PaulF1

97TT 41000 miles, Blk/Blk, No extras, No PPI, 25% left on tires. Paint and int look good. Owner is asking 62500.00

adsc4s

Does "no PPI" mean you haven't done one yet or does it mean the owner will not let you do a PPI? If it is the latter, RUN! Otherwise, if everything checks out, sounds like a fair price.

PaulF1

I have not done one yet, I'm sure the owner would be fine with it. Anyone know about how much the PPI would cost and where to get one in the Cincinnati area?

Thanks,
PaulF1

ca993twin

Have you seen the car? Driven it? If you can, here's a simple trick... get it fully warmed up, then find a nice long hill where you can apply some throttle for a while. Flip the OBD to show boost pressure. At about 3000 rpm in 3rd gear with full throttle, you should see .8 BAR. You can also test for any sign of slippage with the clutch. Other things to have checked during the PPI:
1). leaky steering rack
2). corroded aux fan resistors
3). leaky clutch slave cylinder.
If the shocks are original, you should plan on some suspension upgrades in the near future. Try to get the owner to do a cold start on the car, and watch for any signs of exhaust smoke. Check again after fully warmed up. Check that all of the warning lights are functioning, and that none are on under normal driving conditions. Carefully try all of the heating & AC controls... a common source of expense. If all that looks good to you, then spend the several hundred on the PPI. Everyone says to do a compression AND leakdown test. Who am I to argue? Makes perfect sense when parting with that much cash.

If the car checks out, that is a very, very fair price. Don't let it get away.

Rob 97 993c2

ca993twin- u may only see 0.7 bar when you floor it - at least I do - i rarely show 0.8 bar and the car was just fully serviced. my shop said the factory manual says 0.7 is standard to show. Maybe my car is a cripple???

PaulF1

The car looks good, but seller told me the front spoiler was recently painted. I checked it out, the hood, both front fenders looked original (matched the other panels) he stated that the spoiler was panted because of chips from rocks. Is there anyway to see if the car has alot of track miles on it?
Also anyone know how much PPI generally cost, and could recommend a reputable place in greater Cincinnati area?

Thanks
PaulF1

ca993twin

Front bumper respray after all these years is fine. Don't sweat some track use... it wears out tires and brakes, it doesn't hurt these cars at all. Most folks will make sure their cars are in excellent shape before taking them to the track... a positive spin... its a good thing! You may want to have a good Porsche body shop look "under the covers" to see if there was anything else painted/replaced. Also not necessarily a bad thing, but it goes to the seller's credibility. PPI can run from about $200 to about $500, depending on how deep they go. Compression and leakdown tests are hard to do and take lots of time, so they add a heap of expense. Are you feeling lucky? I didn't do one on my car, but in hindsight, I think its a good idea.

Sorry I can't help you with a PPI shop. Good luck to you on this.

PaulF1

ca993twin,
I did see some smoke for a couple seconds when he started it up. But the car was sitting in the garage for a few days and had not been started prior to that.
I do appreciate all the advice you have provided me. I have been saving for this car most of my adult life and I am forty now, this will be my first Porsche.
I just want it to be a good experiance not a money pit.

Thanks,
PaulF1

adsc4s

If the car has been sitting for a few days and you see a little smoke on start up, don't sweat it. Definitely get a PPI from a reputable shop that know turbo Porsches, not just Porsches. Get the leakdown and compression. Have a body shop inspect all the panels, paint, gaps, etc. All this is fairly cheap insurance against any surprises.

Know that these are not cheap cars to own. Maintenance is fairly costly. Unforseen repairs can be very costly. Mods are out of this world costly!

There is no hard and fast rule of how many miles before replacement of certain parts but sometime in the future, you will have to replace the suspension, turbos, clutch, etc. Of course, "while you are in there, you might as well..." are famous last words.

Let us know when you find a prospective car. Perhaps a local Rennlister can do a visual inspection for you. Good luck.

HODY905

Try Jon Wright, Wright Tuning in Batavia, Ohio, a suburb of Cinti

PaulF1

Finally drove the car today and took some pics. I am getting the PPI next week.

ca993twin

How can you stand the wait and suspense? Do you have a deal in writing with the seller? A deposit? Did you try my simple "pre-PPI" tests? What will happen if the PPI shows a few things (they usually do)? Will that adjust the price? Will the seller fix everything they find? Or do you have to go back to the negotiating table? I'm an engineer... I like every detail nailed down. Best luck on this... I hope its "the one".

PaulF1

1 How can you stand the wait and suspense?
I have been waiting most of my life for this I guess a few more days wont kill me.
2 Do you have a deal in writing with the seller? A deposit?
No deal yet the owner has a red 96tt with 20K miles and I am torn beetwen the two of them. But he wants about 10K more for the 96.
I have known the owner for about 18 years he is not pushing to sell either car but his wife wont let him buy a 996tt untill he sells one of the others.
3 Did you try my simple "pre-PPI" tests?
Yes .8Bar no clutch slip.
4 Will the seller fix everything they find? Or do you have to go back to the negotiating table?
I guess I will have to wait to see what shows up, if anything major comes up I suppose we will have to renegotiate.

PaulF1

I have some pics but not to sure how to upload them.

ca993twin

If the images sizes are <100k, you can email them to me (ca993twin@yahoo.com), and I can post them in this thread.