduct in the negotiation.

IndyJim

I recently bought the black 993 Hennessy had on consignment so I've seen this car up close.

It is very clean. I won't pretend to have the experience with the model that certainly others have on this forum so take my comments for what they're worth. I will say the Porsche Classic sales guy Mike represented my car very accurately. Given that you're not local having an independent shop do the PPI was probably smart, Hennessy "missed" a driver door detent issue with mine.

I got the impression that it has sat for awhile, which may be to your advantage in discussing price. The color and the transmission ruled it out for me, but if those are to your liking this looked to be a very good "Driver" level car. I'd also say the tint wasn't to my liking either, but another subjective thing.

Good luck!

sampelligrino

Wow thanks for researching that and the info, it's really helpful. Do you think the tint can be taken off the windows easily? I agree with you there that we both prefer the look of the car without the tint. And missing the compressor as in no AC?! Sorry - I am a total car noob.. Appreciate your input big time.

Thanks for the info! It really helps as I am likely over 4000 miles away in Hawaii. I'm dealing with Mike as well, seems to be a nice enough guy. I have the same impression as you as I had been on this hunt for a 993 Coupe with Tip on and off for the past 6 months and believe I've come across this car before..

Another thing we noticed is that perhaps the suspension is sitting a bit low / maybe lower than usual or normal for a 993? Not sure if there are issues there, or non-OEM springs or something.. Maybe it's just us.

PPI is scheduled for Monday and I'll need to figure out a way to maybe get a second one done to look at paint and comb through the car again just to be safe rather than sorry.

Thanks for all the input fellas!!

Gbos1

Most if not all 911 993s 964s etc.... leak... some way worse than others. Do your homework and check those Door Check Straps!!

justin-in-athens

Goldcrest will do a good ppi, I wouldn't worry too much about the thoroughness of the inspection. Its a desirable color combo and mileage. Looks like a good car if it doesn't leak like a sieve and have a bunch of lights on the dash. If you want somebody to look at the paint, and perhaps give the car an additional once over, contact John Holt. Several folks on this board have used this shop and been pleased.

Contact info:
Hot Wheels
847 Barnes Mill Road
Marietta, GA 30062
770-422-8412

jrmdir

I believe most tint products are reversible but check with a body shop or detailer - or a window tint company - to be sure of what's involved.

No, not talking about the A/C compressor - that's on the engine in the back. These cars have a collapsible spare tire and part of the tool kit is a portable air compressor that plugs into the cigar lighter - so you can (theoretically) inflate the spare. Seems a lot of these get lost along the way and often end up on eBay for $200 - $300. Not critical IMO - unless you plan to show your car at judged events. But still something to add to the list of deficiencies when negotiating.

fsa

Window tinting is removable. I had such done on a 335i that a previous person put on. It was nearly black, illegal like many, but police don't usually ticket. Surprised, as they and others often can't see what waiting behind the glass.
Tolerable in summer sun, but compromised visibility at night. Appearance?
Reputable place took it off, saying in advance, they'll get if off, but unknown until they begin whether it's an easy or miserable job- mine came off rather easily, then replaced with lighter, maximum (legal) tint. which works well.
My C4S compressor also absent when car purchased, as was tool kit- cheap shot by someone. There are other compressors that are more efficient, much cheaper, unless you want total factory stock unit

jrmdir

More random thoughts:

If the PPI'er is familiar with 993's they should know this, but just in case, make sure they check for any creaking or movement at the door stop "strap" when the doors - particularly the driver's - are fully extended open. The attachment of the strap inside the door on some cars is prone to weaken and break if the door is flung open too hard and too many times. Fixable but definitely not easy or cheap.

Also, if it were me, I'd try calling the dealer in IL who sold it previously. If they are reasonable folk they might have some info for you. Moreover, if the sale was within the last year or two (for less than $40K!) you will want to know that. $20K+ is a big step up - unless the sale was 2010 - 2013.

sampelligrino

You guys are giving me great advice/input and it's really appreciated, making me glad that I decided to post about the car on here! Thank you guys.

I called the dealership in IL that had previously sold the car (great idea) and they said it sold in January 2012... so I don't know that the $60k figure is way off for this car. I might see if they can budge at all on price if the PPI checks out and deduct whatever needs to be done on top of that from the PPI on Monday.

So far on my radar is the Door Straps, the Tint (if it can be removed, we don't really like it), and also the Suspension as it looks a bit "low" but not sure if that's just typical ride height for the 993.

Do you guys have any thoughts on modern touches the car might need? Maybe new headlights/taillights? Definitely going to see if Goldcrest can put in the Porsche Classic Radio and Nav if we end up purchasing the car.

davesnothere

To add to the good advice: since you're looking at a '97, which is an OBD-II car, you'll want the PPI to check for any codes related to the Secondary Air Injection system (SAI).

Lots of threads on this topic on the forum, but the skinny is it's a system that pumps fresh air through a series of valves into passages in the heads where they meet with the exhaust ports. This allows more fresh air to the catalytic converter during the warmup period, which reduces cold start emissions. On the '96 and '97 cars, a failure in this system will trigger a Check Engine Light (CEL), and this will definitely fail a CA smog check.

Common failure points are the valves (1-way/check and diverter), and the head passages themselves. Replacement of the valves is finicky but not impossible, while the head passages can be cleaned out by abrasive cable (the so-called "roto rooter method"). Some shops will recommend a full head refurbish to clear these passages, but unless the car also exhibits excessive oil consumption, I would go with the roto rooter route first.

Unscrupulous owners may have tried to hide the problem by disabling the CEL - make sure the PPI checks for a properly functioning CEL.

PRSWILL

SAI Issues on a car with 37K on the ODO could signal other hidden issues. I doubt it will throw that code tho.