PK

Hello to all you Turbo Gurus out there,

After a long on-again, off-again search, I think I've finally found the car I was looking for. I'm ready and I'm really excited. It's a local car: '97 with 57.5K miles. 60K service was recently done by dealer.
Now I have some questions and wonder what you guys think:

• Is this considered by you guys as "high mileage"?
• Any advantage (or disadvantage?) of getting this '97 vs. a lower mileage '96 given both cars are in similar conditions?
• Will I be facing with replacing or repairing those turbos in a 57.5K mile car soon?
• Is wiring harness also an issue for '97 car?

Any Turbo owners out there with 60K miles or more? and your thoughts?

I know PPI is a must as well as a compression and leakdown test, etc.
Thank you all Turbo Guys out there for your invaluable inputs/thoughts.

ps. Hopefully I'll be able to join the rank of Turbo Ownership soon...

Air Kuul TT

PK,

Is this a Polar Silver with HRE wheels? Red seat belts, and the car is at his mechanic name Helment? If so run away as fast as you can... Let me know if this is the car and I'll tell you about it.

PorschePhD

Yes, I say it is getting up there. The only reason why is most will need valve guides. They are as bad as the 3.2s were. Most by this time should have the guides replaced. This is a common occurrence and is well documented.

If the turbos have not been shut down properly you will be looking at a rebuild in the future.

The 97 had some upgrades that are worth while. They had better pressure hoses for one. They also somewhat corrected the input shaft issue. They made it stronger. It would still bend, but you had to work harder at it. The ECU was also different. The 96 ECUs are not programmable and if upgrades are in your future the 96 will have to receive an updated ECU first. One from a 97 or newer.

Any used TT should be checked out by not only a mechanic, but someone that really knows TTs. There are some pit falls with the cars and a well versed wrench that knows TTs can help steer you in the right direction.

viperbob

The '97 is a rarer car than the '96 Only about 1/3 as many. It is also the last of the air cooled turbos. So it has a little additional value to the right person from that perspective.

As Stephen mentioned, there are some mechanical advantages to a '97 (although the orange turbo hoses did not come out until mid-year so you may or may not have them).. I have seen turbos that were DEAD with 30K miles on them and need to be rebuilt, and I've seen them in great shape with 75K. It all depends on how the previous owners treated them.

Get a thorough PPI. You do need to find someone that has seen and knows what to look for in these cars. There are a number of standard 993 items (like steering rack leakage) but also many things that are turbo specific. Many Porsche shops, even some of the more well known ones, may only ever have seen one or two of these cars (depending upon where the car is located). So make sure the shop doing the PPI has the proper expertese.

Good luck

Rob 97 993c2

steve and bob-
what should be checked on the valve guides? i didnt realize that turbos were affected as well. I ask b/c my TT is in the shop and i them to go thru everything .. what exactly should i tell them to check?
thanks
rob

PK

Thank you guys for your prompt replies.
I'm off to see the car in person today. Hopefully it is in as good of a shape as the owner claimed.
It's got a 9/96 build date...so I don't think it'll have updated turbo hoses.

Assuming turbos need rebuild and valve guides need replacement, how BIG of a dent are they going to put on my walet???

and Tony, no this is not the car you're warning me about....but thanks for the headsup. Hope to see you soon at "The Rumble".


Thanks again, guys.

nman413

I have a 96 with 63k miles. Runs great.

ca993twin

My 1996 has 67k miles and still has the original turbos and clutch. I also have the 97 input shaft, 97 ECU (already reprogrammed by Gemballa), and the uprated orange turbo hoses. I've got leaky valve-cover gaskets, but other wise, the car runs great. No outward signs of valve guide wear (no oil smoke or significant oil consumption). There is no substitute.

PK

Just came back from checking the car out.
It's a go!
As it turns out, it also already have the orange turbo hoses updated.

Now it's time for a PPI.

Any recommendation as for a good shop (that knows their TT stuff) here in Orange County???

TIA.

911/Q45

Andial

Kevin

Scott's Repair, and Andial in Anaheim.. Call both shops and talk with them..

PK

Thanks guys.
Will try to line things up with Andial this week.
..and we shall see what happens then.

Air Kuul TT

PK,

Good Luck on the PPI, Hopfully it'll all work out and we will have another Polar Silver TT in the So. Cal group.

Rob 97 993c2

i didnt realize that polar over midnight blue was so popular;
Ive seen about 6 of these for sale in the past 2 months.

PK

Well....after much heated debate with my "CFO" the idea of getting this car has finally been struck down. ....but the quest goes on and the search continues

In case someone is interested here is the link:'97 Turbo GlacierWhite/Black
(with the usual disclaimer of not being affiliated and blah...blah...blah..) Just want to give somebody looking for a white turbo a chance to check it out. BTW, it's a factory-loaded car with immaculate interiors and exteriors to match.

Once again, a sincere thank you to all that replied to this short-lived thread.